Construction Set ideas

[ElderTroll]

Second life's building tools are impressive. It uses primitives, basic geometric shapes, as bases and these can be stretched, flattened, and generally manipulated and then they are combined with other primitives. finally textures and physical properties like weight, resistance, wind drag, etc are added to quickly make complex 3d objects. Google sketchup uses a similar design. It would be wonderful to incorporate these features into the constructor set and Second Life is licensed under the gpl, but what would be simpler is if the constructor set could import the models made in second life or google sketchup. I'm trying to find a large repository of gpl or creative commons user-created models and textures that would be useful for modders. From models I have found most are not "fantasy" inspired, so it could be a huge boon to total conversions.

[Tarius]

SL is where I got the idea for having the colored lines eminating out from a mesh when you are placing it so you can see where it is in relation to everything alot more easy. I suggested this 1 forum ago so the old thread is probably in the archives that go carried over.
As for the rest of the stuff, SL uses primitives for most stuff and only recently did they introduce the option to upload mesh in the form of .dae files. Importing stuff from SL to use in MW would be impractical and introduce alot of load onto any computer depending on the amount of stuff. SL buildings are hardly optimized as it is, but the advantage to the way things are done is that they are more customizable and anyone can make something; the drawback is that this stuff isnt really suited for anything else, at least not a regular game like MW.
MW already uses meshes in the form of net-imerse files and both 3ds max and blender can export this file type, SL can not and in most cases, most stuff has restricted permissions unless you made it. I think anyone who wants to make something for MW should stick with the standard modeling programs instead of trying to get a nif exporter made for SL.

[ElderTroll]

Well we should at least have the ability to import google sketchup models, but they probably already export to a data file that maya or blender can read, and then those programs can save it in the net-immerse file type. Maybe more advanced modelers might not employ programs like sketchup, but naughty dog used it in developing the Uncharted games because it was fast and worked well with batching. There's a video online of the game's art director talking about it.

I would love it if users could pick and quickly start making models. It would drastically increase the library of content modders have to work with and it would lower barriers for people learning modeling.

The second life modeling permissions are terrific in principle. I don't know how they play out in practicality. Artists and modelers should have the right to limit how their work is used. If they want a shout-out from the graphics pack that uses their rock textures, that's fine by me. I wish everyone would choose the most permissive license possible, but some folks are real ip creator rights oriented. But we can still collaborate as a community to make Morrowind and total converstons more unique, organic, and immersive worlds.

[Tarius]

Actually, I think there is already a way to export .nif from sketch up. I beleive I may have seen a tutorial on how to do it somewhere.

[ElderTroll]

That's good news. Maybe I'll start learning how to use the construction set as well as other editors to get design ideas.

[ezzetabi]

Another idea is the ``drop here'' command. It is common in other editor (AFAIK): the idea is put an item mid air over where you want it. Now execute the command and the item is correctly placed on the surface under it.

Think about drawing a table:
Put the table in the room. ``drop here'' the table is correctly on the floor.
Take a plate move it over the table and ``drop here''
Take a spoon move it over the plate and ``drop... you got it.

[Ace (SWE)]

So a ray cast from the object the "drop here" command was run on, going downwards a short bit until it hits another object and then moves there.

I myself would want to see a good 3D snap-to-grid function, maybe even (way past 1.0) something that would make fitting pieces of corridors and such snap together seamlessly.

[Tarius]

Another idea is the ``drop here'' command. It is common in other editor (AFAIK): the idea is put an item mid air over where you want it. Now execute the command and the item is correctly placed on the surface under it.

Think about drawing a table:
Put the table in the room. ``drop here'' the table is correctly on the floor.
Take a plate move it over the table and ``drop here''
Take a spoon move it over the plate and ``drop... you got it.

You definitely havent used the construction set much, this is already a feature by just hitting the f key.

[ezzetabi]

Strange, maybe I got confused with another editor? I said it was common... Oh, well. Nevermind guys.

[Tarius]

So a ray cast from the object the "drop here" command was run on, going downwards a short bit until it hits another object and then moves there.

I myself would want to see a good 3D snap-to-grid function, maybe even (way past 1.0) something that would make fitting pieces of corridors and such snap together seamlessly.

The current editor also has grid snap already, but beyond detecting where the edges of peices are supposed to align and automatically adjusting for this(which I am not sure if you could do that), I dont think there can be much of an improvement aside from mabe custom snap lengths.