Softimage Mod Tool and Torque X 3d?
by Ben Pogge · in General Discussion · 12/09/2008 (12:38 am) · 14 replies
"Softimage is now building on their relationship with XNA by offering a special version of the free Mod Tool for commercial use by Creators Club Members. GarageGames is releasing a brand new 3D editor for their Torque X3D game engine. Both the engine and the new 3D editor will be completely free to all Creators Club members. That means that Creators Club Members can use the XSI Mod Tool and Torque X 3D to create even more amazing titles for Xbox Live Community Games"
Can anyone confirm this? I will be teaching a game development class soon and have a Creators Club Premium membership. I need to know what special tools will be available to me at no cost and if/when this "special" free version of the Mod Tool and the new engine/3D editor (which are also supposed to be free to Premium members) are going to be available. With Softimage just being acquired by Autodesk, are we going to have to wait even longer?
Can anyone confirm this? I will be teaching a game development class soon and have a Creators Club Premium membership. I need to know what special tools will be available to me at no cost and if/when this "special" free version of the Mod Tool and the new engine/3D editor (which are also supposed to be free to Premium members) are going to be available. With Softimage just being acquired by Autodesk, are we going to have to wait even longer?
#2
12/09/2008 (7:13 am)
Looks like Torque is smashing every reason why someone will pick another engine lately... :) XSI support (Autodesk or not) looks like a really nice prize if proven true. So let's hope then :)
#3
The SOFTIMAGE|XSI Mod Tool gives you full access to all of the professional character creation features available in the industry's leading character workflow of SOFTIMAGE|XSI. The tool guides 3D professionals, as well as experienced modders and novices, through all of the features and functionality for building and texturing artwork in XSI, and for creating and rigging characters, props, and environmental elements. Premium members can use the Mod Tool to model characters, props, and environments as well as mix and blend animations and then export the models and animation to your Xbox LIVE Community game!
Download it now at our Partner page! If you're not a Premium member, sign up today at our Membership page. "
As far as the XSI Mod Tool goes, it was announced today on the Creator's Club pages, and it will ONLY be for community games. creators.xna.com/en-US/newmodtool
12/09/2008 (8:12 pm)
"As a special treat just for Premium Members of XNA Creators Club, Autodesk has just released a new version of the Softimage Mod Tool Pro enabled for commercial production use for Xbox LIVE Community Games only.The SOFTIMAGE|XSI Mod Tool gives you full access to all of the professional character creation features available in the industry's leading character workflow of SOFTIMAGE|XSI. The tool guides 3D professionals, as well as experienced modders and novices, through all of the features and functionality for building and texturing artwork in XSI, and for creating and rigging characters, props, and environmental elements. Premium members can use the Mod Tool to model characters, props, and environments as well as mix and blend animations and then export the models and animation to your Xbox LIVE Community game!
Download it now at our Partner page! If you're not a Premium member, sign up today at our Membership page. "
As far as the XSI Mod Tool goes, it was announced today on the Creator's Club pages, and it will ONLY be for community games. creators.xna.com/en-US/newmodtool
#4
12/10/2008 (6:11 am)
Which makes sense since most studios targeting the Official XBLA channels would be preparing a budget that included modeling packages, devkit licensing, employment timelines, and large-scale certification costs.
#5
My question is, will the Mod Tool work with Torque DTS files, and vice versa? I'm wanting to use XNA/Torque X/3D Builder and Mod Tool in concert, but what kind of files can be shared between these tools? DTS? FBX?
12/11/2008 (6:00 am)
OK, so Mod Tool Pro was just released to Creators Club members. Cool, just downloaded it. Now I guess we're just waiting on GG for Torque 3D Builder and Torque X 3.0.My question is, will the Mod Tool work with Torque DTS files, and vice versa? I'm wanting to use XNA/Torque X/3D Builder and Mod Tool in concert, but what kind of files can be shared between these tools? DTS? FBX?
#6
So Community Games are a commercial, i.e. for-profit venture? I'm still not too familiar with the whole distribution process, so I guess I need to read up on it. I know games have to be peer-reviewed and officially "approved" before they can be distributed, but that's about it.
12/11/2008 (6:06 am)
"...commercial production use for Xbox LIVE Community Games"So Community Games are a commercial, i.e. for-profit venture? I'm still not too familiar with the whole distribution process, so I guess I need to read up on it. I know games have to be peer-reviewed and officially "approved" before they can be distributed, but that's about it.
#7
12/11/2008 (6:09 am)
But, like I said, my venture is really educational rather than commercial (as of now), so financial considerations are secondary at this point.
#8
12/12/2008 (11:14 am)
I do not believe Mod Tool supports the DTS plugin, but I may be wrong since I haven't tried it.
#9
12/12/2008 (1:08 pm)
I read SOMEWHERE on this site that there was an XSI DTS plugin beta released...
#10
12/12/2008 (1:10 pm)
Yes, but I do not know if the plugin works with the ModTool version of XSI.
#11
http://www.garagegames.com/mg/forums/result.thread.php?qt=57345
At least a couple of users have mentioned using the Mod Tool with the exporter... guess I'll just have to try it out. Sounds like a LOT of users are hoping to use XSI with Torque/Torque X/Builder 3D.
Well, if I can't get it to work, we DO have Maya. Or maybe I could get my supers to spring for Houdini Apprentice HD (hey, it's cheap).
What about FBX and X (DirectX) files? Any support for those?
I guess I've got my homework cut out for me.
See ya
12/12/2008 (11:37 pm)
Here's the (LOOOONG!!!) thread...http://www.garagegames.com/mg/forums/result.thread.php?qt=57345
At least a couple of users have mentioned using the Mod Tool with the exporter... guess I'll just have to try it out. Sounds like a LOT of users are hoping to use XSI with Torque/Torque X/Builder 3D.
Well, if I can't get it to work, we DO have Maya. Or maybe I could get my supers to spring for Houdini Apprentice HD (hey, it's cheap).
What about FBX and X (DirectX) files? Any support for those?
I guess I've got my homework cut out for me.
See ya
#12
12/12/2008 (11:41 pm)
Oh, on a side note, has anybody used Game Creators' "Dark" development tools? (i.e. DarkBasic, Dark GDK, etc.) Your take on them vs. Torque's tools? Looks like their FPS Creator is free now...
#13
12/12/2008 (11:50 pm)
I've requested to order John Kanalakis' (SP?) Torque X Book. Looks like a winner. Can't wait to get my hands on it.
#14
Working with DB is a completely different mentality than working with Torque. They are a language where you build your engine from the ground-up, but have a ton of wrapper functionality to make otherwise tedious DirectX programming and file i/o stuff easier. But you still have to build the engine and application from the ground up. Torque follows an application mindset when it comes to engine technology. You are given a lot of pre-built application functionality at the core to extend as you need. If you think of how Unreal, Quake, and Half-Life are setup versus programming your engine from the ground up in Visual Studio with a lot of great helper functionality.
Which is preferable depends on the project and how far from the core engine mechanics your game falls. If you are creating something that has no relation to the way games are currently played (ie. the first time that motion sensors were added to hardware), perhaps writing everything from the ground up is a great idea. If you want some proven mechanics without reinventing the wheel, then an engine structured like Torque is probably more in-line with what the project requires.
It also depends on how you develop. If you like to program everything, then a language or programming your own engine in DX or GL that encapsulates your gameplay completely might be a good idea. So, my definitive answer: it depends. :p
Oh, and I just thought that I would note that the full version of FPSCreator is only free if you go through TrialPlay, which seems like it is an opt-in company that might spam the hell out of your inbox. I don't know, but my experience with anything that is free...when you buy something from another retailer...often incurs a ton of junk e-mail. Their service may be much better, though. I have no experience with it. The free version does not let you build a standalone game or have access to multiplayer functionality. The multiplayer was never very exciting in the FPSCreator universe. There are some pretty cool levels that people have created with it, though.
Also, I'm not sure that the free version comes with the DBP source code. I know that the pay version does since I own it--bought it when it came out quite a while back. There have been some very cool community tweaks and versions that have come out of the DBP code availability.
12/15/2008 (1:26 pm)
I believe you can use the default XNA files in TX. I haven't tried loading and working with a .X, though. But I'm not sure why it wouldn't work. There may be some things that are not supported in the .X format that are in the DTS format and vice-versa that could be problematic. But I haven't tried it, so I'm not sure. I would recommend sniffing around the TorqueX forums a bit. I have not used TX nearly as much as TGE/A/B.Quote:Oh, on a side note, has anybody used Game Creators' "Dark" development tools? (i.e. DarkBasic, Dark GDK, etc.) Your take on them vs. Torque's tools? Looks like their FPS Creator is free now...I've used DarkBasic Pro, though I prefer the syntax of Blitz3D to DBP when it comes to BASIC-structured game/graphical development languages. The DarkGDK is similar, though accessed through C++ as a DLL, making it more optimized with a higher learning curve to people just starting out than DBP.
Working with DB is a completely different mentality than working with Torque. They are a language where you build your engine from the ground-up, but have a ton of wrapper functionality to make otherwise tedious DirectX programming and file i/o stuff easier. But you still have to build the engine and application from the ground up. Torque follows an application mindset when it comes to engine technology. You are given a lot of pre-built application functionality at the core to extend as you need. If you think of how Unreal, Quake, and Half-Life are setup versus programming your engine from the ground up in Visual Studio with a lot of great helper functionality.
Which is preferable depends on the project and how far from the core engine mechanics your game falls. If you are creating something that has no relation to the way games are currently played (ie. the first time that motion sensors were added to hardware), perhaps writing everything from the ground up is a great idea. If you want some proven mechanics without reinventing the wheel, then an engine structured like Torque is probably more in-line with what the project requires.
It also depends on how you develop. If you like to program everything, then a language or programming your own engine in DX or GL that encapsulates your gameplay completely might be a good idea. So, my definitive answer: it depends. :p
Oh, and I just thought that I would note that the full version of FPSCreator is only free if you go through TrialPlay, which seems like it is an opt-in company that might spam the hell out of your inbox. I don't know, but my experience with anything that is free...when you buy something from another retailer...often incurs a ton of junk e-mail. Their service may be much better, though. I have no experience with it. The free version does not let you build a standalone game or have access to multiplayer functionality. The multiplayer was never very exciting in the FPSCreator universe. There are some pretty cool levels that people have created with it, though.
Also, I'm not sure that the free version comes with the DBP source code. I know that the pay version does since I own it--bought it when it came out quite a while back. There have been some very cool community tweaks and versions that have come out of the DBP code availability.
Employee David Montgomery-Blake
David MontgomeryBlake
I would check the license to make sure educational institutions are able to use it without special educational licensing. You may be able to use it as an individual, but I do not know if there are institutional limitations since they have an academic program.
We will be talking officially about this when TXB 3D and TX 3.0 are out in the wild. Right now, we're heads down and getting the bugs squashed so that dev's can get it in their hands.