One more question. I am right now learning about matrices (thanks for the links, Alexander Esslinger), and I'd like to know beforehand if I can use them with entity positions. I know they can be used with skins, but can 3DGS also use matrices for manual scaling/rotating/transformation of entities as well? It's just something I'd like to experiment on.

Julian

No. Internally it does that when you use x/y/z, scale_x/y/z or pan/tilt/roll, but you cannot change the matrix directly by script.

GameStudio does implement some matrices functions though, like multipling two matrices or creating the identity matrix, but that's it. The only thing they are imported for now is when using the new material effects. Transforming the model's UVs is also done in effects only.

So is it possible to transform angels of a matrix to another one (object matrix to world matrix so I can rotate a turret on my spaceship)? How can I do that?

So is it possible to transform angels of a matrix to another one (object matrix to world matrix so I can rotate a turret on my spaceship)? How can I do that?

So is it possible to transform angels of a matrix to another one (object matrix to world matrix so I can rotate a turret on my spaceship)? How can I do that?

What do you mean by rotating the angles of a matrix?

@ MK.1:

Do you mean using matrices to rotate an entity relative to its world pan, tilt, and roll? This is something I've really wanted to do!

Julian

A very good reference:
Meyer, Carl. (2000). Matrix analysis and applied linear algebra. Published by the Society for Industrial and Applied Maths (SIAM). Meyer is pretty definitive for matrices. If you peruse any of the standard computer graphics textbooks (e.g. Foley, Watt, etc.) you'll notice that a few topics recur (1) Homogenous coordinate systems, (2) matrices including inversion-rotation-transformation, and (3) vectors. You can throw in a big bundle of partial differential equation theory as well (continuous functions and friends)- cf. Calculus and Analytical Geometry. Unfortunately, I know of no book entitled 'Matrices without tears'.

It depends on what you mean concerning your animations question(s).... You can actually use a matrix to deform your terrain or model! But to use it for animation would cost some time, and then again bones-animation is way easier... You should be able to adjust these animations (quasi-)realtime with c-script, so.........