I didnt know whether to post this here or in the tools section, so i just posted it here, as some of you know i have been planning and working on a cut screen maker.... well i know have a few first screens... and of course keep in mind this is a WIP so dont expect any graphic polishing to be done yet in fact this is just a basic framework so far

IMPLEMENTED (so far):
-objects can be freely moved
-objects can be freely rotated
-movable view
-node based track system for the entity to run on
-the ability to add nodes
-The ability to watch objects run there tracks
-300 node places per object
-Speed Changes per nod.


PLANNED:
-Saving and loading of scene files
-Easy integration with projects
-Support for animation.
-Auto-Pointing*
-Auto-Gravity*


*=more explaination below

AUTO-POINTING:
Allows selected objects rotation to automatically adjust to point towards another object. Pan, Tilt, and Roll can be disabled so for instance you dont want a players human model to be rotated on a 45 degree tilt.

AUTO-GRAVITY:
Automatically sets object on the first platform under it, reducing time wasted, manually aligning him on the ground.


Screens:






DOWNLOADABLE VERSION:
http://www.lostclimategames.com/images/Movie_0001.wmv


YOUTUBE VERSION:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=7d3s7Fry-AQ

wow, this tool looks really cool and usefull

might i ask though, how do we implement this into our game, and how smooth can paths be (and how long??).

also, are you able te setup speed for the camera to something else then was shown in the movie, or even better can speed be maintained differentle after every node?

it's a great beginning for sure!
keep it up.

regards,

Looks great and handy. I have a few questions:

1. How difficult will it be to implement the cut-scene into a project?
   
2. Is it possible to smooth the corners of the camera path?
   
3. Can you change the camera speed from node to node or even create acceleration to the camera movement?
   

Splines can be used to claculate a smooth path, given some cornerpoints,
you might try to implement them,
I have seen it done this way in another game-campath edtor (Paraworld)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spline_%28mathematics%29


Would be great, if you could make some nodes (writing the node-id in skill 1 for example)
in Wed, and a "camera" entity
and assign some simple Paths, like
Go to node 1,2,3,4,5
with the speed 5,3, and focus on the targetnode 10.
By giving parameters to the camerentities skills.

Or something like that.

And whenever some action accurs, the cameraentity takes over the
camera, and follows the path, while focussing on the targetpoint,
or the next (or the one after that) waypointnode.

@Dennis_fantasy and Frank_G, So far the paths can be 300 nodes long, these nodes can be spaced out as far or as close as you want (even in the same place if you want lets say an object to stay stationary to talk and whatnot) The camera speed can be changed, i added that last night after i made the movies, and as far as implementing it in your game this is how it'd go, you copy your level to to the cutscreen folder, then you edit the wdl file to change to the name of your level, this makes it so your level is visible when editing, assign the usable_object option to all objects that you'd like to edit with run it, make your nodes, then save, it will save its own scene files, which you'd copy back to your project folder, and all you have to do is then call a funtion and it will run it for you.

@damocles, i didnt implement it with weds pathsystem, as i find thiers, very unhandy. As far as splines go, im not sure if ill be implementing them in the first version (i might tho), but i am thinking of at a later time coming out with a second version with a lot more advanced features. Please remember that i am only thinking of this second one, so don't "expect" it or the splines, but one or both might happen.

EDIT: something i forgot to add was that you can edit more than just the camera position, i forgot to add in the video, but you can move around any object who's action was set to usable_object, also forgot in the feature list that animiations will be supported.

This looks soooooooo promesing lostclimate !!
I think it would be a great help for all 3DGS users to be able to creat cutscenes
If you, like you said, could implant all those features, it would be one hell of a tool
Can't wait to see the end result of this

Cheers

Frazzle

Looking good. Keep in mind that splines are going to become part of the path system when they make it out of expermental stage. From beta:

Quote:

---

path_spline calculates a spline curve and can be used for smoothly moving actors, vehicles, or cameras along a path.

path_length calculates the total length of a path, and updates the individual edge lengths.

---

it looks helpful, but i can't say anything big, until animations are included, and we can see a video of the cutscene after it was saved, so i will have to wait before i rate, or comment on it...

got most of the animations done, most of the final gui (which i quite like), and im partially set up so you can navigate back and forth between nodes, i also have it set up so that auto-gravity and auto-pointing is set up, and am working out all the little development bugs, that i left from when i started the project. All and all i am about 70% of the way to the Beta test phase, which wont last long, and from there it will be released I am going to be taking applications for 2 beta testers, that will get half off of the full price, which i've decided on approximately $15, the requirements for beta testing are-
-Plans to buy the software
-Knows enough about C-script to help with some of the bugs
-Has enough time to sit down and play with it for a while

If your interested, contact me at:
lostclimategames (at) yahoo (dot) com

I just stumbled across this old movie from this and noticed that before this project was Iced, I never showed a screen of the updated gui, it makes me sad since I was really proud of it, I think if I ever get free time again, I might remake this, and hopefully finish it. Too bad I lost the old version.