TX3D Questions
by zoid · in Torque X 3D · 06/12/2009 (6:59 am) · 10 replies
Hello!
I have been a member of the GG community for a little while now, working within the 3D Torque engines (mostly TGEA, now T3D). I've had a fascination with XNA since I first heard about it (y'know, the idea of playing your own game on the Xbox 360!), and I have recently developed more and more of an interest in Torque X 3D. So, if you don't mind, I have some questions to ask (please bare with me - I have quite a few!)
- My understanding is that Torque X 3D is now one package, with the editor and engine included. I also realise that Torque X 3D is avaliable to XNA subscribers for free. What is this version of Torque X 3D that is included with the subscription?
- What is the collision like? I believe that TX3D uses polysoup collision on static meshes for structures and such - is this correct? Any information about collision would be appreciated!
- Does the TX3D engine, in it's default state, offer anything in the way of networking? I've also heard about some sort of First Person Shooter basic kit or something (please excuse my lack of knowledge, it is all vague information gathered from searching); if this exists, does it support any networking code out-of-the-box? And any general insight regarding this FPS kit (or whatever it might be) would be very helpful. I realise that there is a video of a basic FPS game in action here
- Keeping on the subject of FPS - whether or not TX3D does have any FPS kits avaliable, would TX3D offer a decent starting point for creating an FPS?
- What is the lighting and materials system like currently? Does it support stuff like specularity (with spec maps), cubemaps, HDR, bloom, etc.? If so, does it include a WYSIWYG system similar to the other 3D Torque engines?
- Still related to lighting/materials - has anyone integrated Synapse's SunBurn into TX3D? How difficult was it/would it be, generally? Are there any tutorials or guidance avaliable?
- Does TX3D run smoothly on the XBox 360? This will be my target platform. I know this question isn't very specific, but does it generally perform well? (I'm not expecting any detailed answers here, just some confident replies so I know I'd be in good hands ;) )
- Is split-screen supported (preferably upto 4-way)? Again, making reference to this video
- Does TX3D support mesh hiding and/or object mounting? For example, mounting weapons, hiding/unhiding armour.
- Is precipitation supported? This isn't such a major issue for me, but one of those little features that would be nice!
- I've heard a lot about the Torque X book. Does this book cover Torque X 3D (or a good amount of information regarding 3D in Torque X; enough to be of use to me)?
- Finally, some queries about the price of TX3D: Is there any chance that I could be entitled to any sort of discount, considering that I am the owner of a few Torque licenses already (TGE/TGEA/T3D)? Or possibly any sort of educational discount? Concerning the latter: I am a college student currently, starting university in September this year. My university course will not be directly related to game development, as game development is something I'm teaching myself in my spare time. So basically, would there be any chance of a discount for a student? I know both of these attempts at a discount may be a bit of a long-shot, but it's always worth a try!
Again, sorry for the overall vagueness, and apologies for bombarding you with so many questions. Please keep in mind that I know a fair bit about engines (Torque specifically) already - I'm not a complete newb, so you shouldn't need to describe anything in a lot of detail. ;) I think that is all I have to ask (for now!).
Thanks in advance. I can hopefully look forward to developing with TX3D in the near future!
Edit: Have some engine-specific forums been merged?
I have been a member of the GG community for a little while now, working within the 3D Torque engines (mostly TGEA, now T3D). I've had a fascination with XNA since I first heard about it (y'know, the idea of playing your own game on the Xbox 360!), and I have recently developed more and more of an interest in Torque X 3D. So, if you don't mind, I have some questions to ask (please bare with me - I have quite a few!)
- My understanding is that Torque X 3D is now one package, with the editor and engine included. I also realise that Torque X 3D is avaliable to XNA subscribers for free. What is this version of Torque X 3D that is included with the subscription?
- What is the collision like? I believe that TX3D uses polysoup collision on static meshes for structures and such - is this correct? Any information about collision would be appreciated!
- Does the TX3D engine, in it's default state, offer anything in the way of networking? I've also heard about some sort of First Person Shooter basic kit or something (please excuse my lack of knowledge, it is all vague information gathered from searching); if this exists, does it support any networking code out-of-the-box? And any general insight regarding this FPS kit (or whatever it might be) would be very helpful. I realise that there is a video of a basic FPS game in action here
- Keeping on the subject of FPS - whether or not TX3D does have any FPS kits avaliable, would TX3D offer a decent starting point for creating an FPS?
- What is the lighting and materials system like currently? Does it support stuff like specularity (with spec maps), cubemaps, HDR, bloom, etc.? If so, does it include a WYSIWYG system similar to the other 3D Torque engines?
- Still related to lighting/materials - has anyone integrated Synapse's SunBurn into TX3D? How difficult was it/would it be, generally? Are there any tutorials or guidance avaliable?
- Does TX3D run smoothly on the XBox 360? This will be my target platform. I know this question isn't very specific, but does it generally perform well? (I'm not expecting any detailed answers here, just some confident replies so I know I'd be in good hands ;) )
- Is split-screen supported (preferably upto 4-way)? Again, making reference to this video
- Does TX3D support mesh hiding and/or object mounting? For example, mounting weapons, hiding/unhiding armour.
- Is precipitation supported? This isn't such a major issue for me, but one of those little features that would be nice!
- I've heard a lot about the Torque X book. Does this book cover Torque X 3D (or a good amount of information regarding 3D in Torque X; enough to be of use to me)?
- Finally, some queries about the price of TX3D: Is there any chance that I could be entitled to any sort of discount, considering that I am the owner of a few Torque licenses already (TGE/TGEA/T3D)? Or possibly any sort of educational discount? Concerning the latter: I am a college student currently, starting university in September this year. My university course will not be directly related to game development, as game development is something I'm teaching myself in my spare time. So basically, would there be any chance of a discount for a student? I know both of these attempts at a discount may be a bit of a long-shot, but it's always worth a try!
Again, sorry for the overall vagueness, and apologies for bombarding you with so many questions. Please keep in mind that I know a fair bit about engines (Torque specifically) already - I'm not a complete newb, so you shouldn't need to describe anything in a lot of detail. ;) I think that is all I have to ask (for now!).
Thanks in advance. I can hopefully look forward to developing with TX3D in the near future!
Edit: Have some engine-specific forums been merged?
About the author
#2
1. The version you get from here comes with full source code. You don't get that anywhere else.
2. Yes TX3D can use poly soup if you use the T3DStatic classes, but I believe it doesn't use it for normal T3DTSRender components.
3. Networking? No.
4. The FPS is pretty basic but it's ok, and no, it has no networking.
5. All Torque engines are derived from TGE, the game that powered Tribes and Starseige, so yes, they are inherently good for FPSs.
6. No spec maps, but then TGEA doesn't have them either. It does do cubemaps and bloom, but I'm not sure on HDR. The builder is the WYSIWYG editor, but IMHO, it's currently an alpha build, not a release, it hardly works and crashes a lot.
The rest of your questions I don't have much experience with, except to say there is no precipitation or water blocks. John's book (The Complete Guide to Torque X) is good, but IMHO, there is not enough info on TX3D anywhere. I'm still having trouble doing basic things. The gui is lacking compared to TGEA as well. It has less controls and no WYSIWYG editor. Also there are no discounts. None.
HTH.
06/15/2009 (4:14 pm)
I was going to leave it to someone who knows more, but this seems to be the least used engine at GG, so I'll try and give you some answers.1. The version you get from here comes with full source code. You don't get that anywhere else.
2. Yes TX3D can use poly soup if you use the T3DStatic classes, but I believe it doesn't use it for normal T3DTSRender components.
3. Networking? No.
4. The FPS is pretty basic but it's ok, and no, it has no networking.
5. All Torque engines are derived from TGE, the game that powered Tribes and Starseige, so yes, they are inherently good for FPSs.
6. No spec maps, but then TGEA doesn't have them either. It does do cubemaps and bloom, but I'm not sure on HDR. The builder is the WYSIWYG editor, but IMHO, it's currently an alpha build, not a release, it hardly works and crashes a lot.
The rest of your questions I don't have much experience with, except to say there is no precipitation or water blocks. John's book (The Complete Guide to Torque X) is good, but IMHO, there is not enough info on TX3D anywhere. I'm still having trouble doing basic things. The gui is lacking compared to TGEA as well. It has less controls and no WYSIWYG editor. Also there are no discounts. None.
HTH.
#3
But yeah, thanks again for attacking my wall of questions. :)
06/15/2009 (5:13 pm)
You've answered most of the questions of real importance to me, so that does help a lot, thanks. Shame about the lack of networking though, although I wasn't expecting there to be any out-of-the-box. It just seems that networking has always been a strong point for the 3D Torque engines. I wonder if there will be any support for it in the future..But yeah, thanks again for attacking my wall of questions. :)
#4
I'm here mostly because I like C# over C++. I have TGE and TGEA and pondered really, really hard on getting T3D, but I don't think I can justify it. If it was C#, for sure.
I'm interested in the decision you came to as well. I haven't yet made the leap to purchasing the source, but I don't think I'm far away now.
06/15/2009 (5:27 pm)
I wondered about that too, but then there are libraries like lidgren that are pretty good, and networking in C# isn't too hard. Making it as good as the C++ engines might be harder, but it's doable.I'm here mostly because I like C# over C++. I have TGE and TGEA and pondered really, really hard on getting T3D, but I don't think I can justify it. If it was C#, for sure.
I'm interested in the decision you came to as well. I haven't yet made the leap to purchasing the source, but I don't think I'm far away now.
#5
regarding to the speed of TorqueX on the 360, I have to say the 3d is pretty slow as soon as some physics is involved. The physics demo that comes with TX is really slow on the 360 and lags/stutters. But this is not a fault of torqueX but rather of the very bad floating point performance on the Xbox360 (the implemented compact framework).
06/16/2009 (2:00 am)
Hi,regarding to the speed of TorqueX on the 360, I have to say the 3d is pretty slow as soon as some physics is involved. The physics demo that comes with TX is really slow on the 360 and lags/stutters. But this is not a fault of torqueX but rather of the very bad floating point performance on the Xbox360 (the implemented compact framework).
#6
Thanks for your posts. They'll help me make a more informed decision about TX3D.
06/16/2009 (8:47 am)
I guess I'd be willing to (attempt to) tackle networking by myself, if only to learn a bit about it. As for physics performance - If it's not caused by TX3D itself, then I'll keep that in mind. ;)Thanks for your posts. They'll help me make a more informed decision about TX3D.
#7
As far as lack of networking, there isn't much GG networking, however, the XNA Framework itself has very easy to use networking capability if you plan on just working with the XBox 360. Here's the link to some good MSDN information about it.
msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb975801.aspx
P.S. As soon as I can, there's also a nice presentation from some conference that I'll dig up that is directly talking about XNA.
Brian
Edit: Found the presentation I was talking about. It's long but really awesome with a lot of data specifically about XNA and the challenges posed by the overhead things like the voice support you get for free with XNA. Check it out:
Networking, Traffic Jams, and Schrödinger's Cat
06/16/2009 (4:41 pm)
Hey Zoidy,As far as lack of networking, there isn't much GG networking, however, the XNA Framework itself has very easy to use networking capability if you plan on just working with the XBox 360. Here's the link to some good MSDN information about it.
msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb975801.aspx
P.S. As soon as I can, there's also a nice presentation from some conference that I'll dig up that is directly talking about XNA.
Brian
Edit: Found the presentation I was talking about. It's long but really awesome with a lot of data specifically about XNA and the challenges posed by the overhead things like the voice support you get for free with XNA. Check it out:
Networking, Traffic Jams, and Schrödinger's Cat
#8
And heh, long presentations are the best kind. ;) I'll check it out!
I really appreciate everyone's willingness to help me; a great community - one more reason to go for TX3D!
Cheers
06/16/2009 (5:26 pm)
Thanks a lot for the links. I most likely will be aiming just for the 360, so all that networking information will undoubtedly be helpful.And heh, long presentations are the best kind. ;) I'll check it out!
I really appreciate everyone's willingness to help me; a great community - one more reason to go for TX3D!
Cheers
#9
Brian
06/16/2009 (5:32 pm)
Keep us updated. I don't think anyone has really done anything with networking (I plan to except using TX2D) so if you hit any major snags let us know. Also, I've been actively trying to update the community links section added to TDN so check that out as there's a lot of helpful info in those few links. Check it out at the bottom of tdn.garagegames.com/wiki/TX/Tutorials_and_Guides.Brian
Torque Owner zoid
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