Outdated Real-Time Vehicle Editor - Alpha 12 released ! New UI, icons, duplication, plenty of fixes, ...

Introduction

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First of all for those who come here for the first time I suggest you first read what I described in my other thread here for the installation instructions and such. Also you are welcome to follow the evolution of the tool before this thread was made.
I create a second thread because the first post in the first one was getting huge due to the fact I post screenshots and descriptions with every release. I hope some better way will be available soon like spoiler tags to collapse content but for now I'll stick to this way.


Description

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So to describe this tool shortly I can say that it's meant to let you create and edit jbeam files in a user-friendly manner. It's not only for nodes and beams but everything that jbeam files can contain. Some grid controls allow you to easily add and remove elements (node / beam / hubWheel / ...) and you can set properties for groups or for an element separately.

But of course the biggest part of the tool is the 3D editor in which you can visually edit the node / beam structure AND the triangles. You can move groups of nodes and all their links with them, you can snap to grid, transform the grid and put it on a triangle, mirror nodes with their beams and triangles, ...

The other special feature of this editor is the integrated game control. By simply clicking a button you can launch the game inside the editor. An "update" button lets you easily refresh your vehicle from the tool to the game after you made some changes.


Wiki page

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I have started working on a Wiki page to provide help content related to this tool. I will update it little by little until it covers everything and will also use it to give you some tutorials and tips. You can access it by using this link. In versions Alpha 12 of the tool and above you can click the help button in the upper-right corner (the blue button '?' next to the green '+').

Don't hesitate to let me know if you need more. And don't forget I'm always open to your great suggestions so don't keep them in your mind. Share them !



Update Alpha 12 (0.0.0.12)

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So here it is finally ! Check out the latest release post for more information on changes.
Download is below.


Warning:
The new layout currently doesn't work on Windows 8. You can find a version Apha 12 using the old layout on this post. That should temporary help you if you're on Windows 8. It contains all the same functionalities except the layout with the docking suite.

Update Alpha 11 (0.0.0.11)

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So this release is a big one. I'll try to describe all the changes as well as I can so that you know what you can do .

• added a radial menu with most functionalities (press 'spacebar' in a view to open it, better use it when view is maximised)

• added multiple node selection
  • hold left-ctrl and click them
• added multiple node translation / rotation
  • use the manipulator that you get once you have nodes selected
  • use Enter or Clear selection from the radial menu to clear the selection
• added mirror feature for nodes / beams / triangles
  • select some nodes
  • open the radial menu with spacebar and navigate to Edit > Operations > Mirror > and choose the mirror axes
  • linked beams and triangles will be mirrored as well
  • if you select one node from a beam a new beam will be created starting from the node you hadn't selected (the second from the beam) to the mirrored node
• added grid transformation feature
  • press G to toggle move grid or click the bar button
  • the grid will be translated in orthographic views
  • but can be rotated in 3D view relative to a triangle when holding left-shift
  • please enable snapping with a value of 1 to move the grid if you want the snapping to work correctly after the transform
• added triangle visibility when hovering with mouse
  • when holding left-alt you can pick-delete a triangle by simply clicking it
• included property enableTireSideVBeams
• included property remoteCollisionThickness
• fixed deletion of triangles that could lead to weird results in previous versions
• fixed snapping of grid
  • still wrong sometimes when it has been moved without snapping on
• fixed normal calculation for triangles
• added visible triangle normals
• added visible light bulb
• added functionality to move the light
  • press L to toggle move light or press the bar button and move it with your cursor
• added reset grid feature
  • press shift+G or use the bar button or radial menu
• added reset light feature
  • press shift+L or use the bar button or radial menu
• added auto focus to view below cursor so that you don't have to click it first to activate it
  • I mean that when you move your mouse from Front view to Perspective view (for example) the Perspective view automatically becomes active and you can use the keyboard shortcuts on it
• added a separate button for grid cursor
  • don't forget you can use V to easily switch between the 3 cursors
  • as a little tip: only use the 3D cursors when you need to hit a triangle or mesh, it is not good to place nodes in an empty space
  • an interesting example of use: you can activate the node cursor and pick a node, hold the mouse and press V to switch cursor until you get to Grid cursor and then release the mouse
• added possibility to hide parts of the application header to maximize the working area
  • press the green + button on the top right of the tool
• fixed error on hubWheels control for wheel direction when value was 0
  • added value 0 as Undefined because I saw some set it to 0
• changed indentation of JBeam code in files to make it easier to read
  • click "yes" when saving to indent the output (compressing puts it all on a single line as before) and it now looks much better than before
  • I'll try to add support for comments in the next version
• changed warning when creating elements with too few nodes in part
  • now checking the whole vehicle instead
• and last but not least I added support for thrusters !

Here's a global overview screenshot. The others are are links to the ones I have already posted on the other thread. As always I will also post a video as soon as I can on my dedicated YouTube channel here. Don' forget to subscribe .


Overview

View attachment 18170 View attachment 18171
Node / Beam / Triangle manipulation

View attachment 17087
Grid transform

View attachment 18356
Mirroring

View attachment 18360
Radial menu

View attachment 18464
Thrusters

Here's how the exported JBeams now look like:

Code:

{
    "flipramp":{
        "information":{
            "name":null,
            "authors":""},


        "slotType":"main",
        "refNodes":[
            ["ref:", "back:", "left:", "up:"],
            ["4", "0", "5", "2"]],


        "flexbodies":[
            ["mesh", "[group]:", "nonFlexMaterials"],
            {"rotation":{"x":0.0, "y":0.0, "z":0.0}, "translation":{"x":0.0, "y":0.0, "z":0.0}},
            ["flipramp_01a", ["flipramp"]]],


        "nodes":[
            ["id", "posX", "posY", "posZ"],
            {"nodeWeight":15.0, "nodeMaterial":"|NM_METAL", "group":"flipramp", "frictionCoef":1.0, "collision":true, "selfCollision":false},
            ["0", -0.18, 1.46, 0.0],
            ["1", 0.18, 1.46, 0.0],
            ["2", -0.18, -1.44, 0.78],
            ["3", 0.18, -1.44, 0.78],
            ["4", -0.18, -1.44, 0.0],
            ["5", 0.18, -1.44, 0.0],
            ["6", -0.18, 0.0, 0.0],
            ["7", 0.18, 0.0, 0.0],
            ["8", -0.18, 0.0, 0.39],
            ["9", 0.18, 0.0, 0.39],
            {"group":""}],


        "beams":[
            ["id1:", "id2:"],
            {"beamSpring":8001000, "beamDamp":300, "beamDeform":200000, "beamStrength":"FLT_MAX"},
            ["0", "1"],
            ["0", "2"],
            ["0", "3"],
            ["0", "4"],
            ["0", "5"],
            ["1", "2"],
            ["1", "3"],
            ["1", "4"],
            ["1", "5"],
            ["2", "3"],
            ["2", "4"],
            ["2", "5"],
            ["3", "4"],
            ["3", "5"],
            ["4", "5"],
            ["6", "0"],
            ["6", "1"],
            ["6", "2"],
            ["6", "3"],
            ["6", "4"],
            ["6", "5"],
            ["6", "7"],
            ["7", "0"],
            ["7", "1"],
            ["7", "2"],
            ["7", "3"],
            ["7", "4"],
            ["7", "5"],
            ["8", "0"],
            ["8", "1"],
            ["8", "2"],
            ["8", "3"],
            ["8", "4"],
            ["8", "5"],
            ["8", "6"],
            ["8", "7"],
            ["9", "0"],
            ["9", "1"],
            ["9", "2"],
            ["9", "3"],
            ["9", "4"],
            ["9", "5"],
            ["9", "6"],
            ["9", "7"],
            ["9", "8"]],


        "triangles":[
            ["id1:", "id2:", "id3:"],
            {"group":"ramp"},
            ["2", "3", "9"],
            ["2", "9", "8"],
            ["9", "1", "0"],
            ["9", "0", "8"],
            ["3", "5", "7"],
            ["3", "7", "9"],
            ["9", "7", "1"],
            ["2", "6", "4"],
            ["2", "8", "6"],
            ["0", "6", "8"],
            ["2", "4", "5"],
            ["2", "5", "3"],
            ["5", "4", "6"],
            ["5", "6", "7"],
            ["7", "6", "0"],
            ["7", "0", "1"],
            {"group":""}]}
}

That's it for this release.

Enjoy !

 

Re: Real-Time Vehicle Editor - NEWEST RELEASE HERE - Current: Alpha 11

First!

AWESOME MOD! thanks.

 

Re: Real-Time Vehicle Editor - NEWEST RELEASE HERE - Current: Alpha 11

Well technically you're the #186 .

 

Re: Real-Time Vehicle Editor - NEWEST RELEASE HERE - Current: Alpha 11

Thanks for another awesome update! Keep up the good work!

 

Re: Real-Time Vehicle Editor - NEWEST RELEASE HERE - Current: Alpha 11

the exported jbeams look tons better. thanks

 

Re: Real-Time Vehicle Editor - NEWEST RELEASE HERE - Current: Alpha 11

Can you start a new Jbeam or does there have to be an original one?

 

Re: Real-Time Vehicle Editor - NEWEST RELEASE HERE - Current: Alpha 11

you can start a new jbeam with the old one and I highly doubt gregblast took that feature out so.. yea

 

Re: Real-Time Vehicle Editor - NEWEST RELEASE HERE - Current: Alpha 11

I mean like, can you start a new one without have an old or original​ Jbeam?

 

Re: Real-Time Vehicle Editor - NEWEST RELEASE HERE - Current: Alpha 11

he meant the previous version of the editor... in short, yes. you can start a new file

 

Re: Real-Time Vehicle Editor - NEWEST RELEASE HERE - Current: Alpha 11

Yes. For a new vehicule it's not too obvious when you see the tool but it's pretty easy. After opening the tool open the "Vehicle" menu, enter a name and description and click "Save" without having any vehicule open (to close a vehicule just right-click it in the vehicle bar). It will ask you if you want to create a new one. Then you will be proposed to import the resources from another vehicule (3D model, textures, ...). You can skip that part if you prefer.
Then you end up in the file / part selection window with a pre-made first file and first part that match the vehicule name you entered. You can open that part and start editing it like any other or add new etc.

If you meant only to create a new jbeam file for an existing vehicule you can simply do like in any grid in the tool with that window. Just insert a new line on the left grid (with the files) and a new line on the right grid (with the parts). And then you can open your new part.

- - - Updated - - -

Wiki page

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I have started working on a Wiki page to provide help content related to this tool. I will update it little by little until it covers everything and will also use it to give you some tutorials and tips. You can access it by using this link. In versions Alpha 12 of the tool and above you can click the help button in the upper-right corner (the blue button '?' next to the green '+').

Don't hesitate to let me know if you need more. And don't forget I'm always open to your great suggestions so don't keep them in your mind. Share them !

 

Re: Real-Time Vehicle Editor - NEWEST RELEASE HERE - Current: Alpha 11

My model doesn't show up in the 3D editor

 

Re: Real-Time Vehicle Editor - NEWEST RELEASE HERE - Current: Alpha 11

I can't display Collada models currently. So the only way you can get it inside for now is by converting it (well creating a duplicate of it) into a .obj or .3ds. However I can't predict the way it will show up. You should take care of the up axis and scales when converting. Online converters usually don't let you choose that. But you can do it with Blender.

Then simply place the model side by side with the .DAE in the vehicle folder and open the vehicle in the editor. Now it should show up in the 3D editor. Note that it can be resource consuming as the tool is not really optimized for that currently.

You'll have a manipulator which can be used to transform it if it is not positioned / rotated correctly. But no scale manipulator however. I will provide more functionalities concerning 3D models in the future. Especially if I can get Collada models to load.

EDIT:
You can scale the model by changing the Model scale value at the top of the 3D editor (in the bars just above the views).

- - - Updated - - -

Model transparency

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Next release will allow you to load a model with a transparent material and see through. Previously you could not see through it. Now you will be able to. That will make it easier to edit using the mesh.

The actual mesh is the transparent one. The blue pipes are not related. They are the representation of what will be the thrusters in next release (already functional and ready for Alpha 12 too).

 

Re: Real-Time Vehicle Editor - NEWEST RELEASE HERE - Current: Alpha 11

Hey Greg - Can't really tell from that pic... Will this allow you to see nodes & beams behind/inside the mesh, and interact with them? That was the issue I was having, so I'm assuming the answer is Yes, which will be *really* helpful

 

Re: Real-Time Vehicle Editor - NEWEST RELEASE HERE - Current: Alpha 11

Yes you can interact through using the Node cursor and Grid cursor. The 3D cursor will collide with the model so that you can still place nodes directly onto it. The problem with WPF 3D is it expects you to render your opaque stuff first and transparent things next. I was drawing things after the model to better see them. But I simply moved the rendering of the model to the end of the list and thus it shows through.

And for those wondering about thrusters I tested them by creating them all in the editor like that on the flipramp and I easily made it drivable. T to go forward, G left and H right. Was actually pretty fun. I'll make a video about that too.

 

Re: Real-Time Vehicle Editor - Alpha 11 and Wiki page

How do you delete a node? pressing delete when i have multiple nodes selected just seems to crash it.

 

Re: Real-Time Vehicle Editor - Alpha 11 and Wiki page

just click the little x on the right of this screen


works the same for beams and triangles

 

Re: Real-Time Vehicle Editor - Alpha 11 and Wiki page

Do you mean in the 3D editor with a selection or in the Nodes tab on the grid ? I tried both on the Flipramp and it worked. Can you tell me more about the error you got ?

 

Re: Real-Time Vehicle Editor - Alpha 11 and Wiki page

Element information and beam hit test

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Currently I'm working on displaying information about different elements when hovering them with the mouse. For this I also made it possible to highlight a beam by hovering it. You can still increase the beam thickness to make it easier.
I'm also adding some transparency when I can and when I think it fits. It will also probably be switchable for the moments where you'd prefer not to see through.

The following screenshot shows this all together. The properties information might not be fully correct because I'm still adding things to get all the correct information easily.

There you can see through the triangles. If you look closely enough you will notice that the beam is highlighted as well. The tooltip box displays information relative to the selected beam. It is the same for nodes if you select the node cursor and point to one. I will keep adding more information like this so that you can easily see what you are doing in the 3D editor and eventually make it deactivable in order to clear the way when you are building something.

Edit:

I think I got it right this time:

So to be complete this displays all the properties that affect the selected beam (and its nodes). It includes the properties defined inside the beam and those potentially from far above that haven't been changed since then. However this doesn't include the properties that could have been defined on the previous (or parent) part.

 

Re: Real-Time Vehicle Editor - Alpha 11 and Wiki page

Hi, i found one mistake in DriveBeamEditor V11 also in older V too, as you can see on the attached picture, i can't scroll down, in vehicle parts tab to change other parts.

 

Re: Real-Time Vehicle Editor - Alpha 11 and Wiki page

Ow that's weird. I hadn't noticed. Thanks for letting me know I'll check it out and fix it.