The Ecosystem Engine is a JavaScript and XML driven viewer and editor
for animated, sprite driven simulations. It is akin to a web browser,
except instead of web pages, it runs animations in which the “actors”interact and react to each other and the environment in such a way that the animation is never the same twice. The engine will have support for several input sources, including webcam data, online data, and direct user input via a keyboard and mouse.
For the past year, we have been developing the Ecosystem Engine in openFrameworks, although I am once again looking at Ogre3D and a few other engines as a good foundation for Ecosystem.
Ecosystem will be put into the dev.eyebeam.org system and we will invite coders from the openFrameworks community, the ITP program, oncall.eyebeam community, and other c++ game dev communities who are interested in animation to take part in its development. We will arrange a weekly or bi-weekly meeting to go over developments, using Steve Lambert’s add-art development strategy as a guide. Jeff Crouse will act as the project manager, monitoring code commits and ensuring the overall quality of the software.
Another team of volunteers (again, recruited from the communities mentioned above) would write documentation about the process of creating animations for the Ecosystem Engine and creating a website where it will be available for download for all major platforms. Our hope is that we can eventually attract animators to use Ecosystem and showcase other artists’ projects on the site.
The Ecosystem Engine
for animated, sprite driven simulations. It is akin to a web browser,
except instead of web pages, it runs animations in which the “actors”interact and react to each other and the environment in such a way that the animation is never the same twice. The engine will have support for several input sources, including webcam data, online data, and direct user input via a keyboard and mouse.
For the past year, we have been developing the Ecosystem Engine in openFrameworks, although I am once again looking at Ogre3D and a few other engines as a good foundation for Ecosystem.
Another team of volunteers (again, recruited from the communities mentioned above) would write documentation about the process of creating animations for the Ecosystem Engine and creating a website where it will be available for download for all major platforms. Our hope is that we can eventually attract animators to use Ecosystem and showcase other artists’ projects on the site.