Traditionally, C++ development on Windows wasn't cheap. The main compiler for the platform was Microsoft's Visual C++, and that wasn't exactly something that came for free with your new computer. Fortunately though, in 2005 Microsoft released completely free versions --�Express� versions- of their new compilers –Visual C++, Visual basic, etc. No licensing limitations, no vital features missing, just a free, fully functional copy of their Visual C++ compiler and development environment. Wonderful!

Great story, truly inspiring --I'm going to go bring peace to world now, thanks to this tale- but... I don't really care about Microsoft's partial lapse of business self. I want to compile Sylphis! Well, guess what (bet you have already, and are just waiting for me to get on with it): you need Visual C++ 2005 Express to compile Sylphis, and thanks to Microsoft, you don't have to spend a load buying their compiler to do so. Care about it now?

First step's first; you need to download VC++2005 Express and install it. Simple. Go here and follow the instructions. If you can't follow instructions in general, then stay here and don't see a councilor...

Once you have VC++ installed, you need to download and install the Platform Development Kit, which is basically what allows you to do anything “Windowsy� with VC++. Again, download here and follow the instructions here

Now that you're all packed and ready, it's time to go see the dreaded Sven. Scroll down until you come to the Windows binaries section, then download the setup file and run it.

First of all, great choice, choosing Sylphis and all. It's a great engine (naturally we think so) --open source, packed with features, fast, and more than all those else, easy to use. Truly, it's a great choice for whatever you're scheming, particularly if you're more an artist than a technical goose person[1]. So why then, in all things that could be asked why about, would you need to compile Sylphis, huh –you know, if it's so easy to use? Well, there're quite a few reasons, Monet, but mostly it's a matter of want and not so terribly much a need.

Let's say you're working along on your project and you run across a bug in Sylphis --not a massive show-stopper bug or anything (Sylphis doesn't have any of those types...), but just a minor annoyance that'd be nice to have taken care of. Great! So you file a bug report, and before you even finish typing the report, one of the developers picks it up and fixes the problem (mhmm, the development team really is that good). As one minor bug fix isn't enough to merit a whole release, the developer sends your way several horrifying words, “Grab the latest from SVN and compile.”

Gasping, desperate, you fling back responses: “Who is Sven; what's his email? Latest what? I already have a computer, and it's certainly not a pile of --” Thankfully, someone –anyone really, just as long as it's someone- stops you right there and points you to this bit of documentation. So here y'ar.

Or, back working on you're project, you come to a point where you realize how awesome it'd be to have the “Finish my game and make it really really good” button that's currently in development, scheduled for the next release. You're on a deadline and can't wait for the new release, but you absolutely must have this new feature (you're on a deadline, remember?). Here comes that pesky, computer-insulting Sven character again. Anyone found his email yet?

The Sylphis3d documentation is very much a work in progress. Up until this point, little at all has been done to to document the engine at all, in fact. However, now that Sylphis has been released as open source software the interest --and ability, for that matter- in writing a complete and easy-to-understand learning path will hopefully grow with the size of the community.

Expect this page to expand in the coming weeks with, at the very least, basic instructions on how to compile, install, and run Sylphis.

Abstract:

Introduction

The Sylphis 3D game engine is capable of doing per pixel lighting on all geometry it draws. This gives us the opportunity to assign normals on every mapped texel and simulate surface bumps, when there is no actual geometry. This normal assignment is done by mapping on the surface the normal-map. This normal-map is like a standard color texture, but every texel's (R,G,B) gives us the normal's (X,Y,Z) at that point on the surface. This makes other points on the surface ``look at'' the light more and be brighter, while others ``look at'' the light less and be darker. This gives the impression of a bumpy surface to the eye.

There are two ways of creating the normal-map. The easy way is generating it from a ``hand-drawn'' gray-scale image that represents the bumps of the surface. This technic has moderate results. The more advanced generation method, involves extracting the normal information from a high detail mesh. This technic