#water..!
<<BTW, I applaud your work on TSE.>
Thanks!
<<I submitted a script, too, but I haven't had time to get really
deeply into it.>>
You are making good on the threat to contribute scripts that you
made a few months back <g>.
<have others write stuff for me, if necessary>
I would be interested!
<It's actually a much deeper basic than tse's – so I get a little
upset with TSE's limited basic. >
But, you can use TSE now, instead of having to wait for a version
with more commands <g>.
I asked about QuickBasic in my note, because I talk about it, in an
article about Keyscript for the next issue of "Planet Studio."
In the article I explain how to add QuickBasic to the program
menu, and then be just a couple of clicks away from full-screen
help for (a version of) BASIC. I also mention where to read about
using QuickBasic to debug complex 3-D scenes.
I hadn't thought of this idea when I wrote the article:
– Place the information found while using help in QuickBasic
in a file, before returning to the script editor.
– Go to the script editor window that's not being used for
your code, and load that file.
– Use copy/paste to copy QuickBasic examples, to use as
prototypes, to your code.
Do you edit scripts within 3ds or have you found an editor you'd
rather use? I like kedit, mostly because I can write macros to
create new commands. I've done neat (IMHO) things with kedit that
might be useful to many people if redone as scripts. Maybe
someone will want to write scripts to do the following:
3ds Task-oriented help:
I like the 3ds ".HLP" files, they are very well done, and
are excellent for complete, summarized information. (Those files
are used, by 3DS, when help is requested.)
I combined copies of all of them in just one file (with an id
added to each line to identify its source). I now use that file
whenever I need task-oriented help. I search the file with kedit
macros (that could be redone as scripts) whenever I don't think I
know all the areas related to WHAT I WANT TO DO (vs. details
about specific commands). For example, I just used the file to
get help on blurring. I asked kedit for all entries that
mentioned "blur." I got two. They covered three commands and a
slider (four lines contain those items and are marked with an "*"
below.):
KeyColCom >8010 ( )
* KeyColCom Object/Motion Blur assigns the current motion blur settings to
KeyColCom one or more objects. (You can define motion blur using
* KeyColCom Renderer/Setup/Options in the 3D Editor, and you can apply
* KeyColCom motion blur to the entire scene using Renderer/Video Post.)
* MatEdi >23 ( The Reflect. Blur Slider )
MatEdi The Reflect. Blur slider determines the sharpness of reflection
MatEdi bitmaps.
In just those eight lines of text, besides the name of the four
command/sliders, there is also information on when to use them
and where to find them. Pretty complete and concise!:
Apply blur to objects – Keyframer Object/Motion Blur
Apply blur to scene – Keyframer Renderer/Video Post
Adjust motion blur – 3D Editor Renderer/Setup/Options
Adjust bitmap reflec. – Mat Editor Reflect. Blur slider
I couldn't feel confident using a list that was not created
automatically, such as the index to a book. In fact, the index of
the Reference manual has only two entries for "blur," neither
leading to any of the three commands I kedit found for me.
TSE help and prototypes
I use a slightly out-of-date copy of the TSE manual with kedit, to
locate and copy portions (prototypes) to my scripts. This is
specially useful with large structures, as the one listed below.
With permission, I can make the file available.
MyLightStuff.on = ? :' (1 or 0) light is turned on
MyLightStuff.shadow = ? :' (1 or 0) light casts shadow
MyLightStuff.cone = ? :' (1 or 0) cone is displayed
MyLightStuff.rect = ? :' (1 or 0) light is rectangular
MyLightStuff.proj = ? :' (1 or 0) light is projector
MyLightStuff.over = ? :' (1 or 0) light overshoots
MyLightStuff.atten = ? :' (1 or 0) light is attentuated
MyLightStuff.ray = ? :' (1 or 0) shadow is raytraced
MyLightStuff.x = ? :' X coord of light
MyLightStuff.y = ? :' Y coord of light
MyLightStuff.z = ? :' Z coord of light
MyLightStuff.tx = ? :' X coord of light target
MyLightStuff.ty = ? :' Y coord of light target
MyLightStuff.tz = ? :' Z coord of light target
MyLightStuff.hotsize = ? :' size of hotspot in degrees
MyLightStuff.fallsize = ? :' size of falloff in degrees
MyLightStuff.bank = ? :' bank in degrees
MyLightStuff.aspect = ? :' aspect ratio
MyLightStuff.inrange = ? :' attenuation min
MyLightStuff.outrange = ? :' attenuation max
MyLightStuff.bias = ? :' shadow map bias
MyLightStuff.shadfilter = ? :' shadow map sample size
MyLightStuff.size = ? :' shadow map size in pixels
(squared)
MyLightStuff.raybias = ? :' ray-traced shadow bias
MyLightStuff.r = ? :' light color (red)
MyLightStuff.g = ? :' light color (green)
MyLightStuff.b = ? :' light color (blue)
MyLightStuff.mult = ? :' light multiplier
The Prohance-mouse
I have found a 40-button Prohance very valuable. There are no
OS/2 drivers for it yet (which has kept me from switching to
OS/2). Each key has six "shift-states" (similar to alt, ctrl,
etc.), so there are 240 definitions per "button-definition-file."
You can have as many files as you want. For example, the button
that takes me from 3ds to AniPro also loads the file with the
definitions for the mouse buttons that I use in animator.
You can specify very useful definitions for the buttons. For
example, to test a KeyScript script I am editing, I use a button that
saves the file, executes it, switches to the keyframer, sets the
animation to the first frame and starts it. AND, on the way
also answers all the "Are you sure …" questions. All in about
a second or two for small scripts. Another button takes me back
to the editor even quicker. It makes trying changes ("what if")
very fast and easy.
That description applies to all text-editors I use. The same
button always takes me to the keyframer. The mouse simply
executes commands specific to each editor (remember the six
shifts per key, the mouse is in a different shift-state
for each editor.).
Similarly the same button takes me to the Keyscript editor from
anywhere. The mouse handles the different ways to get there. I
can concentrate on what I'm doing, and let the mousee tell 3ds
the details it needs to do what I want.
I would be more than happy to share my "mouse" files also.
Ed K