Vectors!

 

 This video is my attempt to explain the very basics of vectors and how to use them.  I specifically hit on normalization and how that is useful.

Local and global coordinate systems

 

I wanted to get several videos done today, but life has a way of getting busy.  I have done quite a bit of work on the game in reference to trying to figure out the right way to code a chase cam that will act the way I want.  I think I have a good start and so now I am doing the videos.  The first is this one that talks about coordinate systems so that we have a basis for some of the code I had to write.  Next we will talk vectors.

3DConnexion SpaceNavigator profile for Blender 2.5

I had a request from my YouTube channel for the SpaceNavigator profile I use in Blender 2.5, so here it is: http://sites.google.com/site/subspacegames/blender.xml. Feel free to use it and modify it all you want.  If you have no idea what I am talking about, my video for the SpaceNavigator is here.

Added some walls

 

Nothing too exciting on this one--I didn't have as much time as I would have liked, but we now have walls and I increased the power of the ball.

Vid 8 - Publishing a playable game to a website in ShiVa3D

 

Finally!  We publish the game to the internet.  Don't expect a lot at this stage - I merely want to put something up so that you can see how easy it is to publish and so you can go from watching the videos to actually interacting with the game.  I want to send out a big thanks to Mat at My Design for donating the server space for the game.

Vid 7 - Materials in ShiVa3D

 

Added some basic colors to our objects to get the game ready for posting to the internet.

Vid 6 - Adding more control to an object in ShiVa3D

 

 Ok, I was able to finish my video with my new software.  In this one we add some more code to make the ball return to its starting point after it comes to rest.  I recorded 3 videos tonight, so get ready for the spam! =)

I changed my video software...

Ok, so after the vid 5 debacle where my software cut off the last 3 minutes of my video and after having my video software crash all the time, I did some research and found HyperCam 2 and it is fantastic!  I'm sure my other software had settings I could have played with that would have made things easier, but HyperCam worked wonders right out of the box and it's free on top of that!  My videos are orders of magnitude smaller than my old ones and the quality seems to be just as good.  Anyway, give them a try.  The only thing I don't like so much is that the screen doesn't follow my cursor without holding down other keys while I move my mouse.

Enabling and Disabling an Object's Physics Controller in ShiVa3D

 

I just realized I never posted this video to my blog!  Mainly because I do this at night and sometimes I let the videos upload while I go to bed.  In this video I disable the physics on the ball and then go about changing the code so that the physics gets re-enabled when the mouse button is clicked.  I also set a boolean flag so that I can tell when the ball is in play -- important for disabling the ability to add more force to the ball after it has been launched.

Setting AI Variables and Basic Event Handling

 

This video demonstrates how to set variables in another AI.  For those of you that haven't been watching the videos, the AI modules contain all the code to run the game.  You define behaviors and actions in the AI and then attach it to a game object.  The game itself has an AI that is responsible for handling all of the events that are generated during the game such as screen touches, mouse button clicks, etc.  The video shows how to pass events to a secondary object from the game AI and how to do the same with data.

I'm hoping to start doing a few videos a night so that we can make some progess.  The last couple of nights have not worked out the way I wanted because the hard drive on my computer is getting too full of all the videos and so it crashes in the middle of recording.  Hopefully I will be getting another hard drive soon to clear out the videos.

Vid 2 - Basic Objects, Physics and Collisions in Shiva3D

Shiva3D PolyTrail Editor Overview

 

Yay!  Finally done with the "overview" videos so now we can start the actual game development.  I still plan to have basic prototypes available online, but I also need to verify with Stonetrip that it is okay to use the web plugin functionality for testing while I am using the free version of Shiva3D.  I plan to buy a license ASAP, but on my tight budget I will need to save up - it's around $200.  Of course, if you want to click on my ads, I may get there quicker =)

Particle Effects Overview in Shiva3D

Shiva3D Material Editor Overview

Shiva 3D Log Reporter overview

 

Shiva3D 3D Game Engine AIModel Editor Basics

 

We're getting there!  This video shows the basics of the AIModel Editor which serves as the brains of the whole operation.  I like the way you can package a set of behaviors into the AI and then attach it to whatever model needs that functionality.

Attribute Editor in Shiva3D

 

I busted out a bunch of video last night so that I could get to the actual work on the game.  I will be posting 6 more video over the next 2 days and then it's off to the races!

Game Editor overview in Shiva3D

Demo of using the 3Dconnexion SpaceNavigator in Blender 2.5 and Shiva

 

I had a user ask for a demo, so I spun up this video.

Shiva Data Explorer module overview

 

The Data Explorer module within Shiva gives you control over your assets.  You can create, import and organize models, textures, particle effects, etc.  This video will introduce you to the basics.