UNIGINE SDK 2.9 Released

UNIGINE has revealed a new update to its core development environment, UNIGINE SDK 2.9 which improves upon a huge variety of existing features in the SDK. It also introduces several new components and integrations.

With the release of UNIGINE 2.9, the 3D engine has cemented its position as the best among its competitors for visualizing large-scale environments, thanks to its extremely precise coordinate system, an uncompromising level of detail, lightning-fast object loading and intuitive tools for populating and animating virtual worlds.

UNIGINE CEO, Denis Shergin shared his insight on the new release:

“UNIGINE SDK 2.9 represents a strong leap forward for our technology, and each iteration brings us closer to providing the perfect engine for all types of users. Our focus is on enterprise visualization, and although that will always remain our core target, developers from other industries will find plenty to like in UNIGINE 2.9, especially the C# Component System”

Below is a quick overview of the most exciting features:

C# Component System and C# API

The biggest and most profound change for UNIGINE’s scripting toolset is the C# Component System, a modular workflow for assigning arbitrarily complex, but easy to implement logic to any object node. Quick changes to the code can be made within the editor, without the need to recompile the entire codebase. This system will be crucial to simplify the transition to UNIGINE for C# developers, who will find a familiar scripting environment with the new system.

Better Shadows, Improved Lighting

Improved shadows represent one of the most noticeable and exciting features of this release. In real life, most shadows have soft, fuzzy edges – the so-called penumbra. This effect has now been introduced to UNIGINE, providing sharp contact shadows closer to the base and softening the farther the shadow stretches away, just like in reality.

Lighting has also been likewise improved, with a more realistic attenuation and better Ray Tracing denoising.

Revamped Screen-Space Subsurface Scattering

Simulating subsurface scattering for translucent materials is a major drain on computing resources, yet it is crucial for their overall look. UNIGINE has made several important changes to its Screen-Space Subsurface Scattering implementation, improving performance and rendering quality. Several parameters were added that allow to modify diffuse and specular components separately, introduce color gradients at the interface of the materials, as well the possibility of enabling the effect just for directional or ambient lighting, which allows to save resources.

Varjo VR-1 Integration

Native support for the Varjo VR-1 headset was added. This is the first HMD to be targeted towards industrial applications such as mining, oil & gas and AEC, through its unprecedented precision and fidelity – perfectly synergizing with UNIGINE. It features precise sub-degree eye tracking technology and the Bionic Display, an ultra-high resolution screen.

Weather Add-On

A Weather add-on is now available out of the box, containing a set of ready-to-use realistic sample weather options to bring even more life to projects. It features many visual effects such as precipitations, raindrops, splashes in puddles, water streaks on the camera lens, lightning strikes, snowfall effect and much more.

glTF Support (Experimental)

A new extension for UNIGINE’s Import System is now available, which allows importing Static Meshes, Material, and Texture assets from the glTF 2.0 format, an API-neutral runtime asset delivery format developed by the Khronos Group and designed to be fully interoperable and efficient.

Geodetics Plugin for Geo-Coordinates Conversion

UNIGINE is known for its support of double-precision coordinates, powering an extended range of applications including flight simulation, transportation, urban planning in metropolis, distributed industrial enterprises and defense systems, where simulation of large-scale real-world locations is required. The Engine uses a built-in 3D ellipsoid model (WGS84, etc.) where object positioning is done via geo-coordinates.

Converting coordinates between the plain Cartesian and geodetic systems is a frequently needed function, which is why the Geodetics plugin was modified to simplify this conversion in custom applications.