Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.
Escapist logo header image

Cryptic Studios Open Sources Animation Tools

This article is over 17 years old and may contain outdated information

City of Heroes developers release an open animation kit for amatuer game developers.

Cryptic Studios (City of Heroes) has released its home-brewed animation tools under the free GNU GPL open source license. CrypticAR allows animators to familiarize themselves with professional-level tools used in developing actual Cryptic titles.

At the Online Game Development Conference (OGDC), Cryptic representatives Shayne Herrera and Sean Burgoon will be discussing the new animation tool set. A message from their OGDC statement reads:

“With our new Cryptic Animation Rig or Cryptic AR, we will give back to the community as well as push ahead with our next-gen development.

Shayne Herrera, Art Development Director for Cryptic Studios, commented, “Our goal is to foster a community of animators by providing them the power to generate animations without having to worry about supporting a toolset. Since we were already developing the rig for our core technology team, we decided to release it to the public under the GNU GPL. We feel that the development and gaming communities will benefit greatly from a professional tool like the Cryptic AR.”

Sean Burgoon added, “We decided to add the ability to switch and create character skins called ‘IDs’ (identities). Cryptic AR version 1.0 ships with three IDs and we plan to release more on a regular basis. We are encouraging user-submitted IDs through the animation community we are creating on our web site.”

Recommended Videos

The Escapist is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy