Taking a Peek into 3D: Merlin VTT
Hey folks,
I wanted to share something a bit different today. For a while now, I’ve been collaborating with the dev team behind CORE Games, who are building a pretty wild project called Merlin VTT. Think of it as a layer on top of Foundry VTT, but instead of the usual 2D maps, you’re running your sessions in full 3D. The whole thing runs on Unreal Engine 5 – the same engine I use to create my animated maps.
Now, before you get too excited: Merlin VTT is still super early in development. We’re talking pre-alpha territory here. But it’s already up on Steam for free if you want to take a look at the baby steps:
👉 https://store.steampowered.com/app/2932670/Merlin_VTT/
As part of this collaboration, I provided my Rural Tavern map to test out what the app can do. So if you grab Merlin VTT and hop on the server, you’ll actually find my tavern there in full 3D. That means you can wander around, check the space, and get a glimpse of what 3D sessions might look like.
For patrons at Heroes of the Realm tier and above, the Rural Tavern map even comes with some cool interactive features: opening doors, physics-based props, toggling lights on and off, that kind of stuff.
Don’t worry though – my main focus is still creating 2D animated maps. But since I build all of them in 3D first anyway, it’s fun to experiment and see what happens when we go one step further.
So, if you’re curious to see how your tabletop adventures might look in full 3D down the line, I definitely recommend giving Merlin VTT a try. It’s early, it’s rough, but it’s also free – and you’ll get to walk around one of my maps in a whole new way.
Cheers!
~dransky