Dear coders,
I am building a 3d-gamebuilder, which seems to be a lot of fun. I mean: a LOT of it, so I wouldn't mind sharing all this fun a bit with some other coder(s). I write the program in Blitz3D, the .DLL's are written in Delphi.
The program is intended to be used in a series of "GameDesign" courses after the summer. The program and course are aimed at kids aged 11/12. However, people of all ages seem to be interested.
I would like the program to be a short introduction to gamebuilding. However, it should also enable you to create actual games.
I was thinking about the following parts:
(1) 2d painting (for title screens/fonts/etc or unwrapped textures)
(2) 3d object modelling from scratch (3d clay and extrude)
(3) painting on objects (sort of like paintmesh)
(4) world builder
(5) character designer
(6) game designer/code generator
(7) code editor, maybe in a graphical interface?
(8) sounds&music editor
I made a simple netgame using BlitzPlay, the lite version, which I would also like to include in the program.
This is what I made so far:
(The castle is used, ofcourse, only for testing purposes.)
The idea is that the program can be used to show how 3d games are built. The user could focus to a certain part of 3d gamebuilding while the program handles the rest.
The program should be compatible with Windows standards. It should load and export .x, .3ds, .bmp, .jpg, .mp3/.wav/.mid
This will enable people to grow into a certain part of gamebuilding and then move on to a more specific program, without abandoning their old work.
For instance: If later on, the user moves on to a more sophisticated 3d modelling program, the gamebuilder is still able to load his/hers .3ds models.
Another idea is generate code with the program, so people can continue their work in Blitz3D (or VB/C++).
I know there are some good programs available. This program would be different because it is free, sort of complete and aimed at a young audience. It is educational software in a way: it shows people how to build a 3d game.
I would like it to have the "feel" of a toy. It should be solid, stable and clear. And it should look nice.
The coding style should be clear enough to withstand what I learnt to be the reading-it-back-after-a-year-and-still-understanding-it test.
I am aiming for a modulair design, so that each part can be developed separately. This way "maintenance" should be the easiest.
I am an experienced coder, 28 years old. I live in the Netherlands.
This project started November last year and in the meanwhile I found out a lot of techniques that are helpfull. For instance how to triangulation a polygon nicely.
Two people have offered their help with creating example 3d models and helping out on the painting program.
I believe this software is going to be fun to write and use. I would like to invite coders to join this project.
Now I am on the point of rewriting the "core" program for the 3rd time. That would be the part that handles the menu's, disk operations, 3d world, undo's etc. I expect this to take 2-4 weeks. I think this is a good point to get involved, since we can still decide how the main structure is set up.
I would like a (usable) version of the program to be finished after the summer break. Then I would like to build a simple webpage with a forum and links to other 3d gamebuilding related sites. Any updates can be downloaded from this site.
If you have any idea's or suggestions, they are too welcome.
Greetings,
bram
I am building a 3d-gamebuilder, which seems to be a lot of fun. I mean: a LOT of it, so I wouldn't mind sharing all this fun a bit with some other coder(s). I write the program in Blitz3D, the .DLL's are written in Delphi.
The program is intended to be used in a series of "GameDesign" courses after the summer. The program and course are aimed at kids aged 11/12. However, people of all ages seem to be interested.
I would like the program to be a short introduction to gamebuilding. However, it should also enable you to create actual games.
I was thinking about the following parts:
(1) 2d painting (for title screens/fonts/etc or unwrapped textures)
(2) 3d object modelling from scratch (3d clay and extrude)
(3) painting on objects (sort of like paintmesh)
(4) world builder
(5) character designer
(6) game designer/code generator
(7) code editor, maybe in a graphical interface?
(8) sounds&music editor
I made a simple netgame using BlitzPlay, the lite version, which I would also like to include in the program.
This is what I made so far:
(The castle is used, ofcourse, only for testing purposes.)
The idea is that the program can be used to show how 3d games are built. The user could focus to a certain part of 3d gamebuilding while the program handles the rest.
The program should be compatible with Windows standards. It should load and export .x, .3ds, .bmp, .jpg, .mp3/.wav/.mid
This will enable people to grow into a certain part of gamebuilding and then move on to a more specific program, without abandoning their old work.
For instance: If later on, the user moves on to a more sophisticated 3d modelling program, the gamebuilder is still able to load his/hers .3ds models.
Another idea is generate code with the program, so people can continue their work in Blitz3D (or VB/C++).
I know there are some good programs available. This program would be different because it is free, sort of complete and aimed at a young audience. It is educational software in a way: it shows people how to build a 3d game.
I would like it to have the "feel" of a toy. It should be solid, stable and clear. And it should look nice.
The coding style should be clear enough to withstand what I learnt to be the reading-it-back-after-a-year-and-still-understanding-it test.
I am aiming for a modulair design, so that each part can be developed separately. This way "maintenance" should be the easiest.
I am an experienced coder, 28 years old. I live in the Netherlands.
This project started November last year and in the meanwhile I found out a lot of techniques that are helpfull. For instance how to triangulation a polygon nicely.
Two people have offered their help with creating example 3d models and helping out on the painting program.
I believe this software is going to be fun to write and use. I would like to invite coders to join this project.
Now I am on the point of rewriting the "core" program for the 3rd time. That would be the part that handles the menu's, disk operations, 3d world, undo's etc. I expect this to take 2-4 weeks. I think this is a good point to get involved, since we can still decide how the main structure is set up.
I would like a (usable) version of the program to be finished after the summer break. Then I would like to build a simple webpage with a forum and links to other 3d gamebuilding related sites. Any updates can be downloaded from this site.
If you have any idea's or suggestions, they are too welcome.
Greetings,
bram