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Hello DBP Community,

Ive been working on this one for sometime and finally had the galls enough to come to you for your input and support on a Entity Construction & Model Pack Concept that I believe will revolutionize the communication and workflow between Independent Game Devs and 3D Artists. I call this system Modular Entity Construction Sets (MECS) and with it I propose to:

1. Provide a standardize system for Modular 3D Entity export/import and assembly in any DBPro Game Engines via Code Lib, Plug-in, Scripts, etc;

2. Supply the system with high-quality `Parts` Model Packs from 3D Artists all over the world.

What is MECS?

In a nutshell, Modular Entity Construction Sets is a system of Virtual Building Blocks & Connectors a.k.a Parts used to create various classes of entities:

* Character Bodies/Heads
* Furniture Props
* FireArm Weapons
* Melee Weapons
* Trees/Plants
* Vehicles/Crafts
* Machines

With different Parts you can assemble countless variations of entities. The system can be used for creating a variety entities and/or incorporte a entity customizing system within your game. YOU CAN USE THIS AMAZING SYSTEM IN ANY 3D GAME!



The concept for MECS started during the dev of my Fantasy-themed First Person Shooter MMORPG, which I desired the ability to customize both Characters and FireArms. A week later I had the crazy notion of customizing ALL classes of entities. Inspired by Toy Construction Sets (knex, tinker toys, many others), I conceived a system of virtual building blocks and connectors which would be flexible enough to handle the creation of any entity class and the assembly of any variation within each class. MECS was born. It didnt dawn on me until recently that MECS has a greater potential.

Fully aware of my weakness in 3D modelling/animation and extremely low budget, I automatically considered using 3D Model Packs. Model Packs provide awesome artwork for a super affordable price, however, there are a couple of critical issues for me: 1) Identical models being used by others in their games; 2) Single mesh/pre-assembled models. My two-in-one solution was to split the mesh/textures into parts and mod mesh/textures for my Character Customization System. This to proved to be too difficult for my level of 3D skill.

Thats when it dawned on me, what if there were `Parts` Model Packs available for assembling Entities? I searched the internet high and low. I found several Construction Packs for Buildings, a few for characters (but not in a readily usuable format), Zero Packs for Firearms and other classes of entities. I also found post scattered over the internet requesting for Parts Model Packs. It was very obviously to me that I wasnt the only Game Developer who desired easier way to create variety and customization in my game. MECS can do it! So, how can I make the system portable for others to use in their games. Most of all, how do I get 3D Artist to see this market for such Model Packs?

So here I am before you with my pitch...

Open Standards

The purpose of establishing a standard is to get Developers & Artist on the same page. MECs will provide a standard for label and organization of Mesh Geometry and Assembly, Geometry Level Of Detail, Bone and Key frame Animation, and TextureMaps/Shaders. Model Parts should be exported in multiple popular formats such as .X, .3DS.

MECs 3D Plug-in and Tools: Parts can be imported into a 3rd party editor and assembled manually OR imported into game engine/application and assembled using 3D Plug-ins that handles parts assembly, welding, texture blending (if needed). Plug-ins and Tools will also assist managing LOD and Animation.

Licensing: Less-restrictive Licensing Agreement would allow MECS Parts Model Pack Purchasers the ability to create Mods from parts meshes and textures without paying additional fees with restrictions to reselling Mods.

Quality Assurance

* MECS Council: Group of 3D Artist and Game Engine Programmers who approve and manage the MECS Open Standard and Tools.

* MECS Certificate: A Certificate of Compliancy w/ Managed Serial Number issued by MECS Council to 3D Authors whom submit their 3D Art for review and certification. This Certificate could come in the form of a Graphic/Text Logo w/Serial Number to be presented in viewable documentation.

* MECS Author: A 3D Artist who produces a Modular Entity Construction Set (3D Models, Animations, Textures, Materials, Shaders) and acquires a Certificate of Compliancy 3D Model Pack.

* MECS Tools: MECS Code Libraries, Plug-ins, Documentation, etc. These tools are approved for use by the MECS Council.

* MECS Store: Official Store for such as TGC Store for selling and purchasing certified MECS Model Packs and other Products.

I've been working on this steadily. So far, I've identified MECS objects and a hierarchy of construction.

The MECS Construct

Defines a MECS Building Block/Accessory and its Connectors.

Block: 3D Mesh in which one more Connectors are added.
- Block Skin: Textures, Maps and Shaders applied to a Block

Accessory: Audio/Visual or Virtual Object in which one more Connectors are added.
- FX Objects: Particle Emitters, LensFlares
- 3D Objects: Mesh, Lights, Camera, Sound
- Physics Objects: Cloth, Hit Objects

Connector: A connection point in which a Blocks and Accessories are connected.

- Mount: A external connector added to mesh or internal point defined within the mesh used to connect Parts & Accessories at runtime. Gender determines Parent/Child Relation between block and connector. Mounts have 3 types of Genders: Slot/Peg/Any. Slots are Parented by Blocks, Blocks are Parented by Pegs, Only Slot to Peg relationship allowed between specified Mounts of either gender. If the connection gender is any is used as standard mount

- Bone: two connecting points defined within a mesh used for bone animation. The two points maintain a Parent/Child relationship defined by the animation data. Two Bones connect to each other, at the points of the same name. Bones can be assigned a gender to connect to Mounts and Joints.

- Joint: Dark Physics Rigid Body Joint often used in Machines: 6DOF, Clyindrical, Distance, Fixed, Point in Plane, Point on Line, Prismatic,Pully, Revolute, Sphere.

- Weld: A vertex point defined within a mesh and assigned to be used for (magnetic threshold) welding of two meshes together to create a single seamless mesh. Welds have two genders: Positive|Negative.

The MECS Entity Class

Defines a Game Entity Class, its Parts, and Assembly Hierarchy.

Class Part
- Core: Base Part in which Limb Parts connect. Mandatory for Entity Assembly.
- Limb: Extension Component that connects to Core or Limb.

Common Entity Classes:
* TerraForms (Terrain + Sky + Celetstrial Body + Fluidbody + Cloud)
* Building
* Structure
* Trees & Plants
* Character Head
* Character Body
* Firearm
* Projectile
* Melee Weapon
* Prop
* Furniture
* Vehicle and Crafts
* Machines
* Items (Single Block with Connectors)

The MECS Entity

Defines a individual Instance of a Entity Class

Entity Part: Single Construct or Composite Construct

MECS XML Format

Show us a tech demo. Otherwise nobody cares and you have in fact not accomplished anything.

I have to agree with Cash. Coming up with elaborate concepts and actually putting them to work are entirely different things. I see a new concept every day from you (well not literally, I don't read your thread that often) but not so many practical demonstrations.

You're trying to create a market for something out of thin air, and it just doesn't work that way.

This is bordering on a team request because you want people to sign onto your idea of making 3d modelling parts pack which, curiously enough, so far is something specific only you need in your current project. Your QA plan requires a council? Where do you see people forming councils in TGC-Land? We can't even get people to agree on gosub vs function!

Like others have said, you really need to code this system yourself, get it working fairly well, and get a friend to make some media for you. You are putting the cart before the horse here... lots of work left for you to do before involving the community, in my opinion.

Agreed. I'm working on one.

No need to exaggerate. I post game/game dev concepts here to usually to get input before I start coding demos and etc. Some concepts would take a lot of work and I simply dont want to stray to far from my primary project. This is one concept that I'm actually developing for my project and realized that it could possibly be useful to others. If you thought about a customizing system in your game then perhaps what I propose here would be useful to you or you may have better ideas. Either way, lets discuss.

I'm not trying to create a market, I am the market. I'm a programming-centric game developer with weak 3D Skills who has purchased Model Packs. I want more variety and I'm certain I'm not the only one.

This is a input request, nothing more. When I'm ready for 3D Artist I will post in 3D Arists Forums (after a demo is ready). I want input from other game developers in my situation. Did I explain the concept well enough? Perhaps I did not. I was hoping that others could generate input on the idea of using a `A Standardized System of Modelled Parts & Connectors to assemble countless variations of Game Entities` without a demo for now.

Maybe its a sucky idea and no one else could use it. Maybe it could be done another way. I don't know, but, finding out is the point of the post. Hopefully I get more input on the concept, not on posting it.