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Re: ARE: [Virtools] More on Scripting (Was Competition)

The last couple posts on this thread answer a lot of questions I've had.
Thanks. Can you load the same NMO file in multiple times and pass
parameters to it? This would be ideal.
	I'm sorry. But I remain a die hard coder. I'll have to see 2.0 in
action to truly feel better about it. Are there easier ways to construct
complex logic now? Can I read in information from a database or even a
text file? There are a billion things I would like to be able to do which
I can already do else where. Script would be a fine example of one such
thing. Maybe I am missing a lot of pieces of the puzzle.
	I'll refrain from making interface design comments until I see
2.0.
	I just feel like I am always doing battle with Virtools to get the
information I need to effectively develop. An example of this is the
documentation for the parameter operations. Besides being buried 3
levels down, there is no explaination of the math operation performed
on say 'reflect', for instance. Does anybody else feel they are in a tug
-of-war? I don't mean to always end my posts on a negative note. I'm just very
frustrated after using Creation 1.01.

b

:: Smerc Design ::
:: 646.319.4232 ::

On Tue, 12 Jun 2001, Francois Dujardin wrote:

> A little contribution from a long-time Virtools addict (and actually a
> Virtools employee):
>
> about object-oriented scripting, re-drag and dropping, link edition-->these
> were real weaknesses of 1.0.1, and I can remember the time-wasting and
> frustration of it. We attempted to fix this in Dev2. David has already
> mentioned the pathfinding for links and other things, so I'd just like to
> briefly expose my way of handling large projects, with media replacement and
> script updatingmesh replacement: in Dev 2 you can dynamically assemble the
> content on the fly. That means, you can load 'NMO' files at runtime, delete
> them, copy them, etc. you can also load a behavior graph at run time, attach
> it to an existing entity, and run it. With these features, once you get used
> to it, you can think your projects as empty shells that load everything at
> runtime. Think of it as a build of a code project: it's all split in tiny
> files, separating the media from the scripts, and it's all combinedat
> runtime. The benefits is double: you get an up-to-date everytime you clic
> 'play' (for instance an NMO containing the environment might have been
> updated by another team member), and you get an nice way to implement
> teamwork. And, nice side-effect, you'll get a 'fragmented' projects that can
> be smartly streamed over the web (but I'm disclosing the 'behavioral server'
> here, so I'll stop).
>
> Anyway, think about it. I've spent the last two years researching better
> ways to use the software, especially on 'real life' productions, and as of
> today, I have to say that this is the best solution I've come up with.
>
> Francois
>
> -----Message d'origine-----
> De : owner-virtools-user-group@lists.theswapmeet.com
> [mailto:owner-virtools-user-group@lists.theswapmeet.com]De la part de
> David Callele
> Envoyé : mardi 12 juin 2001 05:01
> À : cyberart; Virtools List
> Objet : Re: [Virtools] More on Scripting (Was Competition)
>
>
> I've added a few comments below.  I'm not certain what has been released yet
> by Virtools so some of my comments may be a little more vague than you might
> desire...
>
> David Callele
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "cyberart" <cyberart@frontiernet.net>
> To: "Virtools List" <virtools-user-group@lists.theswapmeet.com>
> Sent: Monday, June 11, 2001 7:20 PM
> Subject: Re: [Virtools] More on Scripting (Was Competition)
>
>
> > > "Callele, David" wrote:
> > > I'm having fun with this discussion - is anybody else?
> >
> > Well, you're one of the "knowledgeable users",
> > so I'm always interested in what you have to say about Virtools.
>
> Cool, I have finally graduated to "knowledgeable user" :-)  Thank you for
> the compliment.
>
> > Still, a scripting language would be helpful.
> > The code which generates the network is a sufficient description of the
> network.
> > Otherwise, it seems you have to print screen dumps, and add comments to
> them.
>
> I agree that the code is a sufficient description of the network but how the
> network is parsed is very interesting.  From my perspective, the Behavior
> Engine tries to be as close to a perfect Object Oriented model as possible -
> therefore, in the absence of other directives (such as direct control over
> priority), all objects operate asynchronously and independently.  Think of
> objects sending messages to each other on different computers and that is
> somewhat akin to the way scripts are processed.  Therefore, a scripting
> engine would have to include not only the traditional mechanisms but
> Priority settings as well.  It can be done (I've been toying with the idea
> of an XML DTD for the scripting engine) but it would not be trivial in my
> opinion.  But then, languages were never my strongest suit!
>
> > Maya has a Script Window; when you perform some action thru the GUI,
> > you can look at the Script Window to see the corresponding code.
> > While this doesn't actually write the code for you,
> > it goes a long way in getting you there.
> >
> > You can test bits of code in an Input Window,
> > and type code directly on a command line.
> >
> > > I was part of the Beta Test group and I did help write and edit the new
> User Guide so my opinion is probably biased.
> >
> > I'd be interested in seeing how the new User Guide looks.
> > With N*M* 1.01, it seemed that the way you were expected to learn the
> program
> > was to reverse engineer the demos.
> > While there is something to be said for that,
> > I would have been happier to have seen more techniques explained and
> developed.
>
> Well, the new User Guide (UG) is a significant step forward.  We
> concentrated on context information (such as a large Glossary and "how
> things work") more than on specific techniques.  There are also quite a
> number of tutorials CMOs and accompanying AVIs to illustrate the techniques.
>
> That said, with a product like Dev, Virtools could continue making tutorials
> for many, many years ;-)
>
> > Its been a while since I have been working with N*M*.
> > Our principal modeling/animation program here is Maya,
> > and I couldn't find a method of getting Maya character animations into
> N*M*.
> > I have heard that this is supposed have been improved;
> > any "beta" knowledge on that?
> > ---
> > Robert
>
> Well, I have worked with Maya then exported to Virtools.  I can't go into
> detail but the process works quite well once you understand what Virtools
> (or other realtime 3D engines) need: A polygon (usually triangles) mesh with
> UV coordinates attached to every vertex.  For every part of the object that
> you want to have a different texture on you must have a different material.
> Procedural materials/textures can not be directly supported BUT they can be
> used to generate a texture for application on the material.
>
> So, Virtools has one or more meshes per 3D Entity, each mesh can have one or
> more materials, and each material can have a single texture.
>
> If you remember these requirements, then your modelling and exporting should
> go smoothly.
>
> Hope this helps,
>
> David Callele
>
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