At 7:28 PM -0400 7/24/03, Robert Steely wrote:
Ok, I think I have a pretty good handle on rendering Meshwork models
in POV-Ray for use in a Spritesurface game. I started with Joe
Strout's POV file from the RPG demo and have adapted it to use the
orthographic camera, a 60 degree down-angle to objects, and a tight
cluster of lights on one side to simulate sunshine.
Great -- but don't just work from an example, be sure you've read
<http://www.codenautics.com/meshwork/sprites.html> too.
Does it matter if the aspect ratio I use to render individuals
objects doesn't match the aspect ratio of other rendered objects or
the ratio of the Spritesurface itself? For instance I found that an
aspect ratio of 3/4 works well for humanoid models since they tend
to be taller than they are wide. But for a cow, I wouldn't use those
settings, I'd probably use 4/3.
As long as the aspect ratio of the camera matches the aspect ratio of
your output picture, so that the pixels are square, then it doesn't
matter. Use whatever fits your subject. No, it doesn't matter at
all how big your SpriteSurface is.
Secondly, I'm considering using a view angle that is directly above
and in front of objects instead of an isometric view where the user
sees three sides of an object. I'd like to avoid the skewed view
angles that isometric games present where everything is turned 30 to
45 degrees and the player always appears to move diagonally. But I
haven't seen any games that do it that way and I'm worried about a
loss of 3D perspective. Any thoughts on the pros and cons of
isometric versus 2-sided view?
I've seen games which do it that way. It looks OK to me, though not
as nice as the traditional isometric view, but that's just a matter
of opinion. I'd suggest you render a few sprites both ways and mock
up a screen somehow (use a drawing program if necessary), and see
which you prefer.
Cheers,
- Joe
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| Joseph J. Strout REAL Software, Inc. |
| joe at realsoftware dot com http://www.realsoftware.com |
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