Using the Palette as a Source of Game Objects
The Palette
contains example objects from which you can create game objects:
- SkyDome – a 360° background image for the world
- CubeTest – a simple cube
- SphereTest – a simple sphere
- ConeTest – a simple cone
- CylinderTest – a simple cylinder
- PlaneTest – a simple plane
- BillboardTest – a simple billboard, onto which you can place an
image that always faces the viewer, regardless of camera
view
- Orc – a simple object with properties that are representative of
game creatures
Each object creates a game object of a specific type with predefined
properties and slots for resources.
The types of objects available in the Palette are defined in XML
schemas.
You can use Palette objects as the starting material for building game
objects. After you create a game object from a Palette object, you associate
resources with it and set its properties, for example:
- For the cube, sphere, cone, and cylinder, you can set the object’s
properties (such as its color), as well as scale the object, to create
interesting and useful game objects.
- For the plane, you might want to turn on Render back faces
to be able to see both sides of the plane as you change the camera
view. The plane can be useful as a wall, floor, or ceiling surface
onto which you add a texture.
- For the billboard, you can add a texture (as its Diffuse
property) and specify its brightness (its Intensity
property).
- For the orc, you can associate a geometry object, an animation,
a target, and friends, as well as set its various properties.
The Palette also provides tools for organizing your project or levels
within the project:
- GameObjectFolder – a folder for grouping objects in the Project
Lister; objects within the folder are not grouped in the world,
but are grouped only within the Project Lister (and the level file
XML)
- GameObjectGroup – a meta-object that allows you to work with several
objects as a group
- Locator – a meta-object
that acts as a container for a resource
In addition, the Palette provides Light
objects and Linear
objects.