Game Development Community

by Bil Simser· in Torque Game Engine· 05/17/2004 (8:54 pm) · 29 replies Lasermfd 6050 driver.

Download Gamespace for free. Gamespace is a game match-making service with a sense of community. The service supports unlimited chat rooms, clans, game challenges, and more. Gamespace is a game match-making service with a sense of community. Grande liste de logiciels gratuits. Graphisme Visualisateurs.

I got the e-mail, too.

Quote:Of course, it does have some restrictions that make it significantly different from the full gameSpace1.5 - you can only save models of up to 650 polygons, scenes of up to 5000 polygons, most of the import and export formats are removed (you still have .X for using the models in your games or code!), rendering is limited in size and will have a watermark, and you cannot load plug-ins into gameSpace Light.

And from the FAQ on GS Lite:

Quote:6. Can I use plug-ins with gameSpace Light?
No, it is not possible to add plug-ins into Light. This applies to commercial plug-ins (such as the Level Exporter from Greenbriar Studio) and free plug-ins. However, you will find that gameSpace Light has more than enough in it to keep you going without the need for any extra plug-ins!

Sounds like Challenge time on the GS forums.
Of course, the Torque stuff won't work unless an X modeler is incorporated (conversion utilities abundant).
For CG enthusiasts:

Quote:3. Does gameSpace Light let me render my work?
Yes, gameSpace Light lets you render your work to screen. The render will be to a maximum of 1024 x 768 in size, and will have a small watermark in the corner. The image also cannot be rendered directly to file (which means you will not be able to render out animations), but only to the screen.

Just a FYI. Better than the Gmax, LW, and Maya PLE licenses, but it's still restrictive in a gaming community (unless you need a challenge..and then it's the perfect modeler for you!). Yeah, did a quick download and such so no go on the exporting. Oh well. You can't have everything for free. At least with all these personal editon of modelers, people can try them out and find out what's best for them (Max, Maya, TS, etc.) and decide which way to go. Hi everyone. Yeah, gSL is really meant as a foot in the door for learning 3D and gameSpace. We went with .X because we wanted to let users have at least SOME ability to save to a standard, useable format - but we obviously couldn't give a way everything.
I hope that it's at least somewhat helpful to some users.
BTW, if you haven't seen it already, check out the gameSpace site for info on the contest we just announced. Can't miss the chance to win an X800 ;)
Cheers,
Michael I'm strongly looking into the vehicle modeling contest. I've been kicking around an idea that I find interesting. Does MilkShape import .X models with or withour textures?
smiles . . . I purchased GameSpace and I have to say I'm less than impressed given the point price and it's 'features'; now Caligari has come out with an even lower end program. I'd wish they'd improve the AAA program they charge for instead of issuing a stripped down version..sounds to me like they want a larger Revenue Base before they decide to upgrade[not a ServicPak] the entire program, and 'enticing' the public with a 'freebie' to get you wanting to plunk down serious cash for software..my $0.02, er, or should I say my $300.00 worth.:)
Don't get me wrong; I actually appreciate the UI and it's structure, it's in the actual 'FUNCTIONING' of the program where it all falls apart, rather quickly for me.. GMax, Maya PLE, and the LightWave demos fall apart at that phase, too.
To get the features of 3DS Max, you have to buy Max. Ditto for Maya and LW. Same for GameSpace and TrueSpace and Cinema 4D..
Of course, you could download Blender and buy the Blender guide and be able to create some great content, but still.. ..I'm refering to the 'Heavy' version, GameSpace, the expensive, non-freebie one, not some 'lite' version. The operative word 'lite' leaves no false impressions on what it delivers, I just think it's kinda a rotten ploy to get money for the 'full' version; giving you a program you expect less from and when you purchase the fully functioning one, you discover it doesn't really doesn't perform as well as advertised. I consider GameSpace a wonderful render engine and the most fabulous Primitive constructor there may be, that's about it..for that kind of money, that ain't sayin' much.:)
Having purchased this product, I would recommend to anyone interested to HOLD OFF until you see an actual fully functioning exporter; casting no stones at DarkIndustries included one..and it will in time be able to export the most important features of Triggering and Ground Transforms, but your funds might be better off held onto. My only hope is that by obtaining a license for it; I'll get upgrades to it, not just small tweaks. I couldn't possible see the price heading upwards.. @Rex: What's wrong with the DTS export? It's very well put together and the source code is freely available here, if you wanted to add functionality. As for my .map exporter, it's worth the price it sells for, plus free upgrades as they come out.
Note: I'm not 'defending' either plugin, but I am curious as to what feedback you have about them, and gameSpace as well.. Rex,
The next version of the DTS exporter for gameSpace and trueSpace will have ground transform, triggers, node export control, a few bug fixes and many other the missing features. Putting it on par with the Max exporter. As it exists now it is currently has better feature support than the MilkShape exporter.
Also, its noteworthy to mention that we haven't been paid a dime for our efforts in creating the gameSpace DTS exporter. We simply gave Caligari the right to distribute it free with the Torque Pack, but you can also download it free from the gameSpace website and here on Garage Games.
That said the next update is only a few weeks out, and I should very nearly have a DTS tutorial guide finished by that time as well.
I think as far as Torque users are concerned, gameSpace lite is usefull in seeing if gameSpace 'works for you'. Use it in combination with the free character modeling video tutorials on the gameSpace website so you can get a handel on how the tools and interface work. but, because there's no plugin support you wont be exporting Torque content from it. Just like the other 'Lite' modeling tools its basically a free way of learning the apps features and tool set.
Later,
Matt @Ted..I never ment to cast any stones at the 3rd parties involved..:), it's Party #1 I feel a little let down with..the ones who GOT the heafty fee.:) Please, I have no problem with the exporters, it's GameSpace functioning in a stable fashion, I find grating. You guys and the Diggers have done wonderful work and I think you should be compensated for it..:) Again, it's the decision of Caligari to spend time stripping down the program, instead of improving gS, I find difficult to understand the position.
@ Matt..see above:)..great news on the finishing touches! I've been visiting DarkIndustries' site and Forums checking up. Again, THANKS a bunch for professional contributions..I think that exporter is worth the price, as well as Ted's:) I will be probably using both in my developments, I am glad that I got the TGE package at the discounted price..and hope that future upgrades are planned.
How do either of you feel about the Animation/IK sytem utilized? I've found some buggyness within Puppetter[sic]. or it's UV editing capabilities? Do you think they are worth the asking point? I won't even go into the Undo function..I don't know how many times I had to restart a scene because of ending up where no amount of undoing did anything.
..as with any new bit of software, the proper keystroke/workflow needs to be hammered out, I'm hoping it doesn't take too many hoops to jump thru.
best regards, truely :)
Rex
PS-whoops, mispoke there; just checked gS Products Page and see that Matt's work is listed as a Free Download. Matt; that and the Diggers' work is worth ducets imho..Well done for such noble actions. While the release of GameSpace Lite is to be applauded and all..
.. not being able to 'sample' the export capabilities of GameSpace first hand was a big letdown.. and, quite frankly, seemd like an absurd omission, seeing as the programs export capabilites is one of its main selling points.
i would've rather have a lil export capability with a limited time use, than the current timefree but non exporting version..
also, the DirectX export does not work.. there seems to be a fault in there somewhere..
Rob, yep.. the latest versions certainly does.. bring it in with the DXTool and export it off to whatever.. but i think that you already knew that.. just testing us, huh.. :)
in short.. i was impressed with the new flexibility of the UI. being a 4.3 TrueSpace user, i hadn't seen all the neat UI gadgets before. this is one spot where TS/GS really shines..
.. a super flexible, yet easy to understand (easy for me to say, seeing that i'm an old TrueSpace icon clicker) user interface that keeps most, if not allof your possible choices close at hand.
one more thing.. seeing as the entire UI is icon based, i found it absurd (yes another absurdity in the midst of so great stuff) that there weren't any pictures of icons included in the help files..
the old 4.3 printed manual has icon for every functional group as well as every function. this should've also been done in the help files..
it would've made it so much easier for someone new to the Caligari view of how we should interface with the 3D world.
--Mike Mike, not entirely sure if the demo gets the the PDF versions of the Manual. The online Menu dropdown only produces text, true; while the PDF is full of wonderfull imagery to guide you along! I placed my PDF inside the directory for it and it will initiate also from within the UI environment, wonder why they left it out? I did find it though amonst the downloaded material once purchased, and the video syllabi were helpful indeed. That's good news Rex..
thanks for the info.
--Mike @Rex: I think you misunderstood. I know you weren't trying to cast stones, sorry if I came across differently. Just that I'm really interested in feedback on gameSpace and plugins so that I can either effect change or lobby for it. If you have an issue with my plugin, do tell--there's nothing like complaints to get me thinking about what needs to be done to it to make it better :)
@Michael: There was good reasoning behind not putting the exporters in there: capitalism. They need to make some money off their products, and gameSpace Lite will siphon off a few licenses by providing a handful of people with what they need for free. Nothing wrong with that, but they have to save the easier export paths for gameSpace so that they can feed their developers. You've got a really good point in this argument, but it has to balance out with what's good for business, which means that it inevitably lost. That doesn't mean that they wouldn't possibly reconsider down the road, it's something to lobby them for.. @Ted: yeah, true..
.. but i think that they would make more money by increasing their user base.. and what better way to do so than to demo a product that can do everything that a game developer, at this level, would need (modeling plus universal export at a relatively low price).
right now, all you can see is a good modeling app, with a UI that some will hate, and others will love.
the determining point would've been the file format exporting capabilities.
plus some colorful icons in the help files :)
i don't plan on lobbying em.. i just hate to see such a good product languish because of actions taken in an attempt to make some short term financial gains..
--Mike Hi guys,
Just wanted to drop in and post a note from the hot seat.
First, let me say that gameSpace Light isn't a trick of some kind or anything. It really is intended to be an introduction to the world of 3D and a way for people to actually start creating content that they can use - albeit in a limited way.
Of course, we're not Santa Claus - we have to make money so we certainly hope gameSpace Light users will like the product and upgrade to the full version. This is a long-term thing for us, not a short-term money grab. As Ted (I think) pointed out above, we're losing sales right now because we've released gSL. In the future we hope the product will speak for itself and result in increased sales and a growing user community.
We know that there are problems with gameSpace and gSL and we attempt to address issues in a timely manner. For instance, the X format export problem has been solved and we will be issuing a patch for this shortly. As to gameSpace issues, we have just released SP1 for v1.5 and this fixes some issues.
We are also looking into the manual issue. The gS PDF manual - which is complete with images, etc. - is about 80Mb. In every way (bandwidth costs, time, etc.) it will probably be too expensive for us to host this and offer it for free download. We are looking at alternatives but nothing is settled as yet.
There are other issues that run deeper, such as the undo system. We often hear that it is broken but it actually works to spec - according to the original design. Undo is local to objects not global like in many Windows applications (and, of course, this is weird to many users including myself). We will be addressing this and other issues in future updates and new versions.
We really are committed to this product and are determined to continue to improve it. Honestly, in terms of price/functionality I hope you will see that gS is about the only real choice. You can mess around with free or cheap modelers or pay a lot of money for other packages (and, yes, they have more features) but it's not a bad deal.
Oh, almost forgot, I realize export capability is one of the major selling issues of gS but, unfortunately, that's the very reason we can't just give it away free. We gave the ability to export COB and X (now that it's fixed) in the hopes that most people would find these two formats of most use. I know that's a bit of a problem for Torque users, however, and that is an unfortunate side effect.
I hope this answers some of the questions and criticisms. Users and prospective customer should please feel free to contact our customer service department with issues - we can't work on things we don't know about. If you can't get any satisfaction e-mail me and I'll see if there's anything I can do. HTH!
Michael
edit: oh, my address is michaela@caligari.com Real issues only please - don't write to rant at me. I'll do everything I can to help. I appreciate your stepping forward, Michael, and addressing concerns raised by customers. Thanks. I think to me, at this point, not being able to IMPORT my Ms3d-rigged files or any other skeletal system is the program's worst non-feature and will doom it to an early failure. I don't remember viewing anywhere in the sales blurbs about NOT being able to do this..this renders the program as any type of crossover platform; not good, inho. Export your shapes to Ms3d; for what? animating? That, to me, is what a GAME shape producing program should do, not simply generating primitives and moving sub objects around and lighting them. I think sales would begin to climb if a better handshake with skeletal systems was addressed. I'll keep the feedback coming..:) I can even live with object level Undo, only please to know what actions are proven undoable would be good, it does not seem to play well with the Animation system. Rex,
You got me on the undo system. I haven't a clue how to use it myself (and I've been a tS user since v1.1 ;) )
I do know that there are a number of issues with tS/gS bones cooperating with other systems. Unfortunately there is no 'industry standard' here and no uniform method of implementing a bone system. Ours was implemented before a lot of the ones you see now and, unfortunately, we are paying a bit of a price for being earlyish with the functionality. Some of it is in the core and can't be helped - which is why we've tried to provide greater compatibility with other systems through plug-ins. We will keep working on it, but it's no quick fix unfortunately.
Believe me, I have a big game-specific wish list for the next version of gameSpace (and that, by the way, is not a product announcement) when it rolls around.
Cheers,
Michael
[edit]Rex,
Hey, BTW, do you happen to have a rigged MS3D model laying around or can you point me to one on the net? I've never tried importing one before and want to see what you're experiencing. [/edit] ..ah, Michael; you cannot import any type of skeletal system into gS. ..at least not any of my attempts received success, and not even .SMD filetype[which is about as close to a 'standard' as any] is a no go. I got plenty of rigged meshes, but all for naught. I've also experienced some weird gS skeletal exports on systems I've created inside gS specifically intended to export into Ms3d. What arrived inside Ms3d was not a workable system, eh; what ya gonna do? Cheers, mate.

TrueSpace

Developer(s)	Caligari Corporation
Stable release
Operating system	Microsoft Windows
Type	3D computer graphics
License	Proprietary (Freeware)
Website	www.caligari.com

TrueSpace (styled as trueSpace) was a commercial 3D computer graphics and animation software developed by Caligari Corporation, bought-out by Microsoft. As of May 2009, it was officially discontinued, but with some 'unofficial support' up to February 2010.

• 5Rendering and surfacing

History[edit]

The company was founded in 1985 by Roman Ormandy. A prototype 3D video animation package for the Amiga Computer led to the incorporation of Octree Software in 1986. From 1988 to 1992, Octree released several software packages including Caligari1, Caligari2, Caligari Broadcast, and Caligari 24. Caligari wanted to provide inexpensive yet professional, industrial video and corporate presentation software. In 1993 Octree Software moved from New York to California and became known as Caligari Corporation. In 1994 trueSpace 1.0 was introduced on the Windows platform. In 1998 an employee inadvertently left a copy of the trueSpace 4.0 sourcecode on the company website's public FTP server. The source code was released to the internet by the piracy release group REVOLT. ^[1]In early 2008, the company was acquired by Microsoft and trueSpace 7.6 was released for free.^[2]

As of May 19, 2009, Ormandy announced that TrueSpace had been discontinued:

Dear Caligari customer,

You may have heard that Microsoft Corporation, reacting to difficult business conditions, has been evaluating many of the products it produces and making the difficult decision to reduce investment in certain areas.

It is with regret that I have to tell you that trueSpace is one of the products affected. As a consequence, you will see reduction or elimination of services offered for trueSpace. For example, there will be no phone or email support offered for trueSpace by Microsoft, and our web site may also be affected. While the dates are not absolutely fixed, some services and contacts may come to an end as early as Friday May 22, 2009, while others will continue as long as possible with no firm cutoff date available yet.

Elsewhere he thanks everyone, urges people to download all the free software as soon as possible.

After 2010, many of the talented developers helped develop Microsoft's 3D Builder application available for free in the Windows Store. There are many similarities between 3D Builder and the original TrueSpace product even though the former is aimed at a consumer level.

Overview[edit]

TrueSpace was a modeling/animation/rendering package. It featured a plug-in architecture that allowed the user to create tools to enhance the core package. TrueSpace was at the last release version 7 (also known to its users as tS7). Point upgrades had brought it up to version Rosetta Beta 7.61 and had added new modeling features. It also had an interface that beginners found easy to learn.

Caligari had enhanced the modeling, surfacing and rendering capabilities of TrueSpace, and the latest version TrueSpace7 allowed all aspects of real-time design, modeling and animation within a virtual 3D space shared by remote participants over the broadband internet. The TrueSpace7 collaboration server enables multiple participants to connect to a shared 3D space to create and manipulate shared content in real-time.

Features[edit]

One of the most distinctive features of trueSpace is its interface, using mainly 3D widgets for most common editing operations. trueSpace can also be scripted, using Python for creating custom scripts, tools and plugins. trueSpace7 introduces the use of VBScript and JScript as scripting tools for developing plugins and interactive scenes. trueSpace is also known for its icon-heavy interface which was drastically overhauled for version 7 onwards. While staff at Caligari had originally made them 'inhouse' during the creation process of earlier releases, trueSpace 7 had a new set of icons made by Paul Woodward, a freelance designer and illustrator.

Capabilities of the software include creating visualizations and animations with realistic lighting (through the use of radiosity, HDRI and Global Illumination) and organic modelling using NURBS, subdivision surfaces and metaballs.

The software has several native formats: RsScn for scenes, RsObj for objects, RSMat for materials, rsl for layouts, RsLgts for lighting, etc. Older formats native to trueSpace6.6 and earlier are also supported, e.g. one for standalone objects (with the file extension .cob), and another for the scenes (with the file extension .scn). Objects in trueSpace can be embedded in Active Worlds. In addition to its native formats, trueSpace can also import and export several additional model types.

Modeling[edit]

Rendering and surfacing[edit]

Currently TrueSpace has two native internal rendering engines and also support for DX9 pixel shader output quality images alongside the traditional style Render engines. These engines are:

• LightWorks (from Lightwork Design Ltd.)^[4]
• VirtuaLight ^[5]

TrueSpace7 also includes support for the VRay rendering engine.^[6][7]

Rendering[edit]

• Multi-pass Rendering for the Lightworks rendering engine with output to Photoshoplayers integrated into TrueSpace7
• Hybrid radiosity, ray tracing, Phong shading
• Non-linear tone mapping editor
• Post process editor
• Advanced shaders (color, reflectance, transparency, displacement, background, foreground, post processing)
• Volumetric, anisotropic reflectance

Surfacing[edit]

• DX9 (SL2.0) pixel shaders and HLSL editing ^[7]
• Procedural shaders editable in Link Editor
• Shader trees
• Modeless UV Editor
• Advanced UV Editor with real time UV mapping controls
• Unwrapper with Slice
• Breaking and welding of vertices in a UV map

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^Honick, Ron (2005-10-07). Software Piracy Exposed. ISBN9780080489735.
2. ^Emil Protalinski (July 24, 2008). 'Result of the Caligari acquisition: trueSpace 7.6 goes free'. Ars Technica. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
3. ^Roman Ormandy. Letter from the FounderArchived 2009-06-19 at the Wayback Machine, Caligari.com
4. ^Lightwork Design
5. ^VirtuaLightArchived March 22, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
6. ^LightWorks, Virtualight, And V-Ray Renderers Integrated Into trueSpace7, Caligari.com, January 2005
7. ^ ^abtrueSpace7.6 Specifications, Caligari.com

External links[edit]

• Caligari's official website (archive)