ol120
08-18-2008, 03:45 PM
does anyone know how to convert a part of one object to a different object?
if anyone saw my previous question then they know I'm working on an RPG
DrJim
08-19-2008, 09:22 AM
... convert a part of one object to a different object?
Taking your question very literally - the answer is I'm pretty sure there is no way within Alice to actually change part of one object to part of another.
You can make the "added" object's vehicle part of another object and then play with the "IsShowing" parameters of the various subparts, but that really doesn't change the identities of the parts themselves. This can also get quite cumbersome.
Outside of Alice, of course, you can make the object you want and then import it. There is also a description somewhere in the forum of how to edit an .a2c file, using a text editor, to get a new object hierarchy. This does work - or at least did the couple of times I tried - but it's quite difficult just because of the complexity of a typical file.
I really suspect you may be trying to push Alice beyond it's natural capabilities with your RPG. While Alice can make nice games, it was really designed to be a tool for teaching OOP, and its features- and lack of features :o - really reflect that.
I don't often make games myself - so not sure what tool to recommend. MilkShape would be my first suggestion, just based on the number of import/export formats it supports.
For animations, I personally use Anim8or, Wax/WinMorph, Movie Maker (or Movie Edit Pro) and a variety of sound editors - in addition to Alice. The programs I've listed are specialized tools for specific applications - not a unified programming environment - but such tools, used together can give results far superior to those from anything single tool (other than maybe the very high end tools - Maya, etc.). Even at the high end, I've seen professionals use a combination of Lightwave, Maya and AfterFX for a single project.