Hacksaw - IS it doable?

[crazy.neo]

So, the other day I got thinking. What if someone did an *.dae file apart from the notes or keys, that would be someone rockin´out! It THEORECTICALY would be possible to program this in Python, but here are other barriers to cross...
First of all, I don´t think *.dae supports materials, so no texture would be presented. Unless you like guitar players to look like Marvin the Martian, this would kinda suck. But not all. We would need to make an animation for, ie when the player hits fret #1, a certain animation would apper, wich i gess is doable in Python. But I dont think *.dae's support animation.
By these freakin' barriers, this is doomed from the beggining. So I wondered... Why dont we change format? Isn´t any other format compatible with Python that supports these characteristics? Why not Hacksaw? GZ uses it, and it looks GOOD!!! If it isn´t compatile, why not another?
I wouldn´t mind doing model files in 3DSM if someone started working on it... I can´t program, tough.
If not possible, just tell me why and I´ll move on...

[warhol]

Hacksaw what?

[Nightmare JG]

Hacksaw what?

Just don't look him directly in the eyes, they can snap at any when they babble like that.

[crazy.neo]

Ok... :;): Hacksaw is a 3D format. It doesn´t need to be Hacksaw, it could be 3DS ou watheva...
IF someone knows ANYTHING about it, say something.

[nobby76]

is hacksaw a program or the file format of a program? if its the file format what program uses them? i do a lot of 3d stuff and have never come accross that name before?? , i have 3ds max 9 , light wave 9.2 ( thats the best 3d program ever) poser 7, vue 6 extreme, body paint 3d, endorphin 2.5, realflow 4, and about 5 different 3d file converters ( including deep exploration 4 )( considered to be the best 3d file converter around) and none of these make mention of "hacksaw", is it another open sorce 3d format like .DAE and a few others??

BTW .DAE does support materials how do you think we have cassette labels for the game, its an image mapped onto the 3d object..

It is a good idea regarding the characters playing in time with the music, but it does fall down in several places ( besides the barriers you mentioned)
1# If some one did manage to get a 3d character into the game, it would bail so badly, the game has enough trouble not stuttering now! for some people it still does, and the 3d objects allready in the game are really basic, the cassette model is only about 50 polygons at the most, a character would need to be about 300 poly's or above, for it to look anything like a person ( even with textures), and then with the animations on top of that !!!
2# This is probably the more important point, The only way you can really get the characters to follow the music, is to do it the same way as red octane did it, you put "triggers/events" into the song, so when a trigger for note one is spotted, the character does the anim for pressing note one! this seems like the easiest and really the only logical way of doing it, but it has one major problem. 99% of the songs we play are custome made songs, which means us guys... sorry you guys ( i dont do songs( too ****)) would have to place all the trigger events into the song ( and you need 1 trigger event for each note ) if your song had 2 difficulties and all the notes in both added up to...say 1000 notes, you would need to place 1000 triggers, Thats like writing the song twice, and its hard enough getting people to do more than 1 difficulty in a song at the best of times, now they are gonna have to add a load of trigger events, i really dont see many people doing it, yeah the hard core song writers.. all praise to ya boys ( you know who you are ) would do the triggers but i think the majority of people wouldn't.

If we could get fairly complex 3d models into the game without it making peopls CPU's explode, and people would commit to adding the trigger events, i think it would be good eye candy, but as i said i really dont think people would be that committed

Nice idea tho !

[crazy.neo]

Ever played Guitar Zero? Have the modding tools.? So, the format in GZ is Hacksaw (or at least that wath 3DSMax call it).

If it does support mapping, why not make a guitar appear?
And why cant we use like "wiggle" events like in the svg´s on the latest version of FOF only to load 3D animations, for eg?

I gess it CAN be done, but like you said, it has a lot of variables to consider... I am now studiign Phython and trying to figure out if it is possible to make a cassete model appera during gameplay... I will get back to this for Summer.
If no one has more to say, then I would consider this STANDBY...

[SketchMan3]

I think it'd be cool if we used "stylized" 3d models instead, similar to the FoF mascot guy. Make him, like, a paper man to save polygons.

[crazy.neo]

Actualy, I usead a key file and posted about 50 sppheres around the screen and tha game didnt slow down...
The programming is the problem...
+, I can´t use standard materials in *.DAE´s... It gives a debug error on the launch...