Lumberyard to Open3D — Amazon Game Engine 101

Open 3D Engine (O3DE), Amazon's open source game engine, may be new on the scene but as companies continue to move to the cloud, many are looking at this new Amazon game engine to transform their pipeline.

Here, we discuss what is Open3D.

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What Is Open3D?

Open3D is a modern library for 3D data processing. It is the latest from Amazon, offering developers a free alternative to other leading game engines, like Unity and Unreal.

This multi-platform 3D engine is designed to help game developers, virtual production studios, and more, to build cinematic worlds (without the royalty charges). Open3D’s predecessor, Amazon Lumberyard, was also a free platform. But despite numerous integrations, it never became a leading player for developers. The goal with revamping it into Open3D is to allow the community to contribute and help it grow.

The Linux Foundation is a key partner in this initiative, along with AWS, Huawei, Red Hat, and others. The Open3D Foundation aims to support the advancement of open source in the 3D space, including graphics and rendering.

Open3D —Revolutionizing the Amazon Game Engine

Amazon Lumberyard was originally made by Crytek, who makes the game engine, CryEngine. But in the hands of Amazon, it was rewritten and optimized. Although Amazon will continue to support Lumberyard, they are looking at taking Open3D in new directions.

Open3D embraces a more modular approach, giving teams an extensible new UI. It also includes cloud capability features, new photorealistic rendering with Atom Render, and even has a new interface, which is more developer and artist friendly.

Amazon took all the lessons learned from Lumberyard and revamped it to Open3D. So, a lot has changed.

Open3D Features Teams Are Excited About

Let’s dive in. Because we are pumped for Open3D.

Built Different

Everything in Open3D is built like a modular library. This allows teams to go in choose, edit, and even replace the parts they want without impacting other areas of the system. Want a different audio system? Sure! Relace the graphics renderer? Check! It is highly customizable, giving teams over 30+ options for features and tools.

Because it is open source, this is just the beginning. You can start building new extensions and see what else is available.

Integrations to Everything

If a team member wants to use a different tool, or one they created, it’s easy. Open3D has integrations to the tools artists and designers use, for example Maya. This will allow teams to build higher-quality graphics, their way.

Multiplatform Support

One of the most important features is the ability for teams to quickly build cross-platform applications. Open3D supports PC, Mac OS, Linux, iOS, and Android to start. With some extensions, teams will soon be able to deploy on Xbox, PlayStation, and Oculus.

For smaller studios, this makes the Amazon game engine an attractive option. They can deploy everywhere while avoiding royalty charges, allowing them to deliver on the scale of AAA studios.

Performance Improvements

Open3D supports replication and offers a low latency transport layer, delivering files fast. But don’t worry. This stack supports encryption, ensuring assets are always protected. Also, it is lighter and faster than Lumberyard. Developers experience faster frame rates and improved support for other platforms. According to Amazon, this high-performance boils down to its foundation in math.

Cloud Ready

Cloud services are easier than ever to take advantage of with Open3D. Teams can deliver faster and get support when they need it.

Open3D + Free Game Development Tools

Linux wasn’t built in a day… or a year. And with any open-source project, Open3D will continue to evolve with the help of enthusiasts. With long term support from the community, it could become the future of game engines.

📘 Related Resource: Get a complete overview on game engines

To capitalize on the functionality of Open3D, you need high-performant tools to back you up. Version control is an essential to store, iterate, and manage the wide range of digital assets required to develop an expansive new world. Combined with the AWS cloud, it can help you deliver the extremely large files to remote team members around the globe.

Helix Core — version control from Perforce — is trusted by 19 of the top 20 game dev studios. It enables them to streamline builds and manage all their assets, not just code. If you are looking at Open3D, you are going to need Helix Core to help you version everything.

Why Helix Core + Open3D?

Helix Core delivers lightning-fast performance. Unlike other version control systems, it can manage all the large digital assets associated with game development, as well as code. This gives your team a single source of truth for your entire project.

Binary files, audio files, video files, code, and more can all be managed inside a Helix Core depot. Then these assets can be combined and released for a variety of hardware. Plus, it supports you as your teams grow. It scales to manage thousands of developers and potentially millions of transactions.

Helix Core works with Open3D and other tools used by coders and creatives. Using Helix Core ensures that your teams never experience lag. With Perforce Federated Architecture, you can set up servers when and where you need them, at no additional cost. For example, you could set up build servers, on-premises or in the cloud, to handle your builds. Or install them near a group of remote team members to give them instant access to what they need.

See for yourself why so many studios choose Perforce Helix Core. You can start free for up to 5 users and 20 workspaces.

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