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Extending the Plateau Program |
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Plateau2 is an extended version of the original Plateau program that lets you add .x objects to your world. To begin: Download Plat2.Zip (557 Kb)
Unzip this file into its own folder and have a look at the ReadMe.txt file for an explanation of what is in the included files. 1. Run Plateau2 from Dark EDIT. Press the 'o' key and experiment with the object placement commands until you are comfortable with them. 2. Look at the file Level1.txt and then examine the code in the Plateau2 and LoadAndSaveObjects modules to figure out what this file contains. How is the file managed by the program? Understand how the program manipulates objects. Look at the DBExtensions module again as it has changed a little to incorporate things I learned since the previous version.
3. You don't want to loose the nice additions you have made to your version of the Plateau program, so backup your working version, then modify it so that it to can place and save object arrangements. Do this by stealing code and the
Objects
subfolder from the Plateau2 program. Replace your old
DBExtensions
and
LoadPlateau
modules with the new versions, and add the new
LoadAndSaveObjects
module to your project. Get your version of Plateau working before proceeding to the next step. 1. Look at the next page to see the sketch of Level 1 that was made as an aid to the placement and naming of objects. Examine the list of objects that are supplied in the Objects subfolder.
2. Make a similar diagram of the level you are building, then figure out, mark and name the objects you will be using. This will be the basis
for much later work, so make sure to run through your level many times in your mind before proceeding. A mistake here will cost you later. Making and Texturing Objects 1. Download the trial version of 3DCanvas from: www.amabilis.com and install it. Place a link to this program in the DarkBASIC folder. 2. Run 3D Canvas and change the way the screen behaves as follows: Click Tools/Options/Editing. Now, in the Grid section, set the Origin to x= -50,y=0, z= -50. Set the size to 100 and the interval to 10. The Show Horizontal box should be checked. These settings make the screen easier to manage when working on objects that will become .x files. 3. Fiddle with 3D Canvas until you can make your own .x objects and color/texture them. Tutorials can be found at the web site above. This will take some time, but 3D Canvas is quite cool once you master the basics. The Pro version costs $50 and allows you to do unwraps and wraps to produce things like the apple tree used in the supplied Plateau level.
Note:
Just by changing the bitmaps in the Objects subfolder you can affect how objects will be textured. You must, however, use the same names for your new bitmaps and a change may affect more than one piece as I used some bitmaps, especially RedStripe, in many of the models. Refer to your sketch and add the needed objects to your level using your new, improved version of Plateau. Save the resulting object set as Level???.txt, where ??? is replaced by your initials. Ok, you are probably breathing pretty hard after that workout. Now the real fun begins --- making the world. |
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