1.1a -- loading old effects?
by Tim Scheiman · in Torque Game Builder · 12/01/2005 (6:44 pm) · 7 replies
Greetings.
Is there any way to get 1.1alpha to load the particle effect files from the older version? Redoing them all .... would hurt. It tells me the header is invalid when it is trying to load them...
suggestions?
Is there any way to get 1.1alpha to load the particle effect files from the older version? Redoing them all .... would hurt. It tells me the header is invalid when it is trying to load them...
suggestions?
#2
With regards to helping you on this one, it shouldn't be that difficult to convert particle-effects if you're talking about just the particle-effect attributes and not the other embedded attributes that come from the object-hierarchy.
By far the easiest approach would be to do it entirely in script. This is possible because you're only interested in converting the attributes that are configured using the particle-editor which itself is written in script anyway so...
The first thing to understand is that for each effect, you need to configure a single effect plus multiple emitters. The first stage is to look at the save-method for both the effect and emitter. If you note what gets saved, you'll find an equivalent script-accessor. What this means is that you can simply write a script (in v1.0.2) that reads the values and stores them somewhere. You can then write a script (in v1.1.0 alpha#1) that reads this store and writes them back. Only a handful of attributes have changed so it's not that much of a translation. Most of the conversion script can be automated as a majority of the data resides in graphs meaning you can write a simple sub-function that abstractly writes a graphs contents. You can find these registered graphs at the start of the effect/emitter.
If someone wanted to do this then I'd be willing to lend a hand. Given a bit of time, I'd do it myself but I've got so many things on my radar at the moment that this would unfortunately be low priority.
- Melv.
12/02/2005 (1:46 am)
Well, so much has changed that this wouldn't be straightforward. We always said that we'd be breaking lots of stuff for this release but then ensuring that we don't do so in the future. Keeping everything working from now on is the prime-directive though.With regards to helping you on this one, it shouldn't be that difficult to convert particle-effects if you're talking about just the particle-effect attributes and not the other embedded attributes that come from the object-hierarchy.
By far the easiest approach would be to do it entirely in script. This is possible because you're only interested in converting the attributes that are configured using the particle-editor which itself is written in script anyway so...
The first thing to understand is that for each effect, you need to configure a single effect plus multiple emitters. The first stage is to look at the save-method for both the effect and emitter. If you note what gets saved, you'll find an equivalent script-accessor. What this means is that you can simply write a script (in v1.0.2) that reads the values and stores them somewhere. You can then write a script (in v1.1.0 alpha#1) that reads this store and writes them back. Only a handful of attributes have changed so it's not that much of a translation. Most of the conversion script can be automated as a majority of the data resides in graphs meaning you can write a simple sub-function that abstractly writes a graphs contents. You can find these registered graphs at the start of the effect/emitter.
If someone wanted to do this then I'd be willing to lend a hand. Given a bit of time, I'd do it myself but I've got so many things on my radar at the moment that this would unfortunately be low priority.
- Melv.
#3
- Melv.
12/02/2005 (1:49 am)
I might even get a break on Sat to attempt it myself as a challenge but I'm supposed to be staying away from the PC that day as I've promised my wife I wouldn't go near it as I've not had a break for quite a few weeks. But I just can't resist the pull....- Melv.
#4
12/02/2005 (8:14 am)
Melv, come on now. Family trumps work and hobbies. If you promised your wife... leave the computer alone. T2D is important, but not THAT important. :-)
#5
Thanks again though for the info... should make it a bit easier.
-Tim
12/02/2005 (5:25 pm)
Thanks for the nod towards where to look. I'll hopefully get a chance to give this a go sometime soon, and if/when I do, I'll report back with my results and further questions that I'm likely to come up with. Hopefully (possibly) I'll get to it this weekend...Thanks again though for the info... should make it a bit easier.
-Tim
#6
Just to add to what I mentioned above, the majority of stuff needed to be saved will be in the graph-fields so look in the save-method there.
If there's enough requests and it hasn't been done already, I'll consider writing something.
- Melv.
12/03/2005 (7:33 am)
I couldn't help sneaking in to do a few things! ;)Just to add to what I mentioned above, the majority of stuff needed to be saved will be in the graph-fields so look in the save-method there.
If there's enough requests and it hasn't been done already, I'll consider writing something.
- Melv.
#7
All I've succeeded in doing is breaking things somewhat horribly again and again. woo!
I'm resigned to my fate of redoing all of my particle effects.... unless there is a large enough group to get Melv. to take up the torch again.
-Tim
12/06/2005 (10:26 am)
Well I looked at this for a while... I think it is somewhat safe to say that it would be beyond my Torquerinding knowledge to attempt what you speak of.All I've succeeded in doing is breaking things somewhat horribly again and again. woo!
I'm resigned to my fate of redoing all of my particle effects.... unless there is a large enough group to get Melv. to take up the torch again.
-Tim
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