Please help - understanding level editor and making a hole in a wall
by Michael Kellam · in Game Design and Creative Issues · 06/18/2010 (6:42 pm) · 2 replies
Hi,
We have Marble Blast Gold and Marble Blast Platinum for Mac OS X. I showed my kids how to access the level editor and now my 7 year old really wants to edit levels, but I'm having a hard time understanding it. (We've done a lot of research on web forums and youtube.)
He would like to know how to modify the 3D objects, particularly how to make a hole in a wall or platform to allow an opening for a pipe that goes through it. Currently, he has moved elements around, but when makes a pipe go through a wall, the wall prevents the marble from being able to go through.
We know enough to be able to edit object properties in the level editor (resize, change position, rotate, etc.). We also know how to edit the mission (mis) files, but I don't know how to modify dif, dts or dml files. Besides telling me how I might make a hole in an object, how else might I edit 3D objects and what do the dif, dts and dml do?
Can anyone please point me in the right direction? My 7 year old, who has been CRAZY about Marble Blast since he was 3 would REALLY appreciate it!
Thanks!
Michael
We have Marble Blast Gold and Marble Blast Platinum for Mac OS X. I showed my kids how to access the level editor and now my 7 year old really wants to edit levels, but I'm having a hard time understanding it. (We've done a lot of research on web forums and youtube.)
He would like to know how to modify the 3D objects, particularly how to make a hole in a wall or platform to allow an opening for a pipe that goes through it. Currently, he has moved elements around, but when makes a pipe go through a wall, the wall prevents the marble from being able to go through.
We know enough to be able to edit object properties in the level editor (resize, change position, rotate, etc.). We also know how to edit the mission (mis) files, but I don't know how to modify dif, dts or dml files. Besides telling me how I might make a hole in an object, how else might I edit 3D objects and what do the dif, dts and dml do?
Can anyone please point me in the right direction? My 7 year old, who has been CRAZY about Marble Blast since he was 3 would REALLY appreciate it!
Thanks!
Michael
#2
06/25/2010 (1:32 pm)
Thanks, Steele! This is helpful. I have downloaded Blender and will give it a try but, as I suspected, this process is a bit more complicated than my 7 year old realizes! I'm going to see if I can get up to speed on Blender and then make/modify the elements he needs... Thanks again! 
Torque 3D Owner Terra Snover
overzealous games
First off you will need a 3D modeling program, something like maya, but alas maya is not cheep. If you want something more free-ish there are some options out there,personally I like Blender.
After you download a modeling program you will need to import the model you want to mod, edit it via whatever program you choose, and export it (if you dont want to change all the models with that name export it as a different name. like change wall1.dts to wall2.dts etc.)
WARNING some models can be tricky to Import right and some need plugins to download at all, and then you need plugins to export some. There are help and FAQ's for whatever program you choose.
I think, for the most part, it's better to make a new model and export it then trying to mess with a DTS file but that's up to you.
I wish I knew of a better faster way of doing this, I also wish you didn't need to learn a new program, but thats all I got. Hope other people know better.