New physics engine
The hardware accelerated PhysX engine has replaced the old ODE physics engine. The PhysX engine works faster and is more accurate.
#include <default.c>
#include <ackphysx.h>
BMAP* pointer_tga = "pointer.tga";
STRING* sphere_mdl = "sphere.mdl";
function main()
{
physX_open();
level_load(""); // load an empty level
vec_set(camera.x,vector(-100,0,30));
pXent_settype (NULL,PH_STATIC,PH_PLANE); // create a static plane at groundlevel zero
ENTITY* ball = ent_create(sphere_mdl, vector(0,0,100), NULL);
pXent_settype (ball,PH_RIGID,PH_SPHERE ); // create a ball
pXent_setelasticity(ball,50);
pXent_addvelcentral(ball,vector(0,-10,0)); // make it jump and roll sidewards
while(1)
{
pX_pick(); // pick and move the ball with the cursor
wait(1);
}
}
function mouse_startup()
{
mouse_mode = 2;
mouse_map = pointer_tga;
while (1)
{
vec_set(mouse_pos, mouse_cursor);
wait(1);
}
}
Accelerated stencil shadows for A8 Commercial
Accelerated stencil shadows are now also available in the A8 Commercial Edition, being used for stencil shadows and rendering up to 300% faster than the old, software-based stencil shadows. Software-based stencil shadows are still implemented in the Free and Extra Editions of the engine.
New, 4 and 6 sided sprite types
If a sprite's file name ends with "_x2" or "_x3", the engine uses 2 or 3 crossed planes to render it, making the sprites look much richer without sacrificing the rendering speed. It's a very useful feature if you want to create levels that include complex vegetation.
