New constructor wish list
by Jaimi McEntire · in Constructor · 03/15/2008 (5:55 pm) · 88 replies
Here are some of the things that I am thinking about adding to Constructor. If anyone has any input on them (for example: "that would be great" or "that idea blows") please feel free to chime in. This is not a "bug fix" thread (bugs are highest priority right now), but an "added features" thread.
Here are the things I am thinking about adding/changing, in roughly the order that I am thinking about doing them:
1. Bezier curves. This wouldn't be too hard, since most of the groundwork has already been done (in the DTS feature). This would give you the ability to have Q3 like curves in your map. I'm estimating this would take 1-2 weeks to add. You would have the option to auto generate a set of collision meshes for the curve for it (either exact, or an approximation). You would be able to select the curve and edit it at any time.
2. "live" duplicators. These would be like the existing duplicators, but they would be editable after creation (you could add/remove brushes, rotate the individuals, etc)
3. Path Extruder - should make roads, etc, much easier to make.
Anything other new feature that you would like to see? Post a note! (no bugs, please - post those in the other thread).
Here are the things I am thinking about adding/changing, in roughly the order that I am thinking about doing them:
1. Bezier curves. This wouldn't be too hard, since most of the groundwork has already been done (in the DTS feature). This would give you the ability to have Q3 like curves in your map. I'm estimating this would take 1-2 weeks to add. You would have the option to auto generate a set of collision meshes for the curve for it (either exact, or an approximation). You would be able to select the curve and edit it at any time.
2. "live" duplicators. These would be like the existing duplicators, but they would be editable after creation (you could add/remove brushes, rotate the individuals, etc)
3. Path Extruder - should make roads, etc, much easier to make.
Anything other new feature that you would like to see? Post a note! (no bugs, please - post those in the other thread).
#2
I would also like to run constructor from the engine and do your brush editing where most of your other editing occurs...being able to run constructor in world editor would be pretty sweet.
I would also like to see an option you can turn on that stops brushes from bleeding into each other, like a face-plumb function where the brush is told to meet the surfaces when moving into position blocking objects from actually entering it, only resting on the face...
Import or open .dif into current scene...
Reset Brush Numbering button...or list the numbering in the properties so you change them one at a time or all at once.
Reset Brush coordinates button (back to original brush shape) keeping brush in current position..
Reset Texture button, back to default
Be able to copy the texture settings from one face and paste in the settings for another face, and/or select the faces you want to be set by one face and have a button to set selected faces as current face.
...Fix the arrows in the face texture settings so you can hold them down, especially in the positioning..
03/15/2008 (10:04 pm)
....curves..are you kiddin'....hell yeah...I would also like to run constructor from the engine and do your brush editing where most of your other editing occurs...being able to run constructor in world editor would be pretty sweet.
I would also like to see an option you can turn on that stops brushes from bleeding into each other, like a face-plumb function where the brush is told to meet the surfaces when moving into position blocking objects from actually entering it, only resting on the face...
Import or open .dif into current scene...
Reset Brush Numbering button...or list the numbering in the properties so you change them one at a time or all at once.
Reset Brush coordinates button (back to original brush shape) keeping brush in current position..
Reset Texture button, back to default
Be able to copy the texture settings from one face and paste in the settings for another face, and/or select the faces you want to be set by one face and have a button to set selected faces as current face.
...Fix the arrows in the face texture settings so you can hold them down, especially in the positioning..
#3
Radius => Radius of Prizm
Sides => The number of sides of the prism
Hollow (If we want) => Hollow of the prism, it will open at the center of the prizm, this will be the radius.
Texture => U write the texture name and constructor puts it, also, we need and a face texturing but it is ok.
Size of texture => Size of the texture, possibly X and Y.
Inside Turn => If the prism goes inside and how much.
Outside Turn => If the prism goes outside and how much.
Axis => Axis of the prism, X, Y and Z.
----------------
Stairs => If the prism have stairs
UpDown => If u want the prism to have up and down faces or Many pieces to be more easy and good.
Well, this is a suggestion. :)
03/15/2008 (10:33 pm)
Plz add a custom Prism generator, it could be great. Something like this:Radius => Radius of Prizm
Sides => The number of sides of the prism
Hollow (If we want) => Hollow of the prism, it will open at the center of the prizm, this will be the radius.
Texture => U write the texture name and constructor puts it, also, we need and a face texturing but it is ok.
Size of texture => Size of the texture, possibly X and Y.
Inside Turn => If the prism goes inside and how much.
Outside Turn => If the prism goes outside and how much.
Axis => Axis of the prism, X, Y and Z.
----------------
Stairs => If the prism have stairs
UpDown => If u want the prism to have up and down faces or Many pieces to be more easy and good.
Well, this is a suggestion. :)
#4
On my wish list:
0. *please* let me choose to set the grid units to powers-of-2 instead of this 10/20/50 stuff.
1. the package should include the cool plugins (like the "torus").
2. primitive: "pie wedge" -- eg, create a cylinder precut into radially-cloneable pie-shaped slices.
3. primitive: a "washer" or "tube" -- it's a hollowed out cylinder constructed from pie-shaped cylindrical slices without the inner radius. The existing code for hollowing a cylinder won't produce this shape. These are good for creating things like curved sections of road in snap-together sized pieces (example: a piece of curved slot-car track: www.modelmho.com/6singelane.jpg ).
4. an easier way to bevel faces (Wings3D makes it soooo easy). I'm thinking a combination of extrude the selected faces a small amount, and then radially scale the copies of the extruded faces.
5. display the total brush count somewhere visible.
6. some way to load a reference image (like a blueprint) onto the grid plane and scale it as needed.
7. export as Wavefront .obj -- the Lightwave format exported by Constructor can't be imported by Blender, Wings3D, Milkshape 3D, Ultimate Unwrap 3D Pro, nor Bryce 6 -- and I don't have Lightwave.
03/15/2008 (11:16 pm)
Bezier curves would be great!On my wish list:
0. *please* let me choose to set the grid units to powers-of-2 instead of this 10/20/50 stuff.
1. the package should include the cool plugins (like the "torus").
2. primitive: "pie wedge" -- eg, create a cylinder precut into radially-cloneable pie-shaped slices.
3. primitive: a "washer" or "tube" -- it's a hollowed out cylinder constructed from pie-shaped cylindrical slices without the inner radius. The existing code for hollowing a cylinder won't produce this shape. These are good for creating things like curved sections of road in snap-together sized pieces (example: a piece of curved slot-car track: www.modelmho.com/6singelane.jpg ).
4. an easier way to bevel faces (Wings3D makes it soooo easy). I'm thinking a combination of extrude the selected faces a small amount, and then radially scale the copies of the extruded faces.
5. display the total brush count somewhere visible.
6. some way to load a reference image (like a blueprint) onto the grid plane and scale it as needed.
7. export as Wavefront .obj -- the Lightwave format exported by Constructor can't be imported by Blender, Wings3D, Milkshape 3D, Ultimate Unwrap 3D Pro, nor Bryce 6 -- and I don't have Lightwave.
#5
2.Allow the arch to have a rounded top not just bottom.
3 allow a snap to other objects function.
4 make a walk through mode so you can view the object just like you were in the game.
5 a texture swatch so you don't have to go through 3 levels of menus or change modes to use a texture you have already used.
there are 5 off the top of my head, I know I have a whole heap more.
03/16/2008 (1:02 am)
1. Allow am Arch to be created in all 12 directions not just the 3, its annoying to have to create an arch then have to rotate it only to find you made it the wrong size.2.Allow the arch to have a rounded top not just bottom.
3 allow a snap to other objects function.
4 make a walk through mode so you can view the object just like you were in the game.
5 a texture swatch so you don't have to go through 3 levels of menus or change modes to use a texture you have already used.
there are 5 off the top of my head, I know I have a whole heap more.
#6
Very Late Edit: Being able to hide/unhide by selection set would be a good feature. It would make the selection sets almost into layers. Visually it could just be a check box in the selection set menu that you'd check off which sets you wish to hide. From a programming standpoint it could unhide everything, then go into a loop and re-hide all of the sets that the user has selected to hide; doing this each time the user changes what is/isn't hidden.
03/16/2008 (9:08 am)
An align brush and/or face feature would be nice.Very Late Edit: Being able to hide/unhide by selection set would be a good feature. It would make the selection sets almost into layers. Visually it could just be a check box in the selection set menu that you'd check off which sets you wish to hide. From a programming standpoint it could unhide everything, then go into a loop and re-hide all of the sets that the user has selected to hide; doing this each time the user changes what is/isn't hidden.
#7
Anyway,
1) Redo SUPER list
2) Avanced brush mod. :)
03/16/2008 (11:39 am)
Oh, and a question, will bezire curve work at torque and will it savet to difs?Anyway,
1) Redo SUPER list
2) Avanced brush mod. :)
#9
03/17/2008 (6:28 pm)
I'd love to have the ability to name brushes.
#10
@mkbul: The curve stuff would work with torque - it would work just like the DTS models that get baked in.
03/17/2008 (7:41 pm)
Wow, a lot of good suggestions - I'll see what I can do.@mkbul: The curve stuff would work with torque - it would work just like the DTS models that get baked in.
#11
A Load default preferences option ( when I first started using it I played with the camera setting to try and get around the scroll wheel zooming issue, I completely made it unusable and had to re-install )
being able to put a group within another group, ie, I make a tower for a castle I group it, I make a wall, I group it, I group the tower and the wall together, if I then Ungroup that I should end up with the wall group and the tower group not every brush ungrouped.
keep up the good work, I see a lot of potential in constructor.
03/17/2008 (8:50 pm)
Be able to save different layouts.A Load default preferences option ( when I first started using it I played with the camera setting to try and get around the scroll wheel zooming issue, I completely made it unusable and had to re-install )
being able to put a group within another group, ie, I make a tower for a castle I group it, I make a wall, I group it, I group the tower and the wall together, if I then Ungroup that I should end up with the wall group and the tower group not every brush ungrouped.
keep up the good work, I see a lot of potential in constructor.
#13
1. To be able to select one brush (or vertex or face) and click "Align" then pick the brush to align to, with the options of align min to max, center to center, etc, along the x or y or z axis, is ridiculously useful.
2. Another tool I use constantly in 3dsmax is vertex snap. I don't really see the reason to even have a vertex mode in Constructor without this tool, because there's no point in moving a vert if you can't align it to anything. Otherwise you just end up with all kinds of overlapping brushes. Vertex snap also creates a super fast way to align brushes.
That's my two cents. I think the lack of these two tools are really making it difficult for people to create complex, yet clean and professional interiors in Constructor.
03/18/2008 (10:02 am)
IMHO, I think Constructor sorely needs some alignment and snap tools. That is probably the major reason I use 3dsmax over Constructor. 1. To be able to select one brush (or vertex or face) and click "Align" then pick the brush to align to, with the options of align min to max, center to center, etc, along the x or y or z axis, is ridiculously useful.
2. Another tool I use constantly in 3dsmax is vertex snap. I don't really see the reason to even have a vertex mode in Constructor without this tool, because there's no point in moving a vert if you can't align it to anything. Otherwise you just end up with all kinds of overlapping brushes. Vertex snap also creates a super fast way to align brushes.
That's my two cents. I think the lack of these two tools are really making it difficult for people to create complex, yet clean and professional interiors in Constructor.
#14
03/19/2008 (5:16 am)
Thanks, Jaimi. That would be great if the vertexes could be 100% snapped , in other words, that would be great if there are no leak points generated in the Constructor. 
#15
03/19/2008 (3:51 pm)
I double Andy with that pie slices request for making cylinders.
#16
03/19/2008 (5:09 pm)
The ability to Align Groups, at the moment when you select a group and click align it aligns all the brushes not the group
#17
03/19/2008 (9:54 pm)
The ability to lock the vertexes. There is also a bug, if you zoom in enough, the vertexes can not be selected.
#18
03/20/2008 (1:03 pm)
How about a tool that gets you closer to a selected brush? Often when you have a large map, it takes a while to navigate to a single brush you need to change or a certain area of the map. It would be cool to be able to select a brush and it brings you right up to it in perspective view and the other views.
#19
You can click on the target in the perspective window to center the brush - is that close to what you want?
03/20/2008 (4:30 pm)
@PerishingFlames:You can click on the target in the perspective window to center the brush - is that close to what you want?
#20
Ill second being able to set the Grid Units to be in powers of 2.. (8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512 etc)
It allows for easy creation of modular geometry sets when you can work in powers of 2.. Its Like making legos that will always hook together
it be nice as well if we could display all the units in terms of centimeters rather than meters... that way when we zoomed in and out on the grid we would see something like
1cm/128cm instead of .01m/1.28m (if we had the power of 2 grid units)
04/15/2008 (10:40 pm)
JaimiIll second being able to set the Grid Units to be in powers of 2.. (8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512 etc)
It allows for easy creation of modular geometry sets when you can work in powers of 2.. Its Like making legos that will always hook together
it be nice as well if we could display all the units in terms of centimeters rather than meters... that way when we zoomed in and out on the grid we would see something like
1cm/128cm instead of .01m/1.28m (if we had the power of 2 grid units)
Associate David Montgomery-Blake
David MontgomeryBlake