Blender - 3D Game maker

[Lenny]

I know this forum is RPGM2K3, but as far as I can work out, there aren't any other forums to post about game engines etc...

Well, I was a surfing RPGwolfpack and came across this...

http://www.rpgwolfpack.com/download/engines/blender.php

And since quite a few people seem to want to make 3D games, I thought they'd like to know about it.

I haven't tried it out so...

Enjoy all you 3D Game Makers...

[Noob101]

Looks like a good maker, but definately a step up from RM2k3......I don't think I'm ready for it :p

[Lenny]

If someone does want ot download it, here are the links:

http://download.blender.org/release/Blender2.36/blender-2.36-windows.exe - EU
ftp://ftp.cs.umn.edu/pub/blender.org/release/Blender2.36/blender-2.36-windows.exe - USA
http://planetmirror.com/pub/blender/release/Blender2.36/blender-2.36-windows.exe - Australia

In all cases it is a 4.5mb donwload.

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The blender site is www.blender.org
The blender3d site is www.blender3d.org

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EIDT: The above download links seem to be just for the installer...the zipfile is needed as well...the links for the zipfiles are:

http://download.blender.org/release/Blender2.36/blender-2.36-windows.zip - EU
ftp://ftp.cs.umn.edu/pub/blender.org/release/Blender2.36/blender-2.36-windows.zip - USA
http://planetmirror.com/pub/blender/release/Blender2.36/blender-2.36-windows.zip - Australia

This brings the total download size to just over 9mb.

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WAHEY! I've downloaded it, and it works.

Here's something I haven'st seen for a LONG time. It uses an MSDOS script to get it started!

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I can't for the life of me work out how to use this program...

[BlueCube]

Ack, it uses Python. Now I regret not getting around to learning it..

Oh well, I'll have to give it a try. Looks like it requires a bit of an artistic touch, guess my first game will involve cubes of some sort because that's pretty much all I can make in 3-D.

[Lenny]

If you don't mind me sounding like a complete idiot...what's Python???

I'm a guessing its another programming language of sorts...but of which sort???

[BlueCube]

Indeed it is another programming language. From what I know, the syntax is like a mix of BASIC and C, though admittedly I know very little of it.

[Lenny]

Well...looks like we're all gonna have fun with it then...:p...

Any helpful little things about Python? You know more about than I do...I haven't the faintest idea how to start using it...

[Original Sin]

Hmm, time to dl here at school and take home.

I hope it is some what user friendly.

[Lenny]

Welcome to Zelaron.

That really does depend how you define 'user friendly'.

[Original Sin]

What I mean by "user friendly", just to clear things up, is that how easy it is to use, like RPG Maker 2K3. It's simple, but complex all at the same time. That's what I mean...although it looks very compex, I am gonna try it out.

[Lenny]

It's extremely complex...I was trying for 3 hours yesterday and I got absolutely nowhere with it...

[BlueCube]

Well, I'll assume you downloaded Python (http://www.python.org/2.4/) already, so just fire up a text editor of some sort. Notepad works, though something that has syntax highlighting is preferred, such as Crimson Editor (http://www.crimsoneditor.com/). Python comes with its own editor, but quite frankly it's not very good.

Anyway, the hardest thing I had to learn (coming from C++ and the like) is that indentation matters. So doing this:


x = 5
if x == 5:
print "yams"
print "yams"
else:
print "what"
print "what"


That works in a pretty obvious way. Normally you'd need an END IF or brackets to show blocks like that. I indent by habit anyway, but it's odd that it's part of the syntax.

Python scripts can be run either by command line ("C:\wherever\> python c:\what\test.py") or by double-clicking on them in Windows (assuming you let Python have the file extension .py). I like the double-click method because I'm lazy.

...Of course, I haven't played with Blender itself much, mainly because I have no artistic abilities whatsoever. I am able to make a cube at least though. Maybe I'll make a game where you get to watch a cube fall through blank space, because that's the limits of my abilities at this point.

[kaos]

So if you press "5" it shows "yams" on the screen?

And if you press something else it shows "what?" on the screeN?

[BlueCube]

In my case, it'll always print 'yams (newline) yams" because x is set to 5 before it checks through the loop. That's just a quick way to show the if structure of Python. If you wanted to do something with input, it'd be like this:

x = int(raw_input("PRESS FIVE FOR YAMS: "))
if x == 5:
print "yams"
print "yams"
print "yams"
else:
print "what"
print "no yams here"
print "done"


You do parentheses the standard way. So the first line would be evaluated like this:

x = int(raw_input("PRESS FIVE FOR YAMS: "))

raw_input is a function that returns a value that the user inputs (unless you tell Python to get its input from a file and not a user. I'm not good enough for that yet). So that function gets done first, since the innermost parentheses is part of the function. The argument "PRESS FIVE FOR YAMS" is the prompt.

So if you input a 5, this is what's done so far:

x = int("5")

Int is the function that returns the value that's put into it, in integer form. Obviously, that goes to:

x = 5

So from there, we do the next part:


if x == 5:


You use double equal signs to compare values, and from what I know you have to end an if statement with a colon. All comparisons return either true or false. We know for sure that 5 == 5 is true (unless something is really, really screwed up), so it'll do everything in its block, as defined by the indentation.


print "yams"
print "yams"
print "yams"


That'll print 3 lines of yams. Easy enough. The next line isn't indented, so it's not part of the "true" block. It's checked to see if it would continue this if block. else statements (and elif as well, but I don't have one here) don't run if a preceding block is true. Since the original if statement IS true, this gets skipped:


else:
print "what"
print "no yams here"


And the next line isn't indented, so it's checked to see if it would continue the if statement again. It doesn't, it's a print statement:


print "done"


So, it'll print the string "done". Here's how the program looks. I ran it from the command line because otherwise the CMD window would close after the "done" part, which is too fast for you to read:

http://www.picaroni.com/PYTHONTHING.png

[Lenny]

So it's, in effect, just conditional branches (such as those found in the RM programs)?

I've never programmed anything before etc...so I don't have the faintest idea of what to do...

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I'm a sorry to say, that you assumed wrong...:p

The next thing I'm gonna do, as soon as I can, is download Python...and Crimson Editor...

[BlueCube]

That's really only if you want to practice Python a bit, outside of Blender's context. But yeah, my example above is just a conditional branch. Obviously, you can get a bit more complicated by defining functions and the like.

I still can't get past "falling cube" with Blender, however

[Original Sin]

Ahh, yea I think I will pass up Blender. It's not in my line of wanting to learn. Have fun.

[Lenny]

So how would it be done in Blender??

Is it poss. for you to put a tutorial together showing how it's done??

[BlueCube]

So how would it be done in Blender??

Is it poss. for you to put a tutorial together showing how it's done??

Probably not, because I haven't much clue as to how to use Blender all that well.


Also, BOUNCING MONKEY HEAD (named untitled.blend because it's just that good)

[Lenny]

He he he...I like it!

Is it possible to colour the monkey head in???

And/or have multiple ones???

[BlueCube]

I would hope so. Haven't figured out how to color things in yet, though.

[Lenny]

I'd've thought it would be a case of selecting the different 'faces' of the object and choosing to add a colour...:p...

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You know what Blender reminds me of??

A progam called ProDesktop. If it is, then I think I can use it...:D

I'm right...it is almost an exact copy of prodesktop...except with a different look etc.

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I think I may have just worked out how to colour...

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Found the manual for it.

To colour and texture: http://www.blender.org/modules/documentation/htmlI/x1632.html#BSG.QIK.F.S68.031

The manual itself: http://www.blender.org/modules/documentation/htmlI/

[Lenny]

He he he...gotta red monkey face now...:p

[BlueCube]

He he he...gotta red monkey face now...:p

The red monkey face would probably make the game like 60% better or so...

[Lenny]

The only problem is, the whole head is red...I can't seem to the different sides different colours...that's something to work on...

I don't know, maybe I'll make Gus from the little tutorial...I've always wanted a walking gingerbread man on my computer... :weird:

[Lenny]

Apparently if you have different textures then you can have each 'face' a different colour...

Maybe for your next project you could have a monkey head complete with the textures of:

1. Brick wall
2. Kitchen Curtains
3. Cold metal

:p :p :p

[BlueCube]

That would be an X-TREME BOUNCING MONKEY for sure. I'm starting to really, really hate Blender though. Guess it's just my lack of artistic vision or something.

[Lenny]

The problem with Blender is that it doesn't come with anything you can build upon.

If, say, it came with multiple 3D chipsets, characters and the such, then it would be a pretty good program...but then again, it may just be us getting to set in our ways and being too lazy to create our own things...

Well...looks like our next quest is to fiund a 3d rpg maker that comes with the things we are so used to...

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Maybe this is worth a try...http://3das.noeska.com/default.aspx...the screenshots aren't v. good though...

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One that looks better than the above is http://www.gamediscovery.com/game-design/rpg-game-creator-rpgds-game-creators.asp - RPGds. For some reason it reminds me of RMXP.

^ Screw that for the mo. The actual program can't seem to be found anywhere...

[Wed-G]

You do realize Blender wasn't made to create games, right? It was developed by a swedish company for 3d Movie creation.
I have had blender for about a year and a half and I haven't gotten very far with it. Plus my Comp sucks, so. The best I can make is a photo-real apple.

ATTENTION: Anyone using this should be blessed and donate to the Free Blender Fund found at thier site.

PS: Making grass is easy. Download the Fiber python script. It is copyrighted by its creator. Found at

http://oregonstate.edu/~dennisa/Blender/Fiber2/

try it.

But if you want to make games, stick with RM2K3. Go to college get a degree in digital media and design and a degree in game programming if that is you wish. Me, I want to be a graphics designer. Play around with Blender. It is good to get an early start.

[BlueCube]

You do realize Blender wasn't made to create games, right? It was developed by a swedish company for 3d Movie creation.

You're probably right, though it does mention on their site that you can create games with it. But beyond that, it's does require too much modeling ability for me to use.

Unless it's a BOUNCING MONKEY HEAD, because boy I can bounce monkey heads like there's no tommorow

[Lenny]

Really...there is no tomorrow...you gvet to so-called 'tomorrow'. and it springs up just ahead of you...rather annoying I can tell you...