Sorry your browser is not supported!

You are using an outdated browser that does not support modern web technologies, in order to use this site please update to a new browser.

Browsers supported include Chrome, FireFox, Safari, Opera, Internet Explorer 10+ or Microsoft Edge.

AppGameKit/AppGameKit Studio Showcase / animated model using v1 tier 1 (demo and source code included)

Author
Message
29 games
18
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 23rd Nov 2005
Location: not entirely sure
Posted: 27th Mar 2014 14:19 Edited at: 27th Mar 2014 14:51
This is a little project I've been working to see if I could come up with some 3D animation code that's usable within a game using tier 1.



I also created a little animation editor, also written in v1 tier 1. It's not a full blown editor but just allows me to set up and save a single key frame.



In the download is the demo used for the first video and the demo source code [edit: it might actually help if I attached the demo]

Attachments

Login to view attachments
Van B
Moderator
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 8th Oct 2002
Location: Sunnyvale
Posted: 27th Mar 2014 14:47
Cool stuff, things end up a bit like they were with DBClassic, hierarchy animation and cheating

It can be tricky to work with keyframes and interpolation, but it's well worth doing, I see it as a really positive thing, when someone decides to do the work, rather than just moaning about lack of features

The cool thing about doing it this way, is you can instantly swap out a limb for another object, like a gun being carried, or a body part being destroyed. Also you could ragdoll the whole model, add constraints and velocity... Ok it might be difficult to get top quality ragdolls, but I'm sure people would get something they are happy with, it all has to start with a keyframe editor and a bit of determination.

I am the one who knocks...
29 games
18
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 23rd Nov 2005
Location: not entirely sure
Posted: 27th Mar 2014 15:03
Thanks.

I know what you mean about things feeling a bit like using DBClassic, even down to the ropey editor (anyone who thinks AppGameKit tier 1 editor is bad should try using DBC's default editor). It takes a bit more creativity and thought to over the perceived limitations before you hit the actual limitations. After that it's just down to what your interested in doing and individual talent to make something good.

Van B
Moderator
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 8th Oct 2002
Location: Sunnyvale
Posted: 27th Mar 2014 16:52
Precisely... there are far too many people who don't want to use 3D in AppGameKit just because... ok they may have valid reasons - but I find that it's better to play the sport you have a bat for , like if we can use limb based animation but want to make a FPS game, then hell we better make it with robots instead... and why not! - Titanfall is COD with a robot and the polar opposite of what anyone who wants a mech game actually wants. The most difficult methods always end up being the most useful. I mean fast forward 3 years... AGKv2 is out, with bone animated models dancing about the place - but people still need to animate, and some people can't even afford the £20 that some animation packages cost. When AppGameKit evolves, this can evolve with it, and I hope it does, I also hope this encourages people to adapt their game ideas to what AppGameKit is capable of right now, instead of waiting on AGKv2 delivering exactly what they want.

I am the one who knocks...
aviles22
10
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 1st Dec 2013
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posted: 7th Apr 2014 15:21
Quote: "Precisely... there are far too many people who don't want to use 3D in AppGameKit just because"


Because...... Why? Is there something I should know? Pretty much why I'm investing much time in AGK. Is AppGameKit limited or not sufficient enough for future 3D gaming APPS?
Van B
Moderator
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 8th Oct 2002
Location: Sunnyvale
Posted: 7th Apr 2014 16:57
Well 3D in AGKv1 probably won't get any better, AGKv2 will have much better 3D support, probably better than DBPro by the time it's done.

It can be tricky to get shaders working, there are no extra cameras, and no vertex modification so no bone animation and stuff like that.

People will always need hierarchy animation though, so even when AGKv2 comes out with it's bone animation built in - we'll still need to move limbs, and vertex animation is overkill for that, it actually makes the problem worse.

For example, maybe one thing that your program can do - is just load up an OBJ file, and let the user place doors, or other moving parts.

Or maybe you spend time on custom rigs, so you can specify a joint and what constraints it has, what controls it - for setting up complex level geometry, vehicles etc.

Or maybe when AGKv2 is out, you let people use animated meshes as limbs... you might have 2 arms for example, with lots of movements for things like reloading a pistol, or throwing a grenade, basically 2 arms that are already animated. Then, you rig up a gun with the arms in your program, animate the firing, reloading etc all with limb animation with mesh animated arms. What that would give is not just a useful animation system for guns, but it would be easier, quicker, and produce better results. When you have your own animation system, there's nothing to stop you adding cool stuff like brass eject effects on guns as well as having a nicer workflow.

Stick with it I say, expand it to support as much as you can, like setting up shaders, setting up particle eject locations and weapon trajectories... that sort of thing, the stuff that AppGameKit can do well and more people will do once it's made a bit easier. Don't procrastinate waiting on AGKv2, just keep at it I say

I am the one who knocks...
Jack
19
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 4th Oct 2004
Location: [Germany]
Posted: 8th Apr 2014 19:28 Edited at: 9th Apr 2014 08:07
This looks very impressive by the fact of the missing commandset.

Your app reminds me to an old game called gnome. A really inspiring demo but there is a lack of a good terrain to walk on.

I would really like to see your robot walking on a terrain generated by the game. Well, currently not possible :S
As mentioned before, its no use to compain. Let me see what I can do.

Edit:
http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=210685&b=41&p=0 - Thanks for the inspiration for more workarounds

[/center]
29 games
18
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 23rd Nov 2005
Location: not entirely sure
Posted: 10th Apr 2014 14:17 Edited at: 10th Apr 2014 14:18
Thanks for the comments, Jack, although I tend not to think of things like this as "work arounds". AppGameKit is a very flexible piece of software and all I'm doing is making the most of that flexibility. It's why I use AppGameKit in the first place.

I made my own models and animation in DBC and managed to make an entire FPS game, albeit single level and not particularly good, entirely in DBC code:

http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=176499&b=10

Projects like this are a great way of getting in some coding and problem solving practice and generally keeping the creative juices alive.

29 games
18
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 23rd Nov 2005
Location: not entirely sure
Posted: 29th May 2014 17:52
It's almost a game!



OK, this isn't yet a game, the enemy AI is just a lash up for the video.

What I've managed to do is separate the upper and lower body animation, so the robot can now run and shoot or swing their sword.

I'm finding doing the actual animation fairly straight forward now, the difficult bit was getting the player input, the animation and the movement and other actions to work together properly but I think I've got it.

I think I'm now at a point where I can think about making a proper game out of this.

Van B
Moderator
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 8th Oct 2002
Location: Sunnyvale
Posted: 30th May 2014 13:46
Looks great!, really smooth

I guess you could even add in some IK, for things like feet laying flat on the ground, or even have the foot on the ground act as the pivot point. Then there's the option of having limbs break off etc - lots you can do when you take control over this stuff.

I am the one who knocks...
easter bunny
11
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 20th Nov 2012
Playing: Dota 2
Posted: 4th Jun 2014 10:31
That looks great!

Quote: "Precisely... there are far too many people who don't want to use 3D in AppGameKit just because"

The reason I don't use 3D in AppGameKit is simple. I'm an absolutely terrible artist! I can pull off 2D games because there are so many resources out there that I can modify for my needs, but any 3D game requires modelling skills, something I don't have.
To give an example of just how bad I am at art.
I did not draw one single image in Ryder, even the triangle on the play button was found on the internet (and overlayed onto the button, also found on the internet). The bike? Found a pic on the internet (of a real one) and modded it to fit my needs.
That's why I don't do 3D


Audacia Games - Latest WIP - AUTOMAYTE 2.1, AppGameKit one click deploy to Android
"When you've finished 90% of your game, you only have 90% left"
Van B
Moderator
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 8th Oct 2002
Location: Sunnyvale
Posted: 4th Jun 2014 18:00
Yeah, 3D can be a bit of a pain to learn, and most packages do far too much, more than AppGameKit is really ready for. But I guess one advantage is that this technique is probably easier than other animation systems - it only has to do what it has to do, it isn't worrying about kinetics and mesh deformation and all that stuff, it's object angles of offsets, the sort of thing we can delve right into.

I've got an embarassing amount of 3D software and art packages, yet I still use Rhino3D, PSP9, UltimateUnwrap, and CharacterFX - all of them pretty much stuck in the DX9 era, but really straightforward to use.

Those fancy packages scare the heck out of me, I'd rather be out of style than out of my depth

I am the one who knocks...
29 games
18
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 23rd Nov 2005
Location: not entirely sure
Posted: 6th Jun 2014 17:23
Thanks for the comments.

If you're no good at 3D art then that a perfectly good reason not to make 3D games.

I agree with VanB in that there's a lot to learn and when you add that against all the other things that you need to be able to do to make a game then I can understand why people stay clear of it.

I use Blender for all my 3d needs as it does everything I want in a single package, mainly being able to create the 3D model and do the UV unwrap. I can do hierarchically animation with it but have no idea how to do bone / mesh animations. So even if AppGameKit could support animated models, I'd still be doing robots.

SoftMotion3D
AGK Developer
18
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 24th Aug 2005
Location: Calgary,Alberta
Posted: 6th Jun 2014 20:43 Edited at: 6th Jun 2014 20:44
dang that is really smooth!

I may look into something similar to handle animations!

Infact! I really love what you have done here! Im gunna see if I can make a similar command set to dbclassic!


since I could probably get something like this coded before .x support comes along...im gunna get started now!
Very inspirational!

Login to post a reply

Server time is: 2024-03-28 21:18:21
Your offset time is: 2024-03-28 21:18:21