BlenderPlayer for Android
The BlenderPlayer for the Android platform is really starting to work now! A first downloadable package is now available and people are already building demos on it.
Dalai Felinto writes:Do you know Momo? He is a cute little monkey traumatized from being a second character in the Yo Frankie game project. Now what if you could carry Momo with you wherever you go? Your dream is closing to come true!
(wth are you writing about? — if I had an editor for my blog she would probably write that down)
Alex Ku is working in the Google Summer of Code 2012 to bring porting the Blender Game Engine to the Android platform. His work is progressing smoothly and there are already some visible-shareable results. Today he announced the first Blenderplayer.apk release, so I couldn’t help but testing it.
AlexKu writes:
First Android Release
You need to have ARMv7 CPU (due to optimization in this release.)
You phone should support OpenGL ES 2.00) Make sure that you are on WiFi or have unlimited cellular internet
1) Install Python 3 on your phone Python3ForAndroid
2) Open Python3ForAndroid and click Install. It will download needed files.3) Download blender.bla to the root of SD card (/sdcard/blender.bla)
4) Download test.blend to the root of SD card (/sdcard/test.blend)
5) Download Blenderplayer-release.apk and Install
6) Run BlenderPlayerP.S.
You can try your simple files, but it is tricky. Save them to the phone as /sdcard/test.blend
Android’s Blender player doesn’t choose mode automatically, so you have manually select GLSL when saving the file. Also disable shadings notes except for “Lights” and “Shaders”.
Links
BlenderArtists Thread
So, I’d love to know what features are implemented (excepting bugs, of course) and which ones aren’t yet.
woohoo, I’ve been waiting for something like this.
Great, I will try it out later on my iconia tab. This is so super awesome!
Sir no work blender APK.Apk install but rotate, translate not support.
Hey Dalai, Alex Ku:
Congratulations !
Your work will possibly open the doors for blenderheads to create games for android using Blender Game Engine. This is incredible as it opens a whole new market for Blender users all around the world.
Kudos !
I know you have been working very hard on this, but is it possible to port this to ios as well without changing to much code, and if not, are you planning on implementing ios in the future?
nobody plans this as far as I know because it would only be able to be used on jail broken IOS devices, since IOS app store is _not_ GPLv2 friendly. — blenders license.
Blargh, Apple! I wonder how Windows Phone would cope with the GPL… Probably equally badly :(
There is the GameKit project that is reimplementing some of the BGE for all the major platforms including iOS, but it uses Lua for scripting instead of Python.
http://code.google.com/p/gamekit/
Yes. I have been waiting for this also. Whats the point of learning to use Blender game engine if you cant develop games ifor the most promising platforms? Anyways, if it became a hit, perhaps Apple would compromise on the
GPLv2 license.
I’m an Android developer, and I don’t get why anyone would ever want to make a game (for any platform) with the BGE. I suppose it could, to some extent, possibly have some semblance of usefulness for game demos or concept games, but since the BGE is infected with the GPL virus, anything created with it has to be released under the GPL. This means that, even though you could technically sell games made with it, anyone can access your game’s source code for free. You’d have to depend on donations for support and hope that the plethora of game-copying n00bs on the Android market wouldn’t just take your game’s code and rebrand it.
You can share your code while not sharing the artwork — and the artwork would be substantial for a typical game. But I agree with you — it is likely this will be exclusively used for demos and home-brew games.
you don’t need to share your python code, not even your .blend files. I know that this is not ideal, but it’s not as bad as you make it sound in my opinion. More info here: http://www.blender.org/education-help/faq/gpl-for-artists/ or even take a closer look at the Burster project (www.geta3d.com) the BGE webplugin.
I hope that at some point a file protection scheme is implemented so that BGE content can’t be reloaded into Blender. I envision an exporter that pre-processes the .blend stripping out and efficiently formatting data specifically for the engine and possibly encrypting it. It is still your data and so it isn’t covered under the GPL. Nothing is going to be perfect. I just want to make it harder for somebody to take apart a game. I think the GameKit project does something like this but it is moving forward quite slowly and so isn’t a serious alternative to the BGE yet. Other engines have more or less features but can be expensive and beyond the skill level of many (including me) to attempt to use.
People use the BGE so that they can make a game using Blender. As soon as you use another engine with its own editor, you have the job of learning and mastering two primary tools (i.e. not talking about other core tools like GIMP/PS/Audacity, etc).
I always thought that so long as your .blend file isn’t combined with the blender player it was your property and didn’t have to be open source?
At first I did get too excited about this project. But actually seeing it on an android device is super exciting.
I hate Apples’ anti-open source stance. Apple is an open source enemy. All Apple wants to do is close things down. I don’t think Apple will change/compromise for Blender. And I certainly wouldn’t like to see Blender compromising.
Just thinking of Apple makes me so appreciative of Blender.
Thank you BF, developers and the Blender community.
Please tell me that in GSoC students are wasting their time on this – if any of the core Blender devs are as well, I’m switching to something else
So goodbye then little Hanky.
People wake up! There are dozens of developers making money EXACTLY because they share their source code.
Just take a look at BF business model, it’s a success. Or Jason Rohrer and many other Indy game developers.
And Dalai is a core developer BTW.
Cudos for the developers!
I’ve commissioned it even! With Blender having a cross platform development environment, doing an Android port is only a matter of time. I’m also very much aware of commercial gfx software vendors investing millions in this market (like Adesk). Tablets keep taking off, and it’s important for the open/free software community to have good software available on Android too. It might give more surprising outcome and use cases than you can even imagine! And last but not least; it gives me something to show-off on parties ;)
This is starting to looking really sweet.
Better start reading a lot more blender game books:)
http://rylanwright.blogspot.com/
Awesome! If I well understand it is not currently working for Tegras, so tablets are somehow cut out. Am I correct? If so, shall this change in the near future?
Also, great clarification by Ton. Why, you use Blender, and you criticize GPL and OS? Uhm…
No, Tegra 2 and 3 are supported as they are ARMv7 cpu-s.
Make sure you install and download (open the app and “install”) python3 for android
For Dalai : your talents are clearely not in the filming department ;-) Well done keep on coding.
Pity my (budget) Android is not going to run this.To those GPL FUD-mongers: if you don’t like it, just hold your breath for a bit. Crikey.
No way, I always thought that a real demo video MUST have shacking cameras :P But yeah I had to use a webcam, hard to get a good hold of it.
I recently gotten one of these “phones”, and have been looking for something Blender to do with it. It’s good to know that I’m not late to the party. While actual /production/ my be challenging, displaying scenes and files is a great step forwards.
On the topic of BGE, all that is missing are the export features (well, for now)….it’s simply not a PC market anymore.
two questions, Is there any blender software for tablet or not?
Will they developing blender for tablet?
Thanks
Not yet. As you can see, BGE is being ported to Android (phone & tablet).
Together with Jwilkins gsoc project, complete blender port might not be too far away.
where do you get blender.bla…i cant find a download for it anywhere
The links are in the BlenderArtists thread.
love this! After Adobe Flash’s workflow of getting an app to android(output a usable .apk in as little as 5-10min) this is the next best thing.. of course being opensource makes it infinitely better!
Cool it works on my xperia mini, strongly bge.app.store.
Thank you.
I’d tested it and it’s really good start and i hope we will be able to use sound, video, accelerometers, multitouch, camera as video for augmented reality, …
Today i can only render a mesh and move it with mouse but it’s a good start !
finally, it will be great to make easy 3D apps for android and install it with only one APK instead of 3 files.
Is it will be possible to install python and modules automatically with our games ?
I’m sure you can, if you just write a python script for it. I think this project has perfect timing with it being developed at the same time as the Ouya (http://www.ouya.tv/) coming out. It should help making games a lot easier! Plus blender is just flat out fun use, especially if you aren’t an android developer!
Where’s blender.bla???
Ah.. i hope some one continue this project.
Still no full featured Blender build for android tablet yet? Or where do I look to find it?