meshedvr

Upcoming VaM Release Plans and VaM2 Transition

Added 2020-01-17 00:59:15 +0000 UTC

Note: Images shown here are demonstrating some of the work done for VaM2 using DAZ Genesis 8 models and Unity's new HDRP rendering system

Hi All!

Lot's of big plans for VaM in 2020! I'm more excited than ever for the future of VaM, all thanks to your tremendous support! So thank you for continuing to be a part of this amazing journey!

1.19 Plans

1.19 is well underway and is going to be worked on for a few more weeks before release to ensure it is a well-rounded release with something for everyone.
Package Manager Part 1. This might not sound exciting at first, but this feature will be very important to help with VaM content sharing and ease-of-use. Have you ever been frustrated finding content, getting community content to work reliably, struggled with organization of files, or been confused how to use other's content to make your own and share? If so, this feature is for you. Community creators will gain the ability to easily share content using a single file, with version control and dependency support for other packages from other creators. Contents of these packages can be used without extracting them to disk or worrying where all the files go. There are too many details to list out here for now, so if you want more info, join the Discord server. I have added a new #packages channel to discuss.
Plugin improvements
New male and female skins
New clothing items
Other minor features as time permits
Tweaks and bug fixes

1.20 Plans

Package Manager Part 2. The package manager is big and complex. Part 2 will include more advanced features that probably won't get completed in 1.19 release.
Scene wizard. This feature will allow quickly making scenes and intermixing content. The goal of this feature is to make it easier for quick action and to help new users get acquainted with VaM.

VaM To VaM2 Transition

After 1.20 release, development focus will shift almost entirely to VaM2
VaM releases will continue, but at a slowed rate, focusing mostly on new content (skins, clothing, hair, etc.), tweaks, and bug fixes.

VaM2 Status

What is VaM2? VaM2 is the new branch of VaM that is focused on new technology to bring improved performance, physics, and rendering quality to VaM. VaM2 is also a major restructure of the game code to allow VaM to be more easily modified and extended. Over the last few months work has been done on:

Core systems work - code restructuring and refactoring, parameter system, game management system
Unity updates - research and learning of new Unity systems, like DOTS, new physics engines, and HDRP (images shown here). These systems will play heavily in VaM2 to make VaM run better, interact more accurately, and look better than ever.

VaM2 Plans

Here is a rough outline of how VaM2 will progress with no specific release dates in mind at this time. Early access alphas will be released whenever feasible along the way to demonstrate progress.

Phase 1 (already underway) - VaM2 Core Tech - simple scene building and interaction with HDRP (High Definition Rendering Pipeline) assets, lighting, and built-in post-processing
Phase 2 - VaM2 Person - support for newer DAZ models (Genesis 8). New skinning and morph engine that supports joint controlled morphing for better joint bends. New rendering engine featuring HDRP skin shading.
Phase 3 - VaM2 Physics - all new advanced skin physics for skin collision and soft-body
Phase 4 - VaM2 Animation - all new animation engine, featuring unified motion-capture, keyframe support, clip/pattern support, editing, etc.

I expect Phase 1 will take the longest as nearly every aspect of the core systems is being looked at. Therefore, there may be a period of time where there are not many releases happening. If that is the case, I will be sure to give regular updates on progress so you can have visibility on what is being worked on.

Thank you again for your amazing support, and join us on Discord if you want to discuss!

Meshed