EI describes Edgelib as "the most powerful, true multi-platform game engine for mobile devices." The library was written "from scratch" in C++, to support the development of high-quality applications and high-performance games. It implements a device independent API (application programming interface) and features "true multi-platform development, high-performance 2D graphics, hardware accelerated 3D graphics through OpenGL ES, RGBA surfaces, and both Bluetooth and TCP/IP networking," the company adds.
The Edgelib SDK (software development kit) supports the development of mobile applications and games for Windows Mobile-based PDAs and smartphones, several Symbian versions, and Windows desktops.
Version 3.00 introduces support for hardware accelerated 3D graphics through OpenGL ES and OpenGL, according to EI. The latest version lets developers fully utilize GPUs (graphics processing units) on mobile devices supporting OpenGL (ES). Devices without hardware acceleration can use an OpenGL (ES) software implementation or Edgelib's "fast" internal 3D renderer. Edgelib currently supports Imagination Technologies PowerVR, Hybrid Rasteroid, and native Windows OpenGL implementations, EI says.
Other additions to the 3D engine, according to EI, include support for full skeletal 3D animations based on joints and keyframes, various helper functions, and support for MilkShape 3D, the popular 3D modeling application, to create low polygon models for games.
The new Edgelib SDK release also features improved platform support of the Edgelib Build Tool, and other enhancements and bugfixes. A complete list of additions and bugfixes can be found on the company's website.
EI CEO Danny Hoffman stated, "This is the biggest release of Edgelib to date. We added the 3D animation feature at the very last moment to push the limit even further. We are very excited about the results and can't wait to see 3D games built with Edgelib 3.00."
Edgelib 3.00 is offered in Full, Standard, and Lite editions, priced from $150 to $950 per year for the first year, and at reduced rates (except for Lite) for subsequent years. During the term of the license, developers are entitled to create and release as many commercial games and applications as desired for all supported platforms. A free evaluation version, along with a number of useful tools, is available for download from the company's
website.
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