For VRAGE3, we decided to implement a completely new Unified Grid System, which can combine any size of the block on the same grid. The grid has 25cm (~10 inches) granularity and block sizes spanning from 25 centimeters, through 0.5 meter, 2.5 meter and on, with no upper bound.
Block shapes are handled with the same 25cm precision. For instance, a 2.5-meter slope only occupies half of the cubic space, leaving the other half available for further construction. The system adjusts snapping automatically based on the block size you choose, but you can manually fine-tune connections with the same 25cm granularity.
To make rotations easier, when you hold the Ctrl key, rotation hints will appear at the block’s position, and you can rotate using the WSADQE keys while holding Ctrl. We’ve also added visual cues to help align blocks and show you which cells are being occupied or preventing placement, all with 25cm accuracy.
The new Render Material System supports parallax mapping, which adds texture depth and generates subtle rounded bevels on armor edges and between blocks of different colors.
Popular features like line and wall building, copy & paste, and the ability to attach pasted blueprints to existing grids have all been retained.
We believe this will revolutionize the building in our upcoming games, I can not wait to see the works of art you create. And we are just scratching the surface with new features in VRAGE3 for building!