Torque 3D Development - Shape Editor
by Jason Hetu · 07/29/2009 (1:37 pm) · 31 comments
I would like to start off with a brief introduction since this is my first blog. I am Jason Hetu, UI Designer for Torque 3D. Chris Robertson and I have been working on this editor together, and I would like to show you what it can do.
Shape Editor Uses
The Shape Editor allows you to preview and play back animations from the scene or library. From there you are also able to see the object’s node hierarchy. This can be a very valuable tool because it also shows if your object is missing any nodes or animations that would prevent it from functioning properly in your game.
The Shape Editor can also be used to modify your 3D Shape's sequences and nodes. There are several reasons why you might want to use this feature. If your shape was exported out of Maya or Max and did not have an eye node, there would not be a first person view. This would make it impossible to use the shape as a player. With the Shape Editor it is easy to create one. If the node already exists but is called "FirstPersonView," you could simply rename it "eye" to make it function properly.
A simple way to find out whether you have the correct nodes or animations assigned to your shape is to go to the “Hints” tab and select your shape type. This is important because depending on your object type, the required nodes and animations will change. The nodes and sequences will show up in two roll-out menus. Any nodes or sequences with a red X are not attached to your shape, whereas those with the green check are attached. To create a new node or animation in the hints tab, simply double click on the missing node and it will be created. However, the node will still need to be positioned or modified to make it valuable to you.
It is easy to modify both nodes and sequences that are created from the "Hints" tab. First thing to note is that a node will be created in the hierarchy under your current selection, but don't worry if it is not parented correctly when you create it. Simply go down to the node properties and select parent and then select the desired node. Similarly, adding a new sequence will create a new animation with the current animation sequence selected as the source. This can be changed by going down to the source dropdown. Also keep in mind that an import .dsq dialog window will pop-up if you try to create a new animation while having "rootpose" selected.
Nice Features
To top it off, the Shape Editor has a full preview window. This allows you to see your shape up close and personal. There is also a hide preview button that will make it easy to select objects in the scene to be opened in the Shape Editor.
For those of you who are used to video editing software, the Shape Editor will feel pretty similar. Hit the {Space} bar to play an animation sequence, {I} to set the in point, {O} for the out point, and {+}{-} to advance to the next frame.
There are several different views that help when viewing and editing animations and nodes, such as ghost mode (which shows a semi transparent model) and wireframe (which shows nodes).
The Shape Editor is a lot of fun to play with and can be a very useful tool as well. Hope you enjoy using it!
More development blogs to come. This is post #28.
Torque 3D development blogs:
- Post #1 - Kickoff
- Post #2 - Apparatus and Warrior Camp
- Post #3 - Luma's racing kit
- Post #4 - Josh Engebretson and Web Publishing
- Post #5 - Pricing and Licensing
- Post #6 - Pricing and Licensing CONTINUED
- Post #7 - Wetness & Precipitation
- Post #8 - Screeen Space Ambient Occlusion (SSAO)
- Post #9 - Matt Langley and the Torque Launcher
- Post #10 - Chris Robertson and Collada
- Post #11 - Depth of Field
- Post #12 - Advanced Lighting
- Post #13 - Soft Particles
- Post #14 - World Editor
- Post #15 - Pricing and Licensing ANNOUNCED!
- Post #16 - GDC Live Edition
- Post #17 - River & Road Editors
- Post #18 - Beta is UP!
- Post #19 - Light Rays, Undercity, and the Material Editor
- Post #20 - Mass Market Hardware
- Post #21 - Beta: Part Deux
- Post #22 - Marching Towards Beta 3
- Post #23 - pureLIGHT
- Post #24 - Lighting, Terrain, and Cloth
- Post #25 - Beta 3!
- Post #26 - Documentation
- Post #27 - Beta 4!
- Post #28 - Shape Editor
- Post #29 - Coming Soon!
#22
07/30/2009 (5:13 am)
This tool is looking really nice, LOD info/manipulation would make it even better :D 
#23
The shape tool is great. Thanks for the detailed explination. :-)
07/30/2009 (6:07 am)
Brett, I almost awoke everyone in the house with my laughter after seeing that pic.The shape tool is great. Thanks for the detailed explination. :-)
#24
I think you are thinking of a .dif model. Though I think it would be a pretty good idea to put a separate editor.
07/30/2009 (10:16 am)
@PI think you are thinking of a .dif model. Though I think it would be a pretty good idea to put a separate editor.
#25
I do have one question though wrt to the binding of animations to the dts. Currently, all the animations associated with a shape file are bound through a separate .cs file, where you specifiy the linkage between .dsq files and the named sequence. So the process goes something like this: You painstakingly create the .cs file by hand, adding all of the sequences in the .cs file. Then you can tell Torque Show Tool Pro to load up the .dts & the associated .cs file, and you can see and playback the animations that have been associated with that .dts.
Is that still going to be the process? Will I still be having to hand-edit the .cs file to set up the linquages between named sequences and their associated .dsq files, or will the new Shape Tool allow me to make those associations right in the tool and generate the appropriate .cs file for me?
Dusty Monk
Windstorm Studios
07/30/2009 (3:31 pm)
The ability to edit and even add missing nodes to your shapes, without having to do a re-export, is huge. For people like me, where the artists live in one building and the programmers live in another, I can't tell you how much time it would save if I could add particle emission nodes and adjust things like footstep nodes and and animation triggers on the fly. I do have one question though wrt to the binding of animations to the dts. Currently, all the animations associated with a shape file are bound through a separate .cs file, where you specifiy the linkage between .dsq files and the named sequence. So the process goes something like this: You painstakingly create the .cs file by hand, adding all of the sequences in the .cs file. Then you can tell Torque Show Tool Pro to load up the .dts & the associated .cs file, and you can see and playback the animations that have been associated with that .dts.
Is that still going to be the process? Will I still be having to hand-edit the .cs file to set up the linquages between named sequences and their associated .dsq files, or will the new Shape Tool allow me to make those associations right in the tool and generate the appropriate .cs file for me?
Dusty Monk
Windstorm Studios
#26
07/30/2009 (3:51 pm)
The Shape Editor handles setting up and updating that .cs file (which contains the TSShapeConstructor) so you never have to touch it anymore unless you want to =) 
#27
07/30/2009 (5:44 pm)
hey you are the guy on the front page of the site! Great update :)
#28
07/31/2009 (7:58 am)
@Matt - that's awesome, and exactly the answer I wanted to hear. Another reason I'm glad I've already pre-ordered.
#29
One of the things I find difficult in the Mission Editor is there is no Shape Preview, or thumbnails, for shapes you want to place. In a large, complex level, where you are choosing from dozens of buildings, and hundreds of nature embellishments (trees, rocks, etc), this can be downright maddening). You can make your own, but this usually involves a lengthy process of doing a screengrab, photoshoping it up, compositing with other thumbnails, and then making a preview sheet to give to your content designers.
It would be awesome if the Shape Editor and Mission Editor could work together to solve this problem. A one-click "Export Preview" button in the shape editor that places the shape in a standard perspective view, takes a snapshot, and exports the .png preview into a standard sized file that could reside in the shape directory. Then the Mission Editor could look for these standardized preview thumbnail .pngs, and display them in a nice selection control when you're placing static shapes.
I know that's not a small piece of functionality, but it would go a huge ways towards making content design less painful in the T3D Mission Editor.
Dusty
08/07/2009 (6:56 am)
Another Shape Editor Feature Request (not sure if this is the best place, but hey, the spotlight IS on the shape editor..) ((Also, I'm not currently using the T3D beta so if this functionality is already present, um AWESOME!) One of the things I find difficult in the Mission Editor is there is no Shape Preview, or thumbnails, for shapes you want to place. In a large, complex level, where you are choosing from dozens of buildings, and hundreds of nature embellishments (trees, rocks, etc), this can be downright maddening). You can make your own, but this usually involves a lengthy process of doing a screengrab, photoshoping it up, compositing with other thumbnails, and then making a preview sheet to give to your content designers.
It would be awesome if the Shape Editor and Mission Editor could work together to solve this problem. A one-click "Export Preview" button in the shape editor that places the shape in a standard perspective view, takes a snapshot, and exports the .png preview into a standard sized file that could reside in the shape directory. Then the Mission Editor could look for these standardized preview thumbnail .pngs, and display them in a nice selection control when you're placing static shapes.
I know that's not a small piece of functionality, but it would go a huge ways towards making content design less painful in the T3D Mission Editor.
Dusty
#30
SECONDED.
08/07/2009 (10:17 am)
wow, Dusty, thats an awesome request, the thumbnails of the models.SECONDED.
Torque Owner Trefall
Trefall
Would this be a cool addition to the shape editor? The ability to construct shapes, like buildings for instance, from modules (dae models) and save them as such, that you could just drag them into your scene? Kind of easier than to do it in the world editor. I guess the only real alternative right now is to do it in the modelling tool external to T3D?