Leadwerks Software has announced Leadwerks 3, their new development platform for building mobile games with native code. It's Mac and Windows compatible.

It's based on the technology developed for their game engine for the PC. Applications built with native code are optimized to work with each platform. Games written in C can be ported to Leadwerks 3 without having to rewrite them in a new programming language.

The Leadwerks 3 editor features tools for building game levels using a technique called constructive solid geometry. This streamlines the process of creating games, and makes it easier for artists to see what their games will look like as they build them, according to the folks at Leadwerks Software.

Leadwerks 3 uses automatic asset conversion. This means that images and objects can be reloaded on-the-fly, so an image can be modified in Photoshop and the result will show up in the editor right away.

AI [artificial intelligence] is supported out-of-the-box. The traversable areas AI can travel within are highlighted in the editor as you build your game level. Pathfinding is dynamic, meaning that if a door opens or a drawbridge lowers, the AI is smart enough to take the new routes that appear.

The script language Lua is also supported, and can be combined with games written in native code. Scripted objects can be linked together in a visual flowgraph editor. This makes it easy to set up game interactions, something that can be a challenge when working with development platforms based solely on code, according to Leadwerks CEO Josh Klint.

Leadwerks 3 can be purchased from the company's website (www.leadwerks.com) for US$199 with add-ons for iOS and Android publishing available separately. A source code license is available for professional studios. A 30-day trial can be downloaded from the company's website.