View source for Software:Delta3D

{{Infobox software
| name = Delta3d
| logo = delta3d logo.png
| caption = 
| developer = Delta3d
| latest release version = 2.8.0
| latest release date = {{Start date and age|2014|09|29}}
| programming language = [[C++]]
| operating system = Cross-platform
| genre = [[Software:Game engine|Game engine]]
| license = LGPL-2.1-or-later
| website = {{Official URL}}
}}


'''Delta3d''' is an open source software [[Software:Game engine|gaming/simulation engine]] [[API]]. Delta3d is managed and supported by Caper Holdings LLC. Previously the Modeling, Virtual Environments, and Simulation (MOVES) Institute at the [[Organization:Naval Postgraduate School|Naval Postgraduate School]] in Monterey, California managed and supported delta3d.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=McDowell |first1=Perry |last2=Darken |first2=Rudolph |last3=Sullivan |first3=Joe |last4=Johnson |first4=Erik |title=Delta3D: A Complete Open Source Game and Simulation Engine for Building Military Training Systems |url=https://www.scs.org/pubs/jdms/vol3num3/JDMSIITSECvol3no3McDowell143-154.pdf |journal=[[Engineering:The Journal of Defense Modeling and Simulation|The Journal of Defense Modeling and Simulation]] |volume=3 |issue=3 |pages=143–154 |date=July 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405001507/https://www.scs.org/pubs/jdms/vol3num3/JDMSIITSECvol3no3McDowell143-154.pdf |archive-date=2016-04-05 |citeseerx=10.1.1.550.3305 |doi=10.1177/154851290600300302 |hdl=10945/39556 |s2cid=31960632}}</ref> Alion Science has also been a major contributor to enhancements and features.

Delta3d is released under the [[Software:GNU Lesser General Public License|GNU LGPL-2.1-or-later]]. The external [[Modular programming|modules]] have their own licensing. Some modules, such as Qt, require the user to download and install separately for use with Delta3d.

Delta3d is a widely used, community-supported, open-source game and simulation engine. delta3d is appropriate for a wide variety of uses including training, education, visualization, and entertainment. Delta3d is unique, because it offers features specifically suited to the Modeling, Simulation and DoD communities, such as the High Level Architecture (HLA), After Action Review (AAR), large scale terrain support, and SCORM Learning Management System (LMS) integration.

==The delta3d Engine==

Delta3d is an Open Source engine which can be used for games, simulations, or other graphical applications. Its modular design integrates other well-known [[Open-source software|Open Source]] projects such as Open Scene Graph, [[Software:Open Dynamics Engine|Open Dynamics Engine]], [[Software:Cal3D|Character Animation Library]] (CAL3D), and [[Software:OpenAL|OpenAL]]. Rather than bury the underlying modules, Delta3D integrates them together in an easy-to-use Application programming interface ([[Application programming interface|API]]) -- always allowing access to the important underlying components. This provides a high-level API, while still allowing the end user the option of having low-level functionality. The Delta3D engine [[Rendering (computer graphics)|renders]] using the '''[[Software:OpenGL|Open Graphics Library]]''' ('''OpenGL''') that imports a whole list of diverse [[File format|file format]]s ([[OpenFlight|.flt]], .3ds, [[Wavefront .obj file|.obj]], even more so).

For a full list of features, please see the Delta3d Feature List page [https://www.easd-design.com/delta3dengine/features-delta3d/ here].

===Supported Platforms===

Delta3d is developed and tested on [[Software:Windows XP|Windows XP]] using [[Software:Microsoft Visual Studio|Microsoft Visual Studio]], [[Software:MacOS|OS X]] using [[Software:Clang|Clang]], as well as [[Software:Linux|Linux]] using [[Software:GNU Compiler Collection|GCC]]. All the underlying dependencies are cross-platform as well, so just about any platform should be compatible with a few minor modifications to the source.

===Delta3d-Extras===

Delta3d-Extras is a project housed on [[Software:SourceForge|SourceForge]] which contains numerous projects related to the Delta3d Engine. Delta3d-Extras is not necessarily developed or maintained by the delta3d Development Team. However it is available for the community to share their delta3d-related projects with the world.

==Simulation Core==
Simulation Core, commonly referred to as SimCore, is a "collaborative" implementation of delta3d functionality — providing the "base" capabilities for an MMORPG application using delta3d. SimCore is developed primarily by Alion Science and Technology. The first version of SimCore was developed as part of the Deployable Virtual Training Environment (DVTE) project for USMC which started in 2006. Although Alion is still the primary developer of SimCore, it is now used by a number of other companies and organizations across the [[3D modeling|Modeling]] and Simulation (M&S) community.

In order to build and "run" SimCore many additional libraries are required, including additions to the core Delta3d build.

Physics — special effects and [[Particle system|particle system]] capabilities. A "Physics Abstraction Layer" (PAL), is used to provide a standard API to various physics libraries.

==Libraries==
Several open-source products are part of the Delta3d package. One can build them or use the provided binaries/libraries to build and run Delta3d based applications on one's own computer system. The current version of a product may not be compatible with delta3d.

*[[Software:Boost (C++ libraries)|Boost]]
*[[Software:Bullet|Bullet]]
*[[Software:Cal3D|Cal3D]]
*[[Software:CEGUI|CEGUI]]
*[[Software:CppUnit|CppUnit]]
*[[Software:Expat|expat]] (optional)
*[[Software:FreeType|FreeType]]
*Game Networking Engine (GNE)
*[[Software:GDAL|GDAL]]
*HawkNL
*[[Software:Libpng|libpng]]
*[[Software:OpenAL|OpenAL]] Utility Toolkit (ALUT)
*Open [[Distributed Interactive Simulation]] (DIS)
*[[Software:Open Dynamics Engine|Open Dynamics Engine]] (ODE)
*[[Software:OpenGL|OpenGL]]
*OpenSceneGraph (OSG)
*Physics Abstraction Layer (PAL)
*PLIB
*Perl Compatible Regular Expressions (PCRE)
*[[Software:Apache Xerces|Xerces]]
*[[Software:Zlib|Zlib]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications: [https://doi.org/10.1109/MCG.2005.67 Projects in VR: the Delta3D open source game engine]
* Halldale Media Ltd: Published in MS&T Magazine Issue 5/2009: [https://web.archive.org/web/20110216030542/http://halldale.com/insidesnt/delta3d-game-engine-reaching-maturity The Delta3D Game Engine is Reaching Maturity] (Broken Link on Sep 2019)

==External links==
* {{SourceForge|delta3d|delta3d Open Source Engine}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170118135348/http://delta3dengine.org/ Archive of Official website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140519222203/http://caperholdings.com/ Archive of Caper Holdings LLC]
* [https://nps.edu/web/moves/ MOVES institute]
* [http://pal.sourceforge.net/ Physics Abstraction Layer (PAL)]

{{Video game engines}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:delta3d}}
[[Category:Free game engines]]
[[Category:Game engines for Linux]]

{{Sourceattribution|Delta3D}}