As promised!
Submitted By admin on 10/02/13
Mars Explorer, admin, Official, coding, unity
67 Comments - 85150 Views
For those of you interested in developing Mars Explorer worlds -
or even your own complete Unity games - I have just finished a preview
of Whirld 3 that you might want to check out:
The
Whirld preview is distributed as a Unity Asset Package - which can be
imported into a blank Unity project, or a project which already
contains a previous version of the library (in which case each file
will be updated as necessary if it has changed in the newer release).
This is NOT the official Whirld 3 release, and it is nowhere near
complete. The final, official release will include much more - possibly
even full integration with a Whirld bundling webservice depending on
how my negotiations with Unity go. For now, worlds you create that
incorporate this package will still need to be sent to me for bundling
- but by following the best practices exemplified by the worlds
included in this package, you can make my job much easier.
Here's a list of several of the features included in this package:
- Complete physics for latest buggy and jet, and the ability to switch between them while exploring your worlds!
- Dedicated "Controller" that provides quick access to all scenes defined in Unity's "Build Settings" window. Create your own scene, add it to the build settings, and you are ready to explore it!
- Complete scenes included - with all source assets - for Foxholes, Levitashia, and Seb's Sky King!
- Full source for the latest Whirld library in Mars Explorer 2.22. (No documentation yet, so it won't be too useful to anyone but perhaps Flynn :)
- Dedicated Whirld "Resources", including the super cool new Sea object introduced in Mars Explorer 2. Check out the Foxholes world to learn how to use it in conjunction with terrain that is automatically textured with a seafloor on any submerged areas.
- Sample world demonstrating the use of the new animation editor in Unity 2.6. Your worlds can now contain sliding doors, moving spaceships, and more!
Happy Coding,
-Aubrey
» Reply to CommentRe:
TehRandax (Ambassador_Spock)
9 hours - 1,072v
Posted 2010/02/13 - 2:07 GMT
Thanks, Aubrey!
Yaaay!
Hup hup harrah!!!!
:D :D :D :D
Fiiinally!!!
I'll have to look around to see if this preview is complete enough to support full creation of the world creator, but yaaay!!!!!!
Thank you thank you thankssss you!!!
You're welcome!
/Whirld/Editor/WhirldOut.js contains most of my world exporting logic. It won't quite work as-is at the moment, because I haven't finished moving all my Whirld 2 export code into Whirld 3.
In Whirld 3, there are two different exporting modes: "Open", and "Bundle".
"Bundle" stores advanced scene assets such as meshes and terrains inside Unity proprietary AssetBundles, is highly effecient, and requires Unity Pro in order to create the AssetBundles. "Bundle" mode is the core of all the new detailed worlds constantly becoming available to play in Mars Explorer, which is why everyone has to send their worlds to me for publishing at the moment. "Bundle" mode is fully implemented, and should be able to perfectly save any world as long as it is run in Unity Pro.
"Open" uses my own proprietery code and formats to save meshes and terrains, and it was the core of Whirld 2. It is still highly useful for worlds composed of defined resources (such as blocks), and in scenarios where you need to package a world but do not have access to Unity Pro.
Here's a link to my Whirld 2 code - you can reference it if there is a feature you need that isn't yet included in Whirld 3:
Check out the "Save()" function in Whirld 2 - it should be just what you need to export worlds made of blocks and other resources, as well as simple terrains (no vegitation, etc - highly detailed terrains are best left to Bundle worlds where they are much faster and more effecient).
In the final Whirld 3 release, I plan to have both Open and Bundle mode fully implemented (and also hope to have a "web service" mode which will send your world to my server running Unity Pro to be bundled there).
Please let me know if anything still isn't clear, I'll do my best to answer :)
Everything makes sense!
I'll send any questions.
Thanks again!
Actually, one questions...
Where exactly do I place this code?
The Whirld 2 code?
You don't need all of it - you can just copy the Save() and Save(trobj : Transform) functions into your World Creator's main codebase and call them as needed. You might want to trim them down to only the types of assets you will need to save.
When the final Whirld 3 is released, you should be able to simply call WhirldOut.Save() and be good to go :)
I see now.
I have created a simple terrain in Unity, however when trying to export in Open mode, all that is given is a .UTW file
In other words, I need to know what the requirements, and instructions for successful exportation are.
I have created a simple terrain in Unity, however when trying to export in Open mode, all that is given is a .UTW file
In other words, I need to know what the requirements, and instructions for successful exportation are.
"Open" mode is not working yet.
If you want to export terrains before I finish the Whirld 3 library, you will need to copy the relevant code from Whirld 2 as per the info in my previous comments.
It will take some work - it might be easier to just wait a bit longer for the official release unless you are feeling particularly adventerous :)
The World Creator is my thing, not so much the Whirld project. I'll wait a bit longer. Any ESTD?
No - not ATM.
If you are focusing primarily on block worlds and simple terrains, It shouldn't be too hard to get the exporter finalized...
I may be able to release it in another update before the official release.
Well my main goals are terrains, and blocks. Priority two would be meshes, then would come mesh texturing, and finally scripting. It is obvious that scripting is a bundled-only kind of thing. Meshes, along with mesh texturing WERE displayed before the bundling system, so that should be ok....
In other words, Whirld 2 sounds like it has everything I need for a full world creator release, other than scripting . Scripting being only one feature, it shouldn't be too hatd to add it as a second release. As for more complex terrains, using trees and such, I never planned on it amyhow. However as I think about it, it IS a good idea to include trees. However, as the terrain part of world creation isn't too integrated into anything else, it could also be a second-release sort of thing.
In short, in order to serve my needs, the Whirld project must support:
terrains
- terrain texturing
meshes
-mesh texturing
blocks.
Then again, if using meshes, I don't even need blocks anyhow. ;)
In other words, Whirld 2 sounds like it has everything I need for a full world creator release, other than scripting . Scripting being only one feature, it shouldn't be too hatd to add it as a second release. As for more complex terrains, using trees and such, I never planned on it amyhow. However as I think about it, it IS a good idea to include trees. However, as the terrain part of world creation isn't too integrated into anything else, it could also be a second-release sort of thing.
In short, in order to serve my needs, the Whirld project must support:
terrains
- terrain texturing
meshes
-mesh texturing
blocks.
Then again, if using meshes, I don't even need blocks anyhow. ;)
Um, what are meshes? 'Cause I'm kinda used to using blocks. Plus, if you get rid of blocks, then your new creator wouldn't be compatible with all the worlds people made using the old creator. My suggestion is to use meshes (whatever they are) AND use blocks. And the terrain sounds awesome! It'll add a whole new dynamic to block worlds! Can't wait!
yay!!!! although i have now idea how to use it. :P lol
It's HERE! IT's HERE YES THANK YOU AUBREY!!!
This is great, the old project never seemed to work for me, but this one is great.
Thanks.
Sigh... It's way to big for my download speed. Average of 100 kbs means 3 - 6 hours of download. grr....
Whatever, i'll just keep with the old project... It looks like it would be good though.
Is this Windows compatible?
I'm having major issues getting the whole project, even with Zip Genius..
It certainly should be!
Could another Windows user let me know if they were able to unarchive the project, and what process they used?
Please make sure the filesize you have is 45.5 MB - If it isn't, the file was certainly corrupted during download (and also may have been even if the size matches correctly.
Found the issue,
For some reason, I'm getting a 43.37 MB Filesize instead of a 45.5.
Could that possibly explain my troubles?
Here is what I get when I download into Zip Genius and then extract all the files to my desktop.
You're probably getting sick of me finding all these little bugs On Plexpedia and Mars by now aren't you? :-)
» Reply to CommentRe: "Unofficial" Whirld 3 Preview
this may be a stupid question, but how do you even start building, i click a bunch of files and all i get is, choose application to open, so which one do i use to open it?
New version just released!
Includes an enhanced physics system to prevent wall punchthroughs, and a sample scene to demonstrate Unity's animation editor.
The Whirld release is now also distributed as an Asset Package instead of a complete Unity project folder, which should make it much easier to upgrade projects that you have already been working on and also eliminate confusion on zip archives and the like.
Have fun!
-Aubrey
I am still experiencing "Punchthroughs" at higher speeds, although it seems to be mostly fixed. However, when I ride in the animated transporter, it is chaos because it moves at higher speeds. Bottom line: Don't make anything that moves, and the buggy can go in. Yet. ;)
Could you send me your latest project?
I'll see if there is anything that can be done to work around the situation.
Do you need unity to run this?
Yes you do Dray.
It can be downloaded here for free, enjoy.
Thanks Aubrey! I can finally finish the Cheese islands! The lifts will be up and running shortly after I finish my Home work and do some converting for some people! Sorry for the wait!
Super Cheese
hey super cheese, I was making a level of draysland,
When I remembered that you already made an island map :P
Would it be a problem if I did too?
if it helps, this is an earth level XD
Well, you sure can! I don't own the rights to island maps! And my map has been in production hell for... four of five months!
Super Cheese
BAM!!!
I can't get it to work. It says that it is not compatible with Windows, and that I don't have some sort of Blender thing. I probably have to download that Blender thing, but the non-compatibility is something I can't do. Just saying.
-LittleDoug
Aubrey, thanks for your janitorial work on the forum last night!
BAM!
With all the people hovering around w/ new worlds and no idea how to test them, I thought this should come back up.
Cheers Aubrey.
When will the Whirld 3 officially come out?
This is really cool Aubrey!
P.S. Did you get my e-mail?
This already needs another BAM! it seems
one small problem (for me) when I downloaded unity and found it it lokks like this
ZERO KB!!!!! 0_0
ZERO KB!!!!! 0_0Hey Aubrey, is it possible to fix it to work with Unity 3, because when you try to play anything from the Whrild file, it says there are component errors.
I don't think so. I tried, and failed. My trying, and failing doesn't mean that it won't work, of course. However, I theorize that Unity 3 and Unity 2 asset bundles are.. Different. Thus, they are incompatible.
Cool! You should use dropbox instead of mediafire. I tried mediafire first and although it is a little bit more annoying, dropbox gives a better end result.
» Reply to CommentHow do you open the worlds you created on Mars Explorer?
