Melchior FRANZ wrote:
* Robicd -- Sunday 16 April 2006 10:48:
I'd like to have a more user friendly interface for the placement
technique. I am thinking about something more similar to the way modern
3d modelling software do with objects/view placement/moving/rotating.
You seem to forget that the ufo is an *aircraft*. How can it possibly
compete with 3D modelling software?! It uses Nasal and XML for what it
does, and it's due to our extremely versatile and powerful architecture
that all that is possible at all!
Well said, the UFO is an _aircraft_ but I've never seen aircrafts
placing objects around the world. You see, you're already on the good
way to make FGFS a 3d modelling software :-)
How that can be done, I really don't know; that's a question someone
else should answer, definetely not me.
I already asked Fred if he would ever implement a full 3d environment
into FGSD, he said it's not in the todo list and will probably never be.
There's no FGFS scenery tiles import/export plugin for any popular 3d
modelling software.
But still such a converging method that brings a robust 3d visual
interactivity in modelling/placing objects into a flightgear scenery
_is_ a powerfull instrument which should be created. Working on complex
scenes becomes very frustrating without appropriate tools.
First proposal: once the object is selected, let a manipulator cursor
appear
The set of available cursors is hardcoded in glut and the SDL interface.
There's no such cursor available, and I don't see us adding stuff to
a flight simulator that is otherwise only used in 3D editors, especially
since dragging doesn't work anyway ...
Do you think dragging could work in a distant future? What does it
depend on?
Second proposal: make the transformation data of the selected object
appear on screen as soon as you select it
Open the property browser under /data/adjust, and viola: values readable
and settable. Implemented!
I was expecting more from you :-)
The reason why I don't show more is that it's
a visual editor. If numbers count then you are probably using the wrong
tool, anyway. (But I could be talked into adding that anyway. I just don't
want to clutter the output with meaningless numbers.)
This is the most usefull tool for placing objects I've used since I
'play' with FGFS scenery addons, I think I am not wrong. It's just I
feel like this tool has potentials and needs development.
When selecting/moving multiple objects, having more informations could
be very usefull, I like to know how many objects I am moving (to cross
check I did selected the right ones, not more and not lesser), how muc
did I translated something (e.g. to make some more calculations for
further movements of nearby objects) ... there a few practical reasons
to that.
Third proposal: multiple selections, let the user select and transform
more then one item at a time. Some kind of left click and dragging a
rectangle
Dragging is impossible. Pulling up a rectangle is impossible.
Selecting multiple objects could be done, but would be a lot of work, so
I'm not exactly keen to implement it. The design was started with only one
changeable object in mind, because dynamic objects come with some performance
penalty. Probably completely negligible, though. Maybe later.
That's good to know, at least that one is possible :-)
Multiple selection/moving will be nice to have for complex scenes.
Fourth proposal: make the Point of View move in a more simple way for
object placing, i.e. simply move right, left, up, down, roll and pitch
with the mouse, without having to use thrust and being influenced by the
underlying simulation of the UFO flying vehicle
As Vassilii has said: if you don't like the UFO, don't use it. You can
try with the magic carpet:
$ fgfs --aircraft=ufo --fdm=magic
Implemented. (You could also write a separate mouse driver for use
with the ufo.
If I only knew how :-)
> Emphasis: "You" :-)
Forget it, I don't code at all, I like 3d modeling, don't even try
suggesting me to put my hands on any kind of programming, I am over
that, you will waste your time.
In conclusion: let the UFO mode be a 3d modeller substitute for getting
objects into the scenery, make it work with objects just like a 3d
modeller would (Blender, AC3D, Maya, 3DS, there are plenty of them you
can use as a good example) and you will make people happy.
Except that fgfs is a flight simulator, and the ufo is an aircraft.
Still fgfs is a flexible and complex piece of software (it's not a real
aviation base at all, it's a _software_) that can be modified and
adapted to people's need.
It needs contributions from people with different knowledge and skills.
E.g. there are a few (like me) who like adding eyecandys (like 3d
objects for the airports) to FGFS but still don't have powerfull enough
tools to speed up their work. That's a gap that can be filled.
I don't see Blender functionality merged into an aircraft. Of course,
all of the features *could* be done, but I only see us adding c++ code to
fgfs that is generally useful, not just for the ufo editing capabilities,
which is a scripted addon, and will remain just that.
I agre, such capabilities should not be peculiar to UFO only.
There should definetely be some kind of scenery development user
interface with appropriate tols for everyone who like adding something
to the scenery without being stuck to FGSD (which still is a very
remarkable tool).
Roberto
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