Scaleform GFx
New version supports multi-threaded rendering.
GREENBELT, MD – February 28, 2011– Scaleform® Corporation(Scaleform), the leading provider of Flash®-based user interface (UI) and 2D graphics solutions for videogame developers, announced today that it will be debuting Scaleform GFx 4.0 at the 2011 Game Developer’s Conference (booth 1438). The new release includes a wealth of new features and optimizations such as Flash 10.1/AS3 support, and a new multi-threaded rendering engine, all of which are designed to speed the creation and playback of high quality Flash UI and vector graphics on a wider range of platforms, including iOS and Android mobile devices.
Scaleform GFx is an open, extensible, Flash®-based user interface and multimedia solution that has streamlined the creation of highly immersive UI elements for over 800 games running on most major platforms. In the largest code overhaul since the creation of the award- winning software, Scaleform GFx 4.0 will deliver 2-10x performance over previous versions, namely due to an all-new multi-threaded core architecture and rendering engine codenamed “VGx”, as well as a new highly optimized AS3 virtual machine.
“After more than half a decade shipping the leading UI solution across hundreds of games, our focus with version 4.0 was to create a new core architecture and rendering system that addresses the need for a multi-threaded GPU accelerated Flash UI engine on all platforms, from PCs to consoles to mobiles,” said Brendan Iribe. “Doing this required a major re-tooling of the code base, but it’s paid off – with GFx 4.0 developers getting a far more extensible and high-powered solution that is now optimized for mobile platforms. We’re thrilled to get the new SDK into the hands of developers and let the code speak for itself.
Scaleform GFx 4.0 key features:
Multi-threaded architecture and rendering – Our all-new rendering engine combines multi-threading with the latest hardware features, delivering lightening-fast vector graphics across a range of multi-core platforms. Rendering performance gains of 2-10x have been reported, in addition to a significant reduction in draw primitives and CPU/GPU workload as a result of advanced batching and sorting protocol.
Flash 10.1/AS3 Compatibility – Flash 10.1/AS3 compatibility enables studios to draw from a wide range of publicly available assets and a much larger pool of developers. What’s more, AS3 allows casual game developers to port their web games with little modification to native apps on mobiles and consoles. Scaleform will continue to support AS2 code for the large legacy base of existing content.
Mobile device optimizations – With support for mobile chip sets and multi-touch, as well as a Mobile UI Kit, Scaleform GFx is now highly tuned for iOS and Android devices, as well as other OpenGL ES-accelerated systems.
3D Support – 3D Flash tools help artists create menus, displays and interfaces for upcoming 3D and stereoscopic 3D gamesthat can be tilted and tweened in 3-dimensional space. Developers can also add custom 3D rendered objects or streaming video to a 3D Flash interface to create a unique cinematic experience.
AMP Profiler - The Analyzer for Memory and Performance (AMP) tool provides a comprehensive view of the CPU usage, rendering stats and memory allocation developers need to remotely tune applications as they are being developed for mobile devices.
UI Kits and CLIK – To get developers up and running faster, Scaleform GFx 4.0 comes with a variety of UI Kits, which provide an easy-to-use, out-of-the-box starting point to rapidly design mobile applications. Scaleform also provides a library of pre-built, highly optimized UI components known as the Common Lightweight Interface Kit (CLIK) that includes buttons, check boxes, dropdown menus, option steppers and text input boxes. CLIK is now available for use with both AS2 and AS3.
Stereoscopic 3D (S3D) - Scaleform GFx 4.0 supports stereoscopic 3D rendering of Flash UIs and games on the new generation of auto-stereo 3D mobile gaming devices, as well as smart phones and tablets equipped with MasterImage's auto-S3D parallax barrier screens.
To download the alpha version of Scaleform GFx 4.0, visit us and register at https://developer.scaleform.com. To schedule a demonstration of Scaleform GFx 4.0 at the Game Developer’s Conference, please email gcastle@scaleform.comor visit http://www.scaleform.com/contact.
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About Scaleform Corporation
Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) announced its intent to acquire Scaleform on February 15, 2011. Scaleform is the leading provider of user interface software for the videogame industry. Scaleform GFx enables developers to leverage the power of the Adobe® Flash® tool set and to streamline the creation of highly immersive user interface elements such as hardware-accelerated 3D game menus, HUDs, animated textures, in-game videos and mini-games.
Used across all major platforms in 700+ games ranging from AAA to casual titles, the artist-driven Scaleform GFx has grown to include a complete Flash UI toolkit and framework, memory and performance analyzers, and add-ons for Flash video and IME for Asian chat. For more information, visit www.scaleform.com.
© 2010. Scaleform Corp. All Rights Reserved. "Scaleform" and "GFx" are registered trademarks of Scaleform Corp. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox360, Xbox LIVE and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft. All other trademarks are property by their respective owners.
© 2011 Scaleform Corp. All Rights Reserved. “Scaleform” and “GFx” are registered trademarks of Scaleform Corp. Apple, iOS, Linux, OpenGL and MasterImage are trademarks of the their respective owners.