I just added fast approximations of motion blur and high-dynamic-range lighting. Motion blur blurs the camera image appropriately in response to really fast movements; this is not the same video echo effect used in Lugaru 1 for slow-motion. High-dynamic-range lighting lets us have pixels that are brighter than pure white, so that they 'bloom' onto surrounding pixels.

Models can now be attached to flexible physics objects, so that they can bend and twist correctly. This means that I can apply the rabbit model to the physics-based animation skeleton! We can also have cloth, carrots with floppy leafy ends, bendy pieces of meat, flexible rope and so on.

These screenshots are from an animation demo in which Turner automatically reaches for glowing points at arbitrary locations.

The physics models from the editor now can be synchronized with complex visible models, which means we can simulate physics on detailed objects very efficiently.

I got video recording working properly again too:

Yes I know it is hovering slightly above the ground, but it only does that in the editor (because the shadow helps manipulate points on the x-z plane)

For comments, see the original thread.

I am back from college for winter break, so I have much more time to work on Lugaru 2 programming 8) Most of our efforts recently have been on content creation; we now have most of the weapon models done, most of the furniture textures done, and many of the sounds and songs completed.

Yesterday I spent a lot of time adapting the Lugaru point-constraint physics system for rigid body dynamics and collisions, so now arbitrary objects can move around the terrain and collide with each other realistically. Here are some pictures of a fairly standard physics example: a stack of crates falling over. I gave Turner the ability to force push and pull so I could test out physics :)

3D sound is also working, so it sounds right when the crates hit each other or fall on the grass, and when Turner steps on the ground at different speeds.

For comments, see the original thread.

Here are some of Aubrey Serr's amazing concept pictures for Lugaru 2:

For comments, see the original thread.