Tools pipeline

Overview

This page has been created to list the tested tool chain for every path in art. It's important to note that this page lists what has been tested with real models starting from the 3d tool up to addition in game. This guide needs to be updated!

Complet Workflow on GNU/Linux

It use Debian SID on June 2014

Desktop environement:
Xfce 4.10: A Simple and efficient Gtk2 Desktop environement (Low Memory, Fast, Stable)

Graphic driver
nvidia 331.67 : Install nvidia-kernel-dkms, nvidia-setting, nvidia-xconfig and be sure to have remove all xserver-xorg-* package before install it, that have a big impact to the stabilitty. run nvidia-xconfig as super user (sudo) one time for initial configuration.

Graphic Utility'
libnvtt-bin : Provide nvcompress tool, it permit to manimulate images on .dds format
Gimp 2.8.10 gimp-texturize gimp-dds : GNU Image Manipulation Program and 2 good plugins

Text Editor
Vim-gtk 7.4.273 | emacs | scite

Graphic SVN manipumation
Thunar-vcs-plugin if you use Xfce permit to manipulate SVN from you file explorer (Thunar 1.6.3)

Audio
Ardour3 : a tracker / sequencer .
Audacity 2.0.5 : The ultimate Audio manipulation programe

3D Manipulation
Blender 2.70a: Take care about you Graphic Driver the installation must be perfect.
io_scene_cs : As indicat eon it document, that the Blender to CrystalSpace exporter. The last SVN version work well.

sudo apt-get install xfce4 xfce4-goodies blender nvidia-kernel-dkms nvidia-setting nvidia-xconfig libnvtt-bin gimp gimp-texturize gimp-dds vim-gtk thunar-vcs-plugin ardour3 audacity
sudo nvidia-xconfig

Characters

New characters follow the table below. Existing characters with a rig and animation have to be edited in the application they have been built originally.

Geometry + UV

Maya -> obj -> 3dsmax

Maya -> obj -> Blender

Blender

• 2.49 -> export_cal3d.py version 0.9 -> cal3d cmf
• 2.5 / 2.6 -> https://github.com/alexeyd/blender2cal3d -> cal3d caf (some testing is needed on this new script)

3dsmax -> cal3d cmf in game

Rigging + Animations

PlaneShift uses CAL3D as animation library. So all rigging/animation made for PlaneShift need to be then exported to CAL3D.

Maya

Not supported.

Blender

• 2.49 -> export_cal3d.py version 0.9 -> cal3d caf -> in game
• 2.5 / 2.6 -> https://github.com/alexeyd/blender2cal3d -> cal3d caf (some testing is needed on this new script)

Note: the 2.6x exporter needs a patch to work on latest Blender (to be provided); moreover it seems that the binary format is obsolete or somehow broken, so you have to export as xml then conver to binary with the converter in the miniviewer zip.

• 2.7 :

Download Blender 3D : http://www.blender.org/download/

Download CrystalSpace SVN version : svn checkout svn://svn.code.sf.net/p/crystal/code/CS/trunk CS_LATEST

the io_scene_cs dir will be on CS_LATEST/scripts/blender/io_scene_cs

Follow Intructions from here : http://www.crystalspace3d.org/docs/online/manual/io_005fscene_005fcs-Installing.html#4
Note: Don't forget to switching to the CrystalSpace render view as indicated on the documentation.

3DSMax

3dsmax -> (using the cal3d exporter) -> cal3d caf in game

Notes

It seems that the PS engine only understands cal3d binary format (caf, csf, ...) and not xml formats (.xaf, .xsf, etc.) Convert your XAF, XMF, XSF, ... to Cxx format with Cal3d binary converter

To view your models exported in CAL3D format, you need the "miniviewer" program.

Miniviewer for Windows, for Linux (?), for MacOSX (?)

Items

Existing items can easily be ported to different tools with obj format and edited.

Items which needs to be rigged/weighted with the character follow the same rules of the chapter "Characters" above. Examples: A sword, a helmet, a bracer are not rigged with the character. A hair set, a robe, a plate mail torso are rigged with the character.

Geometry + UV

Maya

Maya -> obj -> 3dsmax

Maya -> obj -> Blender

Blender

Blender (2.68, with other versions YMMV) -> io_scene_cs -> crystal space

Blender (including blender 2.5x) -> obj -> 3dsmax

Blender2.49 -> blend2cs -> meshfact (not supported on blender 2.5x but under developpement by CS team)

3dsmax

3dsmax -> maxscript exporter -> meshfact in game

Levels

Existing levels should be edited in the original application those were built in. It's possible to export in obj a part of the level and have it edited in another tool, then import it back, but this process is not preferred.

Geometry + UV

Maya -> obj -> 3dsmax -> maxscript exporter -> world in game

Blender(including blender 2.5x) -> obj -> 3dsmax -> maxscript exporter -> world in game

3dsmax -> [maxscript exporter] -> world in game

Blender -> io_scene_cs -> world

Documentation on how to use it is here.

After exporting the world file you'll need to rename it to the name area in Planeshift; you'll also need to move the definitions of the materials and textures into materials/materials.cslib , and move the textures directory under materials directory or zipfile.

Dynamic Lights

Dynamic lights are the ones for the crystal and for lanterns that change intensity during the day based on the time change or an event.

Those are exported in a PS specific XML format.

Maya -> not supported

Blender 2.49-> not tested

Blender 2.5x-> Not supported

3dsmax -> maxscript for lights -> world in game