Priorities for future Spark updates?
StixNStonz
Join Date: 2006-11-06 Member: 58439Members, Reinforced - Shadow
Join Date: 2006-11-06 Member: 58439Members, Reinforced - Shadow
<div class="IPBDescription">Everyone give input</div>Everyone tell us what you think should be the priorities of the upcoming Spark updates. Put a huge list if you want to go months ahead!
For me, it's roughly:
1. Grouping: of props and / or mesh objects
2. Mesh Object Selection: a special click that selects the face and all adjoining / welded faces
This should be separate from Grouping, since grouped objects should be only selectable in their entirety, whereas Mesh Objects should be either selected as a whole object (similar to group, using a special click)
3. Vertex Deletion: delete a vertex without deleting the faces (really annoying, especially since it can be a challenge to manually create those faces again)
4. Vertex Welding and unwelding
5. Edge Deleting: when you delete an edge, it should delete any floating, unused Vertices (as they are currently left over and have to be deleted afterwards)
6. Bugfix; Only Cutting (with the line tool) your current face: seems half the time you try to cut across a face, say across a floor, the destination vertex is applied to the wrong face, such as the wall; the floor does not actually get cut and the wall now has more triangles. Which, because of the previously mentioned issue with deleting vertices, can be pretty annoying.
For me, it's roughly:
1. Grouping: of props and / or mesh objects
2. Mesh Object Selection: a special click that selects the face and all adjoining / welded faces
This should be separate from Grouping, since grouped objects should be only selectable in their entirety, whereas Mesh Objects should be either selected as a whole object (similar to group, using a special click)
3. Vertex Deletion: delete a vertex without deleting the faces (really annoying, especially since it can be a challenge to manually create those faces again)
4. Vertex Welding and unwelding
5. Edge Deleting: when you delete an edge, it should delete any floating, unused Vertices (as they are currently left over and have to be deleted afterwards)
6. Bugfix; Only Cutting (with the line tool) your current face: seems half the time you try to cut across a face, say across a floor, the destination vertex is applied to the wrong face, such as the wall; the floor does not actually get cut and the wall now has more triangles. Which, because of the previously mentioned issue with deleting vertices, can be pretty annoying.
Comments
currently its whichever axis/grid-line the cursor is closest to
- Edge extrusion
Edge manipulation being the most powerful 3d modelling technique, I think the edge extrusion, at least, would be just great in mapping, if I recall what I've experimented from mapping yet.
- Snapgrid rotation and movement.
That would completly fix the snapgrid problems when rotating and moving multiple objects and thus being of tremendous help when trying to merge two files containing rooms and/or corridors together.
Other things I can think of.. they must have already been said.
- a scale multiplier in the paint mode
- Selection mirroring (it should also use snapgrid like rotation and movement)
- Selection cycling
- Simple boolean operations would also be nice
Edge manipulation being the most powerful 3d modelling technique, I think the edge extrusion, at least, would be just great in mapping, if I recall what I've experimented from mapping yet.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
What exactly does this do? I've done modelling but it's been a few years. Does it extrude the edge into a spike, moving its base edges along the original two faces?
Grouping - ability to group geometry (nesting for groups too please)
Layers - ability to Layer geometry
Vertex Deletion - see Stix's suggestions
Cleave - ability to take a group of selected faces and cut through any non selected faces.
Decals - ability to spray decals over props and textures to add tire tracks, burn marks, rust flecking, numbers other than 7, etc
Torus Primitive
Multi Monitor Support, ability to add a separate window for additional monitors and configure that like a frame.
Props:
Cargo Lifter / misc industrial vehicles
Scrap metal, rubble, destroyed technowizzles, type of elements to 'pepper' a map with.
Small spacecraft (dropship, fighter, single man transport)
even more pipes, wire groupings and their associated turns and bends and variations.
wire coils for existing tube and wire assets
more computer-type terminals
Art:
matte metallic wall textures
red/white alert trim texture (similar to the yellow/black)
I think this issue has more to do with how your level is constructed. It sounds like you are drawing faces separately and then moving them together to make them appear attached. If you were to build the wall from the floor vertices, then they share a common edge. If you draw them separately and move them together, you are working with two edges occupying the same space. Creating things separately and moving them together prevents one from taking full advantage of the Spark editor's features.
<!--quoteo(post=1744020:date=Dec 16 2009, 12:24 PM:name=Pipi)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Pipi @ Dec 16 2009, 12:24 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1744020"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->- Edge extrusion
Edge manipulation being the most powerful 3d modelling technique, I think the edge extrusion, at least, would be just great in mapping, if I recall what I've experimented from mapping yet.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
This sounds more like moving an edge, or really any object, along a "local" axis instead of the global/environment one. Movement along a local axis is a common 3d modelling technique.
<!--quoteo(post=1744020:date=Dec 16 2009, 12:24 PM:name=Pipi)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Pipi @ Dec 16 2009, 12:24 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1744020"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->- a scale multiplier in the paint mode<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I find the current method of texture scaling to be counter-intuitive but this could just be my preference. Instead of using a multiplier, the number of textures to repeat on the face is being used instead. I think a multiplier is easier for most people to understand.
Having Hue/Saturation and Brightness/Contrast settings for maps.
Having Hue/Saturation and Brightness/Contrast settings for maps.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Color Correction, like in Source? (and i assume every other new game... I've noticed it quite heavily used in Assassin's Creed 2)
<!--quoteo(post=1744055:date=Dec 16 2009, 08:29 PM:name=Kouji_San)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Kouji_San @ Dec 16 2009, 08:29 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1744055"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->A feature that could be useless if people turn it off...<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
No no no...
An all-in-one feature with all four settings (sliders maybe) for contrast, brightness, saturation and hue. This would be directly applied to the texture.
Like.. you could re-use maps in other ways, making them darker or with another hue or more saturated. For example. There is a trim with 6 little blue kind of screens (or lights). There you could just adjust the hue to make it orange.
Sometimes I also felt like using some textures together but the feeling wasn't artistically right. One would be too light gray to fit the general feeling this part of the map. Another would have a certain rusty coloration that didn't fit.
You know .. from an artistic view, that would change a lot of things and make work better with less assets.
Top: Most important
Bottom: Least important
<ul><li><b>Force axis</b>: While creating a line, press x/y/z to force it to one axis only (like in Blender)</li><li><b>Flip selected objects</b></li><li><b>More primitives</b>: Arch/sphere/etc. creation like in Hammer</li><li><b>Cycle select</b>: Cycle/select objects under the mouse (like in Hammer) </li><li><b>Continuous select</b>: While holding down the Alt key and selecting an edge, select all edges next to this one. (VERY useful for selecting edge "rings" in a cylinder!)</li><li><b>Multiple keywords</b> in material search text field (like if I type in "floor trim", it finds all the materials that have "floor" AND "trim" in their name)</li></ul>
Already implemented.
Oh snap, you're right! I only tried double clicking the header cell for some reason. xD Thanks.
- A 'clip' tool.
Would make things a tonne faster for me, 'til anything remotely similar is implemented I probably won't spend much time in Spark.
2. working model import
3. working model import
4. vertex merging
5. edge extrusion
<!--quoteo(post=1744048:date=Dec 16 2009, 06:18 PM:name=Pipi)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Pipi @ Dec 16 2009, 06:18 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1744048"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Edge extrusion is dragging an edge along a relative axis from the originating face making a new face connected to it. The newly created face uses the vertexes from the original edge and the extruded edge.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
And I have to agree on Vertex welding.
Vertex and edge welding (and unwelding) would be very useful though.
Vertex and edge welding (and unwelding) would be very useful though.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I don't understand... How could you possibly create the result of a large array of extruded edges with a couple more clicks?
Using the line tool, you can start a line on a vertex of an existing edge, create a parallel line, then connect the two at the top and Spark automatically creates a face for you, which, as a bonus, is welded to the parent face (since they share an edge). So three clicks. That's what edge extrusion would accomplish, no?
all the vertex connection of the edge are kept for the new one
So imagine you have a circle (with an edge on the center, and one edge at each point of his perimeter), and you extrude the center (like if it was an edge), you will have a cone (even if a circle dont have really any edge)
Vertex and edge welding (and unwelding) would be very useful though.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
You can certainly replicate really simple edge extrusion with some more clicks as you are saying, using the line tool and such.
But in a complexier geometry (a room with angles, corners, convexes, etc) edge extrusion would do in one click what you'll have to do in 30 clicks. !
Edge extrusion can be applied anywhere.