HDRI Export

We have added High Dynamic Range (32 bit) Image export (.exr) to Biosphere3D.

Here displayed as a JEPG (converted in Photoshop)

KMZ Support

The last update finally brings support for KMZ and improved Collada support. Now, users can load 3D objects, e.g. from Google 3D Warehouse or exported from SketchUp.

New Biosphere3D Release and Logo

The graphic designer and photographer Henrik Andree has created this Biosphere3D logo:

Biosphere3D logo by Henrik Andree

The latest Biosphere3D release is a major update. It includes new features such as:

• New rendering effects: shadows, ambient occlusion (see preferences, settings have no effect, if your gpu doesn’t support it)
• Creation and capture of Camera Paths (Panel -> Camera Path to create, Panel->Screenshot to capture)
• Polygons of Shapefiles can be drapped on the ground (use text-attribute “GrndColor”, e.g. “1,1,1″ for white or “1,0,0″ for red, add the Shapefile to the Maps tab)

Issues with SketchUp 6 and 7 collada (.dae) files have been fixed (e.g. problems with materials, groups or components).

New Biosphere3D rendering of Herod's 3rd winter palace and gardens

Where there is light, there is (now) also shadow

Finally Biosphere3D has got a new feature: Shadow Mapping. Malte Clasen has implemented this much-longed-for feature (still experimental, there are some issues). Currently, it not yet part of the Auto-Update (just SVN Binaries). Hardware requirements are a GPU supporting DirectX 10 or 11.

Shadow Mapping and Screen Space Ambient Occlusion

New Features: Screen Space Ambient Occlusion, 16 bit Floats for Deferred Shading

Screen Space Ambient Occlusion

Malte Clasen has ported parts of the NVIDIA Direct3D 10 sample code to support Screen Space Ambient Occlusion (cf. Malte’s Blog).

Biosphere3D now also supports optional 16 bit Floats for Deferred Shading (turn on in Preferences) on recent GPUs (tested on Radeon HD4850), which e.g. results in better water shading (also due to implementation of Schlick’s approximation of the Fresnel equations).

Blog, Wiki and Software Updates

This Biosphere3D.org Blog is now the official news site, while other information on Biosphere3D including download links has moved to our Wiki at Sourceforge. There are new Installer versions (x86 and x64) with new features such as Auto-Update and a Scenario Manager to store and switch between scenarios and blend between/ compare two, e.g. before and after.

Note that users, who are not developers, should either switch to the installer versions or change the SVN URL, if you want to be able to downgrade via SVN.

Intergeo 2009 Biosphere3D Slides

Download Steffen Ernst’s presentation “Inside Biosphere3D – The free digital globe from a developer prospect” PDF

Meet Biosphere3D @ Intergeo 2009

September 22 – 24, 2009, Karlsruhe hosts the INTERGEO, one of the world leading geoinformation conferences and trade fairs. This year, Lenné3D presents Biosphere3D at the OSGeo Park. Meet us at our booth – Hall 1, Halle: 1, booth #1.417 – or share our talks at the OSGeo Forum.

Wiki and Mailing List @ Sourceforge

A Biosphere3D Wiki is now available @ Sourceforge:

-> Check the first entry: Olaf’s Forest Tutorial.

Two official Project Mailing Lists are hosted @ Sourceforge

biosphere3d-developer – Biosphere3D Developer Mailing List
biosphere3d-user – Biosphere3D User Mailing List

Anaglyph Rendering

Biosphere3D now supports anaglyph rendering with 2 color glasses (red and cyan recommended). This stereoscopic 3D technique has been always good for funny pictures.

Stereo Watching at Biosphere3D at the Parliamentary Evening of the Leibniz Assocation (© Peter Himsel, Leibniz-Gemeinschaft)

Red-Cyan Anaglyph Biosphere3D Rendering