Cocos2d-x supports the physics engines Box2D and Chipmunk and i used it until now via Cocos2d-x objects like cocos2d::PhysicsWorld or cocos2d::PhysicsJoint (we're talking C++ here). Now i want to integrate some custom Joint that is available for Box2D. Also, i experience problems with tunneling at high speed that i hope to get rid of by implementing some objects directly with Box2D (b2World etc.).
Is it possible to define some Box2D objects and just add them to the Cocos2d-X physics? And if it's not, do i have to reimplement the whole physics stuff from world-start to fixture-end?
The official Box2D tutorial doesn't mention the native objects at all and seems be a little outdated.
It seems no one is willing to answer this.
As i progressed i can give others looking for an answer the hint, that i think you have to adapt completely to Box2D, create a b2world, add b2bodies etc.
For me it wasn't complicated and the simulation is much more accurate. It solved the problems i was facing with the cocos2dx-objects, so if you run into problems like tunneling or want to use more sophisticated features of Box2D, i'd suggest switching.
Related
I am very interested in CG. However, it might be time consuming to write a program based on OpenSceneGraph .So, I was wondering of writing a plugin for Maya and use the strong rendering of Maya to apply my algorithm.
I have downloaded the student version of Maya. However, still not sure:
Is it free to develop plugins based on Maya SDK if only for academic purpose?
How "deep" I can change the software?(Can I change the meshing result by changing the meshing algorithm? Can I add a new docking widget in the Graphics Scene?)
Thanks a lot
Yes, for plugins you need a id range if you wish to share them. Its not really easy tough. Maya has a really deep hardcore philosophy, if you try to use Maya the wrong way it will totally freak at you. After that point everything you do will be a serious uphill battle.
Meshing. Depends a bit on what meshing stage in Maya your
talking about? The one used by the view port? Sure, not really a stroll in the park. The one used by mentalray, perhaps, not sure, tough you can always emit the result.
Docking widget, sure no problem.
I'd like to ask you if it's worth it to use the TDD concept while creating a 3D game in C++ with Ogre? I know I can use it while creating my algorithms (like path-finding, AI, paging, etc.) and the game logic, but can it be used to test the drawing side? I mean if the proper objects are drawn, if the proper animation is set & used and a lot of other "things" that I don't want to enumerate.
I've been searching about it for days but I haven't found the answer that I can accept.
Basically which part of game development should be done with TDD and which part not? Does 3D game development need TDD?
Ogre uses so many Singletons and other global state, I find it difficult to see how you could implement meaningful tests for it- even ignoring the difficulty of testing the accuracy of a rendered image.
I am doing a scientific project in C++ and I need to draw simple animated 3-d images of moving atomic groups. What is a good and convenient graphics library to do that? Some general remarks are also appreciated. I work in Linux.
Thank you in advance, Roman
OpenGL of course,
one library you could use is glut for that.
have a look on http://nehe.gamedev.net/
If you want to show 3D in linux, you should use OpenGL. But since it is a C library, you can use a wrapper, like for example glt or sfml
The easiest library to use is Vtk. A more difficult and slower, but potentially better rasterization can be achieved using POVRAY.
I suggest looking at game oriented graphics engines. They provide OO wrappers around openGL and have lots of utility functions for loading 3d model formats etc.
If you don't want to get bogged down in writing the graphics, a game oriented renderer is likely the fastest way for you to get stuff on screen.
Ogre may be a good choice - it has a fairly large and helpful community.
Irrlicht is another possibility.
There are several possibilities, some perhaps more suitable than others, obviously!
I think any one of the options mentioned above would serve to do so.
I personally recommend OSG.
http://www.openscenegraph.org/projects/osg
I've always been inspired by dynamic, futuristic-like user interfaces. The best I can describe is a graphic interface such as in the latest Iron Man movies.
Although I wouldn't build a full blown application, I would like to make little snipplets of animations that I plan to make interactive. And maybe put them together someday to make something bigger. Admittedly, I will use for audio manipulation in the future but anyway, that's not the point since it's the animations/graphics I'm unsure of.
I know it's possible to make those kind of animations in Adobe After Effects. I'm just having a hard time thinking of the processes (artistically and programmability) to proceed.
While researching on this on my own I have acquired basic experience with OGRE 3D and Blender. I've imported and compiled meshes on OGRE, have been able to do basic things like move the meshes around which is about it.
I'm beginning to think I may be approaching this the wrong way and there are better tools or if 3D is overkill for those kind of animations when 2D would suffice and maybe provide a smoother experience.
I'm having trouble understanding the process and am wondering two things:
1.)The main thing I'm having trouble understanding is how to get still graphics to make animations? Do the meshes keep the timeline from a program like Blender then a graphics engine like OGRE reads the timeline and plays them?
Most importantly:
2.)Do I even need graphics (meshes)? Most of the interface are thin-border boxes, text and shapes of transparent LED-like colors that can move around dynamically to make that futuristic effect.
Please share your opinions, suggestions and anything you think might help me accomplish to develop those kinds of sexy eye candy! Thanks.
When you look at awesome futuristic UIs in movies, they are usually made of
basic primitives
desaturated colors, and/or one color tone
transparency
a cool font or two
high-tech text, graphs or similar
simple animations to make things look "alive", blinking lights/text and similar
a touch interface, of course
Maybe you can't do a lot about the touch interface, but the rest is really not hard graphics wise, it's a matter of carefully crafted artwork and combining simple elements in a cool way.
Also I would look into Adobe Photoshop and fancy texturing rather than Blender and fancy modelling, as you are looking for a fancy 2D UI, and detailed 3D models will not be that important. Playing around in photoshop (well, or GIMP if you want a free alternative) can help you develop your art skills, and help you get that high-tech, sci-fi look on a 2D surface.
You know, I would go as far as to suggest making some sci-fi wallpapers in the style you are after before trying to solve this problem in code. I think you will find that photo manipulation skills and an eye for art will help you here. And for gods sake, look at those movies (Iron Man, Minority Report etc.) that have those UIs you are aiming at, and analyze what exactly they are. Decompose them like I did in the list above.
As for the "which tools should I use?", I say the answer to that is fairly simple:
OpenGL
Photoshop (or GIMP if you are a starving student etc.)
A compiler & toolchain
A code editor/IDE
A cup
I see this is tagged C++, which is an excellent choice of programming language if I may say so.
Ogre is a full blown 3D engine, which is fine, but not exactly targeted at what you want to use it for. You might find that you struggle to get what you want done (disclaimer: I have not tried this in Ogre, and it might work well for this. Then again, when did you last see Ogre used in an audio manipulation program?). My advice is to learn good, simple OpenGL. That would give you complete power over your UI, not get in your way or limit you in any way. It is also cross platform, well documented, and used by tons of developers all over the world (also for audio manipulation applications). I can't see how you could possibly go wrong with it. The fun part is that it probably won't take you long to get advanced enough in it to start developing some pretty nice UIs. As I mentioned, it's more of an art problem than a coding problem.
The cup is for the coffee, by the way. :)
The easiest and most efficient way is to keep track of all your graphics data (meshes, animations, effects) in "media files" and load & play them in runtime. Though you'll be able to easily change your game without changing the code.
For example, you have a Diablo-like game and you wanna turn it to the future-style. You just need to rewrite some player and AI scripts and modify meshes/effects/sounds/animations. But if you've done those via code - it will be a new game from scratch.
I would suggest Ogre, but you already used that, so by my opinion, you are on the right track.
Look up 'billboards' in Ogre documentation, re: LED and 2D stuff.
I want to make some simple 2d games/clones (for Mac), but I have a few questions:
Should I use Quartz 2d or OpenGL (I don't plan to try 3d anytime soon)
There seems to be a lot of typedef'd things like CGFloat/GLfloat, which should I use?
Should I use Objective-C for the game too (classes) or just C? (I assume I'll use Objective-C and Cocoa for window and views.)
Is it fine to redraw the entire view each time? I don't really understand how the NSView's -drawRect dirtyRect parameter works, how does it know what I want to update?
Are there any good tutorials for this?
Thanks.
Quartz or Core Animation vs. OpenGL really depends what you're trying to do. If you want simple drawing and animation, use Quartz or CA. If you want fast/powerful games, use OpenGL. Eventually I'd suggest learning both.
For the typedef'd things, use whichever is meant for the specific system you're using. For Quartz/CA/CG, use CGFloat. For OpenGL, use GLfloat.
Objective-C vs. C also depends on the speed you want. Objective-C adds a little bit of overhead but will (obviously) let you create much more object-oriented games. I'd suggest using Objective-C if you use Quartz and Core Animation, and either Obj-C or C if using OpenGL. However, if you're doing this on a Mac (e.g. not for iPhone), you probably won't see much difference unless you're doing complex fast drawing.
I'm not entirely sure about drawRect, but this question has some information which may answer that question for you.
For an intro to Quartz, I'd recommend this tutorial, and I've always heard the NeHe tutorials recommended for OpenGL.
If you use SDL with either Cairo or OpenGL, you get virtually the same programming model, but you get cross platform compatibility virtually for free. You should even be able to continue using objective C for the bulk of the game, if you want.
How graphically intensive do you want to get? Cairo will probably be easier to just get going with for 2D.