Player Tutorial for real Dummies
by Apparatus · in Torque Game Engine · 08/27/2004 (2:12 am) · 26 replies
Ok, so ive made almost everything work in my engine but the player. I am using max 5.1 sp.1 and the exporter provided in the matrix page. Maybe i am too dumb or ive read not the entire documentation but i couldn't find a decent tutorial on setting up the player - start to finish. In my view, a doc like this should have:
1: obtain (build) the player mesh. (with links and such to tut. webs)
2: setup a skelleton (or use biped from max)
3: envelope the mesh to the skelleton (using what is best: skin? physique? pros and cons)
4: create the needed nodes (with a subdoc about the nodes and the importance of each)
5: - here is my big problem: does nodes need to be linked to enything? if yes, wich ones to what? I believe eye goes to head but say my player is a matchbox or a ball, there's only the mesh 'player_ball', no "head" to attach (link) the eye and cam to.
6: create some animations.
7: create the bound box.
8:write the cfg file (btw, i always get "cfg file not found" in dump altough my cfg is there)
9: EXPORT. i believe to avoid getting too many cfg files error is better to export each shape in its own dir. Dummy, I know, but people new to this don't know it.
10. Get the player in game. Since some models show up in show tool but crashes torque.
11. Always provide the CVS version that worked with the tools in question.
12: List open.
As footnote, considering today's hardware, explain the multires in depth or tell us how not to use it. Sounds dummy, but I don't wan't LOD and such in my game, so multires only troubles the pipeline.
Note. I will provide a player mesh with texture for this (collective i hope) resource. Because it keeps us from dev. and time is important here.
hope to get some feedback on this, thank you all.
ORKFATHER team salutes you all.
1: obtain (build) the player mesh. (with links and such to tut. webs)
2: setup a skelleton (or use biped from max)
3: envelope the mesh to the skelleton (using what is best: skin? physique? pros and cons)
4: create the needed nodes (with a subdoc about the nodes and the importance of each)
5: - here is my big problem: does nodes need to be linked to enything? if yes, wich ones to what? I believe eye goes to head but say my player is a matchbox or a ball, there's only the mesh 'player_ball', no "head" to attach (link) the eye and cam to.
6: create some animations.
7: create the bound box.
8:write the cfg file (btw, i always get "cfg file not found" in dump altough my cfg is there)
9: EXPORT. i believe to avoid getting too many cfg files error is better to export each shape in its own dir. Dummy, I know, but people new to this don't know it.
10. Get the player in game. Since some models show up in show tool but crashes torque.
11. Always provide the CVS version that worked with the tools in question.
12: List open.
As footnote, considering today's hardware, explain the multires in depth or tell us how not to use it. Sounds dummy, but I don't wan't LOD and such in my game, so multires only troubles the pipeline.
Note. I will provide a player mesh with texture for this (collective i hope) resource. Because it keeps us from dev. and time is important here.
hope to get some feedback on this, thank you all.
ORKFATHER team salutes you all.
About the author
Tarakibu Studio
#22
ubenhacked.kicks-ass.net/torque/nodes.jpg
Try it now.
08/28/2004 (1:29 pm)
"this link does not work, Gonzo."ubenhacked.kicks-ass.net/torque/nodes.jpg
Try it now.
#23
EDIT: I've got some feedback on this. Whatever the main issue, people found answers regarding one problem in ONE place, instead of searching the docs and browsing the forums. Wich is cool, right?:)
08/28/2004 (1:37 pm)
I already have that. Post it to the proper place, in tutorials or DTS sections. Thank you anyway.EDIT: I've got some feedback on this. Whatever the main issue, people found answers regarding one problem in ONE place, instead of searching the docs and browsing the forums. Wich is cool, right?:)
#24
I think the vehicle and player tutorials (mount points, skeletton nodes ...) are very interesting.
I don't know how much can be applied to tge, but it's a very good introduction to 3d design.
(and maybe we could have some inspiration when looking at the unreal scripts ...)
08/29/2004 (3:09 pm)
Unreal tournament 2004 special edition contains one dvd full of maya tutorials.I think the vehicle and player tutorials (mount points, skeletton nodes ...) are very interesting.
I don't know how much can be applied to tge, but it's a very good introduction to 3d design.
(and maybe we could have some inspiration when looking at the unreal scripts ...)
#25
01/20/2005 (2:37 pm)
I totally understand your frustration .. If you're still having trouble I will sure try to help. Exporting is the most critical and necessary thing. my ICQ is 5102261
#26
Boy, you can say that again (three times). Writing tutorials is HARD, and deciding what audience to write for is HARDER, because you can reasonably go all the way down to 100% TOTAL COMPUTER NEWB (I'm doing a tutorial for my sister, and she is a 100%TCN), which makes explaining everything a necessity and explodes the tut size to ridiculous proportions.
It's also very much a matter of what one really knows, which is quite different from what one thinks one knows. I know how to use a computer, but in writing the tutorial I've found that I very often have no clue as to what the official name of this or that software feature may be.
04/06/2005 (12:32 pm)
"The hardest part about writing documentation and tutorias is idenifying your audience. The persons writing the docs ane often fairly experienced, and it is hard for us to put ourselves in the shoes of someone who does not know what we know."Boy, you can say that again (three times). Writing tutorials is HARD, and deciding what audience to write for is HARDER, because you can reasonably go all the way down to 100% TOTAL COMPUTER NEWB (I'm doing a tutorial for my sister, and she is a 100%TCN), which makes explaining everything a necessity and explodes the tut size to ridiculous proportions.
It's also very much a matter of what one really knows, which is quite different from what one thinks one knows. I know how to use a computer, but in writing the tutorial I've found that I very often have no clue as to what the official name of this or that software feature may be.
Torque 3D Owner Apparatus