Tuesday January 22nd Scriptor Meeting

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Tuesday January 22nd Scriptor Meeting // Collaboration

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Post by frootee // Jan 21, 2008, 10:30am

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Hello everyone. We will be having our weekly scriptor meeting Tuesday January 22nd at 6 PM Caligari Time. Here's all the info you'll need to get setup. Everyone is welcome to attend. Please bring your script projects which you need help with, your script questions, etc.


The Birds of a Feather page shows the Caligari Time:


http://www.caligari.com/birdsofafeather.asp


This is essentially free training folks. If you want to learn how to script your own behaviours for your 3D objects and worlds, or create your own meshes, etc., this is the place to be.


Hope to see you there!


Directions:


Directions for those WITH an existing truePlace password:


Option 1:


Go to the following web page and look for the "Scripting Live!" links for either truePlay or trueSpace then click the one you wish to use.


http://www.caligari.com/birdsofafeather.asp


Option 2:


Download the scripted objects which Mark created (in the following forum posts) and click them to be taken there.


For trueSpace 7.51, 7.5, and the TS Demo:


Mark created a new object for trueSpace7.5x users who are either unfamiliar with setting the Network Server and Portal Settings (the Demo users for instance).


Load this object into Workspace or any scene and then click on it. It will automatically (and harmlessly) reset your current Network Server and Portal Settings (which you can do yourself manually anytime if you wish) to match "The Scriptorium" where our Meetings are held, and it will bring up the standard Shared Space "Login" Dialog to connect you right to us.


http://forums1.caligari.com/truespace/showpost.php?p=53386&postcount=14


For truePlay Users:


Go to the following thread and download the scripted scene there then load it in truePlay and click on the green book inside the scene.


http://forums1.caligari.com/truespace/showthread.php?t=4459


Directions for those WITHOUT an existing truePlace password:


(1) Getting a Password and Username to enter truePlaces:


(Our Tuesday Night Meeting is held inside a truePlace Portal (#1212) and you will need both a Password and Username to enter there which is different from your Caligari Customer Password and Username. Also be sure to get your truePlace Password and Username during Caligari business hours well before the meeting begins)


http://cart1.caligari.com/web/trueplaymainreg.aspx


(2) Instruction Page on Port Address Settings in trueSpace 7.5x:


(Note that the following instructions show you how to set the portal entry point in trueSpace to the truePlace Meetingroom (tpportal 1111) where once you arrive you will find an easel with an image on it which says "click here to enter the Scriptorium," and one you click on that image you will be instantly transported to the actual Script Developers Meeting held in tpportal 1212)


http://forums1.caligari.com/truespace/showpost.php?p=43977&postcount=30


(3) truePlace "Scripting Live!" Page: (with countdown timer in PST):

(This is the Caligari Countdown Timer and Info Page for our Tuesday Meetings)


http://www.caligari.com/ScriptLive.asphttp://www.caligari.com/ScriptLive.asp


(4) The "connect to shared space" icon in truSpace7.5x:


The "connect to shared space" icon in trueSpace7.5x looks like two Avatars facing each other (ie: sharing space).


When you are all set and ready to connect you just need to click the appropriate icon in trueSpace and then enter your truePlaces Username and Password into the Dialog Box which will then pop up, then hit the "connect" button on the Dialog Box.


See you there!


Froo

Post by frootee // Jan 22, 2008, 6:23am

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Hi folks.


Here's a couple things I'd like to discuss tonight.


1. I did not get a chance to show the square wave function generator last week, since there were other activities going on. Which is fine! The more stuff we have to work on, the better. I was tinkering with ProfessorKaos's Oscilloscope example, and hooked up the output of the square wave function generator to the input of the oscilloscope. Guess what? It looked like a real O-scope screen with a square wave. Cool!


Now, the question may be, what's the point of a square wave? Well, the point is to demonstrate how we can create animation through the use of equations. A single sphere moving according to a square wave function may be boring, but put several items together in a scene, controlled by a function generator, can be made to look more interesting. This is a building block.


2. I was experimenting with one of Dele's scenes, in which he has a button widget in the scene. I want to replace this button with a different object, say, a character mesh. When I tried this, the mesh was a distance away from the original button. While I got this to work, so I could click on the mesh, instead of the button, I had trouble when trying to position it in space. I'd like to talk about this tonight, so we can all learn how to easily create buttons / widgets in truespace.


And of course, bring your own scripted / LE creations and questions.


Thanks,


Froo

Post by Norm // Jan 22, 2008, 7:05am

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I'm in, see you there.

Post by 3dvisuals dude // Jan 22, 2008, 7:30am

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Excellent Jason!

Since all the D.O. Teams folks will be using a lot of scripted buttons right away and some of us are now trying to create innovative new scripted objects and activities for our Team scenes I'm pretty sure the whole bunch of us will be there with you tonight!:)

Looking forward to it and I'll see you there!

PS - Hey.... maybe W!ZARD will be making it there tonight too now!:banana:

- Mark

Post by Scala3D // Jan 22, 2008, 7:41am

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Cool Frootee, I will be there also.

Post by frootee // Jan 22, 2008, 8:04am

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Oh BTW... tonight we'll have...



FREE BEER!!! :banana::banana::banana:


Just kidding. Just wanted to bump the thread. Haha!


Actually, that would be a fun scripted activity. Let's talk about this.


User pushes a button. A Beer glass with beer then is scripted to slide down the bar to the patron and stop.


How would we do this?


use a timer. WHen the button is pressed, the button script starts the timer.

The timer controls the position of the beer glass.

When the beer glass reaches its destination (when it reaches a threshold), the script stops the timer.


Then, enjoy your beer!


Froo / Jason

Post by 3dvisuals dude // Jan 22, 2008, 8:09am

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Oh BTW... tonight we'll have...


FREE BEER!!! :banana::banana::banana:

Just kidding. Just wanted to bump the thread. Haha!

Actually, that would be a fun scripted activity. Let's talk about this.

Froo / Jason

Hahahaha!

Actually Augusto already beat you to it... he had a huge glass of 3D Beer in the Scriptorium that night we all had a "Brain Session" together in there! Hahaha!

Maybe I can find that object... I did save the scene somewhere.... although the label would have to be "adjusted" a bit as I recall....:p

Tonight will be fun... lots of cool scripting ideas to go over together.

- Mark

Post by 3dvisuals dude // Jan 22, 2008, 8:23am

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OK, so here's a few things I need to work on over the next three days, just to stir up the discussion here before the meet tonight.

(1) Butterpaw's Musicbox needs completing.

(2) I need to script glass topped display cases which open and close when clicked.

(3) I have an idea I want to script which involves informational images on flattened cubes which rise out of the floor as one approaches them (proximity triggered) so the Avatars read them as they walk by or stand there and then they should retract into the floor and out of sight again when the Avatar is out of proximity.

(4) I want to modify the heck out of a copy of that Image Array Script in the Livingroom area of truePlaces and use it to enhance portal scenes used for educational instruction and business meetings.

It needs the ability to populate the array from a clientside folder of images when a "load image set" button is clicked, and I would like to get the display array to function on a timed basis for slideshow and kiosk use.

More later.... lol!

- Mark

Post by 3dfrog // Jan 22, 2008, 9:32am

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May I suggest this meeting be a week long straight no sleep lesson on setting up our scripted objects :p jk, If I can just get a handle on hacking existing codes to make my simple objects function i'll be happy. I am still working through the proteam tuts, haven't got to intro to scripting yet. Guess I'll go through that today so I have some kind of clue. Scripting is not my main thing, but it is fun and I like to come to the meetings. I need to understand the basics of this stuff to realize my functional objects for D.O. though. so many things to do, such little time.

Post by frootee // Jan 22, 2008, 9:50am

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Hey frog. That's what these meetings are all about.

Mark: This is EXACTLY the type of dialog we need in these threads. A list of things we want to discuss.


Frog:

A real simple way to get your feet wet is this:


1. Load the System - Scripts Library into the stack.

2. Open the LE

3. Select and drag a jscript Command (not a script object, a Command object) into the LE

4. Go into the script view of the command by clicking on the triangle.

5. In the script text area, type this text, within the curly braces { } of the Execute function, including the semicolon at the end:


System.Alert('Hello World');


When you are done, it will look something like this:


Execute(params)

{


System.Alert('Hello World');


}


6. Now click the red arrow at the top of the script view. If you hover your mouse over that icon, you will see the tooltip which explains what that icon does. This icon 'checks' your code syntax.


7. click the orange triangle in the upper right corner of the jscript command object.


8. Now, click the Start button.


9. You will see a dialog pop up that says: Hello World.


Congratulations. You just made your first fully functioning jscript command!


That may seem simplistic but, that system.alert command can be used often for troubleshooting.


Froo

Post by 3dvisuals dude // Jan 22, 2008, 11:12am

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(5) A Scripted drawbridge which raises and lowers based on Avatar proximity.

(6) A Scripted object which opens a Light Dimming Slider Panel and/or Light Color Slider when clicked.

There were more too but that's all I recall at the moment - lol!:p

- Mark

Post by frootee // Jan 22, 2008, 11:28am

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Hi Mark;

Remember the musicbox? Remember how I added that script to open and close the box top?


That same script can be used for the drawbridge, the glass topped display cases, the cubes which rise out of the floor, etc.


Basically these are all 'door type' objects; some are hinged, some are sliding. For the hinged type doors, the code pretty much works as is. For the sliding doors, we just use the tx, ty, or tz connectors, instead of the pitch, roll, or yaw connectors of our 'door' type objects.


One other difference is the way in which they are activated. Currently the music box is activated by starting the timer in the LE, but the idea was to make the box top clickable. We just need a proximity trigger.


The hardest part I think is maintaining the list of items. :)

Post by 3dvisuals dude // Jan 22, 2008, 11:40am

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Ahhh... cool. Ok.

That won't be so hard at all then for me I guess.

Populating that image array from a local folder from a panel button will be tricky though, but first things first, the others here are all related in function so I'll concentrate on them first.

I assume then that "tx" means "translate" in X, as in movement. Funny, in all this time I don't think I ever tried yet to mess with those settings from script!

Thanks guy.:)

- Mark

Post by frootee // Jan 22, 2008, 11:59am

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no problem. I was thinking we could work on this together, tonight, as a team. That way we can all learn!

Yeah, that image array sounds like a toughie as well, all the more reason to bring it up at the meeting. :)


Yes, tx means translation in x; same for ty and tz.


We should bring in that music box for starters, since it is basically a hinged door object.


To show how a sliding glass door would work (a glass panel coming out of the floor), we can use the same script, just use the tz (probably),

rather than the yaw currently being used for the music box top.

Post by 3dvisuals dude // Jan 22, 2008, 12:11pm

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Cool! Thanks!

Yeah, between me and Dennis and Steve and a bunch more of us now in the D.O. looking hard at ways together to use all these scripts we are coming up with some very practical applications that will be cool to develop together for sure.

Great... I know these guys will be as glued to all this as I will be tonight!:)

- Mark


no problem. I was thinking we could work on this together, tonight, as a team. That way we can all learn!
Yeah, that image array sounds like a toughie as well, all the more reason to bring it up at the meeting. :)

Yes, tx means translation in x; same for ty and tz.

We should bring in that music box for starters, since it is basically a hinged door object.

To show how a sliding glass door would work (a glass panel coming out of the floor), we can use the same script, just use the tz (probably),
rather than the yaw currently being used for the music box top.

Post by frootee // Jan 22, 2008, 12:16pm

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excellent. Having problems to solve is what motivates me, personally. It's easier to focus on a solution that way! :)


I will drop the music box in there first thing when I get home, so everyone can play with it and experiment just in case I cannot be there right at the beginning.


That way, whoever wants to 'go first' with their questions and such can just get started right away. I can show the square wave generator at any time; either at the beginning, the end, or even some other time. No problem there!


If the music box is too poly heavy for the number of people there we can just use a proxy object; basically, two cubes, and attach the connectors in the LE accordingly.


I will put together a list of things we want to cover tonight then.

Post by frootee // Jan 22, 2008, 12:25pm

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OK. Here's the list so far, in no particular order. We probably won't cover all these tonight but that's ok. More for later!


1. Demonstration of Square wave function generator with oscilloscope

2. Q & A: How to make custom buttons in 3D space from currently existing buttons (dealing with Transforms)

3. Scripted Beer glass: translates down the bar; timer is scripted to start and stop

4. Butterpaw's music box: What is needed to complete?

5. Scripting glass top display cases: open and close when clicked

6. Scripting Info Cubes coming out of floor and going back down, via proximity trigger

7. Script modification: Image Array script in livingroom area

8. Scripted drawbridge

9. Scripted object: On click, opens a light dimming slider panel / light color slider

Post by 3dvisuals dude // Jan 22, 2008, 4:34pm

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Great! thanks!:)

12 of us in here now and growing!:banana:

Sure beats the old days when we started this, huh Jason?!:D

- Mark

Post by frootee // Jan 23, 2008, 2:52am

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oh yeah! We covered quite a few of those list items which is really good too.


Jason

Post by 3dvisuals dude // Jan 23, 2008, 3:42am

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oh yeah! We covered quite a few of those list items which is really good too.

Jason

Definitely, we covered a lot if ground there. Jane's Tutorial was great too.

- Mark
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