Setting up to Study B3D
Blitz3D Forums/Blitz3D Beginners Area/Setting up to Study B3D
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| OK, maybe I'm the oldest (66) would-be, B3D programmer, but better late than never, right? I've done a bit of the old GW-Basic and Visual Basic Programming in the past. I'm a retired Physicist and I want to do some modeling of physics problems with B3D. I have a few general questions: I believe I read that Caligari Truespace is very useful if not required in simplifying object building with B3D. 1) Is this true? 2) I have the freebee version (TrueSpace 3.2). Will this version work with the current B3D or do I need to upgrade? 3) I hate on-screen manuals. For B3D there doesn't seem to be any choice. No books available. Are there any good BEGINNING books, manuals, etc. on TrueSpace 3 or whichever version I need? Keep in mind I'm old and stupid. I'd rather start at the beginning and move faster than start in the middle and get discouraged or bogged down. Thank you for your help, LaserBob |
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| 1) No. Use whatever modeling program you want. You aren't required to use Truespace. 2)don't know. If it creates .x .md2. .3ds or .b3d models then probably yes. 3) don't know, but like I said above, you don't need truespace |
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| 1) I don't think so. Ive bin using blitz for about a year now and havent neaded Truespace. You can use lots of other modelers out there. Some are free some are cheap, and some cost around 3500$. I havn't tried Truespace but I intend to one of these days. You should try wings 3d and milkshape. 2)don't know. 3)I'm with you on that one but blitz has about the best on-screen manual I have seen. Nothing stoping you from printing it, unless yer out of ink that is. There is a book on blitz. It's called "Game Programing For Teens by Maneesh Sethi". There is 2d and 3d versions. I just have the 2d. Welcome and good programing. |
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| Wow, welcome back "LaserBob" - I was actually worried you had left because I had offended you. Still, great to see you are still about. "LaserBob" - you may be able to get a manual from 'Idigicon' - probably have to pay for it - take a wander over to 'Blitzcoder.com' Also over on that site you will find "Krylar's" 'Learn to Program 2D Games in Blitz Basic' book - very good but really for 2D stuff. I believe he is working on a 3D version for Blitz3D. Also, take a look at the 'Toolbox' section of this site - it's somewhere at the top of your screen. You will find lots of 3rd party applications there, including modellers - there is a fair amount of free stuff. If your version of Truespace can save models as .x or .3DS format then you can technically use those in Blitz3D. If not, there are utilities that can compile one format to another, so you may be able to work around any shortcomings. |
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| Truespace3 CAN save 3DS, I *think* it can save .X as well, if not I know for sure there's a directX plugin for it somewhere on the net. The modelling part of TS took a fairly big (and much needed) jump from version 4 onwards, but TS3 should do for making simple game models (although I would check the license for the free version if you plan to release anything commercially). There's a very good book by Frank Rivera called Inside Truespace 4 (it's the only Truespace book I own apart from the manuals), there are also tons of tutorials on the net that you can print off if you like hard copies of things (definitely a good thing when using something like TS since having the full screen for the program is easiest). |
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| 2) A modelling package is only good if you are comfortable using it, no matter whether it costs $10 or $10,000. If you are finding Truespace difficult, I recommend having a look at the following list of free or affordable packages: http://www.the123d.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=56 Of these I think Milkshape is the easiest to use, and also it saves to .b3d format, which is the native Blitz3d format. 3) If I were you, I'd learn how to program with the most basic syntax of Blitz Basic first, like declaring variables, creating loops, understanding how to draw images to the screen. For a book: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1592000681/103-4144895-0875014?v=glance Deals with the basics of setting up simple games like space invaders. Once you get your feet wet with the basics, it's an easy step to Blitz3D - just simply start using the 3d commands! As a physicist I'm sure you'll understand how to 'think in 3d', so applying what you can visualise in your head is pretty straightforward. |
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| Also, another simple and free modeller is 'DeleD': http://www.blitzbasic.com/toolbox/toolbox.php?tool=68 This doesn't really have many fancy features - I like it as it has a simple looking interface. |
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| *cough* Another vote for Wings 3D *cough* Well, it's free and I love the interface. Doesn't suit everyone, though, so I'm afraid you'll have to try all the usual suspects and see which one suits you. Ooooh, LaserBob. If you're a physics guru, prepare to have your brains well and truly picked on these forums. :) |
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| Just trust me. Get wings for your basic modeling needs, get milkshape for everything that wings lacks, get fustrated, get 3ds max or softimage but first get to programing. big10p: You should do something about that cough. |
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| If you get tired of modelling, there's always the option of doing the model in code in Blitz3D. It's more time consuming, but you learn alot about 3D in the process. Andy |
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| In my opinion the suit : Milkshape - CharacterFX - Cartographi Shop - Giles - Ultimate Unwrap 3D is much better than GameSpace for game programming in general and in particular for blitz3D users, at a comparable price, thanks to : - Specialization : animation - mappig -lighting , etc - Designed specificaly for game programming and low polys applications - native support of Bliz3d file format |
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