Friday - March 14, 2008

Web Exercise for Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Make sure to read the Web Exercise for Monday below, first.

1.  Visit Tutorial #4 on the Irrlicht Sourceforge page.

2.  Recompile using a Maya camera.  Experiment with the settings.

You'll find information about scene nodes in Irrlicht on this page of the API, but you'll have to go hunting a bit for the actual camera code, since you would not normally have access to it without the entire source.

3. *For bonus, modify the Maya camera scene node in the original code and recompile Irrlicht for a different type of movement or use of the keyboard or mouse.

4.  Check out these forums for a bit:  http://irrlicht.sourceforge.net/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=5

5.  Particularly, make sure to read this one:  http://irrlicht.sourceforge.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=11666 and the second page that goes with it:  http://irrlicht.sourceforge.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=11666&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15

6.  We have not had particular luck with the other export formats, unfortunately, even the COLLADA format.  (See more on COLLADA here.)  For bonus, see if you can get the COLLADA exporter and format to work in exporting your character from Maya and importing into Irrlicht.

7.  For now, though, this Mel script should work.  Look to the bottom of the second forum page and get this script (http://www.3drobert.com/cgtalk/XExporterVer2.zip).  It should work to export your rigged and animated character from Maya to Irrlicht.

8.  Go back to the Tutorial 4 that you've been working with so far.  Try using the exporter to get your character (add some animations if you haven't) from Maya into Tutorial #4.  Replace the Sydney character.  You may have to put your texture file (perhaps a .bmp or .jpg) in a known folder.  Reference your character .x file and texture file instead of Sydney.

9.  Good luck.  Don't get frustrated.  Have fun.

10.  Have a good Easter break and get your characters, terrains, and 2-D games finished and submitted by Monday, March 24.  Have them ready to present in class.

Friday - March 14, 2008

Web Exercise for Monday, March 17, 2008

Read Section 2.3 in 3D Game Engine Design starting on page 43.

1.  What defines the corners of the viewing frustrum?  Write the formulas:

2.  If viewing a point X in 3-D space, what is the formula of the point on the near clipping plane?

Read 2.3.2 and 2.3.3

3.  What is the difference between model space and world space?

4.  In a very simplfieid answer, how does one get from coordinates in one to the other?

Read the first couple paragraphs of 2.3.4 on page 50.

5.  What is the difference between world space and camera space?

Read the parts of 2.3.5 on pages 52 and 53.  Objects are clipped and projected.  (Stored in homogeneous coordinate form, then converted with perspective divide).

Read the first paragraph of 2.3.6.

6.  What is the difference between camera space and window space?

7.  What does n.d.c. represent?  and what is the final conversion / transformation that needs to take place?  

Overall, how many matrix transformations are necessary?  You can read 2.3.7 to see these examples.

8.  You can see sample code for a triangle and projections on pages 61--65.

9.  Where do you think these transformations are located in Irrlicht?  Are they public or private?  Can you find them?

10.  Email or print and submit your answers by Wed., March 19.

Tuesday - January 29, 2008

 Homework for Monday, February 7.

Complete the character modeling (no shading nor rigging necessary, yet) for The Game Artist's Guide.

Complete tutorial #1 for Irrlicht.  (It's included with the download and also detailed further on the Irrlicht website).

Make sure to keep up with the reading and material in class.  We'll have a few quizzes on the basics.

Tuesday - January 22, 2008

 Homework due Wednesday, January 23.

Finish one of the six characters that we began modeling the first day of class.  We'll do some shading and rigging after this modeling practice.