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Making my own objects
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madden
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Default Making my own objects - 02-17-2007, 11:51 AM

Hi, I could not figure out how to make my own objects.
Could you give me some tips?

P.S RUN! MAN EATING COOKIES ARE SPYING ON YOU!
   
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chuck
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Default 02-18-2007, 07:41 PM

Objects for Alice worlds can be created using 3D Studio Max or similar software and then imported into Alice using the import feature on Alice's File menu. The process is quite involved, especially if the object has subparts, like the iceSkater's limbs, etc. Someone basically needs to learn 3-D modelling to build a new character. Some schools have art students who have learned to do this and perhaps they could help.

People interested in developing 3D worlds or games might be intereested in learning about Panda, which was developed and used professionally by Disney, but is now available free through Carnegie Mellon. (see http://panda3d.org/) Panda3D does let users create objects from simple geometric shapes, but it too can take a while to learn.
   
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DrJim
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Default 02-18-2007, 08:58 PM

Just a couple of additional notes - would also suggest you check some of the threads in the Share Objects forum. Look back for 100 days or so - nothing very new there.

1. A good estimate for the time required to become familiar with a good 3D modeling tool is that it will take the equivalent of a one-semester college level course - see http://www.alice.org/community/showt...highlight=Maya

2. A very easy to learn, but also limited tool is Smooth Teddy - get it at http://www-ui.is.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~takeo/index.html and also do a search of the forums on the name. An advantage of Smooth Teddy is that it's output will import directly into Alice.

3. The main problem with 3D Studio Max is it's cost - around $2000 the last I checked. Of the free tools, Blender is probaby the most powerful but has a difficult interface to learn. Others that have been mentioned include Wings 3D and Anim8or - again do a search on the names. There is a free version of Maya also - but there hasn't been much about in the context of objects for Alice.
   
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chuck
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Default 02-19-2007, 09:19 AM

There are links to tutorials for creating models using Maya and 3D Studio Max on the Building Virtual Worlds resource Web page at Carnegie Mellon:

http://www.etc.cmu.edu/bvw/resources.html
   
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PogoDaMonkey
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Post 02-21-2007, 11:09 AM

I personally find Anim8r great for simple shapes, though it needs a converter called Biturn to put the outputs into .ase...Also, more complex objects won't import correctly into Alice, but it is a good start, and the only "portable" 3D creation program referenced here, being a single .exe file. I just keep it on my flash drive.

Experiment a bit with what you find, experiment more with what you can import.
   
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Some quick notes
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DrJim
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Smile Some quick notes - 02-22-2007, 01:33 PM

I have to agree that it's best to only try to import small objects into Alice. Can't say for sure that Alice has ever displayed the "wrong" thing - but it sure hasn't displayed what I thought I'd imported a lot of times.

A lot of the problem have to do with file conversion error, which are hard enough to detect with even small files - and nearly impossible to detect with large ones. In particular, Alice doesn't like flat surfaces or surfaces with holes - the program has a lot of trouble deciding what's "inside" and what's "outside" if there is any ambiguity at all.

Use Shadow Sovereign's “import as texture” approach to importing objects (see http://www.alice.org/community/showthread.php?t=570) - this works both for .ase objects and objects in the Smooth Teddy format (.asg). This will give you a hierarchical structure in Alice which you can then arrange and texture using Alice tools. (You have to do the texturing there anyway - see the tutorials listed in Chuck Herbert‘s post.) This saves you a lot of conversion headaches - plus you can build on the large base of Alice objects that already exists.

Finally, if you are going to make a major effort to import objects - do read the tutorials first. There are a lot of non-obvious details covered there. While they may not apply specifically to your modeling tool - the principals involved will apply.
   
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