Torque 3D Development - 1.1 Alpha!
by Brett Seyler · 11/19/2009 (5:06 pm) · 143 comments
Greetings Torque 3D users! In the last Torque 3D dev blog, we showed that the Torque 3D team has no plans of slowing down after the 1.0 release. In this blog, we're thrilled to unveil some more of the new tech we have been working on.
Download Torque 3D 1.1 Alpha from your account now!
Got your downloads started? Good, now read on...Torque 3D 1.1 Alpha New Features
Forest Editor
Since GDC '09, you've all been patiently (or not so patiently) waiting for Sickhead Games' foliage rendering and painting technology. We showed you videos of Tom demoing the 'Forest Kit' and Pacific Demo. For those of you who have not heard about it, the Forest Editor is a tool that allows you to quickly create massive amounts of vegetation for your level. This includes patches of trees, forests, and fields of smaller elements such as shrubs and plants. You can paint an entire forest using multiple brushes, which will lay down 3D models for you. In addition to these great tools, Sickhead has done a tremendous amount of work to make sure Torque 3D can render vast forests with ease.We never officially announced pricing for 'Forest Kit' (now officially 'Forest Editor'), and of course, in the end it was Sickhead's creation and their choice to put an appropriate price on it. For what it provides, we were looking at prices anywhere from $100 to $500 / seat as an add-on. Sometimes, where it's appropriate for Torque, we try to work out a deal to offer 3rd pary add-ons like this as a fully integrated feature of the core engine. I'm happy to say that we were able to work out this kind of deal with Sickhead. As great as these guys are to work with on development, they are also very flexible on the business side, with the best interests of Torque and Torque users in mind.
Let me make this crystal clear for all you anticipating use of the new Forest Editor then, but perhaps fretting the cost...it's now included in Torque 3D Professional, free of charge. All current Torque 3D license holders can download the 1.1 Alpha and begin using this amazing tool. The Official Documentation will be updated later today to show you how to use it. I'd suggest jumping on IRC hour today to say thanks to Sickhead for helping us make this happen and to ask questions about how to get the most from this new feature.
Sketch Tool
We have another surprise feature for the 1.1 Alpha, yet another fantastic Sickhead creation. The Sketch Tool allows you to quickly generate convex meshes without going to 3rd party modeling applications, such as Maya or 3DS Max. The interface allows you to quickly sketch out convex shapes via simple mouse actions. You can edit the faces of your mesh to roughly resemble what your final assets might look like. As with the Forest Editor, the Official Documentation will be updated later today with a guide to using the Sketch Tool. Again, big thanks to Sickhead for making rapid iteration in Torque 3D ever more powerful.In the hands of a non-artist, such as myself, I was able to create a few simple houses which I then duplicated to create an entire village:
For experienced artists, such as Sickhead's Russell Fincher, the levels you can create in less than 2 hours is amazing:
Prefabs
Another major win for rapid iteration in Torque 3D is the addition of prefabs. Rather than copying and pasting multiple selections (rinse & repeat), the prefab system allows you to group multiple objects together and combine them into a single file. Imagine you are making a city with hundreds of working lamp posts? Simply combine the lamp model and point light into a single prefab. You can now load the prefab file into your level as much as you want without having to create each lamp and point light by hand.
We also put together a quick and dirty version of this new feature in action. Please forgive the lack of editing, narration and music...we'll build something nicer to show this later on.
Major GUI Editor Improvements
Rene Damm performed a full usability pass on Torque 3D's GUI Editor to clean up the interface and add new adjustment options, making the GUI Editor much easier to use. Of course, he couldn't stop with just general improvements...Gone are the days of manually editing every single GUI profile by hand via TorqueScript. Rene Damm integrated a Profile Editor into Torque 3D's GUI Editor! If you didn't already know, GUI Profiles are what determine the overall appearance of your interface elements. Want your buttons to be opaque? Need to use 20 different fonts depending on the text control type? Making these changes are as simple as loading the Profile Editor.
Major SFX Upgrades
Speaking of Rene, his SFX work also deserves major spotlight time in this blog. The overall goal was to move from the very rudimentary and primarily code-driven SFX system in 1.0 to a primarily data-driven system that can be set up and controlled entirely from within the editors.- Ambient Audio: Audio behavior can be directly assigned to objects within a level as well as to levels themselves. As the listeners roams around, an ambient audio mix is automatically created and maintained by the system.
- Interactive Audio: Audio can be set up to react to game state changes using SFXParameters and SFXStates. The system automatically responds to changes to these objects.
- FMOD Designer Support: Complex game audio effects and interactive music can be designed in the FMOD Designer tool and dropped right into Torque. Events can be used just like any other track type.
Ground Cover
Torque 3D's Ground Cover system is very powerful and can make level building go much faster, especially when used in conjunction with the Forest Editor. There has always been confusion about how to properly use a GroundCover object, such as getting it to paint the terrain based on the material. Previously, you had to hard code the material for the foliage and figure out which terrain layer to cover (based on a numerical index) from memory. Rejoice, for we have given the system a major usability pass to make it much easier to use. You can now select the cover material (such as grass) and the terrain texture right from the object using our Material Selector:
Shape Editor and COLLADA
Nothing seems to slow Chris Robertson down. Improving Torque 3D's asset pipeline is a constant effort and for the 1.1 Alpha he has delivered again. Chris has improved the COLLADA Importer (both backend and interface) and added new functionality to the Shape Editor. The two biggest improvements to the Shape Editor include viewing and controlling LODs, and linking the Material Editor to the Shape Editor. While viewing a shape, you can switch to the materials tab then edit a selected material without having to switch to an entirely separate editor.
This is an exciting time to be involved with Torque 3D, whether you a part of the development team or a licensed owner. This month, most of the team are picking up their lives and making the move to our new Las Vegas headquarters. With such a great internal team and so much support from our external dev partners, I doubt you'll see us miss a beat. Torque 3D and 2D are both making rapid progress toward the vision you've helped us create. Thank you for your consistent, constructive feedback. You all help us make Torque better.
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 - Beta 5!
- Post #30 - Collada Import GUI Dialog
- Post #31 - 1.0 Release!!!
- Post #32 - The only good bug...
- Post #33 - 1.1 Alpha!
- Post #34 - Coming Soon!
About the author
Since 2007, I've done my best to steer Torque's development and brand toward the best opportunities in games middleware.
#62
+ multiplayer physx and clipping decals to TSStatic(with selection how exactly)
Great!!!
11/20/2009 (4:45 am)
New Ground Cover implementation is what i was dreaming about, so useful!!! And all new features are AWESOME!!! + multiplayer physx and clipping decals to TSStatic(with selection how exactly)
Great!!!
#63
The other additions are also great, prefabs, major sound improvements, gui updates, ground cover...just wow.
And thanks for pointing out Gideon's animation source Logan, sounds useful.
11/20/2009 (5:37 am)
Holy crap, that is an awesome update! The Forest Editor for free is fantastic, but so is that Sketch Tool. Just the other day I was prototyping levels from max, buildings basic shapes, loading them into the engine, testing out layout, tweaking in max again, reloading them, etc etc...that tool is going to save a lot of time during prototyping, a really nice workflow addition.The other additions are also great, prefabs, major sound improvements, gui updates, ground cover...just wow.
And thanks for pointing out Gideon's animation source Logan, sounds useful.
#64
These basic elements of gameplay are more important.
11/20/2009 (6:08 am)
Sounds good. But it is more interesting to know, which fixes T3D 1.1 will have. - animated collision meshes
- updated positon, rotation/EyeVector of animated nodes
- updated positon, rotation/EyeVector of mounted objects
- prevent weapons going through walls
- code for ladders
- moving platforms like elevators
These basic elements of gameplay are more important.
#65
11/20/2009 (6:38 am)
Absolutely awesome! Great work gg, Sickhead Games and all responsible for this beast! :) 
#66
Couldn't leave it at a "great work" post, could ya? ;)
The full list of Alpha fixes is being posted next week. Beta and final 1.1 will have even more to offer.
11/20/2009 (7:01 am)
@Thomas - You are probably the only person who thinks ladders and moving platforms are more interesting and important than Forest Editor/Sketch Tool/FMOD Design File Support/Upgraded Ground Cover/ and a slew of bug fixes, performance optimizations, and usability upgrades. Couldn't leave it at a "great work" post, could ya? ;)
The full list of Alpha fixes is being posted next week. Beta and final 1.1 will have even more to offer.
#67
11/20/2009 (7:20 am)
@Michael Will there be more features added to the beta or just bug fixes? Personally, I prefer the new feature list to be frozen at the first public (alpha) release.
#68
11/20/2009 (7:28 am)
As far as I know we are treating 1.1 like a standard dev cycle. Alpha introduces new features, betas are for bug fixes and polishing.
#69
I tought the same as thomas, of course that are some great news to torque 3d, but for me is so strange don't be able to do a simple door open, have ladders and etc without the need to code. I think that should be very easy task to do this kind of thing, but only for a programmer in torque 3d, for me is being a long way learning c++ and algorithms to do this simple things, the strange is that may be very easy to have these things done for a team that do a entiry complex engine, pehaps since I'm a beginner, i just don't see the real problem, i hope so.
But beside this, great new features, that help a lot torque 3d looks more complete engine :).
11/20/2009 (7:44 am)
@Michael,I tought the same as thomas, of course that are some great news to torque 3d, but for me is so strange don't be able to do a simple door open, have ladders and etc without the need to code. I think that should be very easy task to do this kind of thing, but only for a programmer in torque 3d, for me is being a long way learning c++ and algorithms to do this simple things, the strange is that may be very easy to have these things done for a team that do a entiry complex engine, pehaps since I'm a beginner, i just don't see the real problem, i hope so.
But beside this, great new features, that help a lot torque 3d looks more complete engine :).
#70
Great work GG & Contractors
And Sickhead: Thanks for agreeing on adding Forest Kit into Torque - Major improvment there
@Thomas Bang: in the berg level there is a crude attempt at preventing the weapon from going through walls - isn't perfect and has problems - specially near corners - but it's there
11/20/2009 (8:15 am)
Sure having those things stock would be great (less code to do) but you have to admit - on the starting point of a project (design/build world/level) these new tools will really make things faster, better and frankly less troublesome.Great work GG & Contractors
And Sickhead: Thanks for agreeing on adding Forest Kit into Torque - Major improvment there
@Thomas Bang: in the berg level there is a crude attempt at preventing the weapon from going through walls - isn't perfect and has problems - specially near corners - but it's there
#71
Yes, probably. But currently i am making a game. So i know how important such fixes are. You think the opposite?
@Luis:
Yes, that's the problem. Half solutions.
11/20/2009 (8:21 am)
@Michael: Quote:
@Thomas - You are probably the only person who thinks ladders and moving platforms are more interesting and important than Forest Editor/Sketch Tool/FMOD Design File Support/Upgraded Ground Cover/ and a slew of bug fixes, performance optimizations, and usability upgrades.
Yes, probably. But currently i am making a game. So i know how important such fixes are. You think the opposite?
@Luis:
Quote:
...isn't perfect and has problems - specially near corners - but it's there
Yes, that's the problem. Half solutions.
#72
Anyway, looking great GG (I refuse to start calling you TP), sketching and the other stuff look great but ladders and elevators are important as Thomas said.
11/20/2009 (8:51 am)
Russel is a pretty cool guy eh? Skecthes dockyards and doesn't afraid of anything!Anyway, looking great GG (I refuse to start calling you TP), sketching and the other stuff look great but ladders and elevators are important as Thomas said.
#73
One thing I'll add from afew people above though.. movers/doors etc are badly needed in the editor. Other than that.. I'm running out of things to gripe about!
Again, awesome work guys!
11/20/2009 (10:08 am)
Looks great guys! Mighty kind of you all to work out a deal for the Forest editor. The functionality of the Sketch tool will really make things easier for artists. And the Prefab tool.. guess I could go on and on with 1.1 even though it's in an incomplete alpha. You guys truly do rock.One thing I'll add from afew people above though.. movers/doors etc are badly needed in the editor. Other than that.. I'm running out of things to gripe about!
Again, awesome work guys!
#74
(There was an advertisement sentence I think it fits in this situation)
11/20/2009 (10:15 am)
The Good Stuff Just Got Better. :)(There was an advertisement sentence I think it fits in this situation)
#75
The sketch tool alone make some of my dreams come true. Thanks so much GG. The folks at Sickhead, I salute you, for thou doth rock!
:)
11/20/2009 (10:38 am)
Oh My!The sketch tool alone make some of my dreams come true. Thanks so much GG. The folks at Sickhead, I salute you, for thou doth rock!
:)
#76
Great work!
@ Thomas Bang
# updated positon, rotation/EyeVector of animated nodes
# updated positon, rotation/EyeVector of mounted objects
# prevent weapons going through walls
# code for ladders
These ones should be easy to do.
There are a few resource,that do support these features.
# animated collision meshes
I think there was a problem with the poly soup when Ben Garney and Tom Spilman ported the code to Torque.Therefore Opcode was supported only by the tsstatic.
I have asked this question many times before and i always get the same answer : staticshapes + opcode = big animation problem
# moving platforms like elevators
Well, this one is really hard to do.
The stock T3D paths are networked and are not suitable for many platforms. They are suitable for camera intro scenes and are very bandwidth 'heavy'.
They have a limit of the nodes,due to the network transmission.
Actually i have a working solution to this,but it is very handy,i can lose a whole day for 3-4 platforms.
I have to say that movers right now are a big hole in Torque.
Every one serous engine should support them.
If i remember correctly,in gamestudio you can create a movable collision platform in a few lines of script,and this is a $100 semi pro engine :)
It is the same as Purelight - i can create the lighmaps on a hand,but i will create the whole level for 5 days.Purelight did the same work for 5 min,so i got Purelight.
If Sickhead spare some time for a tool,most of us will definitely buy it.
11/20/2009 (10:46 am)
@ GG,Sickhead and othersGreat work!
@ Thomas Bang
# updated positon, rotation/EyeVector of animated nodes
# updated positon, rotation/EyeVector of mounted objects
# prevent weapons going through walls
# code for ladders
These ones should be easy to do.
There are a few resource,that do support these features.
# animated collision meshes
I think there was a problem with the poly soup when Ben Garney and Tom Spilman ported the code to Torque.Therefore Opcode was supported only by the tsstatic.
I have asked this question many times before and i always get the same answer : staticshapes + opcode = big animation problem
# moving platforms like elevators
Well, this one is really hard to do.
The stock T3D paths are networked and are not suitable for many platforms. They are suitable for camera intro scenes and are very bandwidth 'heavy'.
They have a limit of the nodes,due to the network transmission.
Actually i have a working solution to this,but it is very handy,i can lose a whole day for 3-4 platforms.
I have to say that movers right now are a big hole in Torque.
Every one serous engine should support them.
If i remember correctly,in gamestudio you can create a movable collision platform in a few lines of script,and this is a $100 semi pro engine :)
It is the same as Purelight - i can create the lighmaps on a hand,but i will create the whole level for 5 days.Purelight did the same work for 5 min,so i got Purelight.
If Sickhead spare some time for a tool,most of us will definitely buy it.
#77
11/20/2009 (11:17 am)
Congrats GG and Sickhead for this amazing update. New toys to test and they arrived before Christmas !!! 
#78
Is this up yet? I'm not seeing it.
11/20/2009 (12:36 pm)
"As with the Forest Editor, the Official Documentation will be updated later today with a guide to using the Sketch Tool. "Is this up yet? I'm not seeing it.
#79
1.1 is really fun even for non-artists to jump in and play with... it is just a huge leap from the TGE/A days. Though, I was having flashbacks to first experiences with TGE and being able to, as a non-artist, make "stuff" easily :)
That's what is so great about Torque 3D realtime editors, they are powerful and intuitive without being over-engineered. Kudos to everyone involved, for all the great taste displayed with their design.
11/20/2009 (12:49 pm)
The blog's images don't quite do the Forest Editor justice. It is really powerful and with some good looking trees, lighting, terrain, just incredible how quickly you can get results.1.1 is really fun even for non-artists to jump in and play with... it is just a huge leap from the TGE/A days. Though, I was having flashbacks to first experiences with TGE and being able to, as a non-artist, make "stuff" easily :)
That's what is so great about Torque 3D realtime editors, they are powerful and intuitive without being over-engineered. Kudos to everyone involved, for all the great taste displayed with their design.
#80
11/20/2009 (1:13 pm)
@Rodney - Not yet. The server responsible for pushing new documentation online did not come back up until 5:00pm. Then another issue delayed the process a few hours. I will be able to generated new docs later today, after the movers leave with all my stuff. 
Torque 3D Owner Marco Meier
Slickware Games
I think it's time for a big "THANK YOU!" to Sickhead (and GG) to agree on this deal.
Including the Forest Editor free of charge in T3D 1.1 is absolutely great for all owners of the engine. They could have taken another decision...
So... Thank you very much.