Ok, update.
I have been a bit busy lately to have had much progress with development. But I have started the body this evening.
I have started to try figure out the inner tubes of trueSpace.
Not too complicated, just a little messy and easy to fiddle with (a blessing in disguise later I spose, practically makes this program opensource!) Oh.. and I'm no coder, so it has slowed things down somewhat. I contacted Clinton and he seemed happy to give me some hints as to how to keep things developing and... overall, my desire: keep it tidy and functional.
I have re-programmed the shortcuts to suite my needs. It is much more intuitive, and I have also created an easier and intuitive way of mesh editing, through shortcuts.
I must have added double the shortcuts, but double the efficiency of TS. They are mostly based off Autodesks Softimage's mesh editing shortcuts. I'll document it eventually. Keys including views, render visibility, refined axis restraints, new selection tools without having to be in the point edit mode (skips a step), UV navigation and selection from keyboard, etc.
I also cleaned up a lot of libraries creating new ones and have been working on my layout and the like. The blessing and also curse of TS is the fully customizable layout. I am finding it hard trying to figure out what is good for me.
I use a dual monitor, so I have to make a new one from the other defaults. I keep one 3D space on one screen, with most toolbars attached, and then keep the LE editor, library, stack/panel and animation editor on the otherside. Sometimes I add a new plugin/library toolbar that I snap it to the 3D side. Sometimes tho, I have item float UNDER the 3D window, as they are libraries or things that come from the root workspace window. Thus I loose them. I have yet to figure that out..
How do you work? What programs? Do you work with dual monitors? I'd love to see yoru layouts, if you want, send me your layouts and I'll try it out!
I am having some problems making and saving toolbars upon changing layouts.. as custom ones disappear over a layout change. I found a plugin I have yet to fully figure out which solves that small issue, thanks to Clinton. This theoretically saves your toolbars into a library. It does the trick, tho I had troubles with hiding/showing the toolbars (jscript error). I think this is due to having the 3D view selected or not (it gets unselected cause it's floating), which was warned and is a known issue.
I wonder if a "call the 3D space window" command would fix that, instead of having it confused when your 3D space is unactive, thus disactivating the toolbars it has memorized. This is a reoccurent issue as i have floating windows cause of dual monitor. But the plugin is great, the toolbar manager, memorizing toolbar sets to pull when needed. Find it here --> http://www.clintons3d.com/plugins/trues ... index.html
I also found a quick way to setup new toolbars from truespaces preset buttons.
I have yet to learn how to make custom buttons for new scripts, but that's come later (say open the layers panel, show/hide, add constraints, fancy bevel/extrudes, etc). Once I figure that out, it would be awesome to make a new installation package that would include the update with the installation, the plugins, the new layouts, the new shortcuts, and maybe even new libraries. With time............. Check out the thread on making new toolbars here --> vi ... om+buttons
I am working in the Rosetta version only (updated), as I found the bridge, tho beautiful and useful as it ties in the model side of TS 6.6 quite nicely, to cause some issues. So I'm trying to keep the program clean and see how it works. Most of the tools I need for animation, modelling and the like are on in the Rosetta version. (minus paths and nurbs, but I don't really need those as of yet..)
The following picture is a little of my libraries I'm making. They contain a new list of shaders/textures, LE texture nodes, other nodes, tools, plugin installation scripts, etc. They are a mash of Parva shaders/defaults, Clinton's plugins among others that I'm collecting.
I wonder if I can redistribute them..! I need to ask.
So questions:
- Do you want to take a look at my libraries? or my new and improved shortcuts? Let me know!
- Anyone know how to program shortcuts to context menu items? (like open/save/etc|bezier/linear/etc from right clicking on some things)
- Also, do any of you happen to know how to make a new installation script/*.exe that can automate unpacking and installing TS7.6 + updates + new files + plugins? If not, will take some time till I get a good pack out...
- How do you keep things organize in TS?
till next time!
...... so I'm going out to party, have a drink or two, dance a little, eat some. Get out of the house. I'm traveling soon, so this will still wait and I'll be happy and crazy.. but I'll work on him little by little..
