Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aseq4T81P7g
What is the CryEngine?
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| Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/CryEngine_Nex-Gen%284th_Generation%29.png |
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| Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e9/Crytek_logo.svg/250px-Crytek_logo.svg.png |
CryEngine is developed to be an extremely powerful engine designed to be used on PC platforms and consoles, including the next-gen consoles, PS4 and Xbox One. This engine's graphical capabilities with its state of the art lighting, realistic physics, advanced animation systems and much more surpass that of Unity and UDK, with only Unreal Engine 4 being just on par. Similar to UDK and UE4 this engine has an intuitive and powerful level design features built into the engine. Currently there have been 3 iterations of the engine with a 4th created with the development of the game Ryse: Son of Rome. In addition, there is a modified version of the CryEngine that Ubisoft Montreal has in house for the development of the Far Cry games, called Dunia.
Engine Features
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| Source: http://www.crytek.com/sites/default/files/game_teasers/bigteaser-ce2.jpg |
Throughout the engines many iterations more features have been added and improved the following are just a few things that can be achieved in this engine. This features not only make this engine an industry standard but also makes it a strong competitor for game engine dominance.
- Simultaneous WYSIWYG on all platforms in Sandbox editor
- "Hot-update" for all platforms in Sandbox editor
- Material Editor
- Flow graph
- Track View Editor
- Procedural Placement Tools & Cover Generation
- Integrated vegetation & terrain cover generation system
- Real time soft particle system & integrated FX editor
- Road & river tools
- Vehicle creator
- Fully Flexible Time of Day System
- Streaming
- Performance Analysis Tools
- Visual Budget System
- Multi-core support
- Sandbox development layers
- Offline rendering
- Resource compiler
- Natural lighting & dynamic soft shadows with penumbra
- Irradiance Volume
- Deferred lighting
- Real time dynamic global illumination
- Eye adaptation & high dynamic range(HDR) lighting
- Screen Space Ambient Occlusion
- Color grading
- "Uber Shader" technology
- Blend Layer
- Normal maps & parallax occlusion maps
- Motion blur & depth of field with sprite-based bokeh
- High quality 3D water
- Dynamic volumetric light beams & light shaft effects
- Volumetric, layer & view distance fogging
- PolyBump
- High Speed Texture Rendering
- Screen Space Directional Occlusion (SSDO)
- Tessellation & Displacement Mapping
- Screen-Space Reflections
- Particles Motion blur & Shadows
- Character animation system
- Character individualization system
- Parametric skeletal animation
- Procedural motion warping & IK solutions
- Facial animation editor
- Subsurface scattering
- AI editing system
- Dynamic pathfinding
- Layer Navigation Mesh
- Automated navigation mesh generation
- Tactical Point System
- Integrated multi-threaded physics engine
- Deformables and soft body physics
- Interactive & destructible environment
- Rope physics
- In-game sound mixing & profiling
- Data-driven sound system
- Dynamic sounds & interactive music
- Environmental audio
- Key frame-accurate sounds in animations
- Sound moods
- Stereoscopic 3D support for all platforms with minimal performance loss and zero quality impact
Engine Iterations
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| Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Cryengine_tree.svg |
There are a few iterations for the CryEngine that have been modified, improved and adapted.
Version 1
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| Source: http://www.crytek.com/sites/default/files/game_teasers/bigteaser-ce1.jpg |
The 1st installment of this game engine was originally developed for Nivida as a technology demo that was later turned into the first person shooter game, Far Cry between 2001 and 2004. It was the 1st "per pixel shading" and "high dynamic range" engine on the market. It was most know for its sandbox editor and real-time lighting, among others.
For more information on the 1st installment of this engine click Here.
Version 2
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| Source: http://www.crytek.com/sites/default/files/section_teasers/tunnel_CE2.jpg |
The 2nd edition of this engine greatly improved many of the features showcased in CryEngine 1 as well as introducing some state of the art features such as CryEngine s's sandbox world-editing system. This iteration allowed for the creation of high quality surface descriptions that allows for the quick extraction of normal maps, displacement maps, unoccluded area direction and accessibility.
For more information on the 2nd installment of this engine click Here.
Version 3
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| Source: http://www.crytek.com/sites/default/files/section_teasers/newyork_CE3.jpg |
CryEngine 3 is one of the most highly advanced development software that surpasses all expectations for the creation of games, simulations, animations and interactive applications. Crytek sets the precedent for engine support with the 3rd iteration of the CryEngine to offer developers maximum support. In addition, CryEngine 3 has the fastest high-end renderer in the world which was specifically designed for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.
For more information on the 3rd installment of this engine click Here.
Version 4
On August 21st, 2013 Crytek announced the development of the new CryEngine, which would not carry and iteration number as it is said to be completely different from the previous versions. Support for Linx and next gen consoles such as the PS4, Xbox One and Wii U are to be added.
Dunia
The Dunia engine was developed by engine designer Kirmaan Aboobaker while working at Crytek, and was based off the CryEngine 1. It was heavily modified by Ubisoft Montreal when they developed Far Cry 2. There are currently to versions of the Dunia engine and it is used for Far Cry 3 and Far Cry 4.
