Posts by Nerv

This looks like a really Awesome MMF2 project !

Try moving some of the performance intensive code into Xlua.

..Or give me the code and i will optimize the crud out of it..

Also for inspiration / implementation ideas i suggest checking out LogiSim !

Great work thusfar and Good luck,

Please login to see this link. is a link to a clone of the game Minecraft which was created using Multimedia Fusion 2.

As clearly shown, MMF2 is entirely capable of 3D graphics !

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Nivram, reading the thread i really appreciate your logically steadfast mind, thanks for your inputs.

LavaFlaminG6. The next time you feel frustrated into slinging mud at kind developers or pushing blame on-to capable IDEs ... Check whether you're just incapable. and please, keep your close-minded perspective to yourself.

_{( Forgive me for reopening an old thread )}

Oh whoops sorry, that part was meant for LavaFlaminG6 in relation to the basic FPS game he posted recently.
( I will use another file sever next time frog )
Once renderings in illl upload it and everyone can take a copy Ofcoarse. Good night all.

@Frog, your idea of exposing the low-level drawing commands for geometry definition, for putting the defining of models within MMF, is really a brilliant one, the core pathway of rendering objects once assigned models can remain abstracted and optimized

I've started on the Engine
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It's got the groundwork down, but it has not yet got object handing / rendering

I'll see about adding those somewhat necessary features tomorrow, in the mean-time... perhaps you could re-load or explain this game you have been working on - as we will soon need a test game to implement.

BigHatLogan, some VERY good points, i shall have to take them especially into account tomorrow when i implement a first attempt at the interface.

The trick i suppose, is getting it into the events as much as possible.

To that end I've been considering a getter and primarily setter, oriented approach; where the overhead for storing lots of variables within locations accessible to the MMF expression editor is internally kept to a minimal.

Handled objects could be created, modified and destroyed based on string identifiers ( in Lua strings are stored as hashes so string lookup is optimized ) these objects would have a spacial location and 3D Model associated with them.

Models would be defined with MMF control, going down to triangles quads lines and so forth, models then-after would be stored in video memory as optimized display-lists. ( so performance SHOULD be okay )

I know it's messy, but as someone who learned Clickteams unique programming methodology long before ever having to type a written program, well, i can fully understand why its worth it to some.

I hear what you are saying MuddyMole, and if it we're just a matter of performance i would also purport to the efficacy of Unity ( or Assembly )

but the matter here is a user-base of click-programmers; who have learned alot about programming thru a very effective visual channel ( the event editor ) and who wish to expand there understandings to the very edges of programmings domain; without abandoning this rich environment where learning seems to so freely thrive.

Yes, that's a very good point.

It occurs to me that i (or someone) could write a Lua - OpenGL 3D engine which exposes it's functionality to the MMF2 event editor.
so long as enough functions are exposed you'll get the full power of OpenGL's commands and there would not be any need to understand or modify the Lua code inside... ( ofcoarse there would be some performance over-head from MMF )

If you are interested green frog, ill see about putting a basic version up.

Hey Frog, Retriever2's very humble, he knows more than I, and his solution to MMF2 - OpenGL interaction is all most impeccable.

3D programs are hard to write, until you've picked-up the widely beloved language Lua.

Interesting Danny,

I think what UltraHammer is looking for is a pool - type data structure.

A cheap way might be the ini++ object. anyway good luck.

Hello LavaFlaminG6,

Loading Large MS3D files into the internal storage is not necessary, load each model at run-time.

There is no-way to have the MS3D object handler flip you objects i believe. but flipping meshes with bones in Milk-Shape is not so complicated.

Adding a Sky-box ? in the MS3d system... too easy... and since frog mentioned the N64 here's a skybox in hyrule.
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Depending on your operating system; edit boxes may be drawn after OpenGL; but the best HUD achievable would be drawn in OpenGL.

Now i must say i agree entirely with Retriever2, the combination of Xlua and OpenGL is extremely powerful, easily on par with the very popular C# and XNA system.

Also unlike with the MS3D object-handler and OpenGL combination, Xlua and OpenGL includes access to all of OpenGL's awesome features including fog.
( which you might enable such )
gl.Enable( gl.FOG )
gl.Fog( gl.FOG_MODE,gl.LINEAR )
gl.Fog( gl.FOG_START, 64 )
gl.Fog( gl.FOG_END, 128 )
gl.Fog( gl.FOG_COLOR, { 1, 1, 1 } )

To Reduce memory consumption; memory thrashing must be avoided and garbage collection must be handled.
Both these tasks are very easy to accomplish with Xlua.

Memory thrashing in Lua only occurs when tables are declared excessively.

Certain operations such as
returning multiple objects as in 'return a1,a2,a3' produces alot of garbage as it is equivalent to 'return {a1,a2,a3}'
instead tables within functions should be produced as globals and only there pointer should be returned as in 'a={} return a'

garbage collection in Lua is very straightforward but must not be used excessively.
'collectgarbage("collect")' calls the garbage collector into action; returning your programs memory usage to it's current actual requirement.
Beware tho, it can take several milliseconds and could cause visual stutter in your game, i suggest calling it every few-hundred frames right-after switching the visual buffer.

Thanks for your interesting questions. good luck with your project. and seriously next project you should give Xlua - OpenGL a go.