Torque3D pipeline questions.

#1 frozen sands FrankieV? hehe ye it can only be u .... seein u here, makes me wonder UrTorque^^?

I might not be the right person to answer but

regarding point 1
u should be able to load up the models that come with the T3D MiT Version.

when u digg a bit thru the forums u might actually figure out that the T3D shape editor is artist friendly, u can manipulate alot just in the shapeeditor

and the process of getting a animated model into Torque is more or less well documented but there are a couple of tutorials that explain some important things

u should just check out docs.garagegames.com/torque-3d/official/index.html?content/documentation/Artist%...

and as you are using max? it will be even easier to get your models into T3D

Blender can be used aswell but it takes some time to understand the blender To T3D workflow

hope that helps a bit

#2 Yupe it's me and nope no TorqueUrT.

What I'm after is off the shelf editing tools that is compatible with 3ds Max and since Torque does support Collada that instantly qualifies it as a general 3d design tool as part of a DCC based pipeline.

Wish it had FBX support <nudge nudge wink wink>

#3 1) The soldier is a DAE model that can be imported in 3DS Max. There is a document that is being put together to better explain specifically what is required for character assets, but everything else is fairly straightforward.

2) Nope - it's all just geometry until you get it in the engine. As for zones and such, those are engine constructs anyway - you define them in the editor.

3) Not entirely sure where you're going with this one - the steering committee is working on a cleaner template, one that has nothing extraneous in it. It's already pretty easy to get most things into the editor - just drop it in a reasonable spot in the art folder and then find it in the Library.

#4 Uhm, have you looked here yet?

docs.garagegames.com/torque-3d/official/index.html?content/documentation/Artist%...

Start there, if you have additional questions let me know and I will try and help you work them out. I know just a bit about the pipeline.

Ron

#5 Thanks for the response.

On #3 the problems on how to use the editor is not the problem as we were able to figure that part out in short order.

The confusion is in the installing the requirements as to direct use of the world editor that is not related to or requires the installing of sub-components not related to the task in hand. As a content creator if I don't need the engine source code why download it but information on hand suggests that it is a requirement. It's kind of like saying to use 3ds Max you have to have the engine source code.

Personally this is not so much a problem for me as I can usually figure things out on my own and in due time but since as far as tools usage in general goes I deal with a rather large group of individuals where time spent kitting them out individually can become problematic and a waste of valuable time.

I guess the best way to think of it is that content creators are a bunch of two year olds so if your two year old can't get it all up and running in short order than that’s a problem. ;)

I'm sure this is under consideration and I would just like to know is there plans to separate the ideals of code versus the unique and individual requirements generated by content?

Daz3D would be a good example of code and content separation.

#6 @FS-FrankieV,
I would say that usage requirements would fall on the organization using the engine. It is pretty much a game engine/sdk and not a final product.

#7
Thanks Frank.

Are there any sites (portals) that directly deals with the content creation aspect of the Torque3D engine?

The ones that I was able to find are somewhat fragmented.

#8 I think they removed the compiled executable because it was causing more confusion than anything. Perhaps the committee could add a "latest build" download or something. As it stands you do need the source code - how else will you build the engine?

#9 @ FS-frankieV

dont get this wrong but its really best learning by doing/ take for example one of the existing urt models/ bake a action

export it as dae and place it somewhere in
art/shapes/actors/MyModel
where MyModel is ment to be a new folder created by urself/ there place the exported dae model

now in T3D load it up in the shapeeditor/ not in the level itself

dont rush the import/ u can specify a new scale for your exported model in the laoding Tab

when the model gets loaded up in the Shapeeditor the needed material.cs and MyModel.cs files are getting generated automaticlly

again MyModel.cs is a cs file that contains all relevant informations regarding your dae model

along with those 2files u get a cached dts file
that is your model in a less space consuming form/ format

Thing is the following, T3D just needs some specific Bones to be named/ included.

We pointed you to the art primer, where u can actually read thru how to and what to, there is reall not much more to be said.

As am one of those who jumped into T3D after it became opensrc, i understand the reservation by some of the old gurus that are on those forums. So lets not forget this is no sandbox and if u desperately need models in the fbx format

i would suggest purchasing the Soldier Weapons Art Pack
it comes with the Model src files/ in fbx
its not even 20bucks and its worth spent

either way i hope u dont get this the wrong way

#10 JOlinar I hear yah but I assure you I know a duck when I see one and since Torque does support Collada (aka FBX) I knew right from the start the content flow and had stuff in jumping around with in the first hour of getting the editor up and running.

To be honest I resorted to an older demo but the work flow was still the same.

As already explained this is not the site to be as to questions and concerns as to content flow as the purpose of this site is to deal with issues relating to code. That’s cool as code and content will never speak the same language. Learn by doing is a common response but as a 3d artist with 30 years of experience I already know how to do but it would be nice if it was easier to start the dam car. ;)

As for content in general no big deal as in if there is a need I can certainly take advantage of the opportunity to do it myself.

Which leads me to my last question and I'll leave it at that but to solve all can I still buy Torque3D?

If reasonable I'd be more than happy to pay for the convenience.

#11 double post

#12 i certainly did not ment to come over and point with a finger or whatever
therefore i appologize

currently there is much going on behind the scene of the upcoming T3D MitT v 3.0
and am sure there will be a couple of things different and sorta easier in some ways. None the less, let me just finish this with what i just tested

i imported a premade/ rigged character a *.smd(hl2 - model) into Blender
with all animations/ i copied just the bounds and emptys (nodes - alteye, cam nodes from the soldier model) and exported the whole file as dae

imported it into T3D - it took a while till it generated the dts (mainly because i was suicidal and exported a 26MB model - the animations are in lenght up to 4020 frames)
the final cached dts model was in size just 1.26 MB
and since the Shapeeditor allows u to actually split up the ambient animations into single animations u can work your way thru the whole model - its animations

i didnt do that as it was just a test/ at the end i just had to follow this docs.garagegames.com/torque-3d/official/content/documentation/Artist%20Guide/Tut...
to get my model up and running as playermodel. those are some easy steps and again am not wanting to teach u or whatever, i simply wanted to share that its actually easier then expected to get a working playermodel ingame.

there is a tutorial for xsi that can be easily applied to max/ blender ot whatever 3d software that is capable of exporting a .dae model

it is only about exporting a working vehicle but it actually gives u a head start on the major stuff

link: www.garagegames.com/community/blogs/view/22119
that tutorial was a great help in my case, 1st i exdported a working vehicle then just now a animated character model.
Hope that this helps and now am shut and wont say another word.

#13 No need to apologize. Just think of it as two people talking over beer and pizza from two different perspectives. ;)

It's just that saying learn by doing to a graphics artists is as about equal to asking for a feature request of a programmer that included the words simple and easy in the same paragraph.

Kind of off track as the with all else answered and as to ease of use I more or less have my immediate concerns answered and as long as there are plans in place to make things easier install wise then no problems here. :D

I guess my point to it all is I can figure it out but just try and get 30-40 other guys to buy into a new development stream that they can't have instant success with in the first hour. Better or not they will stick with the old way of doing things if given the option.

In the mean time if there is not a site that deals directly with art and content I'm sure this is a base we at FS can look at covering and we have no problems at all with GG sending the artist type our way. ;)

#14 well am an artist j0linar.carbonmade.com/ - my loosy portfolio

aswell/ i usually approach it from all angles/ and i do understand ur concerns.

am sure a Site that is all about Content Creation for T3D would be more then welcome for all, keep us updated

and now ic that i wasnt able to be shut ;)

#15 With the 2.0 launch a pre-compiled zip package was created as the full building steps can get a little complicated with building T3D, building the Project Manager and copying the Project Manager to your T3D directory. You can download that from this link. The link, unfortunately, is very easy to miss currently. It was posted in Dave's 2.0 launch blog and is supposed to be in the readme as well. Github dropped their downloads hosting out of nowhere on us 2 days before the release, and this was done as a quick fix while a new downloads page is planned.

Quote:
As already explained this is not the site to be as to questions and concerns as to content flow as the purpose of this site is to deal with issues relating to code. That's cool as code and content will never speak the same language. Learn by doing is a common response but as a 3d artist with 30 years of experience I already know how to do but it would be nice if it was easier to start the dam car. ;)

I must be misunderstanding this. Why would think this site isn't for artists to discuss and learn about creating assets to use in the engine? Our site and forums are for all facets of using Torque, we even have a forum dedicated entirely to artists, and of course there's previously link artist docs.

#16 Hay Scott.

My apologies but I'm rather confused as many of the reference links seems to be ether broken or missing,ie off-line help files, as well many of the documentation contains technical information relating to code than as a description of what is required as part of construction of an asset.

Even the Beginner Tutorial is rather confusing as to requirements as well the result of the installation does not match the tutorial.

I use Motion Builder as an example where by pressing F1 one can quickly find a dummy sheet pointing out the basic requirements with out further explanation.

It's not really that big of a deal for me in the grand scheme of things but with the source code under MIT also available for the world editor it's something that I'm interested in as a general application in the form of a real time rending system that contains an event driven system.

This is not a pressing issue as I'm sure it will all work out in the wash and is not a negative as to the releasing of Torque3D engine and tools to MIT but rather an observation from an artist perspective.

What did work for me was a demo of Torque3D I was able to find that did do all of the required set up I'm looking for which leads me to the question why such a bundling was not included or why a push button install package is not available for sale in the store? I would be more than happy to pay for the convenience.

#17 @FS-FrankieV - The FPS-Tutorial is currently being updated/
and has been recently released under MIT

github.com/GarageGames/Torque3D-FPSTutorial
it is hidden/located there, the content is the whole Chinatown Map - with some presets. the models are all collada/ except gideon is dts (i wonder why oO).

Anyways, this might give u a better view @ things, especially since the FPS-Tutorial comes with the GUI that u can see in the FPS Tutorial.

and now how would one get the FPS Tutorial running (since it doesnt come with a executable) just copy paste the whole content in a freshly made Project (best use the Torque3D 1.2 MIT v2 github.com/GarageGames/Torque3D and create a project from the Full Template). Sidenote that was just ment as a tip for ppl who come across this thread and ask themself how/ what..

and last thing
Many thx to GG for releasing the FPS-Tutorial under MIT, its already of great help

#18 Hay JOlinar

It's all good and I'm perfectly happy using the demo, nag screen and all, until it all gets sorted out with more important tasks at hand. I just showed up to the party a bit to early. ;)

If anything I probably a bit over excited over the possibilities. I'm surer Unity3D and Epic are not all that happy at the moment.

#19 We are in a transition with the FPS Tutorial right now. The tutorial on the GarageGames site was updated for the MIT license release of Torque 3D back in September 2012, but with the release of T3D 2.0 in December 2012 some things have changed.

Unfortunately, the resources at GarageGames have not been available to update the web site. We know this is causing some confusion with the community, and we (the Steering Committee) hope that the tutorial will be updated soon.

The FPS Tutorial was put under the MIT license at the same time as T3D was, but perhaps we didn't talk about it as much. And up until recently, you could only access it by downloading a package from the GarageGames site.

Last week we decided that the only way to keep the FPS Tutorial files up to date with each T3D release was to also put it on GitHub: github.com/GarageGames/Torque3D-FPSTutorial With all of the assets this ends up being a massive repository.

We will continue to provide a downloadable package of the FPS Tutorial that includes the compiled binary for each release of T3D.

As for Gideon, he has been around longer than we've had support for Collada.

- Dave

#20 @David Wyand
i got that with Gideon/ again its great to know that the FPS-Tutorial will be kept updated.
From my pov, with the included FPS Tutorial, T3D MIT ends up at a better position when compared to the other engines.

@FrankieV
Nah certainly not to early, i understand what u felt when u 1st started T3D, don`t worry its actually even easier then u might think but you are right as i felt the same and tbh i just started January with T3D.

After learning Zbrush, i jumped head over into T3D and am still impressed.
unity/ epic, i tested/worked with those engines - reason why i didnt went with em is pretty easy as T3D MIT is the most suitable solution for indie Devs.