In a nutshell, he wants to remove the texface options where they are now and instead convert the ones that still work (in Multi-texture and GLSL mode), to options that you would instead use in the material editor. So instead of setting faces as two-sided, halo, text, and billboard, in the editmode options, you would create a material and set those options there.
One major benefit that could bring is that there would be no more need to mess with copy menus, say you have a material that’s supposed to work with the two-sided option on, set that in the material editor and every face containing the material will be two-sided, no more copy menus, just assign the material, it would then only be a one step job.
The only question I have is this, how will the options work with node materials where materials can be blended together by textures or vertex colors?
He’s gotten overwhelming support so far (even Erwin suggested he won’t mind if there was a way to at least convert old files)
I’m guessing that materials that get blended together would either be one or the other. An example would be two-sided glass and one-sided plastic - when they get blended together in the middle, the material’s still either one-sided or two-sided. The idea sounds really good, particularly because copying transparency doesn’t work for me.
I started a new project the other day using multi texture in Blender 2.49.
After a while I gave up and went over to texface. multi texture suposedly can use both materials and texface settings, being the best of both worlds. However, the texface stuff (per-vertex lighting) often didn’t work properly.
Some objects which had clip alpha faces but no material didn’t show up at all. Some others which were given a texture but set to “texface” setting in the material would sometimes use the per vertex lighting, and sometimes not, switching mid game with no real idea why.
I’m all for a best of both worlds solution, as long as it actually works. We still need a non-GLSL version of the game engine.
It’s great that we have advanced GLSL shaders, but many casual computer users (the people we want to actually play the games) can’t use them. Maybe in future that will change as more effective graphics cards become available, but I still think the majority of laptop or cheap home computer manufacturers will continue to use intergrated graphics cards, with only high end computers getting the better GLSL capable cards.
In the near future web browsers will be able to intergrate 3d apps without a plugin. At that time the BGE can be very useful not just for games but also for home shopping (preview your purchase in 3d) product and service visualisations (check out and customize your new kitchen or conservatory before the builders ever arrive) or in mapping (primative virtual navigation systems can already be found online).
Blender game engine will become an important tool for many small businesses.
All these will need to be able to run for a theoretical worst possible computer. For this just imagine your mother’s (or grandmother’s depending on how old you are) home computer. For the next few years this theoretical computer probably wont have GLSL capability.
A working, bug free non-GLSL version of the game engine is essential for the future.
I’m all for a best of both worlds solution, as long as it actually works. We still need a non-GLSL version of the game engine.
It’s great that we have advanced GLSL shaders, but many casual computer users (the people we want to actually play the games) can’t use them.
A working, bug free non-GLSL version of the game engine is essential for the future.
Exactly. A non-GLSL version of the game engine is absolutely necessary. If this new feature is compatible with older computers, then it’s fine. However, if it’s “GLSL only”, then I think it’s a terrible decision.
Be aware that there is a big problem with backward compatibility here - old
files relying on TexFace will have to manually have their materials updated.
That’s not so bad. As long as there “is” a way to update the game, then backwards compatibility isn’t such a big deal.