Development Blog Update - Effect Editor Part 1
Max
Technical Director, Unknown Worlds Entertainment Join Date: 2002-03-15 Member: 318Super Administrators, Retired Developer, NS1 Playtester, Forum Moderators, NS2 Developer, Constellation, Subnautica Developer, Pistachionauts, Future Perfect Developer
Technical Director, Unknown Worlds Entertainment Join Date: 2002-03-15 Member: 318Super Administrators, Retired Developer, NS1 Playtester, Forum Moderators, NS2 Developer, Constellation, Subnautica Developer, Pistachionauts, Future Perfect Developer
Comments
Oh and can you very the easing function of the animation?
Mesh animations will still be done in a tool like Max.
I also would like to know why it's normal to keep the effect editor as a separate tool rather inside the level editor? How does the effects link up with the level editor? File? Placeholder?
Haven't used many effect packages. Used stand alone version of Realflow together with 3Ds Max for some time. It's quite heavy and hard to use so can't think of any features I would like to see in your editor. Afterburner plugin with Max is easy to use. The particle system in Unity 3D is very easy. A lot of people like Unity's UI so maybe worth a quick look. Just download the free trial. Might be to simple though.
I guess you are implementing the possibility to add noise to the movement of the emitter. So you can make smoke coming out of pipes with a bit of random direction and so on... Another feature would to be able to attach emitters to objects and then move the object on the timeline.
Will you have exploding objects, barrels etc, in NS2? I enjoyed the gas canisters in HL2.
Keep up the good work.
How exactly will these effects be instantiated in the game? Are they strictly added only at map creation time or can they be created by calling something from a LUA script?
--Scythe--
That said...
<!--quoteo(post=1704344:date=Apr 7 2009, 07:06 AM:name=Scythe)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Scythe @ Apr 7 2009, 07:06 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1704344"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Argh ick quicktime!<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I agree.
Mediaplayer Classic will play Quicktime videos though, if anyone is interested.
Especially since you did a good job of gathering planning/design data.
keep up the good work guys.
and I will keep watching.
-kingmob
I hope to integrate the particle system editor into the level editor, although it will also be stand alone tool (for creating things like sparks, muzzle flash, etc.)
<!--quoteo(post=1704337:date=Apr 6 2009, 07:04 PM:name=Psyke)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Psyke @ Apr 6 2009, 07:04 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1704337"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I notice that your particle editor allows for 20% more animation! (60/50 frames on the slider)<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
That's actually intentional. When you play an animation, particles might still be going after the maximum key frame. Once you see it with the particles in there it will make more sense. I've got some basic particles in now and it looks really neat.
<!--quoteo(post=1704344:date=Apr 6 2009, 11:06 PM:name=Scythe)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Scythe @ Apr 6 2009, 11:06 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1704344"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->How exactly will these effects be instantiated in the game? Are they strictly added only at map creation time or can they be created by calling something from a LUA script?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Both. We've had the hooks in place for creating effects from code and propagating them across the network for about a year now, we've just never had the actual effects (everything just looks an orange sphere in game now).
<!--quoteo(post=1704346:date=Apr 7 2009, 01:06 AM:name=CoolCookieCooks)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(CoolCookieCooks @ Apr 7 2009, 01:06 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1704346"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Wow Max, really good job on this one. The most favorite feature I must say is the History panel, and you have that in all your dev applications? <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink-fix.gif" /><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yes that's part of our undo system that's shared by everything. It works just like in Photoshop.
<!--quoteo(post=1704363:date=Apr 7 2009, 08:05 AM:name=Deathbob)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Deathbob @ Apr 7 2009, 08:05 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1704363"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I would recommend playing with a demo of Lightwave3D and looking at how they overlay related graphs (X,Y,Z) in different color so you can manipulate them without switching what axis your dealing with.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I'm going to do something like that, I just haven't gotten to it yet.
A 5 day development cycle on THAT?! Color me impressed. The engine library must be pretty damn robust at this point for you to be able to pump that thing out so quickly.
Plz don't listen to him. Post all the novels about the development that you want. I LOOOVE them. I think that with your ability, the fan base already built and the game concept that you guys are going to make a TON of money and hopefully make many more projects, and I'm excited and honored to be here at ground zero and to get so much insight into how your engine and tools were put together and what the thinking was behind each feature.
I love it! I can't wait to pay for this game. You guys have earned it <3<3<3<3
Shh..
I am loving the more frequent updates! The effects editor looks really amazing <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" /> I'm glad that your taking features and similar layouts from popular tools and using them.. No more explaining to artists how everything works, or at least less explaining <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" />
Keep the updates coming guys!
Mediaplayer Classic will play Quicktime videos though, if anyone is interested.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Go to www.oldversion.com and you can get any older version of quicktime. Hopefully not old enough it can play what you need though.
This may be a recent thing, but you can now download QuickTime without iTunes at Apple's website.
- look simple
- look better than VALVe particle tools
- wainting to see more about what it can do in the game.
I recommend taking a quick look at Adobe After Effects (just view a couple of tutorials from pages like www.videocopilot.net, they might give you some neat ideas, especially those working with the "CC particle world" plugin). I found expressions to be very useful in After Effects (controlling parameters by using formulars, variables, random(), and so on). Would be great if the effect editor would provide a similar way for advanced effect design.
Three things I'd like to know:
1.) Will the effect editor include functions to work with sounds on a more sophistacated level than simply "while effect play, loop sound XYZ.wav"?
2.) Will the particles be 2d sprites only or will it be able to use 3d models, too?
3.) What are your thoughts on how the effects will impact the overall game performance?
/Oliver