Expansive Outdoor Terrain
Traverse large, rolling landscapes that are constructed in your favorite 3D-software program, and then exported to LithTech for realistic mountains and hills. LithTech Landscapes feature more detail in real time than ever seen before on a consumer level PC. Because LithTech is the first state-of-the-art 3D engine optimized for both indoor and outdoor scenes, players can go seamlessly from a dark, atmospheric temple interior to a sprawling wilderness in the same game environment.

Weighted Skeletal Animation (Geometry Skinning)
For the first time ever in an integrated 3D engine, bone-mesh animation can now incorporate "weighted" appendages/parts for true real time on-the-fly animation manipulation and inverse kinematics. Each model can be constructed of rigid pieces attached/skinned to bones, which allows modelers to "weight" each vertex of a model, creating a more organic, fluid animation. For example, a point on a model may be influenced by the movement of the shinbone as well as the thighbone, rather than being constrained to one or the other. Using this system, animators can create subtle movements of cloth or muscle.

Emotion Modeling
LithTech allows the blending of distinct animations to form completely new variations in real time. For example, a talking animation can be combined with various "mood" animations such as "angry" or "sad" to create a breathtaking range of possible behaviors without the need for additional animations.

Shared Animation Sets
Shared animation sets allows models with similar skeletal shapes to use each other's animations, thus allowing a single animation to be used by many different models without looking exactly the same. For example, a tall, broad-shouldered soldier can use the same walk animation as a short, skinny skateboarder and, because of their different proportions, the animation will look different on each. Since animation sets can be shared, memory requirements can be lower and more animation can be made available to a game.

Sockets
Think of a socket as a plug on a model to which other objects can be easily attached. For example, you can place a clipboard in a character's hand, put a hat on his/her head or add a sidearm to a belt. Attached objects can also be rotated such as a tank turret or a tire on a vehicle.

Node Control at Runtime
A model is made up of nodes (such as lower leg, head, upper arm, etc.), which LithTech allows you to adjust at runtime. You can make a character turn her head, bend at the waist, or stretch like putty.

Advanced Model Lighting
Each light in an environment affects a model according to distance and direction. Highlights move dynamically across model surfaces as a character moves toward or away from a light source. As a character steps into the shadows, her face may be silhouetted while her legs remain illuminated. Directional lighting, partial silhouetting and subtle color contrast are all possible. Improved model lighting roots characters more firmly in game environments, making them seem like part of the world rather than superimposed upon it.

Canvas Technology
Game engineers can now use the engine to draw free form polygons on-the-fly to create effects ranging from a detailed lightning strike to shattering glass. In-game models can also be exploded into their constituent triangles or segments with each piece retaining its texturing. LithTech's Canvas Technology allows a programmer to no longer be constrained to just the polygonal constructs of the core engine.

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