YouGroove

From what i understood LE3D will incorporate 3D World Studio in the World Editor directly (UT3 like style). If we make some buildings on terrain, if we plan LOD , how do we will have to proceed ? Or will we be able to save the first version specifying in some panel it's LOD 1 , than modify it and specify it's LOD 2 ? Or will we have to export it than modify it to make the LOD 2 model ? It's just a question , not a real request (i'm not sure to have use of it).

You have nothing to learn from me so So your character was in traditionnal modeling, you are skilled in tha side. I prefer to do character with sculpting in sculptris with a pen tablet, it is fast , i make the body really fast and easily , than do retopology with 3D Coat. It's my way that i find lot more natural for me. Thanks for the links, i'll have to do some test of attaching things also. (I don't have touched a lot in LE2 code, i'm preparing lot more for LE3D and i'm using lot more 3D World Studio actually). Your generic character will it be generic for LE engine and users, or it is the base for your game ? Shared or copyrighted ?

For sculptris, you should tru it one day ! All people having tried it have been very happy , it's very simple to use, it have great basic tools, and your surface can be like you wan tany time, no constraint like it was before Zbrush R2 ! And you have a tool to reduce polygons on surface also. You go very fast , if you need you can continue hight detail in Zbrush ! And indeed i use Retopology , but with 3D Coat that have the better i've seen for the price, and it's very very fast , specially with tools like the lines drawing for example or the auto Quad creation, the last version have also som auto retopology. If you have time , just search on youtube for Sculptris tutorials, and 3D Coat retopology. Ok, you have bones sepcially to attach by code the weapons and shield ? I would be interested in that "attaching" code when you'll reach that part of programming

You could try two other methods : - Make one mesh only , eyes, mouth etc ... included, than when rigging attach the right meshes to right bones : Eye meshes with eye bones for example. - Load and attach separated meshes by code to the right bones Perhaps other format than .X will do lot better. I avoid .X Format from long long time ago, i instead use Blender and export to FBX for my needs.

It depends on your game target also. Basic turn based RPG gameplay is not that complicated at all ; if you have collision between chacracters and environement. All the time you'll put will be for inventory , skills etc ...and a lot in the HUD and menus also. In that case gameplay si trivial, i do that very fast in 3D Game Studio attaching script on entities and managing the variables of each entity and general ones. But without solid 3D art and design it's useless specially for some RPG game ! Just take the 2D RPG toolkit RPG Maker, the tool have all you need to make some complete RPG, but all people using it just uses basic tiles provided, nothing really beautifull or worked ! Even Final Fantasy 4 or 6 tiles are lot more beautifull than all stuf made with RPG Maker. So no, not only the engine and programming will make the game. And yes, programming will be needed indeed , i'll do C++ with LE3D , but if it uses Lua as 3D Game Studio use it : each entitie have some action function that is called every frame so i'll instead use Lua only indeed

Programming such things could be easy if it was inside some game framework : Update () { if(varEntityEnabled) { .... } if(varGameStarted) { .... } } It's very specific also, not all games will need that function. Lot of games will just load the level and NPC and run all that, very far distant NPC will just do nothing : No AI, no frame animation update etc ... For Lua and LE3D, i really don't have any clue on how will it work and how will it be ? Possibility to make a complete complex game with Lua ? Let's wait for the fisrt version , use it, that we will be able to propose perhaps some things (But i share some same point of view on how could be the scripting side in some way that is very what is done on several other indie engines) Majority of LE2 users are more pure programmers, and prefer to do all in C++, i like that way, but i would prefer also direct scripting of the gameplay directly in some simple Framework. Sometimes some of us prefer to put all time on game creation and gameplay than coding.

I agree its is Free, and my only prefered tool to rig, animate and do solid or low poly modeling. For Characters i use Sculptris , and sometiems my Zbrush licensed tool. But Sculptris is the best if you don't need to go in crazy details (pipeline Sculptris -> Zbrush exist with export / import in Obj format and now with "Goz" directly). So do you plan some special editor to define the offset for attaching points, or will it be to objects to attach to have some bone at the right place ? Yes , i know how character making is very long and sometimes tedious task , due to things to improve lot more like rigging or animation to improve. Once you'll have one ready, you will be able to say , ok finished on the "character" part

To me it seems like you just request random things for L3D. Things which are already possible in LE2 or things that would make L3D into a GameCreator instead of a good GameEngine. We have already discussed a lot about LE3D and script , i didn't ask some FPS Creator or beginner game making tool. I don't know how Lua scripting will be in Lua for LE3D, it seems it won't be any game framework. I didn't dig lot more LE2 due to that i wanted some game framework and the possibility to make templates ready to "attach" to entities like in some other engines. It seems it won't be the direction and i'll have even with LE3D to create my own game framework and entitie loop management, so i'm ok with it. I'll just do it in C++ with LE2 and adapt it to LE3D. I don't have read shadows techniques and LE2 , it was just a question and these techniques EntityShadowRange and EntityShadowMode seems to be what i seek for. I was think more in some linear offset in some sort, as you come near a buimlding , the shadows extends progressively to become complete in the far distance when you are completely near the building !

It's possible to do or are they already commands functions to call that deals with that ? Ok good, so if it exists in LE2, it will be available in LE3D.

Shadows are the most intensive GPU lot of times in games, but some bunch of games are clevelr done and use some good optimisations with shadows. For example if i would want to make some village , i would want shadows to be activated only at some distance for building and perhaps with some progressive distance of display or some LOD. Just like in lot of optimised games (Oblivion series already used that trick also), so will we have that possible on LE3D ?

@Rick : I totally agree with that point of view. I already spend all my free time in some generic simple very low poly model, and i'm not satisfied already ; I begun skinning under Blender and animation is not even started. A good way is t ofind simplification t omake your game "able to be completed", some examples are simple to look at like : TorchLight, Trine games. Torchligh using low poly models and levels allows faster creation, lot lot more less time to spend on texturing modeling, and the result is quite very good and enjoyable to look at with clever effects, core game play is also the big other point. Trine agme using some 2D View, allow to don't care about pathfinding a lot , and don't caer a lot about scene optimisation and culling, and the result is amazing scenes, with great gameplay/puzzles. Before beginning a game you must find the core points like gameplay, fun and the graphic way that will make your game possible to finish; it could be some cartoon characters, simplified levels, simplified textures , or some predefined camera paths and combat zones like in Devil May Cry game for example.

We just have now to make some clothes and accessories

Yes ... great workflow, can't wait for LE3D

Better keep it for LE3D ? Lot more people seems to use C++ with LE2, and that's better to concentrate on LE3D than putting time on adding las LUA version. Perhaps i'm wrong if it really brings a lot to LE2 ?

In fact what counts is to recognize your 3D model, even Ortho view would suffice ! For viewing your model under all angles and details you have to use your 3D modeler indeed; this thumbnail view is just some helper in the 3D World editor, it's not destined for 3D model view in detail. But i agree in the 45° top down view !

It's perfect like that We could have some 45° top down view, but really even orthographic is great. Now if we have lot of 3D pieces, it will be easy just to click on it ,to see if it is the good model we are going to drop on the world ! LE3D will rock !

Another solution is to sue Google Sketch as it has been discussed here in the forums. The only thing that i don't like in Sketchup is the cylinders also that have too many faces for real time games, and you won't have such control as 3DWS for textures. Yes smoothing in LE3D will be great, it should be posted on LE3D Features Request perhaps ? Another question is, will we be able to apply shaders to 3DWS models made inside LE3D editor ?

We can see in LE3D the great new panel to browse textures to apply them on models or levels ! Could it be possible to have some simple 3D model single window preview ? Like textures preview, but you would only display 3D meshs preview in some simple White Solid mode without any textures and any shader ? Some use could be if we had different bridge Tiles or pieces , previewing them on a thumbnail could avoid us to lauch some 3D software

Amazing

A simple texture projection could do the job ? only the texture diffuse will change, but it can be done with a normal map ! Lot of games use it from years, like "Fear" game to make bullet holes everywhere, in some shader forums there must be some code i think, it can be standard shader technique nowadays ? In Skyrim they make variation using decals , but also some flat 3D planes also on top of some wall or floor !

I prefer to animate manually , and you'll even have to tweak animations by hand also. Finally my last argument is that i don't want Microsoft to spy in my Ninja House , and put pictures or videos in their database

In Skyrim , i just see standard snow textures with some normal map , even vines seems to be standard normal map texture ?? I didn't dig much more , but yes some tech document would be better to understand what is done. I won't code it , but im' interested in the technique for my own 3D culture

The dragon don't have any "balls" !

Let's the character keep naked so, i don't mind, but i never seen a game using full naked characters ,or it's named a "porn game" ? Even some mage, elf would have minimum clothes, even like already said , it would super sexy clothes. I stop discussing on the subject, it's a 3D artist expression and design , so let's keep her naked

Eclipse if totally free, and maintained, evolving ! I like it a lot , but if VS 2010 or other will be official i don't mind they are good also.