Phre-Engine (Sony's PS3/PC Engine) for free

#1 Nice.

I didn't see anything that says where to get it. Have they not yet made it available
for order or download?

#2 It's not out yet I don't think. It looks interesting though.

#3 This is weird considering DiRT on the 360 and PC was made using Codemaster's engine...but the article states that the PS3 version was made using Phyre? Very interesting...

#4 I saw the talk listed when Michael and I were at GDC, didn't go to it though so what I'm about to say is based solely the little information in that article.

It sounds to me like Sony is throwing the term engine around a bit too loosely here. Judging by the description on the slides and what's in the article it sounds more like a rendering API, much like RenderWare. My assumption here is based mostly on the fact that we know DiRT was built on Codemasters' new engine, which they're using in other games. So either Phyre was plugged in later for PS3 port, which did well after the initial launch, or they built the engine around Phyre as the rendering API to begin with. I think I'm going to put my money on the former.

It is interesting news though that they're releasing this for free. I'm going to have to look into this some more.

#5 Very interesting. Thank you for sharing.

I am curious to hear more and learn about any extra fees for publishing.

#6 It is the game engine and everything.

Here's more:
http://cuernavacajoven.com/phyreengine/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22&Itemid=31

REPORT

During the opening period of GDC 2008, only a few unique development middleware were announced, at that moment SONY computer entertainment Europe (SCEE) announced their "PHYRE ENGINE". During his session entitled "PHYRE ENGINE-The New Hotness", Richard Forster (SCEE R&D -Research & Development- and Senior Engineer) did the introduction of this new engine: The pronunciation "of PHYRE ENGINE" is..., (whisppering can be heard) ..."Fire Engine" - because FIRE (the fire) is the feeling/idea which was put together in doing it. It was designed to be the pipeline of art data preparation/processing as an engine. Together with the Engine it comes a module full of source support, the package contains the engine itself, samples of games (70+ samples) and their full code source and artwork, also the full documentation and manuals. In wath it seems a "late start" (by SONY, related to XNA and other competitors) PhyreEngine comes out in great condition and it can become the main 3D game engine in the industry.

In Japan, the engine is not very well known, but in Europe, licenses were given already. For example, in the Xbox LIVE Arcade, a few games are already offered, one of such is "Grip Shift"(Xbox 360 Exclusive by Sidhe Interactive), in the PSN Sotre is offered "flOw" plus its Expansion pack (PS3 Exclusive by Jenova Chen) and "Colin McRae: DiRT "(for PS3/Xbox360/PC by Codemasters). So, SONY made "PHYRE ENGINE" not only for PS3, but also to be the leading engine in the development of Xbox360 titles and PC games. Does "PHYRE ENGINE" mean Xbox360 Games will be made by SONY?; "PHYRE ENGINE" main feature is the fact that it is cross-plataform, at least it is how it is described by SCEE: "It does not matter if you call it Windows and/or Xbox360, the migration/exportation to these systems is designed to be utmost easy". The engine core has been designed so that it supports and optimizes the use of multiple core CPU sets especially the PS3 multicore: Cell.

Each function of the engine has been designed to be "modular", so that each component can be removed and reused freely. For example, it is possible to have "PHYRE ENGINE" empty or to have only the part(s) which can be used in the corresponding company game engine. To be easy to use, combining existing technology capabilities and for low budget projects were the goals to archived while making "PHYRE ENGINE ", that is the kind of "style" it offers. The Graphic API PSSG core has made possible the integration with existing physics engines, free or opensource such as "Bullet" or depending on the licensing terms, with "Havok" (To be free/opensource in May) and "Ageia" and puts the basis for developing your own.

As the actual R&D Senior and know-how of SCEE continued with the conference he mentioned PSSG being the graphic core of "PHYRE ENGINE": The engine itself is offered together with the know-how source: how it is moving?, when and how it does it?, whether you are doing your own game or while remodelling the engine, experimentation is possible, there is no need for waiting the formal/official version releases or upgrades from the SCEE R&D. "PHYRE ENGINE" is an individual system possible to keep using without the SCEE back up.It also supports 3D scene compilation and art data preparation of textures and the likes and it includes a DCC (digital content creation) tool for data exportation/exchange for "Maya" and "3DsMAX" among others in order to mount various data on "PHYRE ENGINE" and "PHYRE STATION" (later description). The DCC tool is a standard content data exchanging technique (The goal is to be able to transfer files back and forth between applications without data loss), it seems that the tool is based in "COLLADA" and it becomes the core of this feature, in the 3D graphic area it supports API OpenGL, Direct3D and LibGCM (a low level API that offers more control over the RSX hardware, it is also faster), among others.

As mentioned before, the package include three sample games with their code, the data and the document of each one are attached and the possibility to play them, one of them is a third person action game "DONKEY TRADER" and the other are a first person 3D shooting type. The source and the data in the sample are those in which they really were built; with them, you can remodel the program and verify the behavior changes of the engine as the playing results of the actual sample game. In addition the document and the technical explanation book of the source code are included, furthermore in the source level comments are inserted to the inline. To add more fun to it, the development was made on Windows and can be developed/edited with VisualStudio of Microsoft. As for the graphic API, it is possible to operate it in a PC and also operation verification is possible, development was made using OpenGL and Direct3D. As the final stage the development team changed the configuration into a PS3 one, transforming the objects into those which can operate on the PS3. Therefore, not only PS3 editions can be made, also Xbox 360 editions and PC editions are possible.


Requirement specifications of the engine are roughly contained or they are explained in a general way, however, "PHYRE ENGINE" because it is the engine which belongs to "the console of the generation" (self-procliamed) has become SCEE main leadership development characteristic. The desing multithread operation prerequisite (Multiple threads can be executed on multi-core system wherein different threads and processes can run literally simultaneously on different processors or cores) has become the designing feature that developers naturally focus on in the PS3 architecture. In this area one SPU (PS3 has 7 SPU) of 128 bit SIMD processor (called SPU:Synergistic Processor Unit or SPE:Synergistic Processor Element) which is part of the Cell processor , is used in all geometry processing. It is similar to the middleware "Playstation Edge". In addition, with "PHYRE" the scene management can be handled with the streaming processor mounted in one SPU, in a easy-to-use way, it also has the mechanism which makes the original task of the engine as a SPU execution.

Lighting

Lighting (Concerning the multithread operation prerequisite design and graphic engine) is able to render HDR (high dynamic range lighting, is the rendering of 3D computer graphics scenes by using lighting calculations done in a larger dynamic range, it creates more realistic scenes than with the previous lighting model referred to as "low dynamic range lighting" or "standard lighting"). Either in a RGB range of 8 or 16 bits. In the shadow system it can handle maps either in dual paraboiloid or parallel split, and volumes of the dynamic generation.

#7 Level Of Detail

The system mounted in the mechanism can make effective a vis-a-vis geometry and shaders. It handles particle design which is used with the particle system. PhyreEngine practically rearranges the physical simulation engine unrestrictedly and according to the developers taste and license terms mounts a possible mechanism. Also, it is possible to freely change the configuration of VisualStudio even in the middle of the development to switch among other engines as Bullet, Havok, Ageia, etc.





PHYRE STATION

With the current generation of consoles, developing games generates serious amounts of data in form of artwork. With the developing "PHYRE STATION" as an integrated tool we will be able to to process various data sets which "PHYRE ENGINE" specialize in an easy way. It offers various data preparation tools,converting tools, etc. "PHYRE STATION" is a powerful support tool for "PHYRE ENGINE" mainly in geometry design, actions, in the task of connecting compilations, etc.





Terrain Engine

"PHYRE ENGINE" new built-in topographical processing engine (Terrain Engine) processes not only the terrain formation in an uneven data but also complete free form corresponding to the topographical processing, we can assume that a hole opens and reaches, pushes out and can belong at the same time to the terrain of a complicated form. The terrain and the texture are processed via streaming, the mechanism where the player character can move in the game world seamlessly is offered too.The terrain processing engine which is a kind of persuasive trick to attract developers is built in as a new adition to "PHYRE ENGINE" pack. In the terrain compilation, the basic form is drawn up to one area combining the parts up to a maximum of a 100 polygons making use of the terrain editor from the the system which keeps being packed/called as is being used.

Combined with the LOD system, tessellation (A tessellation or tiling of the plane is a collection of plane figures that fills the plane with no overlaps and no gaps) is given automatically: for the places close to the point of view of the player it uses multi polygons, for distant places it uses low polygons. In the terrain processing engine quality of the LOD system becomes important. With "PHYRE ENGINE" it mounts a continual type of LOD and fixes the popping due to LOD change (the kind of phenomenon where terrain shakes with LOD change) in order not to be visible, The development of this terrain processing engine was done in Windows, then, the migration to the SPU version of the Cell processor was completed with a job of only 5 minutes, and as for the performance we assume that it has a enough high speed due to 1 SPU can process 2 hundred million quads.

With "PHYRE ENGINE" one SPU can be used effectively with the terrain processing engine!? Now, the to major difference that has converted the PS3 the game console of the generation is the fact that it converts everything to high resolution. In this generation, with a type of game that has an "open field", the terrain catches the eye by any means, this did not happen with the previous generation when the visual aspect was lacking.



TIME MAP - Upgrades and Releases

In 2008 February Version 2.0

Particle Systems
SPU render post processing examples (SSAO and Depth of Field)

In 2008 April Version 2.0.1.

Initial Terrain Example
Bullet physics integration
HLSL example in Direct3D renderer
White Papers

In 2008 May Version 2.1.

Full terrain engine and tools
New Game Template - Racing game using terrain
First release of Foliage technology (plants)

In 2008 August Version 2.2

Further integration of foliage system
PhyreStation updates

In 2008 November version 2.3

Scripting Engine beta

#8 So, still no release? This sounds really hot. I can't wait to put my hands on it.

#9 Http://www.phyreengine.com/

#10 From what I have heard, it is only available to PS3 SDK users and not to the general public.