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Garage Games Constructor released finally

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Garage Games Constructor released finally

Postby DeathTwister » Tue Apr 10, 2007 12:28 am

Hay all,

Well those that use TGEA and TGE know by now Constructor got released today the 9th. And it is FREE WOW OMG, WTG GG /smiles....

The first thing I did after install was to go in and see if I could bring in a L3DT terrain. Oops, couldn't find a load in anywhare. Hummm, I would have figured that since they have been working with Aaron with the L3DT plugin, that we would see it also in the Big C, hummm, couldn't find it.

So I thought to post here first before I go to GG, and ask if anyone knows where it is first if it is in the big C? and second if not? does anyone know when the importer for Constructor will be ready for us L3DT nuts?

There is plenty to learn in the mean time and I am sure to Document any bugs it may have still, but I was hoping to drop a terrain in and lay out a level this evening with everything I have, but alas, no terrain for me tonight it looks like :cry: I will just have to build a building then that is new hahahahahahahaha.

Besides TGEA and TGE, I also work with the Ogre engine, and need exporters for Ogre or a way to get terrains into Ogre as well as Tourque and I am pretty sure I am not the only one here working with Ogre besides GG, right?

Having a real world editor/builder is so very important to me and just about everyone else I work with, so......

DeathTwister's Plugin Wish list ASAP:

1. exporter/importer for Constructor with L3DT
2. .obj exporter
3. .3ds exporter
4. L3DT exported into TGEA
5. Lwo exporter
6. Blender exporter/importer

(One and 4 may be the same plugin), maybe not, you guys are the master programmers, me just the artist, but I need all those real bad as I need to get my pipeline/workfow together fast and bad, I am behind scedual bigtime and if I get any of those I can catch up in a week or so.

I know most or half are being worked on so I am hoping soon to ramp my pipeline up faster with you alls help /bows.

Have a good ones my brothers, and see ya'll soon /winks

DT:twisted:
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Postby Aaron » Tue Apr 10, 2007 1:42 am

Hi DeathTwister,

I've moved your post to 'Feature requests', since that's probably where it best fits. The 'plugin development' forum is for more technical matters (e.g. API features), or for announcing new plugins or discussing existing ones. That's the theory, anyhow.

Anyway, my reading of the Constructor specs page is that it's a modelling tool for actors and meshes (e.g. buildings). On the Constructor page it's called "THE COMPLETE SOLUTION FOR TORQUE INTERIORS" (their emphasis). This would indicate to me that it's not a landscape editor, so it may not be possible to import a mesh as large as a terrain map into Constructor.

If the Atlas exporter is an urgent matter, you can download the unoffical compiled TGEA plugin from the GarageGames tools forum. The official version is still in debugging.

As for the obj/3ds/lwo/blender exports, I'm personally inclined to just support 3ds, as most mesh-centric programs (e.g. blender) can import 3ds files (or have plugins/scripts to do so). Other plugin developers are most welcome to write plugins for the other formats, but it would seem to be duplication of effort.

Edit: Urgh, I just had a closer look at the 3ds format and found it's limited to 32k vertices, which means the maximum heightfield size is ~256x128 pixels, assuming the mesh is not optimised. That's tiny! (for terrain, anyhow). I guess we'll have to go with something else, like OBJ.


Best regards,
Aaron.
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Postby DeathTwister » Tue Apr 10, 2007 12:55 pm

Yawn Hi Aaron,

I've moved your post to 'Feature requests', since that's probably where it best fits. The 'plugin development' forum is for more technical matters (e.g. API features), or for announcing new plugins or discussing existing ones. That's the theory, anyhow.


OK sounds good.

Anyway, my reading of the Constructor specs page is that it's a modeling tool for actors and meshes (e.g. buildings). On the Constructor page it's called "THE COMPLETE SOLUTION FOR TORQUE INTERIORS" (their emphasis). This would indicate to me that it's not a landscape editor, so it may not be possible to import a mesh as large as a terrain map into Constructor.


Ya I was wondering about that. It should actually take terrains and my thought was to build a building into the terrain itself, and would be nice to have it there to model to, but I see your point, even if it saddens me a bit. But then the big C in all other aspects seems so very awesome so far, I can't be to disappointed /smiles......I will just work around it till I find other solutions.

If the Atlas exporter is an urgent matter, you can download the unofficial compiled TGEA plugin from the garage games tools forum. The official version is still in debugging.


Haha Naw, I'll wait, I have kinda gotten tired of bugs last few weeks, to many hahaha ROTFL. But if I do need to I will.

Urgh, I just had a closer look at the 3ds format and found it's limited to 32k vertices, which means the maximum heightfield size is ~256x128 pixels, assuming the mesh is not optimised. That's tiny! (for terrain, anyhow). I guess we'll have to go with something else, like OBJ.


Haha That one works for me, and that probably is why so many people are deving .OBJ now then. Actual .OBJ works for them, all better then .3ds I feel these days. It seems to carry the info better then the old .dxf/.3ds that Max started so many years ago. Time to move on I fear.

Thanks Aaron for getting back on this and I hope others will pick up the others that are programmers /smiles.

Haha still would be nice to have a Terrain importer in C, so I will go over to GG and bug em /smiles.....DT is not loved every ware hahahaha lolol, naw just kidding /wry smile

DT
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Postby metalliandy » Sat Jun 23, 2007 7:43 pm

I think the Obj support is a much better idea, because all 3d programs support it...Its very generic, which in a world full of different standards is great.
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Postby Aaron » Tue Jun 26, 2007 10:48 am

Hi All,

So...is there any developer interested in making an OBJ plugin? If so, I recommend the DirectX mesh file plugin as a good starting point (follow links to source code).

Otherwise, I suggest users follow Lekane or Hinklemister's tutorials for importing terrain in Blender and 3ds Max.

Cheerio,
Aaron.
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