The Build engine is a first-person shooter engine created by Ken Silverman for 3D Realms. Like the Doom engine, the Build engine represents its world on a two-dimensional grid using closed 2D shapes called sectors, and uses simple flat objects called sprites to populate the world geometry with objects.
It is generally considered to be a 2.5D engine as the basic world geometry is two-dimensional, with an added height component, allowing each sector to have a different ceiling and floor height, and allowing them to be angled along one line of the sector. The engine renders the world in a way that looks three-dimensional; however, the sizing for perspective only depends on the horizontal distance. This is noticeable in that wall vertices are always straight vertical lines on screen, regardless of the angle of view. Therefore, with no vertical distance parameters (only horizontal), this can cause small size distortion when looking up and down but generally it is barely noticeable. However, this distortion can be severe if the player is looking at a structure that is very tall. As such, most Build games restrict objects' vertical height to a fairly limited range.
Read more about Build Engine: Build Engine Games, Source Release and Further Developments
Famous quotes containing the words build and/or engine:
“Maybe we were the blind mechanics of disaster, but you dont pin the guilt on the scientists that easily. You might as well pin it on M motherhood.... Every man who ever worked on this thing told you what would happen. The scientists signed petition after petition, but nobody listened. There was a choice. It was build the bombs and use them, or risk that the United States and the Soviet Union and the rest of us would find some way to go on living.”
—John Paxton (19111985)
“Industrial mana sentient reciprocating engine having a fluctuating output, coupled to an iron wheel revolving with uniform velocity. And then we wonder why this should be the golden age of revolution and mental derangement.”
—Aldous Huxley (18941963)