Does TruePlay plugin still exist?

About Truespace Archives

These pages are a copy of the official truespace forums prior to their removal somewhere around 2011.

They are retained here for archive purposes only.

Does TruePlay plugin still exist? // truePlay

1  |  

Post by HLAiken // Sep 25, 2008, 7:11pm

HLAiken
Total Posts: 3
Hi all,


It's been many years since I was in the trueSpace community, and I've decided to come back. I've very interested in possibly using the truePlay plugin to allow clients to walk-through an architectural model.


Is the TruePlay plugin still available for download / use? I can't seem to find anywhere to download it on the caligari website. I can only seem to find links to truePlaces, and of course the links to download trueSpace 7.6.


Any help would be appreciated!


Cheers,


Heath

Post by Steinie // Sep 26, 2008, 5:23am

Steinie
Total Posts: 3667
pic
TruePlay is being upgraded for tS7.6 so I would expect a new version soon. I don't think they ever fixed the sound yet so we will see. You can use tS7.6 right now since it is free but that is one big bloated viewer.

Oh yea, welcome back!

Post by TomG // Sep 26, 2008, 5:50am

TomG
Total Posts: 3397
We didnt want to update truePlay for tS7.6, then not long after update it again for the next patch. This would leave lots of users having to update again not long after initial install, and while tS owners won't mind that, tP owners by nature will be less techie and more casual and wouldn't want to buy into that.


So all work on tP has been on hold until tS7.6 gets patched, then we'll take it from there! Since tP is not compatible with any of the live shared spaces, which are all for tS7.6, then it was removed from the site to avoid confusion and accidental installation and questions as to why it didn't connect :)


HTH!

Tom

Post by splinters // Sep 26, 2008, 6:22am

splinters
Total Posts: 4148
pic
I wonder how popular tP will actually be now tS is free. In the past it was a great way to share tS shared space and objects etc. without having to buy tS. One limitation was not being able to actually modify the scene in tP.


For a few more Mb of disk space you can have the experience but also contribute to the experience and modify the results...all for free.


I can see uses for a simple plug in but tP was born out of a need for free access to the rosetta base. I am just curious...that's all...:D

Post by HLAiken // Sep 26, 2008, 6:26am

HLAiken
Total Posts: 3
Thanks Steinie and Tom, for the clarification. I thought I was crazy (not being able to find the TP plugin).


I'll be excited to try everything out once tS7.6 is patched and the new version of TP is out. In the meantime, I have to learn all of the new functionality of 7.6 (my last tS version was 6.6) anyway. It looks like there are a lot of videos to watch!


Thanks again for the help.


Cheers,


Heath

Post by TomG // Sep 26, 2008, 6:41am

TomG
Total Posts: 3397
Lots of use for tP - you are thinking in terms of people like us, who are sophisticated 3D users. However, as an architect, I would be laughed at if I asked my client to download 120 Mb to view my scene, and then when they opened it it had all these confusing panels - libraries? Animation editor? Whats all these icons? Oh this is too complex, just give me a regular AVI like everyone else gives me!


Same applies for any scene that is NOT intended for us 3D author types. What if we want people to just come and chat, and here I mean something that is not about 3D modeling like our TNL and scriptor events. What if we create a scene with some cool stuff to do, is anyone going to be patient enough to download 120Mb to get to it compared to a smaller 8 to 10Mb download?


So there is still a strong need for something like tP :)


HTH!

Tom

Post by HLAiken // Sep 26, 2008, 6:41am

HLAiken
Total Posts: 3
Splinters,


As a techie person, I can definitely see your point, and I (personally) love that trueSpace is now free. However, in my job: technical writing / illustration, content development, etc., the big challenge is to always present the material as simply as possible. Typical non-tech users have very short attention spans and need things delivered as simply as possible (at least in my line of work).


I would like to use truePlay for architectural walk-throughs, and product orientations, and it helps if my clients/users don't get confused about what they are installing, etc. It would be even better if truePlay was a web browser plugin, or if I could easily use Flash, but even as a standalone executable, truePlay offers a pretty simple solution. I'm looking foward to figuring out a decent workflow.


Cheers,


Heath

Post by TomG // Sep 26, 2008, 7:12am

TomG
Total Posts: 3397
While not an answer to the huge download, and it requires some "techie stuff" to install it (well just doing a File -> Load, but every step is a problem), there is a Simple Layout I made available in the Bitesize section:

http://forums1.caligari.com/truespace/showthread.php?t=6193


This removes a lot of icons (the creation ones), removes the AE, simplifies the Libraries on show. While unlikely to be useful for clients, it may be useful to demo to clients (ie you run it and show them) to give them a flavor for how the experience might be, and save them thinking it would leave them overwhelmed with icons etc. You can tell them tP might look something like this, when showing them how cool a real-time scene is, to whet their appetite for having that sort of thing used in their project.


HTH!

Tom

Post by splinters // Sep 26, 2008, 7:50am

splinters
Total Posts: 4148
pic
Good to hear different views and I am not discrediting the potential of tP...certainly it will help me. Hopefully it will be available as a plug in for web browsers eventually...:)

Post by Délé // Sep 27, 2008, 10:50pm

Délé
Total Posts: 1374
pic
I think the whole development schedule of tP absolutely must change. Right now people have to wait six months or more after every tS release to use tP for around six months, and then it's "outdated" again and pulled from the website. That's not going to fly if Caligari wants people to use tP for practical applications. It will need to be released simultaneously with tS IMO.

I know if I was using tP a lot to show clients walkthroughs and I had to wait six months after every new tS release, it wouldn't even be worth it. That would be way too frustrating. In fact I kind of find it frustrating already as I believe this stifles the use and growth of the product. Who can truly use it if it's always six months or more behind the authoring product? That would be like Adobe Flash coming out with a flash authoring program that forces authors to save to a new format, but not coming out with a new flash player that can play that format for six months or more after the release. That would be ridicules.

I think simultaneous release of tS and tP in the future is absolutely imperative if Caligari wants tP to be successful. I think the way it is now turns off users from using tP in their professional work and it will unlikely ever really take off if it's always six months or more behind the authoring program.

Post by splinters // Sep 27, 2008, 11:27pm

splinters
Total Posts: 4148
pic
I have to agree Dele and must admit that I lost interest in tP very quickly. I had all sorts of ambitions for it in the classroom and even set up some experiments with students to work on their projects from home...but now they all have tS7.6 and my clients have shown no interest so far in seeing my work in realtime 3D...just the finished outcome.


I shall see what the next tP brings but I still think browser plug in is the way to go then content could be embedded in a site with a small plug in to download through Microsoft...:o

Post by scarroll // Dec 16, 2008, 9:30pm

scarroll
Total Posts: 19
pic
Lots of use for tP ...


I would love to see something that could compete with Blender in terms of developing a complete application, game, or what have you and have a free to distribute play back engine. Even better if the shader engine was crossplatform (like in ogre3d.org) but alas thats just a dream. I've always loved rapid app. design environments like Adobe's old Director (unfortunately their 3D render engine is like ts Model mode -very DX7). The author has since moved to unity3d.com a cross platform player with advanced shaders.


Can I dream that Caligari would/could compete?

Post by transient // Dec 16, 2008, 10:12pm

transient
Total Posts: 977
pic
Truespace's inability to create an exe is something I don't understand. It would put truespace's real-time capabilities into a proven niche.


Maybe there are technical reasons why it hasn't happened.:confused:

Post by TomG // Dec 17, 2008, 2:05am

TomG
Total Posts: 3397
truePlay exists, but is not available at present - when we released 7.6, we did not update truePlay as we are working on a patch for 7.6. This has taken longer to release than expected, I guess if we knew that back then we'd have reworked tP and released it. As it was, rather than release the updated version, then have to just release another update again (it needs to update to keep pace with tS of course, to have the same features and abilities), we decided to wait until the tS update was released.


So, presently there is no tP for download or use. But thats not the same as it not existing :)


HTH!

Tom
Awportals.com is a privately held community resource website dedicated to Active Worlds.
Copyright (c) Mark Randall 2006 - 2024. All Rights Reserved.
Awportals.com   ·   ProLibraries Live   ·   Twitter   ·   LinkedIn