Roadmap

What has shipped, what is coming in the next release, and what is planned. Later items are directions, not promises.

Shipped in v0.7.0

In the newest release.

Rendering and lighting

  • A good look by default

    A scene that sets no exposure gets automatic exposure in the high-definition renderer, and both renderers share the same default tone curve, so a first scene looks right in either.

    • Shipped in v0.7.0
    • Beta

Shipped in v0.6.0

Released earlier.

Rendering and lighting

  • Write shaders with guard rails

    A shader code panel with colors, sliders generated from the code, error hints, a cost meter and a live preview. One shader file works in both the standard and high-definition renderers. Desktop exports prepare every shader while loading, so play does not stutter the first time an effect appears.

    • Shipped in v0.6.0
    • Beta
  • Facet: detail without triangle budgets

    Meshes with millions of triangles draw only the detail the screen can show, so you stop hand-making lower-detail versions. Rocks, trunks and scanned props stay sharp up close and cheap far away. Geometry streams from disk as the camera moves. Available in the high-definition renderer.

    • Shipped in v0.6.0
    • Beta
  • Far-away worlds that stay cheap

    Distant trees turn into baked billboards automatically, so long view distances stay affordable. Available in the high-definition renderer.

    • Shipped in v0.6.0
    • Beta
  • Solstice: real-time light and reflections

    Light bounces around the scene live: sun, sky and glowing surfaces light everything they face, and reflections include objects that are off screen. It needs a graphics card with ray tracing; without one, the scene uses simpler lighting and the engine reports why. Available in the high-definition renderer.

    • Shipped in v0.6.0
    • Beta
  • Sharp, stable shadows

    In the high-definition renderer, sun shadows are cached and only redrawn where something moved, so wide views stay sharp and cheap, and point and spot lights cast shadows too. On graphics cards with ray tracing it can trace shadows, and swaying trees and animated characters show up in them as they move.

    • Shipped in v0.6.0
    • Stable
  • Physical sky and clouds

    A sun-driven sky with volumetric clouds, cloud shadows and distance haze. Available in the high-definition renderer. Optional automatic exposure, where the camera adapts like an eye between shade and sunlight, arrives in the next release.

    • Shipped in v0.6.0
    • Beta
  • Physically based materials

    Metal, clear-coat car paint with flakes, back-lit leaves and cloth, and correct overlapping transparency in the high-definition renderer. Upscaling and multisampling keep edges clean.

    • Shipped in v0.6.0
    • Stable

Next release: v0.8.0

Done or being finished for the next release.

Rendering and lighting

  • Sharper terrain and distant forests

    More terrain detail, better distant forests, and the standard and high-definition renderers looking alike.

    • Planned for v0.8.0
  • Local exposure

    Bright skies and dark interiors both readable in the same view.

    • Planned for v0.8.0
  • Volumetric light and better skin

    Light shafts through fog and haze, scenes with many lights, and better translucency and skin.

    • Planned for v0.8.0

Later

On the list with no release yet. Directions, not promises.

Rendering and lighting

  • Hair and fur

    Individual hair strands and fur.

Plans and their order can change.