Getting Started with the Beast Examples
The Beast SDK includes a comprehensive set of example projects that illustrate how to use the Beast API to create many different kinds of lighting effects. These examples serve several purposes:
- They provide a visual introduction to some of the main features of Beast
- They provide a working integration of the API that you can use as a model when integrating Beast into your own game engine or editor. You can cut and paste code as needed, including the helper classes and functions common to multiple example projects.
- You can easily extend the examples by altering existing projects, or by adding your own custom applications that build on the helper code used in the examples. This allows you to explore different features of Beast, and even to plug in scenes and props from your own game, without needing to integrate the API and libraries into your own editor and production system.
Physical vs. classic rendering
The examples are split into two solutions: one that shows how to use the newer physically based rendering system, and one that shows the use of the fixed-function material shading previously used in older versions of Beast. This is intended to clarify the way the two rendering pipelines differ in their use of the Beast API. If you are starting to use Beast from scratch, it is highly recommended that you concentrate on the physical rendering approach. Although the older fixed-function material system is still supported in this release, the physical rendering pipeline offers several concrete advantages, and it is expected to replace the older system completely in future.
See also Creating Physical Materials and Creating Classic Materials.
Pre-requisites
In order to compile and run the examples:
- You must have your Beast license in place. For details, see Licensing.
- You must have Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 (VC8) or later installed on your system.
- You must have installed Distribeast on your computer, although you do not need to have installed it on any other computers in your network.
Maya plug-in requirements
- A licensed installation of Maya 2013.
- Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 (VC10).
Building the examples
To build the examples, use either of the following solutions:
- examples-physical\projects\beastapisamplesphysical.sln
- examples\projects\beastapisamples.sln
These solutions contain several projects, each of which shows a distinct feature of Beast or a method of using Beast.
The compilation process automatically copies the generated binaries and any other necessary files into one of the following directories, depending on the solution and build mode you chose:
- examples-physical\projects\release
- examples-physical\projects\debug
- examples\projects\release
- examples\projects\debug
Running the examples
Each project contained in the solutions generates its own executable. You can launch these executables by either:
- Double-clicking the executables in the output directory.
- Running them from the command line. If you choose this option, you must first change directories to the directory that contains the executables.
Since each example illustrates a different feature of the product, each executable is best viewed in conjunction with its code. The .cpp file for each project gives a brief description of the goals of the example, and the in-line comments should be clear enough to demonstrate how the rendered effects are achieved.
Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Please see the Autodesk Creative Commons FAQ for more information.