Game Development Community

PB, VC, and TrueSpace... Usable With Torque??

by Michael Hense · in Torque Game Engine · 05/29/2002 (8:42 am) · 7 replies

I use TS 4.3 as my primary modeling tool... will I be able to use it with the Torque tools, or is there a built in modeler (not clear as to what the mesh engine is)??

Also... on the Mac, I use the dev tools that come with OSX (Power Builder and the compiler)... and VC++ on the PC... will I be able to compile with these??

Thanks Again..
--Mike

#1
05/29/2002 (10:39 am)
there is no direct support of TrueSpace.

there is direct exporters including animation for 3D Studio MAX 3.1 / 4.x and Milkshape ( not as comprehensive as the max exporter ).

There is a MEMBER that is working on a Lightwave 6.5/ 7.x exporter. It exports models only right now, he is working on getting animation exported as well.

There are project files for Visual Studio 6 ( PC ), Codewarrior ( MAC OSX ), GNU ( Linux ).

I use VS6 to compile and it is a one step process.
#2
05/29/2002 (11:01 am)
Hi Michael,

our team use truespace too and i have to code an converter for our team (never give modeler a weapon ;)).
But it takes time for me to code this (i'm original a Sybase PowerBuilder programmer and first i have to handle VC++ :( and find out wheres the declaration of the .dts, .dsq and .dif files)

meanwhile our modelers uses Milkshape and Quark.

Also i'm on an own 3D Model-Level-Editor for our game.


PS: Michael, are you German ???
#3
05/29/2002 (2:17 pm)
Hiya Sven...

No.. from USA (upstate NY).

Wow... from PB to C++... i did a lil PB 3 years ago.

Hey... Keep me informed on your Truespace projetcs...

Question... can I use exported 3ds models from TS in Torque?

--Mike
#4
05/30/2002 (2:12 am)
with the export as a .3ds file you have to go through a second step.

TS => 3ds => Max => dts/dsq or map
or
TS => 3ds => Milkshape => dts

fact is, at this time there is no exporter for TS

PS: maybe you haven't wait for the exporter till i dig in VC++, i try it with the PowerBuilder (it's just file import and export, so nothing really serious :D)

PPS: i ask for german, because your name sounds german ;)
#5
05/30/2002 (8:16 am)
Quote:
(it's just file import and export, so nothing really serious :D)

If you do a standalone like that, you have twice the work to do, because you first have to write something to parse .scn and .cob files. By writing an actual tS plugin, you have access to all the scene info.

The one advantage to a standalone would be you could support tS2 I suppose, as the API wasn't introduced until tS3.

Because of my previous i/o work with tS, I keep wondering if I should do a DTS exporter.. but to be honest, I don't enjoy the idea and thus I don't think I'd ever be motivated to finish it properly.
#6
05/31/2002 (2:19 am)
Simon,
you are right, a plugin is always much better than a Standalone programm.

But i have to use my resource and at this time they are:
My skills in PowerBuilder (i use PB for 5 year, since version 4).

In VC++ i just have to dig in. Ok it's not the first time i had contact with C++ (i learned Basic and Assembler on the C64, Basic, C, Assembler on the Amiga an Basic and a little Delphi on PC, also i know html, Javascript and SQL), but everone know a new programming speech takes time to learn, spezially VC++ and our team needs fast some exporter.

Maybe, later i can convert the standalone program to a plugin. time will told us ;-)
#7
05/31/2002 (6:57 pm)
Mike -

Yes, >Project Builder< from apple is supported -- there's a project in CVS.

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