What lacks in Game Maker's 3D functions? Well, a lot. But I don't care. In the contrarary, I'm glad it lacks in things as volumetric clouds, shadows, proper collisions, physics, and a lot more. I find it great to (try to) make such things, and make stuff that people would have not imagined possible in Game Maker properly. I love it!

Why do people actually complain about Game Maker's 3D functionality? It just makes you to push the limits. I really think it would be a lot less fun if Game Maker could handle 5 times as much poly's, because you could almost "do want you want" with models. With Game Maker as it is right now, it makes you to have to push the limits. To create good graphics with as little polygons as possible.

Anyways, enough about that, there's some other big news. That news is, that Once again, I've started a project in Game Maker that has to do with 3D Graphics. This time, after the release of my 3d shadows engine, it is a project in particular about 3D Animations.

Game Maker doesn't nativly support 3D animations. An obstacle in nice 3D graphics? I think so. But, because I really think proper 3D animations would really push the limit of possibilitys with Game Maker a little, I decided to create a 3D animation program.

You might think there are already programs to do this, like MoveNow! and L4nimation Studio, and you are totally right. Those are great programs, but only suitable for simple animations. MoveNow! is only for animations for the human skeleton structure, and it doesn't have model support. L4nimation Studio is a little more extended, it just doesn't support things as limbs, and other more advanced features. I do think that it is a great program to create basic animations tho, rather than MoveNow!, as that only supports basic human-like animations, without model support. But then again, they are both great, but for a different purpose.

Now, a program that isn't out there yet, is a more advanced 3D animation program. And that is excactly what I am creating currently. The animation program is meant for only advanced users, who want to create custom, good looking animations and are willing to take some time to learn how to use the program. It is not meant for people that just want to create 3D animations in the minute, but want to create perfect looking custom animations excactly in the way he/she wants. You can see it like the difference between Anim8or and Blender 3D.

The features the 3D animation program will have will include, but of course not be limited to:

• Frames

• Set the number of frames

• Set/Remove a frame as a keyframe

• Model Editing

• Rotate models

• Scale models

• Move models

• Show/Hide models

• Limbs/Joints

• Set up to 2 limb/joint points for each model

• Rotate around limb/joint poinst

• Connect limb/joint points

• Import/Export

• Import models/textures

• Load animation file

• Save animation file

• In-Game Use

• Scripts provided for full integration of the animations in your game

I might not have put all main functions in it, but this is just what I could think of at the moment ;).

At the moment you can manage the frames (set keyframes, start and end, etc.), move models by using my fully custom 3D arrow movement system (which was very hard to make :P), an import model function, and a second window to show the result of what you've edited. Here's a screenshot of what I have currently made:

I'll post weekly (or something like that) development blogs, posting a blog about the development every week. Be sure to read them, they'll probably have [3DANI] in the blog name ;).

Oh, and by the way, for everyone who hasn't tried it yet: Barstormer: 1920

Hope you enjoyed the blog ;),

Jesper