Torque Artwork on Macintosh

#1 I though Quark was cross-platform? hmmm maybe I'm not thinking straight.

#2 Quark uses python heavily for its giu's and interfaces. So i WOULDNT be suprised if it could run on any system with python run time libraries installed. Macs have traditionaly supported better graphics. And i beleive Maya 3d was originally a mac prog.
so...
photoshop
maya
quark???

#3 Erh, Quark is written in Delphi, which is non portable Object Pascal.
Yes, a lot of the functionality is in Python 1.5, but the GUI/Front end and "general glue" is Delphi.

#4 For 3D you will probably have to use Lightwave 3D, I am not certain but I think that LightWave Dave has released a version of his DTS Expoter for Lightwave for both PC and Mac.

@Tim: you are mistaken on your Maya comments, Mac OS was the last major OS to get Maya ported to it. There is also no Maya exporter plugin available (for any OS) that will generate DTS objects for TGE, so unfortunately it should not have been included on your list that you gave. I figured that you might want to know this so that you will know for future reference if someone asks.

Logan

#5 Thanks for the feedback everyone, and also, from what I've heard, Maya is incompatable with os 10.2, which is what I'm running, which is weird because I have the personal learning edition of Maya installed on my computer.

#6 Maya runs fine on OSX 10.2.2. There are issues with OSX 10.2.3 and Geforce4 Ti cards. I'm running Maya 4.5 under OSX 10.2.3 with an ATI card -- no problems whatsoever. Now if only there was an exporter... :)

#7 Lightwave exporter is on the Mac.

As for level building, with the new X11 graphics support, I'd assume someone working on Radiant could have it up and running on the mac real soon now.

d

#8 ..but the Radiant license won't allow you to use it for Torque games.

How's that effort to convert QuArK to C++ going?

#9 the Radiant license won't let you use it for commercial games, unless you pay for it.
There is no engine restrictions in the GTKRadiant EULA, which means ANY free game can use GTKRadiant.

Edit : Typos

#10 I stand corrected. I was always under the impression it was only licensed for making maps for games using the Quake engines.

Still, doesn't help if your game is commercial.

#11 I should have explained my system specs more, I am running os 10.2.3 and I have a GeForce4, which is not a winning combination for Maya I guess. Could someone point me in the direction of the plugin for Lightwave that exports .dts or is that a built in feature?

#12 Sorry for getting back to you 4 months late.
I guess I should check in here more often.

You can get the Lightwave DTS exporter at
http://www.gnometech.com/

It works well, I haven't used it since July, but when I did try it out I had a Cthulhu Player running around, a bit askew but cool!

Good luck.


Bill Griffin

#13 This should be nice, every time I see any unique building styles, I think of how cool it would be if I could make, it then walk around in it, then shoot people with a crossbow or ice bold attack in it.

#14 (Obviously joining this conversation a bit late)

I think we're talking about different Quarks here. Quark Express is a long-time Mac stalwardt desktop publishing program. For most 2d artwork, I don't know why anyone would use much besides Photoshop. (Or the old DeluxePaint for 256 color work.) Now to just find a decent modeller/animation program (for Mac, hopefully) that doesn't suck and doesn't cost a downpayment on a car...

#15 QuArK stands for Quake Army Knife. Quite different from Quark Express. It is a free Quake format map editor - sadly only for windows.

#16 There is talk of making a Blender exporter (www.blender.org).
http://www.garagegames.com/index.php?sec=mg&mod=forums&page=result.thread&qt=10371
http://www.garagegames.com/index.php?sec=mg&mod=forums&page=result.thread&qt=7511

Blender is available for every platform under the sun (and a few others as well :) and free (recently). I'm trying to get status on this exporter myself.

GTKRadiant is available for Mac but the licence does not allow you to make commercial games. I'm hoping GG might be able to approach them for a licence similar to the current one for Worldcraft (ie no commercial games _except_ Torque ;). Worldcraft is Win only.

Current modeler options seems to be:
Lightwave - definate. Cost: Significant.
Maya - Work in progress. Cost: significant.
Blender - Work in progess/unknown. Cost: Nil
POVRay - Rumoured to work. Cost: Nil.

Current level creation tools:
GTKRadiant - Work in progress. Cost: Nil (licence doesn't allow commercial games - currently)

So if you need to get to work _now_ then use lightwave and get a friend to do the level work... Not the answer I wanted either really, but there you go.

Otherwise try to organise some people to get working on a Blender/POVRay exporter and get the GTKRadiant licence amended. This would benefit Linux users as well as I don't think they even have Lightwave as an option (correct me here), so free tools are better.

Sorry for the long reply but I've been asking the same questions. Hope I've helped.

#17 Thanks for the reply, right now I'm trying to get the hang of Lightwave. Yesterday, I made a bazooka, and when I exported it into the RW level Stronghold, it was bigger than the lake and it was untextured.

I guess I have some work ahead of me.