World Simulator

Torcs in C#

Preliminary tasks:

• Compile torcs as a library, with very high interface: TorcsLaunch().
• Make a C# wrapper to it.
• Launch torcs from Mono.

(see linux/main.cpp)

Secondary tasks:

• Evaluate how much code must be ported to C# so that rendering and driving code can be run without needing to call C# code from C++ (which I believe is hard / or just bad / or impossible).
• Do it! (if it sounds good).

Torcs 3D Engine.

Improving

A low cost way to get a more professional looking 3D engine is to improve the existing one little by little. Which what I believe to be a good way to do. Eventually I'll fork the existing engine, because it will certainly require a higher-end computer.

Here is the list of improvements we can get, mainly by making use of OpenGL 2.0 features (Shaders, Buffers Objects).

Without too much work we can achieve:

• Per-pixel lighting [1]
  • Phong
  • Fake sky reflections on coachwork and metallic parts (my personal algorithm) [2]
  • Bump-mapping
• High-quality illumination model
  • HDR rendering [3]
  • Realistic atmospheric effects (FIXME. can't find illustrations.. watch this if you're not afraid of maths [4])

Big work:

• Shadow Maps [5]
• Real reflections [6]

New engine

Modular architecture already make this possible. The 3D engine implements an interface (defined in interfaces/graphic.h), it is given the high-level information about the track and cars and have to build and display its own geometry from this.

Make it in C# ? For now making a C# wrapper for the renderer would imply calling C# from C, is that possible? If possible, the whole src/interfaces headers have to be wrapped to C# then. (Cf Torcs in C#)

Notes by Jeko for Jeko

It's almost pure OpenGL, so very easy to tweak.

Main work is done in src/modules/graphic/ssggraph/grmain.cpp

It builds a list of "screens" (main screen, mirrors, etc)

Each screen set up the opengl parameters he like and render track, then cars, etc..

Rendering of the car is done here: src/modules/graphic/ssggraph/grcar.cpp, grDrawCar()