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[Mel_Vixen]

Depending on if i get the next 2 days off from work (currently i am a hauler  ) i see if i can get some of the Df-hack stuff outworked to get the correct data from the game.

If Andrewas tackles the graphics we would need some communication (and i would like to see his build).

edit: I got my time off so i will see what i can do.

[Rafal99]

I took a look at the code in the repository and it seems that most of the map reading code is in DwarfMap/DwarfMap.cpp. I may try playing with it later.
Any advice how to compile all this? What IDE / compiler would work?
I haven't seen any build files, makefiles or MSVC vcproj files. Any help? 

[peterix]

I took a look at the code in the repository and it seems that most of the map reading code is in DwarfMap/DwarfMap.cpp. I may try playing with it later.
Any advice how to compile all this? What IDE / compiler would work?
I haven't seen any build files, makefiles or MSVC vcproj files. Any help?

It is using this IDE/GUI framework combo: http://www.ultimatepp.org/
A bit weird if you ask me, but that's how things are.

[andrewas]

I took a look at the code in the repository and it seems that most of the map reading code is in DwarfMap/DwarfMap.cpp. I may try playing with it later.
Any advice how to compile all this? What IDE / compiler would work?
I haven't seen any build files, makefiles or MSVC vcproj files. Any help?

Install MSVC8 (Or whatever, but if I read this right, then you want to use MSVC8 to link to DFhack. Or was it that you need to use MSVC8 to build DFHack if you want it to link to DF?  At any rate, its free and it works.

Install Ultimate++.

Extract the source into c:\MyApps, where u++ will look for it. You will need to provide the OpenGL libraries as well as the Glee library, perhaps others - my setup is a bit of a kludge and was installed as things were needed for different projects, so there could be other libraries needed. As always, the compiler errors will tell you what you need.

[Petr Ga]

nevermind.

[Skeggox]

Hi all!

I am an avid fan of Visual Fortress, and am missing it terribly. With Babanoonza so graciously opening up the source code, I thought I'd try my hand at reviving it in a new guise.

From reading this thread, I noticed that the biggest problem is lack of flexibility - with each new iteration of DF the visualizer needs to be updated (or at least a new Memory.xml needs to be figured out), and it isn't easy to add features like exporters for offline rendering (think dumping the geometry into a povray file and running it through a raytracer, etc).

So, the new project will be open-source from the start and based around a Lua framework that ties together modules. Modules would be things like DFHack, Babanoonza's DF geometry engine, and a collection of importer/exporters. Modules will be separately built shared libraries, so updating the visualizer to a new version of DF is as simple as downloading the latest DFHack shared library binary. And if the API for a module changes all we need do is update the Lua framework files.

The better news is that the project is based completely on open source, cross platform tools and libraries. It uses CMake for configuration, so any build system with a CMake generator can be used (Linux, Mingw32, Cygwin, Borland C++, MSVC, etc.) I'm currently developing it on Mingw32 for Windows, but getting a Linux build up and running should be an afternoon's work.

I'll be making it available via GitHub soon, once I have something workable. So far I have console support, a basic multi-threading framework, a Lua engine and a Rendering engine (using GLUT) up and running. Currently all it does is show a rendered triangle and allows interactive Lua commands in a console window. But it is a start

Next up I'll be working on a basic material and scene manager. Most of it will come from existing code in Visual Fortress, so I'm skipping a lot of trial and error. Yay! Thanks B!

I am an engineer with professional game developer experience (think one of the big studios like EA, Ubisoft, Bioware, etc.) so I would like to think I know what I'm doing. But I'll need a lot of help, especially with artistic content and project management.

Any volunteers?

- Someone to manage the Linux and Mac builds would be awesome (I'm an Archlinux fan myself, but have to use Windoze at home for business reasons).
- A render expert to help with the rendering side of things (I have a bit of rendering experience, but not in OpenGL, and if I have to spend the time to learn it first it will take forever)
- A texture and model artist. Visual Fortress has a fair amount of existing content (and I know how to import it) but the collection will need tweaking and growing.
- A community manager - someone to set up a wiki, bug tracker, keep track of things happening in forum threads, create a gallery of visualizations, organize competitions etc.

The size of the response to this initiative will determine how much time I will commit to it. I'm doing it currently for the technical challenge and educational value (plus I really want to see my megaprojects in raytraced glory), but if enough people pitch in we can make this a big thing.

Oh, I'm calling it Obsidian (water + magma = obsidian, and DF + 3D = Awesome, thus Obsidian = Awesome)
 

Skeggox

(P.S. Spread the word, please)

[Bloogonis]

I am in support of Obsidian. It needs its own thread for sure if you want this much help. I would love to throw my hand into helping out, but I am almost positive there are many many people who could do a lot more. I only have a passing knowledge of how renders work and a sub par ability with Blender. I will be here cheering you on, and will be anxiously waiting for this.

I will definitely join any competitions that are set up for this, and will volunteer my time to help with those, but I don't know the first thing about setting up wikis, (My expertise is real world mechanical and electrical. coding always goes way over my head.)

[James.Denholm]

It's good to see that someone's brave enough to take up the torch on this. I'm glad to see that you're going down the open-source route, and I'm not just saying that because I'm an open-source fanboy.

[Retro]

Bravo on taking up the mantle! Strong support from me. Although Obsidian would be based off of VF code, perhaps it's time to start a new thread? It would also help spread the word, I think (plus you would be able to control the OP yourself).

[Rose]

I predict a name clash when Stonesense reaches version 9 (by the current naming sceme, it will be Stonesense Obsidian) but eh, who cares.

[Djohaal]

I can help with modelling and texturing.

As a side thought, it should be able to export to other formats than povray for those who want to render on other engines (even paid ones) and possibly adjust the geomtry in an external application, although a built-in povray renderer would be simply sweet. 

I also know my way with the artistic side of rendering (not much with the guts of coding), but I can give some insight on stuff such as illumination, shader parameters, however don't ask me to code a line, it is beyond my feeble brain

[Urist Imiknorris]

I predict a name clash when Stonesense reaches version 9 (by the current naming sceme, it will be Stonesense Obsidian) but eh, who cares.

Actually version 12 will be Obsidian.

[Retro]

I don't really see it being an issue. Outside of the official SS thread where different versions are being discussed, I've yet to see Stonesense called anything but Stonesense regardless of version.

[Skeggox]

Kewl ... I like the interest 

I'll repost into a new thread, and maybe throw in a very first look at what's cookin' so far.

As to the exporters, I'm only going to start with something like povray. The modular nature will hopefully allow anyone to write any exporter for any format they want to, without needing to touch the core visualizer.

As for the geometry, I'll be implementing the constructions etc. as procedural geometry, like in Visual Fortress, meaning they are generated by applying certain rules to the tilesets. These rules will be done in Lua, so anyone with a text editor will be able to change how statues are oriented, how the crenelations of open topped fortifications look like, etc.

You want murder holes in the roof of your barbicon? Add a procedural Lua script that inserts them, triggered by a marker tied to a burrow, so on and so forth.

Another idea I've got is to do periodic recordings of the whole map's tileset info into a compressed stream, which can be exported as a series of scene files, which you then run overnight through a raytracer and encoder, and voila - you have a time-lapse movie showing the construction of you mega-dam/tower/castle

I'll make the tools - its up to you guys to make the awesome with it.

[opsneakie]

Hey Skeggox,

I know a reasonable bit about texturing/modelling, and I'd be happy to help with some of the community related stuff. Let me know what you need and I'm happy to provide some time.