Best level editor on a budget?

Magnetikal · Post by **Magnetikal** » Thu Sep 30, 2004 3:28 am

I've been using the Irrlicht engine for a project I'm working on. So far I've been using the map that comes with the demo, but I need to make my own map. It needs to be an outdoors one, looking like a university campus.

So I'm wondering what tool people would recommend for this job. I'm on a very limited budget (and piracy isn't an option, in case someone tells me to download 3dsmax). I've seen milkshape3d mentioned, which is cheap. There's also blender3d. My main concern is that might be too complex for my needs. I know a little Maya, so maybe my knowledge from that would help me use blender. Since Q3 maps are supported, maybe Q3Radiant is a possibility?

I don't need to design any characters, animations, or anything else fancy, just some landscapes with some buildings here and there. If anyone has an opinion on the above tools, or can recommend something else, I'd appreciate it.

afecelis · Post by **afecelis** » Thu Sep 30, 2004 3:51 am

If your peoject is not commercial the best alternative is to use GtkRadiant with the Quake3 demo. Both are free downlaods and Radiant is a very versatile level editor. And Q3 lightmaps and skyshaders allow some nice exterior illumination which I think would fit in your project.

oh yes, and Irrlicht works seamlessly with Quake 3 bsps!!!

Magnetikal · Post by **Magnetikal** » Thu Sep 30, 2004 4:20 am

Excellent, thanks for your help! The project is indeed non-commercial, so that should work nicely. I had looked briefly at Q3/GtkRadiant but it looked like it needed a copy of Q3 to run. It's very useful to know that it can be used with the demo.

condrula · Post by **condrula** » Thu Sep 30, 2004 6:16 pm

search here
http://irrlicht.sourceforge.net/phpBB2/ ... php?t=2963

Magnetikal · Post by **Magnetikal** » Mon Oct 04, 2004 3:43 am

Thanks for linking to that post. Also very useful.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Oct 05, 2004 6:54 pm

I've written a World Editor, it's not the best, and the load engine for Irrlicht is missing. But if someone asks me about the structure to write a LoadEngine, I would give him that and I would fix some bugs to make a better programm...
I hope that someone asks me...
I don't know if anyone knows BlitzBasic, the Engine for this language is already written...
Fliege

Dogs · Post by **Dogs** » Wed Oct 06, 2004 6:20 pm

Id be interested in a experimental level editor to work with irrlicht...
These are the features I would be interested in..

#1 The use of Jpg,bitmap,png type textures other then quakes compressed texture format...

#2 A couple of the major soported 3d file formats from an export menu,
example might be = 3ds,obj,x......

#3 The abillity to not only use standard primatives but to create or import other simple objects that can be quickly selected, for objects used many times in the level, example objects ive made like walls, pillars and arches..

#4 Lighting that can be added in the editor that works in the irrlicht engine..
save many hours of haveing to write the placement,color,intensity and billboards for each light in my levels..

#5 And probably one the most dreamable would be entities like, foilage= trees, weeds and maybe even built in terrian editor...
Working move type entities like example doors and platforms...

I think that a editor like this for irrlicht would drastically help out many people use this engine that have lesser programing skills like myself...

I have been figureing out the programing but I can see how some of levels could become very complicated very fast...

You are welcome to Pm me with any info on this project of yours and ill gladly try it out and let you know how things work...

Many others not just myself have posted questions about level editors to use with the engine...
I understand that making a level editor in particular to just this engine might not be a very motivating project for someone but in the long run im sure that if it can be made to work very much like the other q3 type editors but be made to work in conjunction with this engine only that it now becomes a propriatary project and im sure that you would be credited well for your actions by many here in this forum.....

Its great to see that there are at least a couple projects like this in the making that ive read about so far...

Keep up the good work it only makes this engine more popular for everyone to use and it simplifies the building process...

Fliege_reloaded · Post by **Fliege_reloaded** » Wed Oct 06, 2004 7:58 pm

I can upload my Editor tomorrow...If somebody says that he would write a loadengine for it, I would be very, very happy.
@Dogs:
#1) You can use normal Bitmaps, Jpegs, pngs for textures.
#2) It can load 3ds and x files and maybe if you save you're maps, it exports all into Milkshape format...
#3) It can make you Cubes, Spheres, Cylinders and some other primitives.
#4) Lightning is included.
#5) A Terrain Editor could be built in.

But:
I said it:
I've written no load Engine...And if you want to write one, I have to debug it first. I can say you the structure of the mapfiles.
I hope, somebody helps me....
Fliege_reloaded

Dogs · Post by **Dogs** » Thu Oct 07, 2004 4:31 pm

Keep me posted please.. id be very interested in checking out the editor..

Thanks much..

Fliege_reloaded · Post by **Fliege_reloaded** » Thu Oct 07, 2004 8:20 pm

I've uploaded it now:
http://mitglied.lycos.de/fliegereloaded/IrrMumEdit.rar
But I have to say you, it's a buggy(very, very buggy) version...because first I made it for myself and now I have to debug it. I don't know if all that function can be suportet by the irrlicht engine. I hope, you're happy with it and it saves you're time.

Fliege_reloaded

PS: Please don't say: "It's a piece of poop", 'cause I have to debug it!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Oct 07, 2004 8:28 pm

yes it has veery much bugs ( i found at least 5 in 2 minutes

) but i still have to say that its great work that you have done here

very cool. how long have you been programming at this "piece of poop"

?

Dogs · Post by **Dogs** » Fri Oct 08, 2004 1:13 am

Hmm either you got rid of it from the lycos site or lycos got pist off and removed it... It brings up a lycos page saying it isnt there...

Fliege_reloaded · Post by **Fliege_reloaded** » Fri Oct 08, 2004 2:07 pm

It should work....If I click onto the link then the save under dialog should come.

@GFYStyLER:
I've programmend maybe a month, because at 9 o'clock am I started and at 4 o'clock am I got to bed...

Fliege_reloaded · Post by **Fliege_reloaded** » Fri Oct 08, 2004 9:01 pm

Ther's a new update:
You can clode it, and when you start it again it don't come the memorry access violation error(or should be so)
http://mitglied.lycos.de/fliegereloaded/update.rar
This Pack is a little bit smaller because there are only the two Executables.
Fliege_reloaded

Dogs · Post by **Dogs** » Sat Oct 09, 2004 12:06 am

Ok I forgot lycos dosnt like direct links... I did the save as thing and downloaded it...
It runs but im not sure if its a screen size thing or what but most of the windows that open are not sizeable and I cannot make them all visible...

Keep up the good work and ill keep checking back to see how progress is..
P.S , How about an english vertion lol...