CreativeOcclusion Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 hello, I am new here, but have followed the development of this software for a while...i come from a background of mostly basic programming but know a little in java, java script, python and some c++...i plan to buy leadwerks within a month...the community here seems like something i would be proud to be part of...i have been part of communities that were a bunch of rude unprofessional kids and wanna bees....i am older and come from the days of the +5" disk...i was just wondering if i would be able to join the community project as a learning experience until i am able to contribute?...after i buy the program of course....if not it is still ok...i am mostly just a hobbiest, but still have the dream...you know the one that i'm talking about...when you hit the big one....oohoooh what a feelin'....anyways, i am CreativeOcclusion....thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cassius Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 I remember those 5 inch disks. Welcome to the community theres a lot of hobbyists here and also some highly capable people who all too ready to help you on your way. Quote amd quad core 4 ghz / geforce 660 ti 2gb / win 10 Blender,gimp,silo2,ac3d,,audacity,Hexagon / using c++ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CreativeOcclusion Posted August 5, 2012 Author Share Posted August 5, 2012 thanks cassius, i appreciate the warm welcome....at the moment i am using the evaluation...i was wondering if it allows loading models...i have yet to get one to load except for creating cubes and primatives...i tried 3 different modeling programs and converted the models to .gmf...for some reason i am having trouble getting them to show in program...i went through all the tutorials available and still no success.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cassius Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 I never tried the evaluation kit, but in full version you drag models on to your scene from the tree list in the right panel of the editor.If you have for example a barrel model called barrel01 you can put it in a folder called barrels and rename the file barrels_barrel01. It will then be available for selection in the right panel of the editor. Quote amd quad core 4 ghz / geforce 660 ti 2gb / win 10 Blender,gimp,silo2,ac3d,,audacity,Hexagon / using c++ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CreativeOcclusion Posted August 5, 2012 Author Share Posted August 5, 2012 i understand...the editor is great....i was working with code in the example with the spinning cube and tryng to load models with code....this is one reason i have chosen leadwerks as my new engine...i love coding....i love editors too...i just enjoy hard coding things sometimes...i was really turned off by engines like unity....scripting each object leaves code all over the place...it works but makes a big mess of a large game...just my opinion....i really appreciate the help and the quick response...i think i'll like it here....that is a cool cat in your photo...my cat is named princeton...he is huge....thanks again.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cassius Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 Ok. I always load in characters in code but not other objects. Quote amd quad core 4 ghz / geforce 660 ti 2gb / win 10 Blender,gimp,silo2,ac3d,,audacity,Hexagon / using c++ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CreativeOcclusion Posted August 6, 2012 Author Share Posted August 6, 2012 thanks again for the help... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canardia Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 I remember 8 inch disks, but never actually used them, only 5 1/4 disks. Quote ■ Ryzen 9 ■ RX 6800M ■ 16GB ■ XF8 ■ Windows 11 ■ ■ Ultra ■ LE 2.5 ■ 3DWS 5.6 ■ Reaper ■ C/C++ ■ C# ■ Fortran 2008 ■ Story ■ ■ Homepage: https://canardia.com ■ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 I have used 8-inch disks for years when I first started with development. It was assembler programming in some Intel development systems. Quote AV MX Linux Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixel Perfect Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 Good to have you aboard CreativeOcclusion. With regard to loading models in code; as well as creating the models you need to create the material files for each of the textures referenced in the models and ensure both the mat files and the texture files are all present. With those in place you can then call LoadModel or LoadMesh with an explicit path or an abstract::file name string to have Leadwerks find the file within a configurable abstract path directory structure. The models can be positioned using PositionEntity. In theory that should pretty much get you there. If you are still having problems it's best to post some code so we can get a better idea of what you are doing. Quote Intel Core i5 2.66 GHz, Asus P7P55D, 8Gb DDR3 RAM, GTX460 1Gb DDR5, Windows 7 (x64), LE Editor, GMax, 3DWS, UU3D Pro, Texture Maker Pro, Shader Map Pro. Development language: C/C++ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CreativeOcclusion Posted August 6, 2012 Author Share Posted August 6, 2012 as for 8" disks...maybe i'm not as old as i thought...but it is great to see a more mature forum group....as for the .mat files...are these created using engine tools or in a modeler....??...oh, it is nice to meet each of you....and thanks edit() ok, searching around i have got more info on the material editor to make the .mat files...i am sorry that i missed this part...it is just a different way of doing things and will take a little time to get it all right....i am usually good about studying the docs and watching the vids...it seems the editor does not like some of the .bmp files converted to .dds...i will keep working at it till i get it right....thanks again.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cassius Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 There is a tool called genmat which automatically generates aa whole folder full of mat files when you click on it. Its not suitable for characters though. Quote amd quad core 4 ghz / geforce 660 ti 2gb / win 10 Blender,gimp,silo2,ac3d,,audacity,Hexagon / using c++ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixel Perfect Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 The dds files need to use DTX1 or DTX5 (if you have transparency) compression format and have mipmaps generated. The mat files can be constructed fairly quickly manually once you get used to the syntax used in them, or you can used automated programs such as the one cassius is suggesting. Quote Intel Core i5 2.66 GHz, Asus P7P55D, 8Gb DDR3 RAM, GTX460 1Gb DDR5, Windows 7 (x64), LE Editor, GMax, 3DWS, UU3D Pro, Texture Maker Pro, Shader Map Pro. Development language: C/C++ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CreativeOcclusion Posted August 6, 2012 Author Share Posted August 6, 2012 cassius, i was looking everywhere on google for that genmat tool....kept getting hits for a oriental guy named gen mat....i am just trying to get a textured cube to show up in the model viewer or the world editor now....not having much luck with the texture part...finally got texture converted correctly to .dds and was able to view it in the material editor after using gen mat...got model and texture and mat file in the models folder...tried putting model in the sandbox or world editor and it crashed immediately....model was converted to gmf from .x format...tried from carrara and from 3d canvas and xsi mod tool....have 3ds max 2013 but it is only the trial version....maybe one day i will get a model into this engine....never had this much trouble in my life....oh, thanks pixel perfect for your response...i will keep trying...thanks all... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canardia Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 I use GIMP for loading and saving DDS files. The newest GIMP has the dds plugin already built-in. The texture converer tool which comes with Leadwerks makes errors with certain resolutions, but with GIMP it always works. mat files are simple text files, and I use Notepad++ to edit them, for example a simple mat file for a texture looks like this: texture0="abstract::somefile.dds" The Leadwerks Wiki has a complete description of what mat files can contain, and the SDK comes with lots of mat file examples too. UU3D is the best tool to convert any model format to gmf. It has also edge smoothing and polyreduce so you can easily create all LOD models with it. Quote ■ Ryzen 9 ■ RX 6800M ■ 16GB ■ XF8 ■ Windows 11 ■ ■ Ultra ■ LE 2.5 ■ 3DWS 5.6 ■ Reaper ■ C/C++ ■ C# ■ Fortran 2008 ■ Story ■ ■ Homepage: https://canardia.com ■ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cassius Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 Genmat is in the tools folder of the sdk. Keep trying and it will come right after a while. Le2 IS a programmers engine and I am certain you have found the right one for you.Don't forget to search the forum for answers. Most of your questions have been asked before and answered elsewhere. There is also a user manual somewhere.but I am not sure if its available to trial version users. Quote amd quad core 4 ghz / geforce 660 ti 2gb / win 10 Blender,gimp,silo2,ac3d,,audacity,Hexagon / using c++ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigitalHax Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 I recommend you have a look at the documentation tutorials. They can help you a lot with both artwork and programming. (C++) http://www.leadwerks.com/werkspace/page/Documentation/le2 Quote Win7 64bit, Leadwerks SDK 2.5, Visual Studio 2012, 3DWS, 3ds Max, Photoshop CS5. Life is too short to remove USB safely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CreativeOcclusion Posted August 6, 2012 Author Share Posted August 6, 2012 Genmat is in the tools folder of the sdk thanks cassius, i finally found it..i was doing a little kidding around earlier...i have finally got the model to work in the model viewer, the editor and works by hard coding...it was just a matter of keep looking, asking and trying.... I recommend you have a look at the documentation tutorials digitalhax, i have been reading and studying the docs for three days....it just seems that when i get into something new and different it just takes a while for me to get going....i do appreciate all the help that i'm receiving here....when cassius said this is a programmers engine and thayt i should like it, he wasn't kidding...i love this engine....thanks to all for the help....i will try to search more in the forums before asking any more questions...thanks again.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canardia Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 Every engine is a programmer's engine, but Leadwerks has realized that from the start on, and focussed on making it much easier to the programmers than any other engine. Of course, BlitzBasic/Blitz3D from Amiga was the original idea. All ideas from Amiga were out of this world and billions of years ahead of today's ideas. Quote ■ Ryzen 9 ■ RX 6800M ■ 16GB ■ XF8 ■ Windows 11 ■ ■ Ultra ■ LE 2.5 ■ 3DWS 5.6 ■ Reaper ■ C/C++ ■ C# ■ Fortran 2008 ■ Story ■ ■ Homepage: https://canardia.com ■ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CreativeOcclusion Posted August 6, 2012 Author Share Posted August 6, 2012 metatron, i loved amiga and blitz...just too outdated to make a game for todays youth....your gimp suggestion was a good one....mine did not come with the .dds plugin installed but i got one and put it in....works great...i should be able to purchase leadwerks soon...wife has to budget it in...or something like that...i am having fun with the evaluation...i guess it lasts for 30 days...having too much fun to look it up....thanks again friend.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigitalHax Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 I personally use paint dot net for my artwork. It has all the plugins built in so I can just save directly to dds. (or alpha) Quote Win7 64bit, Leadwerks SDK 2.5, Visual Studio 2012, 3DWS, 3ds Max, Photoshop CS5. Life is too short to remove USB safely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smashthewindow Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 I personally use paint dot net for my artwork. It has all the plugins built in so I can just save directly to dds. (or alpha) Maybe for texture conversion, but you can't be serious about creating advanced textures with it... I've seen it and it's more like a Microsoft Paint with plugins. Quote Blog & Portfolio Current project: moon.chase.star Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Road Kill Kenny Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 Gimp is better than paint.net Quote STS - Scarlet Thread Studios AKA: Engineer Ken Fact: Game Development is hard... very bloody hard.. If you are not prepared to accept that.. Please give up now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canardia Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 Of course it is, because it has also resizable selections. In Paint.NET you have to try 1000 times to get a selection right and redo from start each time. Besides it's good to have the same tool on all platforms. Quote ■ Ryzen 9 ■ RX 6800M ■ 16GB ■ XF8 ■ Windows 11 ■ ■ Ultra ■ LE 2.5 ■ 3DWS 5.6 ■ Reaper ■ C/C++ ■ C# ■ Fortran 2008 ■ Story ■ ■ Homepage: https://canardia.com ■ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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