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Layerz
About Truespace Archives
These pages are a copy of the official truespace forums prior to their removal somewhere around 2011.
They are retained here for archive purposes only.
Post by Délé // Dec 27, 2008, 11:21am
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Délé
Total Posts: 1374
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Hey guys. I have a new script here called Layerz. I bet you're wondering what it does right? Ok, it's pretty obvious. :p This allows up to 20 layers for the Workspace side. I recommend using this ONLY in the Workspace as there might be undesirable effects on the model side.
17162
I have made a video tutorial to explain how to use it. I don't have any other documentation this time, but here is a short list of some of the features.
1. You can add selected objects to any of the 20 layers (objects can be up to 5 nodes deep).
2. You can remove selected objects from whichever layer they are on.
3. Auto Mode...This allows you to simply click on objects and they will either be added to the selected layer, or removed from their layer depending on your settings (This one made possible by trueBlue ;) ).
4. You can clear layers of all their objects.
5. You can temporarily disable layers.
6. A display shows how many objects are in each layer.
7. You can use customized layer names for more descriptive referencing.
8. Quick draw buttons allow you to easily switch draw modes for layers (solid, transparent, wire, etc.).
9. You can enable/disable any of the individual attributes of layers allowing you to determine which attributes get updated or not.
10. It works mostly from the stack, so there isn't really any digging in the LE.
It should be pretty solid, but if you do find any bugs, please let me know and I'll try to squash them. ;)
Thanks to all of the folks who tested it and gave suggestions. :) :banana:
Oh, and yes Tom...I will add this to TurboSquid. :p
EDIT: 1-1-09
* Fixed disable layer bug
* Added fail safe in case Object Render Attributes node is deleted |
Post by Steinie // Dec 27, 2008, 11:26am
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Steinie
Total Posts: 3667
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This one was one of the most requested wanted features for the workSpace side. Really amazed and shocked that a trueSpace user decided to make it. Awesome job! |
Post by frootee // Dec 27, 2008, 12:31pm
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frootee
Total Posts: 2667
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Very Nice Matt. Excellent Job! |
Post by spacekdet // Dec 27, 2008, 12:47pm
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spacekdet
Total Posts: 1360
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If I knewed this was comin' I'd a baked a (LAYER) cake!
Thanks a ton for this. |
Post by transient // Dec 27, 2008, 3:24pm
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transient
Total Posts: 977
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Wow, this pretty much doubles workspace's usability, many thanks. :banana::banana:
I especially like the ability to adjust the view settings per layer. It's going to make my life much easier for a project I'm currently doing. Workspace still needs a zoom-to-fit type tool, but with this script most of modeler's goodness is now there.
I'm currently using over two-dozen garage creations in workspace, and they have improved it out of sight (it's fair to say I may not be using it at all without them).
So a big thanks to the garage guys and their great work in '08.:) |
Post by noko // Dec 27, 2008, 5:29pm
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noko
Total Posts: 684
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Truely AWESOME! I definitely needed this too. tS WS allows users to update and give new tools like no other software in existents. Not only that, Délé's LayerZ blows away capability that currently is in modeler. Absolutely love how LayerZ can control the different rendering attributes. Setting up different transparencies to show inside of objects for example, adjusting them etc. could never been easier.
:jumpy:Délé:jumpy: :banana:LayerZ:banana: |
Post by Tiles // Dec 27, 2008, 10:18pm
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Tiles
Total Posts: 1037
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Awesome :) |
Post by jrboddie // Dec 28, 2008, 2:54am
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jrboddie
Total Posts: 91
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Works great. Thank you very much. This will certainly be useful to me. |
Post by Délé // Dec 28, 2008, 10:16am
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Délé
Total Posts: 1374
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Thanks guys, glad you like it. It's not the most efficient script, but hopefully it will tide everyone over until real layers come around. ;) |
Post by TomG // Dec 29, 2008, 5:41am
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TomG
Total Posts: 3397
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Downloading now, sounds like it should be very useful! Also a testament to just how much can be done with scripting (was the SDK used at all, or is it all pure native tS scripts?). You really can transform tS into just about anything you might want it to be. Also, thanks for posting to TurboSquid, good to see more items showing on there, so more folks can see just what tS can produce, and just how far it can be customised.
Thanks!
Tom |
Post by Délé // Dec 29, 2008, 7:34am
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Délé
Total Posts: 1374
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Nope, didn't use the SDK. This is just tS scripting. I still don't have Visual Studio 2008 yet. Every time I think I have the money to buy it, something else comes up and the money disappears. :rolleyes: I do hope to get it before too long here so I can write some actual plug-ins.
I did also upload the video to YouTube. That's my plan now when I make scripts; upload here, upload to TurboSquid, and upload any videos to YouTube. ;) |
Post by splinters // Dec 29, 2008, 9:28am
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splinters
Total Posts: 4148
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Thanks Dele, with all these gifts it must be Christmas...;) |
Post by ivampretti // Dec 29, 2008, 12:11pm
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ivampretti
Total Posts: 151
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Dele:
Nope, didn't use the SDK. This is just tS scripting. I still don't have Visual Studio 2008 yet. Every time I think I have the money to buy it, something else comes up and the money disappears. I do hope to get it before too long here so I can write some actual plug-ins.
Isnt Visual Studio 2008 freeware? I remember that I downloaded it some time ago. Would that be a trial version? |
Post by Délé // Dec 29, 2008, 1:24pm
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Délé
Total Posts: 1374
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The Express version is free. I have that. You can build applications with it. As I understand though, you need the pro version to make a plug-in for tS. I think it has something to do with saving a specific file type that the Express version can't do. |
Post by ivampretti // Dec 30, 2008, 8:08am
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ivampretti
Total Posts: 151
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Yeah, now I am even more NO interested to writte plugins for TS :D they are just doing propaganda of the Microsofts packages! |
Post by Délé // Dec 30, 2008, 8:48am
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Délé
Total Posts: 1374
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It's not just tS, you would need the pro version to write plug-ins for just about any software package. That's how I understand it anyway. The Express Edition is just a limited version. It doesn't have certain capabilities for writing plug-ins. I can't remember exactly what it is that the Pro version does that the Express version can't do. Maybe someone else can clarify that.
With scripting and the LE, tS is one of the most open and versatile applications out there though. A LOT can be done without the need to write a formal plug-in. So I don't think they're running any kind of scam or anything. ;) |
Post by RAYMAN // Dec 30, 2008, 9:17am
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RAYMAN
Total Posts: 1496
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Thank you very much for the plug !:)
Peter |
Post by jrboddie // Dec 30, 2008, 10:06am
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jrboddie
Total Posts: 91
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There is very little you can NOT do with the Express editions. The main limitation is that each edition has a single tool (C++, C#, etc) while the standard and higher versions combine all the tools in one. The Express editions lack some templates for doing certain projects but one can usually work around this. You can certainly make .dll files with the Express editions so I have no idea why one would not be able to use them for the tS SDK.
Visual Studio Express is a great gift from Microsoft--just like trueSpace 7.6! |
Post by Délé // Dec 30, 2008, 11:47am
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Délé
Total Posts: 1374
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Yeah, I don't know for sure. I was just going by what I had heard. It looks like you can create .cpp files and header files with the Express Edition. Aside from those, I'm not sure what else tS needs. I have no idea how the .rsx file is created. I'm pretty familiar with scripting in tS, but all of the plug-in stuff is new to me.
So I guess someone would have to try it and see if it works. If it does, it would sure be nice to save that $200. ;) |
Post by CdeB // Dec 31, 2008, 2:30am
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CdeB
Total Posts: 160
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Another big thanks to you Délé,
I requested 2 high priority things for Workspace, the first was Booleans which we got with the 7.6 release and now you have added the other: Layers...
As has been commented it is sad that users are adding things rather than Caligari, but nonetheless, its great to have. And we look forward for Roman's overdue announcement of progress which I thought might happen at Christmas time, but maybe tomorrow (The New Year :D)..
Chris |
Post by TomG // Dec 31, 2008, 6:03am
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TomG
Total Posts: 3397
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I don't find anything sad in users adding things. No matter how much we add, there will always be something we didn't get time to do, or something that someone wants that didn't get added - the fact that tS is extensible enough that third parties can do this, and easy enough that we have an ever-growing number of users who may never have thought of themselves as developers (and maybe just thought they'd only be 3D artists working with the modeling) is in fact a great and amazing thing, and not a sad thing.
HTH!
Tom
PS - Roman is on holiday at the moment, so I wouldn't expect any announcements, just to save on disappointment! |
Post by Norm // Dec 31, 2008, 6:12am
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Norm
Total Posts: 862
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One of trueSpace's main features, is the ability to allow users to create such neat items as Layerz. The architecture allows this. For the developers to create every item on everyone's wish list would mean the software would not advance to the stage it is at today. With the many talented users who can write such scripts and plugins for trueSpace, you actually have the best of both worlds: good architecture and feature rich content. |
Post by Steinie // Dec 31, 2008, 10:32am
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Steinie
Total Posts: 3667
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I dropped to one knee and thanked (you know who) for Dele!...and trueBlue...and Stan and Frootee and Prodigy and Jack (even if he is dead) and that crazy Cat guy with the gun...and...:D |
Post by v3rd3 // Dec 31, 2008, 12:21pm
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v3rd3
Total Posts: 388
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What Norm said ..... :p |
Post by transient // Dec 31, 2008, 8:52pm
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transient
Total Posts: 977
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I've just had a chance to test this script. Unfortunately, ts crashes every time I hit the disable layer button (see pic). |
Post by Délé // Dec 31, 2008, 9:20pm
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Délé
Total Posts: 1374
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That's strange, they all work ok for me.
Could you please save the scene and upload it? I'll take a look and see if I can figure out what's going on.
Thanks |
Post by Délé // Dec 31, 2008, 9:37pm
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Délé
Total Posts: 1374
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Nevermind, I think I've pinpointed the problem. I had written some code in for testing purposes and forgot to correct it when finished. It was breaking under certain conditions. Easy enough to fix.
I found another possible bug too, so I'll update the script soon. Probably tomorrow. ;)
Thanks for the bug report Transient. :) |
Post by noko // Dec 31, 2008, 9:51pm
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noko
Total Posts: 684
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One of trueSpace's main features, is the ability to allow users to create such neat items as Layerz. The architecture allows this. For the developers to create every item on everyone's wish list would mean the software would not advance to the stage it is at today. With the many talented users who can write such scripts and plugins for trueSpace, you actually have the best of both worlds: good architecture and feature rich content.
Agree 100%! Truely amazing design and way future looking in my opinion and I get the feeling some are so use to how most programs do indeed requires a developer team to add even the simplest of features that the ease of adding inventive useful extensions to tS eludes alot of folks. I am not saying one doesn't have to learn a few things, one does but after that tS does indeed come ALIVE! One can almost change anything, if you don't like how a given control panel is, it really isn't hard to reconfigure if you want. Once you accumulate a few custom tools, one can reuse parts of them over and over again for whole new tools. Investigating scripts, slight modifications can change it into something else. The possibilities are mind boggling, fun and very excitting.
Something I prefer more then countless features with endless menus and sub menus is ability to load just what you need and keep things streamline. I preferr LayerZ way more better being available in a library to use for projects requiring it. If I need it everytime to be loaded I can create a project type which automatically has it loaded. So for how I work, I like to load what I need and not load everything. This is one reason why I would preferr having option of just loading WS and not both WS and modeler together. Still have the option for both, as in do not get rid of modeler but ability to just load WS. |
Post by transient // Dec 31, 2008, 10:27pm
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transient
Total Posts: 977
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Thanks for the bug report Transient.
No worries.:) |
Post by Délé // Jan 1, 2009, 10:57am
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Délé
Total Posts: 1374
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Ok, I updated the Layerz script in the first post with the following fixes.
* Fixed disable layer bug
* Added fail safe in case Object Render Attributes node is deleted
Let me know if it works ok now. Also let me know if any other bugs pop up. :) |
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