Shaper 1.00
by Alexander Luddy · 09/28/2006 (3:07 am) · 5 comments
I recently released version 1.00 of Shaper. It is available here.
I still consider this Beta. It is weird to have version 1.00 that is still Beta but I am not the only one to do this kind of thing (various Google products for example). I at least want to get Direct X import and export working fully before leaving Beta.
For those not familiar with Shaper.
What is Shaper?
Shaper is a 3D modelling, texturing and animation package developed by Inverse Software. It includes support for the Torque engine.
Shaper is presently in the beta phase of development. The latest version can be downloaded from here.
More information on Shaper can be found here.
What has changed since the last version?
New Features
- added smoothing group functionality
Bugs
- fixed show edges not working with flat shaded render types
- reduced graphical glitches caused by the grid Z fighting with primitives
- fixed track view not correctly displaying animations over 500 frames in length
- fixed primitive creation tool controls being disabled when activated after cancelling during primitive creation
- fixed crash when deleting a root bone
- improved robustness of Direct X file format importing (not completely working yet)
- fixed MilkShape 3D ASCI exporter not correctly exporting multiple root bones
- fixed MilkShape 3D ASCI importer not gracefully handling missing texture map files
- fixed MilkShape 3D ASCI exporter occasionally not assigning correct material to mesh
- other minor fixes
Feature Changes
- improved look of frames in track view
- significantly optimised file import and file loading
- enter key tool name and key fields use a fixed size font
- other minor optimisations
Note the addition of smoothing group functionality and the ability to view edges over the top of faces.
Discussion
In the last blog post I announced that Shaper was available for purchase. Hours after that the first Shaper sale occurred. This was a big milestone and it was very satisfying to finally reach. There is no time to rest though.
Here is a couple of things planned for version 1.01
- Have individual view windows be resizable.
- Support for Torque LOD.
Recently a decision I made is starting to come back to bite me. The Shaper plug-in system requires plug-ins to be written in Lua. The main driver for this initially was that it would mean that a plug-in written on Mac could be used in the PC and Linux versions as well (Linux and Mac versions will be coming in the future). If the plug-in was to be written in C++ then it could not be ported to other platforms without a recompile. This was fine initially. The MilkShape 3D importer and exporter are written in this way and are quite maintainable. Then I got to the X importer and exporter. This is far more complex and I really wish I was writing it in C++ instead of Lua. I am more familiar with C++ and it is easier to improve performance. At this point I am struggling along in Lua however I think I will change things for the next complex importer and exporter.
The solution will probably be to simply add a new secondary plug-in system that allows for plug-ins as C++ in the form of DLLs. These plug-ins will not be portable but that is probably the lesser of two evils.
I still consider this Beta. It is weird to have version 1.00 that is still Beta but I am not the only one to do this kind of thing (various Google products for example). I at least want to get Direct X import and export working fully before leaving Beta.
For those not familiar with Shaper.
What is Shaper?
Shaper is a 3D modelling, texturing and animation package developed by Inverse Software. It includes support for the Torque engine.
Shaper is presently in the beta phase of development. The latest version can be downloaded from here.
More information on Shaper can be found here.
What has changed since the last version?
New Features
- added smoothing group functionality
Bugs
- fixed show edges not working with flat shaded render types
- reduced graphical glitches caused by the grid Z fighting with primitives
- fixed track view not correctly displaying animations over 500 frames in length
- fixed primitive creation tool controls being disabled when activated after cancelling during primitive creation
- fixed crash when deleting a root bone
- improved robustness of Direct X file format importing (not completely working yet)
- fixed MilkShape 3D ASCI exporter not correctly exporting multiple root bones
- fixed MilkShape 3D ASCI importer not gracefully handling missing texture map files
- fixed MilkShape 3D ASCI exporter occasionally not assigning correct material to mesh
- other minor fixes
Feature Changes
- improved look of frames in track view
- significantly optimised file import and file loading
- enter key tool name and key fields use a fixed size font
- other minor optimisations
Note the addition of smoothing group functionality and the ability to view edges over the top of faces.
Discussion
In the last blog post I announced that Shaper was available for purchase. Hours after that the first Shaper sale occurred. This was a big milestone and it was very satisfying to finally reach. There is no time to rest though.
Here is a couple of things planned for version 1.01
- Have individual view windows be resizable.
- Support for Torque LOD.
Recently a decision I made is starting to come back to bite me. The Shaper plug-in system requires plug-ins to be written in Lua. The main driver for this initially was that it would mean that a plug-in written on Mac could be used in the PC and Linux versions as well (Linux and Mac versions will be coming in the future). If the plug-in was to be written in C++ then it could not be ported to other platforms without a recompile. This was fine initially. The MilkShape 3D importer and exporter are written in this way and are quite maintainable. Then I got to the X importer and exporter. This is far more complex and I really wish I was writing it in C++ instead of Lua. I am more familiar with C++ and it is easier to improve performance. At this point I am struggling along in Lua however I think I will change things for the next complex importer and exporter.
The solution will probably be to simply add a new secondary plug-in system that allows for plug-ins as C++ in the form of DLLs. These plug-ins will not be portable but that is probably the lesser of two evils.
About the author
#2
09/28/2006 (7:04 am)
Yahoo! Smoothing Groups at last! Excellent work, Alex. Now what would it take to get an auto-attach feature for skeleton rigs in Shaper? 
#3
If possible, try making it able to allow us to view, edit, and use shaders within it, particularly Torque shaders.
09/28/2006 (8:58 am)
Wow, the interface reminds me of Milkshape.If possible, try making it able to allow us to view, edit, and use shaders within it, particularly Torque shaders.
#4
09/29/2006 (2:41 pm)
Nice stuff. I'll try this new version out.
#5
If i import a DTS model or make a own model and then export it as DTS in Torque (1.1), the object has lost the (JPEG) texture.
Any ideas?
10/06/2006 (5:16 am)
Nice tool, but i have big problems with texturise my models.If i import a DTS model or make a own model and then export it as DTS in Torque (1.1), the object has lost the (JPEG) texture.
Any ideas?
Torque Owner Anton Bursch