Introduction
Umbra 3 has three components: Umbra 3 Optimizer, Umbra 3 Runtime and Umbra 3 OB.
Umbra 3 Optimizer is a content processing tool that takes the geometry of a 3D scene as input and automatically generates data that can be used at runtime to optimize performance-critical computation. Umbra 3 Optimizer uses auto-generated portals and PVS to represent the scene data in a format that can be effectively accessed at runtime.
Umbra 3 Runtime uses the data generated by Umbra 3 Optimizer to perform different types of queries. Visibility queries are used to find out the set of static and dynamic objects visible from a point or region and spatial connectivity queries to find out the topological distance to objects and the connectivity between scene regions. Umbra 3 Runtime can be used on any platform from high end consoles to mobile gaming devices such as iPhones and PSPs.
Umbra 3 OB is a stand-alone component that is intended for use in scenes that are extremely dynamic, for instance scenes with destructible environments. Umbra 3 uses both the CPU and the GPU to determine the visibility. The Umbra 3 OB is supported on PlayStation 3, Windows and Xbox 360 platforms.
What's new in this version of the documentation?
3.1.5:
- The documentation now corresponds to the new Umbra 3.1 API.
- Broke down integration guide 1 into three separate articles. The first one explains how a scene is exported, the second one how to compute a Tome quickly in the Umbra 3 Viewer and the third how to integrate the Task API.
- Completed the glossary.
- Improved the Runtime module article that explains how PVS culling works.
- Improved the Viewer documentation
- Improved the API documentation
- Added a new integration guide that explains how dynamic object occlusion culling is used.
Click here to see the changes in the past versions.
Contents
| Change Log | List of changes in this version. |
| Glossary | Glossary of the most important terms that are needed to understand how to use Umbra 3 and how it works. |
| Integration guides | Step-by-step guides on how to integrate the relevant parts of Umbra 3 to your toolchain and engine runtime. Several different usage scenarios are covered. |
| Sample applications | Descriptions of the samples included in the Umbra 3 release packages. |
| Umbra 3 modules | Detailed documentation for all the Umbra 3 modules, including the Optimizer, Runtime, Tome data and the viewer. |
| Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) | A list of common problems faced with integrating Umbra 3 along with proposed solutions. |
| The API Reference | API-level reference documentation for all public classes and interfaces in Umbra PVS. |
