Sproxel 0.4 OSX!

Less than 24 hours after I released the Windows version of Sproxel 0.4, Ryan Mast built it for 64-bit OSX 10.6.

It's now available on the downloads page and has all the features of the Windows build. 

Thanks again, Ryan!

Sproxel v0.4 Released!

Another month, another Sproxel release.  New features include:

• Command-line loading of voxel grids.
• OBJ export is much improved.  You can now export quads or triangles.  The resulting mesh is now airtight and contains no internal polygons.  This allows for operations requiring perfect connectivity to be performed.
• Image import - using File->Import, you can import a standard 2d image into the grid.  BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, and TIFF image file formats are all supported.
• Mirroring around any axis.
• Rotation clockwise and counter clockwise around any axis.
• Window positions are now saved on exit and restored on startup.
• A new Edit->Preferences dialog exists where you can change grid size and color, background color, and a few other minor UI features.
• Popup palette color editor starts with the right color now.
• Application clean state and undo is more stable.
• Built using the Microsoft compiler.
• A few small UI improvements.

Download Sproxel 0.4 in the usual place.
 

This image, courtesy of Metin at http://www.sevensheaven.nl/ illustrates some of the effects you can achieve using Sproxel's new seamless OBJ export and importing into a package like 3dStudio Max, Maya, or Blender.

Development news.

A lot has happened during the month of June!

The most exciting news is a talented game developer who goes by the nick e-dog (http://ranmantaru.com/) has begun work on a Python interface to Sproxel.  This has the potential to be extremely cool, since a variety of functionality could be quickly prototyped and distributed.  Think custom file importers and exporters, custom voxel generation (terrain), and even custom UI widgets!  I would not have had the chops to do something like this on my own, so e-dog's help is very much appreciated!  Look for the Python interface in an upcoming version of Sproxel.

A couple of artists have expressed interest in using the project for media other than video games.  One of them, Metin, over at http://www.sevensheaven.nl/ has suggested literally dozens of new features to improve Sproxel.  He has also contributed a few images to be used in the promotion of Sproxel.  These are much appreciated, as I've found I'm really no good at creating voxel models of my own.  Check out his webpage for some great voxel-based illustrations!

In other news, thirty people have downloaded contributor's Ryan Mast's OSX build of Sproxel.   His contribution was a total surprise, and I'm glad people are using his work.  Sproxel is now in the top 5 google results when searching for voxel model editor.  And I'm heading back to Wisconsin for a much-needed vacation with the family.

Enjoy the summer, northern hemisphere'ers!

Sproxel v0.3 OSX!

A kind UC San Diego student named Ryan Mast compiled sproxel v0.3 for Mac OSX 10.6.  It's 64-bit only right now, and it seems to have all the dependencies included, but if you have any problems with the DMG, please drop me a line on this blog or via the sproxel project page.  We will do our best to get it working for you.

Download it in the usual place.

Sproxel v0.3 Released!

Yet another version of the Sproxel editor has been released.  New features include:

• Proper Save/Save As/Open/New file behavior.
• A new Sproxel data file format in addition to CSV.  This new format saves a voxel grid as a single PNG image so you can pop it open and edit it in your favorite image editor.  It stores the voxel dimensions in the tEXT meta-data chunk of the png file.  It's relatively experimental for the time being, so expect it to mature as time goes on.  This feature was added by request.
• OBJ model export!  This one also comes by request via the feature request wiki.  The implementation is a bit naive at the moment (it exports more triangles than it needs to), but I have successfully imported the obj geometry with materials into Maya 2012.  If the OBJ does not appear to load in your favorite modeling package, please drop me a line and we'll work together to figure out why.
• Some behind-the-scenes work has also been done to make the UI more configurable in the near future

The download is available at the usual spot (following the "Download Sproxel" link on the right side of this page will also take you there).

Sproxel v0.2 Released!

A new version of the Sproxel editor has been released.  New features include: A new toolbar, CTRL+F frames the entire voxel grid, & new mouse button behavior!

The download is available at the usual spot (following the "Download Sproxel" link on the right side of this page will also take you there).

Sproxel Used in its First (Mini) Game!

My buddy Joel likes participating in the Ludum Dare game development competition.  It sounds like a blast, but my love of sleep has won out over my love of development every time.  This last time around, Joel made a quaint Zelda clone using graphics designed in Sproxel.
Click here to check it out!