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Dan_Callahan

  • Karma: +0/-0
Perfect Parallel virtual golf course development software
« on: January 09, 2013, 11:20:19 AM »
Just came across this on Kickstarter. The demo video about the course building tools is amazing:

http://www.perfectparallel.com/courseforge-in-action/

There are samples of courses they've reproduced as well:

http://www.perfectparallel.com

Anyone know anything more about this? Curious when it will be available to the public. Looks like it would be fun to mess around with.

Jeb Bearer

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Perfect Parallel virtual golf course development software
« Reply #1 on: January 09, 2013, 12:05:41 PM »
If you're looking to mess around with something Microsoft has the Arnold palmer course designer. Its available for free download at www.linkscorner.org. It takes a bit if time to learn but its very powerful. For clarity, this is for fun, its not a tool that actual architects use, but its fun to mess around with.

Mike Nuzzo

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Perfect Parallel virtual golf course development software
« Reply #2 on: January 09, 2013, 12:15:16 PM »
Mike Jones - in the video - is a member of the treehouse and has done some great work with the Arnold Palmer Course Designer
He must be busy
Thinking of Bob, Rihc, Bill, George, Neil, Dr. Childs, & Tiger.

MikeJones

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Perfect Parallel virtual golf course development software
« Reply #3 on: January 13, 2013, 08:34:11 AM »
Yes I've been a member here some time and like everyone else here I love golf and golf architecture. Fortunately I'm in a position where I can try and take this passion and help others to let their own creative side loose on an unsuspecting world!

We decided to create the course design tools to enable even a complete computer novice to have some fun playing around with golf design and even making their own course. They can play around with imported real terrain or stuff they just dug up with their virtual bulldozer. Maybe it'll even help with some of the armchair architect contests that appear here from time to time.

The whole point is to get people having fun with golf and golf design and maybe it will appeal to a younger generation who might play with this instead of mindlessly blowing up stuff on their console and PC which seem to be what computer games have devolved down too these days.

Paul Gray

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Perfect Parallel virtual golf course development software
« Reply #4 on: January 16, 2013, 12:47:56 PM »
Mike,

Looks fantastic.

How's the funding going? I checked your site and saw you were still a fair way (no pun intended) short of the required amount but hoped the figures needed updating. Any chance of corporate funds?
In the places where golf cuts through pretension and elitism, it thrives and will continue to thrive because the simple virtues of the game and its attendant culture are allowed to be most apparent. - Tim Gavrich

Jeb Bearer

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Perfect Parallel virtual golf course development software
« Reply #5 on: January 16, 2013, 02:14:21 PM »
Wow I just got a chance to watch the video in detail and ... wow. :o :o :o I don't even know what to say. Where has this been the last 10 years?!?! Way less technical stuff than the APCD really allowing the artistic ability to show through, and fifteen minutes to create a golf hole? Awesome! One question, will there be a random terrain generator or do you automatically start with a flat plot and do it manually? Thanks.

MikeJones

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Perfect Parallel virtual golf course development software
« Reply #6 on: January 16, 2013, 03:13:56 PM »
Paul, the Kickstarter is quite slow but thankfully we're not totally reliant on it to move forward. We're already partnering with well known golf companies such as Trackman and have other things in the pipeline too.

The plan is to give away this course design software for non commercial use so everyone can play around with it. I don't know about you but I've been doodling golf holes designs since I was 10 years old - this just takes that a step further. Now we're giving everyone who wants to try it, something that they can create their own golf design 'doodles' with and then play them in a sim or game.

Jeb, you can either import real world terrain data or start from a flat plot. We haven't built a random generator for it yet.






Matthew Rose

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Perfect Parallel virtual golf course development software
« Reply #7 on: January 16, 2013, 03:27:18 PM »
I've just contributed to this. I think it's absolutely marvelous.

I've been a cyber-archie dating back to the days of JN5 and JN6 and for several years I've been using the Links APCD program, but I have found it harder and harder to achieve the kind of results I would like without investing many many hours into very tedious, technical processes involving vertices, mapping, seam blending, etc..

Mike appears to have created something that captures the look and feel but done so in an infinitely more user-friendly package. I can't wait to see it become reality someday.

While Links was the gold standard for some time, I think the APCD may have simply run its course and as computers continue to get faster and more sophisticated, I hope that this is the next level of design.

It may seem silly or trivial to some of the real designers here, but I actually have applied many of the design concepts I read about here on GCA into my computer courses. It's quite fun trying to create my own Biarritzes and Redans in a cyber world.
American-Australian. Trackman Course Guy. Fatalistic sports fan. Drummer. Bass player. Father. Cat lover.

Jeb Bearer

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Perfect Parallel virtual golf course development software
« Reply #8 on: January 16, 2013, 04:38:58 PM »
Alright, I just contributed. Mike, good luck with the rest of the project, I can't wait!