Samples, Starter Kits, Tutorials

XNA Billboard Sample, adding fog to .fx

Achilleterzo — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:21:07 GMT

Hi all, i have tried a lot to setup decent fog in the basic .fx coming with that example...

My goal is adding this fog alghoritm to the billboard shader:

                            float fogNear = 10;         
            float fogFar = 100;         
            float fogAltitudeScale = 10;         
            float fogThinning = 100;         
            float4 fogColor = {0.5, 0.5, 0.5, 1.0};         

                                float l = saturate((d - fogNear) / (fogFar - fogNear) / clamp(Input.Position.y / fogAltitudeScale + 1, 1, fogThinning));         
                return lerp(C, fogColor, l);             
                     

here:

                            //-----------------------------------------------------------------------------         
            // Billboard.fx         
            //         
            // Microsoft Game Technology Group         
            // Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.         
            //-----------------------------------------------------------------------------         
                     
                     
            // Camera parameters.         
            float4x4 View;         
            float4x4 Projection;         
                     
                     
            // Lighting parameters.         
            float3 LightDirection;         
            float3 LightColor = 0.8;         
            float3 AmbientColor = 0.4;         
                     
                     
            // Parameters controlling the wind effect.         
            float3 WindDirection = float3(1, 0, 0);         
            float WindWaveSize = 0.1;         
            float WindRandomness = 1;         
            float WindSpeed = 4;         
            float WindAmount;         
            float WindTime;         
                     
                     
            // Parameters describing the billboard itself.         
            float BillboardWidth;         
            float BillboardHeight;         
                     
            texture Texture;         
                     
                     
            struct VS_INPUT         
            {         
                float3 Position : POSITION0;         
                float3 Normal : NORMAL0;         
                float2 TexCoord : TEXCOORD0;         
                float Random : TEXCOORD1;         
            };         
                     
                     
            struct VS_OUTPUT         
            {         
                float4 Position : POSITION0;         
                float2 TexCoord : TEXCOORD0;         
                float4 Color : COLOR0;         
            };         
                     
                     
            VS_OUTPUT VertexShader(VS_INPUT input)         
            {         
                VS_OUTPUT output;         
                     
                // Apply a scaling factor to make some of the billboards         
                // shorter and fatter while others are taller and thinner.         
                float squishFactor = 0.75 + abs(input.Random) / 2;         
                     
                float width = BillboardWidth * squishFactor;         
                float height = BillboardHeight / squishFactor;         
                     
                // Flip half of the billboards from left to right. This gives visual variety         
                // even though we are actually just repeating the same texture over and over.         
                if (input.Random < 0)         
                    width = -width;         
                     
                // Work out what direction we are viewing the billboard from.         
                float3 viewDirection = View._m02_m12_m22;         
                     
                float3 rightVector = normalize(cross(viewDirection, input.Normal));         
                     
                // Calculate the position of this billboard vertex.         
                float3 position = input.Position;         
                     
                // Offset to the left or right.         
                position += rightVector * (input.TexCoord.x - 0.5) * width;         
                         
                // Offset upward if we are one of the top two vertices.         
                position += input.Normal * (1 - input.TexCoord.y) * height;         
                     
                // Work out how this vertex should be affected by the wind effect.         
                float waveOffset = dot(position, WindDirection) * WindWaveSize;         
                         
                waveOffset += input.Random * WindRandomness;         
                         
                // Wind makes things wave back and forth in a sine wave pattern.         
                float wind = sin(WindTime * WindSpeed + waveOffset) * WindAmount;         
                         
                // But it should only affect the top two vertices of the billboard!         
                wind *= (1 - input.TexCoord.y);         
                         
                position += WindDirection * wind;         
                     
                // Apply the camera transform.         
                float4 viewPosition = mul(float4(position, 1), View);         
                     
                output.Position = mul(viewPosition, Projection);         
                     
                output.TexCoord = input.TexCoord;         
                         
                // Compute lighting.         
                float diffuseLight = max(-dot(input.Normal, LightDirection), 0);         
                         
                output.Color.rgb = diffuseLight * LightColor + AmbientColor;         
                output.Color.a = 1;         
                         
                return output;         
            }         
                     
                     
            sampler TextureSampler = sampler_state         
            {         
                Texture = (Texture);         
                     
                MinFilter = Linear;         
                MagFilter = Linear;         
                MipFilter = Linear;         
                         
                AddressU = Clamp;         
                AddressV = Clamp;         
            };         
                     
                     
            float4 PixelShader(float2 texCoord : TEXCOORD0, float4 color : COLOR0) : COLOR0         
            {         
                return tex2D(TextureSampler, texCoord) * color;         
            }         
                     
                     
            technique Billboards         
            {         
                // We use a two-pass technique to render alpha blended geometry with almost-correct         
                // depth sorting. The only way to make blending truly proper for alpha objects is         
                // to draw everything in sorted order, but manually sorting all our billboards         
                // would be very expensive. Instead, we draw our billboards in two passes.         
                //         
                // The first pass has alpha blending turned off, alpha testing set to only accept         
                // ~95% or more opaque pixels, and the depth buffer turned on. Because this is only         
                // rendering the solid parts of each billboard, the depth buffer works as         
                // normal to give correct sorting, but obviously only part of each billboard will         
                // be rendered.         
                //         
                // Then in the second pass we enable alpha blending, set alpha test to only accept         
                // pixels with fractional alpha values, and set the depth buffer to test against         
                // the existing data but not to write new depth values. This means the translucent         
                // areas of each billboard will be sorted correctly against the depth buffer         
                // information that was previously written while drawing the opaque parts, although         
                // there can still be sorting errors between the translucent areas of different         
                // billboards.         
                //         
                // In practice, sorting errors between translucent pixels tend not to be too         
                // noticable as long as the opaque pixels are sorted correctly, so this technique         
                // often looks ok, and is much faster than trying to sort everything 100%         
                // correctly. It is particularly effective for organic textures like grass and         
                // trees.         
                         
                pass RenderOpaquePixels         
                {         
                    VertexShader = compile vs_1_1 VertexShader();         
                    PixelShader = compile ps_1_1 PixelShader();         
                     
                    AlphaBlendEnable = false;         
                                     
                    AlphaTestEnable = true;         
                    AlphaFunc = Greater;         
                    AlphaRef = 245;         
                             
                    ZEnable = true;         
                    ZWriteEnable = true;         
                     
                    CullMode = None;         
                }         
                     
                pass RenderAlphaBlendedFringes         
                {         
                    VertexShader = compile vs_1_1 VertexShader();         
                    PixelShader = compile ps_1_1 PixelShader();         
                             
                    AlphaBlendEnable = true;         
                    SrcBlend = SrcAlpha;         
                    DestBlend = InvSrcAlpha;         
                             
                    AlphaTestEnable = true;         
                    AlphaFunc = LessEqual;         
                    AlphaRef = 245;         
                     
                    ZEnable = true;         
                    ZWriteEnable = false;         
                     
                    CullMode = None;         
                }         
            }         
                     

Anyone can help me?

Thanks :)

drawing sprites on a model - tutorial help

Duckfeet — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:23:07 GMT

Hello,

I'm working though various samples & tutorials. Everything off the website works fine, but I was wanting to go though the "draw a sprite over a model" sample that comes with game studio but when I try and run it nothing happens.

I've built the project with no errors, and tried pressing the keyboard controls once its loaded and nothing works. Does anyone else have this problem? Perhapes someone could point me in a direction of a similar tutorial elsewhere?

Thanks

Game states inquiry please HELP!!!!

maverik0106 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:44:26 GMT

Hello,

I've just finished Chapter 7 from Aaron Reed's "Learning XNA 3.0" book, and at this point, we have finished our first 2D video game.

I've played and tweaked a few things on my own and have come up with many different successful things...

I have added a few successful game states and used them properly, like adding a credits after game over game state, a pause game state and others....

However when its Game Over and the game ends, I wanted to reset the game so that when someone presses a specific key (in this case 'R') the game will re-start and one can start again from the beginning.

I have successfully done part of this (the part of sending it to the beginning game state) however, I am having a lot of trouble reseting the score, and reseting the number of lives left... in other words reseting the whole game. What I want is to start a new game with new score and new starting lives (default starting lives).. but I don't know how to do this.

I really would be appreciated if anyone could help me out I could give you my source but I think the problem is pretty straight forward...

Thanks in advance!

Tutorial: Adding Melee to Platform Starter Kit

FiNaL Mirage — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 20:03:47 GMT

I'm working on a side project with a couple friends and I figured when I complete something that I find particularly useful I'd write a little tutorial to help some people out, or at least try to point them in the right direction. If you have any problems please post in this thread so it might solve problems for others as well.
P.S. I'm pretty new to this stuff so I'm sure there's plenty of better/optimized ways to do this but I found this to be a quick solution. Please post suggestions/comments!
Adding Melee to the Platform Starter Kit

Many thanks to Shawn Hargreaves and his Blog!

Some Call Me Tim — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:42:09 GMT

Once again Shawn Hargreaves Blog has bailed me out!

I was trying to incorporate the smoke particle effect from the Particle 3D sample into my simulation. I was having all kinds of problems with the point sprites from the particle effect not rendering correctly with my alpha blended billboards. Luckily I stumbled on a post from Feb '09 in Shawn's blog (Depth sorting alpha blended objects) that covered exactly what I was experiencing.

Problem fixed.

Thanks Shawn! Keep up the good work!

getting started totally from scratch

radlogicgames — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 15:21:22 GMT

i just started developing in xna and c#, and it would have been a whole heck of a lot easier on me if somebody just pointed out the basics
it would have saved a lot of frustration, but would have gotten rid of the 'fool's gate' of getting the process started, so some experienced users are bound to find this post offensive

anyway, there was no really simple thing on how to get started totally from scratch

all i had was a new pc with vista home whatever installed on it

so here's a quick breakdown of the basics the way i do it - some will hate this and puke

old school style;
i am an 'old school' programmer, hence i like small, light and fast rather than big and heavy
this style isn't for playing around and trying things out, this is for getting out a working product fast and furious
this style focuses on producing content for the xbox 360 by first developing a working version on windows then creating a copy for xbox 360 and rebuilding and deploying via creators club

xna and c# suit me and my style of small, light and fast
some people really hate the way i program
i code in straight xna and c#, using other tools only to help me along the way, doing multiple passes of the tools to get all i need
i hate toolchains but so far i don't mind using them individually if they produce something i need out of a file they make
i use torque x builder for layout, then steal the positions and other info from the xml level file and hardcode them into the c# code
i hate the c# compiler's folder system, but its not worth the time to fix it, so i just run with it
i hate programming rules, but i love best practices and try to follow the windows ones, and if you don't follow best practices on the 360 it will hang up or crash
i hardly ever comment my code - the code is comment enough of you understand it properly, which you should begin to remember and understand after a few programming sessions
i prefer one big code file rather than a bunch of little ones
i sometimes write my code in notepad or wordpad rather than the ide, and then start up the ide to compile it, feels like the old days compiling and linkimg masm
i follow the path of the snake climbing the tree and i duplicate my code ruthlessly to do what i want, not make reusable code, and if i need something from old code i cut and paste
a one space indent is just fine by me
scary, ain't it!

bare bones installation vista home whatever:
all of these are free downloads, and be sure to register them so they don't time out
m$ visual studio 2005 c# express (not 2008 - not supported by xna game studio version 2 as far as i can tell, maybe xna 3.0 is for 2008, but 2005 works just fine)
xna game studio express version 2
working, networked xbox 360 with a hard drive
working developers wired 360 controller
xbl gold membership
xna creator's club membership
on the xbox 360 download the launcher and connector from the game store, genres, other, creators club and successfully start them once

exorcise the system
start the ide and choose new project from the file menu
single-click only on the windows project
change the name to windowsbase
change the folder to the desktop
it will create the project folder on the desktop when you hit ok
close the ide and open the folder, double-click on the sln file
you may have to get fista to start m$ vs c# ide when you double-click on it by using browse
go through every menu in the ide, familirize yourself with what they do,and be sure all folder settings are pointing to this folder we are woking in, especially build and import stuff
use the project configuration menu to set your base info like copyright and author
test project build and fix any errors or weirdness
hit play to run it on the computer - it should be a blank blue screen and quits when the back button is pressed on the controller and that's it
i call it the 'select' button, but they call it 'back' and that is what it actually says on the 360 controller if you look close
open and view the game1.cs file in the ide code window from the solution explorer
add a image file to contents from the solution explorer by right clicking on contents and add exiting - choose some small image file to load
make sure the image file appears and it copies it to the contents folder ok - use right click on it and remove it
this is your base program, so be sure all is correct - it needs to be running right with no crashes, error or even warnings
'save all' the project
close the ide and make a copy of the folder - name it something 360base
open the ide with the 360base folder's .sln file
create a copy of the solution for xbox360 under project
delete the windows part - make this one for 360 only
set up the xbox device connection and make sure the 360 can connect to the computer and it gets the program
build, deploy and test the xbox version
fix any weirdness and make this .sln your 360base
copy both base projects somewhere safe as backups

choose a project name or working title
don't sweat it and get bogged down on this step
you can rename the final project later with some cool name
just choose a one word name and run with it

use the ide to create a windows project folder with the project name on the desktop
right in front of your eyes and foremost your mind
create a txt file in the folder somewhere - this is the pre-production project breakdown file
name it [the project name].txt and start editing it before doing anything else

pre-production project breakdown file
since we are developing a 360 product, we have to define what the product actually is
to quickly do this i use a pre-production breakdown text file to flesh out the product before even writing the first line of code or drawing the first sprite
the biggest game is just another computer program, with a basic flow from start to end, some variables and control structures to modify the flow based on stuff happening
the 360 is just a computer with a fancy graphics card that runs a program from start to end and shows sprites and controls them via what we tell it to do
the idea is to lay out your ideas in the txt file and see what's what and determine what you really want and can actually do
proper code is not important here, but if you have the code already or are pulling it from here and there, just drop it in the breakdown file
think like a composer writing a song on the back of a napkin - only you need to know what stuff means
develop the program, not from inside the language, but from outside and the overview
don't think about the whole program but think what you want on the screen and build up your whole sprites list
if there are multiple screens or multiple levels, start small with just one screen and detail them each separately, duplicating whatever is needed to do them
finally break down the program into the structure that xna uses: startup, levels, sprites, setup, load, show, contol, unload and end
if you just use load content struff, you don't have to worry about unloading it, the content manager does it for you
if you load anything into the program without using the content manager, like arrays or something, wipe it using unload before ending or you will pile up junk in memory
just do the setup that xna needs and don't worry about it for now, focus on what you want the program to look like
the best tool is a piece of paper and a pen - draw out the screenshots you want to be able to do later, then figure out what you need to have in the program to make them happen
the sprites list is all the sprites that are ever going to be on the screen throughout the whole entire program
you'll need to determine where they will be placed on the screen, then load them all at the start oif they are not too huge
this is setup, then load - if you do it all at the beginning, say during a splash screen, it won't bog down the user experience later
starting with a single level, detail out each section
as you work with xna and the xna structure, you can find what you need on the internet - best i have found so far is:http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb194908.aspx

materials (artwork)
after working the breakdown file for awhile, you'll start to get a fairly good idea about the artwork (textures) you need for the sprites
2dsprites are just flat one-sided 3dsprites, and they have just one texture that needs to be loaded for each sprite unless you are going to use the textures on multiple sprites
so far i just create basic shapes in paint then use gimp to flesh them out and finally save them as transparent png's or jpg's

my first program
i chose to do a buttons program for my first one, so i could get the hang of user input and what words xna uses - xna is different than everybody else, but simpler in the end
it is very easy to get bogged down in the xna object model and overcomplicate things - keep it simple stupid (kiss) rule applies here
i want just a dumbo program to show a xbox 360 controller picture on the screen and flash the buttons when they are clicked
in this case there should be a good controller pic somewhere on the internet that's not copyrighted that shows all the buttons, the sticks and the triggers
to use the picture, i loaded it into paint and cut out the buttons, the triggers and the sticks, lighting them up and saving each as separate image file
create the jpg's for each sprite and one for the controller with nothing highlighted - these will be the images that you will add into content and load into the sprite textures

using buttons.txt;

game overview
show the pic of a 360 controller with buttons that highlight, driven by the buttons and sticks on the controller

template
windowsbase

materials
texture jpg images
if your artwork is named differently its no problem, just fix when you load it in the load
controller sprite - an image of a 360 controller
                  Controller.jpg
button and stick sprite texture jpg's - individual sprites for each of the controller buttons and the sticks
                  X
                  B
                  A
                  Select.
                  L1.
                  L2.
                  L3.
                  R1.
                  R2.
                  R3.
                  Start.

do buttons
draw the sprites over the controller buttons when they are clicked

setup
think: define the sprites
                  Texture2D ControllerTexture;
  button and stick sprites - individual sprites for each of the controller buttons and the sticks
                  Texture2D YTexture;
                  Texture2D XTexture;
                  Texture2D BTexture;
                  Texture2D ATexture;
                  Texture2D SelectTexture;
                  Texture2D L1Texture;
                  Texture2D L2Texture;
                  Texture2D L3Texture;
                  Texture2D R1Texture;
                  Texture2D R2Texture;
                  Texture2D R3Texture;
                  Texture2D StartTexture;
                  etc...

load
think: you've define the sprites, now load the textures for them
ControllerTexture = Content.Load<Texture2D>("controller");
ATexture = Content.Load<Texture2D>("a");
YTexture = Content.Load<Texture2D>("y");
etc...

sprite positions
xna uses a Vector2 which is x and y in one go
if the sprite needs to be moved, you do that in update
this is in screen coords in pixels from top,left to bottom right of the 800 * 600 screen
think: define the sprite, load the texture for it, set where it will be on the screen
    Vector2 ControllerPosition = new Vector2(200f,200f);
    Vector2 APosition = new Vector2(488f,342f);

update (runs every few milliseconds - don't bog it down with a lot of long code)

draw (runs every few milliseconds - don't bog it down with a lot of long code)
if the buttons are pressed, draw the button's sprite at the button's position
the color is the alphablend or transparent mask - leave white unless you need to change it
sprites are drawn in batches, signified with a batch start and batch end statement - all your draws must be between them
    spriteBatch.Draw(ControllerTexture, ControllerPosition, Color.White);
    if (GamePad.GetState(PlayerIndex.One).Buttons.A == ButtonState.Pressed) spriteBatch.Draw(ATexture, APosition, Color.White);

and that's it

an upgraded version of the buttons360 project will be available at: buttons360.zip with more stuff than just showing the buttons, like doing text and following the sticks and triggers

i did copyright the code, so don't bite me and say its yours, but you are free to use it to learn how xna handles the controller stuff

the controller image is not mine and i just saved it off the xbox 360 help site - thanks m$

enjoy!

gina (radlogic)
radlogic@live.com
radlogicgames@live.com

Role-Playing Game Starter Kit - Main Discussion Thread

Jenkmeister — Tue, 20 May 2008 03:22:41 GMT

Tell the XNA GS and Community team what you think of the new RPG starter kit. We'd love to hear your thoughts and how you are extending it!

You can find the starter kit here.

6/25: The starter kit has been updated. Find more information later in this thread, in this post.

XNA Shader Programming Tutorial

digitalerr0rDCC — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 10:32:59 GMT

Hi,

I have just posted my XNA Shader Programming tutorial on my blog. I have had many presentations and workshops regarding XNA here in norway, and this is my collection related to shader programming.
The tutorials have been written as simple as possible in order to make them easy to follow. This means that there is no custom classes handling shaders, advanced scenes and so on.

Here are the first tutorials, but I will continue to add more:

1 - Intro to HSLS, ambient light
2 - Diffuse light
3 - Specular light
4 - Normal mapping
5 - Deform vertex shader
6 - Shader demo: Simple ocean/island scenery
7 - Toon shading
8 - Gloss map
9 - Wiggle post process
10 - Invert post process
11 - Grayscale shader
12 - Pixel distortion shader
13 - Alpha mapping
14 - Transmittance/depth buffers
15 - Dynamic Environment mapping
16 - Refraction
17 - Point light + Self-Shadowing
18 - Multiple Point Lights
19 - Hemispheric ambient light
20 - Depth of Field
21 - Transition: Fade
22 - Transition: Cross
23 - Blur
24 - Bloom

Hope this can be of help to anyone learning XNA,HLSL:)

Change tilesize in RPG kit?

Omnicoder — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:12:44 GMT

Aside from obviously resizing the graphics, what will I need to do to make it use 32x32 tiles? Is it gonna be a huge project to change?

Carcophony Postmortem

glpeas — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:04:13 GMT

Hi,

I'm hoping this is the right forum, if not, moderators are free to move it I guess :)

We've written a tech postmortem of our game [Carcophony] that we think could be useful to other XNA developers. We hope there is something for everyone - begginer or advanced. Of course, if you are one of the many people who knows more than us, feel free to point out our mistakes and things we could have done better - it's a learning experience for all of us.

Here is the link: carcophony tech postmortem.

Let us know what you thought or if you have any questions we would be happy to go in more detail :)

Thank you,
glpeas

Robot Game is now available for download! (Updated 6/27)

Jenkmeister — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:31:39 GMT

Calling all Creators Club Premium Members... a new day is dawning... a chance for you to fight a new battle... a chance to command BIG Robots!!! :)

Join with the XNA Team as we count down with new content each day until we release our new mini-game!

I wonder if that tank knows what's coming...?

I guess not... ;-)

2D Beginners Guide - Early Kill

Hattsoffs — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:29:22 GMT

I have some experience in programming but just starting to program games. I really enjoyed walking through the 2D Beginners Guide and officially creating my first game...what was driving me crazy was that the aliens were disappearing as their nose touched the left side of the screen. The drove me nuts and I knew this would be the first thing I would have to customize. I thought I would share this simple code change.

FYI - I saw another post about making the enemies going both ways...I haven't looked at it yet, but this code would have to be changed to accomplish this...I don't think it would be to hard...maybe creating an attribute to the class saying which direction the enemy is going and then put a if...else statement to handle either direction.

This is in the Game1.cs class file, in the UpdateEnemies() section:

Originally (from the tutorial) this is what is in the code:

    
                                if (!viewportRect.Contains(new Point( 
        
                                    (int)enemy.position.X, 
        
                                    (int)enemy.position.Y))) 
        
                                { 
        
                                    enemy.alive = false; 
        
                                }

My modifications:

    
                                if (enemy.position.X < (viewportRect.Width - enemy.sprite.Width)) 
        
                                { 
        
                                    if (!viewportRect.Contains(new Point( 
        
                                        ((int)enemy.position.X + (int)enemy.sprite.Width), 
        
                                        (int)enemy.position.Y))) 
        
                                    { 
        
                                        enemy.alive = false; 
        
                                    } 
        
                                }

The reason for adding the new if loop was to make sure that the enemy appeared in the window before evaluating it for reaching the other side of the screen. The only other add was adding the width of the sprite to the x position (to use the position of the back of the enemy).

Would love feedback if others find a better way to do this.

Upgrading Sample: Heightmap Collision with Normals to XNA3.1

MidNightQc — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:07:50 GMT

Hi,

I've been playing with xna again lately. And im stuck with that problem.

After upgrading the above sample to XNA3.1, ModelBones from the Model arent getting deserialized correctly by the ContentProcessor. Every ModelBones gets a wrong transforms (lots of NaN).

The above sample is, by default, targetting XNA2.0. I had no problem when upgrading it to XNA3.0.

I would like someone to shed some light on this =)

Is there some breaking changes in ContentProcessors from 3.0 to 3.1?
Is there a way to fix the model (Tank.fbx) to allow xna3.1 to load it correctly?

Thanks in advance

Normal Mapping rendering issue in ShipGame

Fuzzy Bug — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:14:26 GMT

Hello

I'm trying to lift the rendering from the ship game and stick it into my own framework. Everything works but the model renders with the wrong texture - the one I'm seeing is ship1_i.tga so the model comes out black with the odd blue bit. When I build the ShipGame it's fine but I can't see what I've missed. I'm using the same normalmapping content processor and the same normal mapping fx. The binary files match up size wise between both versions. Makes no difference what model I'm using from the shipgame either (I'm yet to try exporting my own out).

When it does render the black areas look see through, the glowy blue bits come out ok and where light catches the spaceship I can see the normal mapping in action. I've tried switching it to using the PlainRendering option but that just switches the lighting off and still renders with the wrong map.

I realise it's a tricky one but I don't suppose anyone has any ideas on what would cause it?

--edit--

Changing the normalmapping.fx so rather than color.w = glow_intensity; it's color.w = 0.5 lets me see the texture but it's quite bright and glowy.

It's definitely the glow_intensity, all the maps looks fine but as soon as I set the color.w = glow_intensity it goes wrong. I don't see what bit of the sample I'm missing that would affect that though.

--more edit--

Right. Well it seems that my render output looks like the glow texture and the results of the specular lighting. Where there's no glow or specular lighting hit there's nothing drawn (except the clear colour). I've no idea why now. I've scaled back the shipgame demo so it's not doing much else other than clearing the screen and drawing a ship and what I have seems to match code wise.

GameStateManagementSample: How to Rotate the Model (GraphicsDeviceManager Problem)

DeadlyInstinct — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:30:49 GMT

hey guys... i was looking the whole day for an answer, but didnt find something helpfull

my prob is:
i want to load and rotate a 3d modell in the gamestatemanagement sample

hier is my code so far:

#region File Description
//-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
// GameplayScreen.cs
//
// Microsoft XNA Community Game Platform
// Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
//-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
#endregion

#region Using Statements
using System;
using System.Threading;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using Microsoft.Xna.Framework;
using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Audio;
using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Content;
using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.GamerServices;
using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Graphics;
using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Input;
using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Media;
using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Net;
using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Storage;
#endregion

namespace GameStateManagement
{
    /// <summary>
    /// This screen implements the actual game logic. It is just a
    /// placeholder to get the idea across: you'll probably want to
    /// put some more interesting gameplay in here!
    /// </summary>
class GameplayScreen : GameScreen
    {
        #region Fields

        ContentManager content;
        GraphicsDeviceManager graphics;
        SpriteFont gameFont;

        Model myModel;

        Vector3 cameraPosition = new Vector3(50.0f, 25.0f, 20.0f);
        float aspectRatio;
        Vector3 modelPosition;
        float modelRotation;






        Texture2D statBar, hp, mp;
        public float self_hp_max = 400;
        public float self_mp_max = 235;
        public float self_hp = 400;
        public float self_mp = 235;

        Random random = new Random();

        #endregion





        /// <summary>
        /// Constructor.
        /// </summary>
        public GameplayScreen()
        {

            TransitionOnTime = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(1.5);
            TransitionOffTime = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(0.5);

        }


        /// <summary>
        /// Load graphics content for the game.
        /// </summary>
        public override void LoadContent()
        {


            if (content == null)
                content = new ContentManager(ScreenManager.Game.Services, "Content");

            if (graphics == null)
            {
                graphics = new GraphicsDeviceManager(ScreenManager.Game);
            }

            statBar = content.Load<Texture2D>("Interface\\StatusBar");
            mp = content.Load<Texture2D>("Interface\\Mana");
            hp = content.Load<Texture2D>("Interface\\Health");


            myModel = content.Load<Model>("Modelle\\Model");

            aspectRatio = graphics.GraphicsDevice.Viewport.AspectRatio;

            gameFont = content.Load<SpriteFont>("gamefont");

           when i build the game it says:
A graphics device manager is already registered. The graphics device manager cannot be changed once it is set.

Help with using "XNA Unleased (by Chad Carter)" Input Handler

WyldFyr — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:41:58 GMT

Hi, this is my first post here, and I've searched the forums abit for help with this specific problem I'm having, but no luck- so here goes...

Situation:
I'm just begining at learning how to program and use XNA and I've read and built the "Simple Game" in chapter 11 of Carter's book "XNA unleashed. I figured for my first major challenge that it would be rewarding to use the code in that book to make a simple up-srcolling shooter. (yes, I understand that I would need to create a bullet manager of some sorts - thats part of the challenge) I've been reusing as much of the code from the book project as possible. After setting up the basic game class to implement its state management, I moved on to creating my "player" class. In the book, Chad implements the scrolling background before implementing his player class, but I wanted to make some changes to the background class first, so I figured I would add that later.

Problem:
My player sprite needs to move side-to-side to aim its shots, so I added code to the player class to get the arrow key states. The problem is it dosn't work - when I set a break in my helper "WasPressed" method to see if it wil return true, it never does. Its like the input handler isn't even giving it the key states within my player class at all. To further test, I transplanter the code I wrote back into the player class of "SimpleGame" project, and it works as expected. I've looked through my game class line by line to see if I missed something, but I cant seem to find anything amiss. Also, the code that uses the input handler in the game class works just fine - it switches between scene and start menu just as expected.

Request:
Is there anyone out there familiar enough with the book and the code that they can help me figure out what I'm doing wrong?

BTW: I'm reluctant to paste any of the code that came from the book in here because of IP issues, but here is the code (from my player class) that I have added to get the arrow key state:

public override void Update(Microsoft.Xna.Framework.GameTime gameTime)
{
if (WasPressed(0, Buttons.DPadLeft, Keys.Left))
{
Position.X = Position.X - moveRate;
}
else if (WasPressed(0, Buttons.DPadRight, Keys.Right))
{
Position.X = Position.X + moveRate;
}
...
base.Update(gameTime);
}

Adding a camera and Q to WinForms Series 2: Content Loading tutorial

Aero — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:59:21 GMT

Hi all!

I am not sure i follow how the model is compiled with msbuild in this tutorial, but my question is, could i use msbuild to batch import multiple assets put into given folders upon starting the game (instead of using a FileopenDialog).

Also, how does this content adding using import during runtime work for the clients that plays the game ? Is it the same as adding a new model to the content,meaning that i can save the project in the editor program and other (with the xna framework installed) is able to play the game with the model i imported in the editor ?

I am new to XNA and C# aswell so i am trying to understand why i am unable to add a update method to the ModelViewerControl.cs

Error 2 'WinFormsContentLoading.ModelViewerControl.Update()': cannot override inherited member 'System.Windows.Forms.Control.Update()' because it is not marked virtual, abstract, or override

Overall the structure of this WinForm tutorial does not seems to follow a ordinary XNA framework game so is it possbile to change it from ModelViewerControl to a ordinary Game/Program.cs class somehow ?

Anyway, i am also trying to implement a camera class from the wiki
Easy Camera Movement

It works partially, but since i am unable to put it in the update method i put it in the draw method/which seems to be drawn continually??). It is slow and i guess what i am doing here is actually set the view matrix for all the meshes rather than change camera position becuase some codes below this sets effect.View = view;

I dont know if anything above makes sense just trying to understand how i can use ModelViewer in my app.

    
              Vector3 eyePosition = modelCenter; 
        
                            eyePosition.Z += modelRadius / 2; 
        
                            eyePosition.Y += modelRadius; 
        
                            Vector3 LookAt = Vector3.Zero; 
        
                            //Call the Method 
        
                            CameraMovements.Hover(eyePosition, LookAt, 0.5f); 
        
                            //Add the Camera Result to your existing camera position 
        
                            eyePosition += CameraMovements.CameraResult; 
        
                            LookAt += CameraMovements.LookAtResult + CameraMovements.CameraResult; 
        
                            //Update your View matrix 
        
                           Matrix  view = Matrix.CreateLookAt(eyePosition, LookAt, Vector3.Up);

Thanks!

2D Game tutorial debugging problem.

Seizure causing games — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:40:01 GMT

I am new to programming in general and in C# so i am sorry if this is stupid simple.

I was doing the 2D tutorial and i get to the part were you add the background,i follow the instructions and get to the part were you click the green debug arrow and when i click it this message appears.

VisualStudio cannot start debugging because the debug target is missing.Please build the project and retry,or set the OutputPath and AssemblyName properties appropriately to point at the correct location for the target assembly.I clicked build and tried again but the same thing happened again.

The error window says this.

Program does not contain a static main method suitable for an entry point.

Can anyone tell me what i've done wrong.

Particle System : Explosion

Harsh Singh — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:31:55 GMT

hi all,

I have been writing code on Explosion effect (reference: Particle system Sample). As such their is no error but on debugging I am getting an error on "texturefile" & "DrawOrder" stating unhandle exceptions. Here is the Particle Sample Class:

                            using System;         
            using System.Collections.Generic;         
            using System.Linq;         
            using System.Text;         
            using Microsoft.Xna.Framework;         
            using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Graphics;         
                     
            namespace CheckNewStuff         
            {         
                public abstract class ParticleSystem : DrawableGameComponent         
                {         
                    public const int AlphaBlendDrawOrder = 100;         
                    public const int AddectiveDrawOrder = 200;         
                     
                    private Game1 game;         
                             
                    public Texture2D texture;         
                    public Vector2 Origin;         
                     
                    Particle[] particles;         
                    private int howManyEffect;         
                             
                    Queue<Particle> freeParticle;         
                             
                    public int FreeParticleCount          
                    {         
                        get { return freeParticle.Count; }          
                    }         
                     
                    /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////         
                    //Constant to be added by SubClass         
                    /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////         
                    protected string textureFileName;         
                     
                    protected int minParticle;         
                    protected int maxParticle;         
                     
                    protected float minAcceleration;         
                    protected float maxAcceleration;         
                     
                    protected float minScale;         
                    protected float maxScale;         
                     
                    protected float minInitilizeSpeed;         
                    protected float maxInitilizeSpeed;         
                     
                    protected float minLifeTime;         
                    protected float maxLifeTime;         
                     
                    protected float minRotationSpeed;         
                    protected float maxRotationSpeed;         
                     
                    protected SpriteBlendMode spriteBlendMode;         
                     
                    protected ParticleSystem(Game1 game, int howManyEffect)         
                        : base(game)         
                    {         
                        this.game = game;         
                        this.howManyEffect = howManyEffect;         
                    }         
                     
                    public override void Initialize()         
                    {         
                        InitilizeConstants();         
                        particles = new Particle[howManyEffect * maxParticle];         
                        freeParticle = new Queue<Particle>(howManyEffect * maxParticle);         
                     
                        for (int i = 0; i < particles.Length; i++)         
                        {         
                            particles[i] = new Particle();         
                            freeParticle.Enqueue(particles[i]);         
                        }         
                                 
                        base.Initialize();         
                    }         
                     
                    protected virtual void InitilizeConstants()         
                    {         
                     
                    }         
                     
                    protected override void LoadContent()         
                    {         
                        texture = game.Content.Load<Texture2D>("smoke");         
                        Origin.X = texture.Width / 2;         
                        Origin.Y = texture.Height / 2;         
                     
                     
                        base.LoadContent();         
                    }         
                     
                    public void AddParticle(Vector2 where)         
                    {         
                        int numParticle = Game1.Random.Next(minParticle, maxParticle);         
                     
                        for (int i = 0; i < numParticle; i++)         
                        {         
                            Particle p = freeParticle.Dequeue();         
                            InitilizeParticle(p, where);         
                        }         
                    }         
                     
                     
                    protected virtual void InitilizeParticle(Particle p, Vector2 where)         
                    {         
                        Vector2 direction = PickRandomDirection();         
                     
                        float velocity = Game1.RandomBetween(minInitilizeSpeed, maxInitilizeSpeed);         
                        float acceleration = Game1.RandomBetween(minAcceleration, maxAcceleration);         
                        float lifeTime = Game1.RandomBetween(minLifeTime, maxLifeTime); ;         
                        float scale = Game1.RandomBetween(minScale, maxScale); ;         
                        float rotationSpeed = Game1.RandomBetween(minRotationSpeed, maxRotationSpeed);         
                     
                        p.Initilize(where, velocity * direction, acceleration * direction,          
                            lifeTime, scale, rotationSpeed);         
                                     
                    }         
                     
                    public Vector2 PickRandomDirection()         
                    {         
                     
                        float angle = Game1.RandomBetween(0, MathHelper.TwoPi);         
                     
                        return new Vector2((float)Math.Cos(angle), (float)Math.Sin(angle));         
                    }         
                     
                    public override void Update(GameTime gameTime)         
                    {         
                        float dt = (float)gameTime.ElapsedGameTime.TotalSeconds;         
                     
                        foreach (Particle p in particles)         
                        {         
                            if (p.Active)         
                            {         
                                p.Update(dt);         
                     
                                if (!p.Active)         
                                    freeParticle.Enqueue(p);         
                            }         
                        }         
                     
                        base.Update(gameTime);         
                    }           
                          
                     
                    public override void Draw(GameTime gameTime)         
                    {         
                     
                        game.spriteBatch.Begin(spriteBlendMode);         
                     
                        foreach(Particle p in particles)         
                        {         
                            float normalizeLifeTime = p.TimeSinceStart / p.LifeTime;         
                     
                            // we want particles to fade in and fade out, so we'll calculate alpha         
                            // to be (normalizedLifetime) * (1-normalizedLifetime). this way, when         
                            // normalizedLifetime is 0 or 1, alpha is 0. the maximum value is at         
                            // normalizedLifetime = .5, and is         
                            // (normalizedLifetime) * (1-normalizedLifetime)         
                            // (.5)                 * (1-.5)         
                            // .25         
                            // since we want the maximum alpha to be 1, not .25, we'll scale the          
                            // entire equation by 4.         
                     
                            float alpha = (normalizeLifeTime) * (1 - normalizeLifeTime) * 4;         
                            Color color = new Color(1, 1, 1, alpha);         
                                     
                            // make particles grow as they age. they'll start at 75% of their size,         
                            // and increase to 100% once they're finished.         
                            float scale = p.Scale * (.75f + .25f * normalizeLifeTime);         
                     
                            game.spriteBatch.Draw(texture, p.Position, null, color, p.Rotation, Origin,          
                                scale, SpriteEffects.None, 0.0f);         
                      
                        }         
                     
                        game.spriteBatch.End();         
                     
                        base.Draw(gameTime);         
                     
                    }         
                }         
            }         
                     

And here is Explosion Class

                            using System;         
            using System.Collections.Generic;         
            using System.Linq;         
            using Microsoft.Xna.Framework;         
            using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Graphics;         
                     
                     
                     
            namespace CheckNewStuff         
            {         
                class ExplosionParticleSystem : ParticleSystem         
                {         
                    public ExplosionParticleSystem(Game1 game, int howManyEffect)         
                        : base(game, howManyEffect)         
                    {         
                     
                    }         
                     
                    protected override void InitilizeConstants()         
                    {         
                        textureFileName = "explosion";         
                     
                        minInitilizeSpeed = 40;         
                        maxInitilizeSpeed = 500;         
                     
                        // doesn't matter what these values are set to, acceleration is tweaked in         
                        // the override of InitializeParticle.         
                        minAcceleration = 0;         
                        maxAcceleration = 0;         
                     
                        minRotationSpeed = -MathHelper.PiOver4;         
                        maxRotationSpeed = MathHelper.PiOver4;         
                     
                        minScale = 0.3f;         
                        maxScale = 1.0f;         
                     
                        minLifeTime = 0.5f;         
                        maxLifeTime = 1.0f;         
                     
                        minParticle = 20;         
                        maxParticle = 25;         
                                 
                        spriteBlendMode = SpriteBlendMode.Additive;         
                     
                        DrawOrder = AddectiveDrawOrder;         
                     
                        base.Initialize();         
                    }         
                     
                    protected override void InitilizeParticle(Particle p, Vector2 where)         
                    {         
                        base.InitilizeParticle(p, where);         
                     
                        // The base works fine except for acceleration. Explosions move outwards,         
                        // then slow down and stop because of air resistance. Let's change         
                        // acceleration so that when the particle is at max lifetime, the velocity         
                        // will be zero.         
                     
                        // We'll use the equation vt = v0 + (a0 * t). (If you're not familar with         
                        // this, it's one of the basic kinematics equations for constant         
                        // acceleration, and basically says:         
                        // velocity at time t = initial velocity + acceleration * t)         
                        // vt = 0         
                        // v0 = p.Velocity         
                        // p.Acceleration = ?         
                        // We'll solve the equation for a0, using t = p.Lifetime and vt = 0.         
                        p.Acceleration = -p.Velocity / p.LifeTime;         
                    }         
                     
                }         
            }         
                     

Can any one please suggest whts the problem???

Net Rumble "Specified method is not supported"

TheHappiestPirate — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:13:41 GMT

I hope this is the right forum for this--I just upgraded to Windows 7 and re-installed XNA Game Studio 3.0. I downloaded the Net Rumble starter kit, and it is now giving me this error. I had it running before in Vista, but am now getting this error:

Error   1   Building content threw NotSupportedException: Specified method is not supported.
   at Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Content.Pipeline.Interop.KerningHelper.GetCharacterSpacing(Char c)
   at Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Content.Pipeline.Processors.FontDescriptionProcessor.Process(FontDescription input, ContentProcessorContext context)
   at Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Content.Pipeline.ContentProcessor`2.Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Content.Pipeline.IContentProcessor.Process(Object input, ContentProcessorContext context)
   at Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Content.Pipeline.BuildCoordinator.BuildAssetWorker(BuildItem item)
   at Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Content.Pipeline.BuildCoordinator.BuildAsset(BuildItem item)
   at Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Content.Pipeline.BuildCoordinator.RunTheBuild()
   at Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Content.Pipeline.Tasks.BuildContent.RemoteProxy.RunTheBuild(BuildCoordinatorSettings settings, TimestampCache timestampCache, ITaskItem[] sourceAssets, String[]& outputContent, String[]& rebuiltContent, String[]& intermediates, Dictionary`2& dependencyTimestamps, KeyValuePair`2[]& warnings)   C:\Users\George\Documents\Visual Studio 2008\Projects\NetRumbleWindows1\NetRumbleWindows1\Content\Fonts\MenuFont.spritefont   NetRumbleWindows1

Any ideas? Did I forget to install something, or does it simply not work in Windows 7? Any help in interpreting this error would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

RPG Starter Kit: How do I make spells?

DARKazen — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:32:30 GMT

With classes and characters, it was as simple as copy, paste, alter. With spells, I'm not understanding what writes from spell to character so certain classes learn certain spells and at what level, and such.

If someone could even just give me what xml or cs I need to be opening to find that, that would be great.

Custom Model Class - ...Cannot find type CustomModelSample.CustomModel, CustomModelSample.

Scott Wojtowicz — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:36:58 GMT

Hi,

I'm trying to implement the xna custom model class into my own project and everything appears to be setup just as it is in the actual CustomModelClass Sample, however when i do attempt to load a CustomModel i get the followed ContentLoadException:

Error loading "Models\Bomber\Bomber". Cannot find type CustomModelSample.CustomModel, CustomModelSample.

I know it's not the path to the model since if I change CustomModel to Model, it works fine.

Thanks,

Scott

Chase Camera Issue

Wes McDermott — Mon, 18 May 2009 15:15:33 GMT

Hey,

I have the chase camera sample working in my project. The only issue is that the camera seems to initialize pointing down on the model and then moves to back behind the model when the game starts. The weird thing is that I have the camera.reset() and UpdateCameraChaseTarget() in my initialize function. The reset function is working on the camera because if I comment it out, the camera then does move to find the chase target on game start. My issue seems more like a rotation from the top of the model to the back in an arc.

I can't figure out how to fix this. I'd greatly appreciate some help.

Thanks

Wes

Performance issue!!!!

kurt Degiorgio — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:38:40 GMT

Hi ,

I have a big performance issue with following class its job is to print 2d primitives on the screen (example rectangle) and then fill it in according to the primitive type chosen on call . it works perfasctly but the cpu usage is at 100% when i use this class.

now this does not make sense beacuze i have particle emitter class that genrates 1000 sprites per 500 mili-seconds and it doesnt even effect the performance of the cpu.

so i think i must have did something wrong with this class

can someone take a look please ?

thanks.

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Text;
using System.Linq;
using Microsoft.Xna.Framework;
using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Audio;
using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Content;
using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.GamerServices;
using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Graphics;
using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Input;
using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Media;
using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Net;
using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Storage;

//-----------------------------------------------------------------------
// CPolyline.cs
//
// Can Draw Lines and shapes
//
// Dependenes: XNA FrameWork
// Copyright @ Kurt Degiorgio all rights Reserved
//-----------------------------------------------------------------------

namespace Green_City.Classes.Graphics
{
    class CPolyline
    {
       private const int BufferSize = 10;
       private bool Begin = false;
       private int Counter= 0;
       private VertexPositionColor[] Vertices = new VertexPositionColor[BufferSize];
       private VertexDeclaration Declaredvertex;
       private BasicEffect Shader;
       private GraphicsDevice GraphicsCard;
       private PrimitiveType type;

        //Constractor
        public CPolyline(GraphicsDevice GC)
        {
            GraphicsCard = GC;
            //tells the graphics card what are we going to draw
            Declaredvertex = new VertexDeclaration(GraphicsCard, VertexPositionColor.VertexElements);
            //handles the color of Lines to be drawn
            Shader = new BasicEffect(GraphicsCard, null);

            Shader.VertexColorEnabled = true;
            Shader.Projection = Matrix.CreateOrthographicOffCenter(0, GraphicsCard.Viewport.Width, GraphicsCard.Viewport.Height, 0, 0, 1);
        }
        //its basicly Perepers the graphics Card for drawing
        public void Start( PrimitiveType T ) {

            type = T;
            if (Begin == true) { throw new InvalidOperationException("Object Can Only begen On proccess at a Time Pls End Before Begin Again "); }

            GraphicsCard.VertexDeclaration = Declaredvertex;
            Shader.Begin();
            Shader.CurrentTechnique.Passes[0].Begin();

            Begin = true;

        }
        //it wall a add point to draw line too
        public void AddPoint(Vector2 vertex, Color color)
        {
           if (Begin == false) { throw new InvalidOperationException(" Plese Call Begin Method First"); }
           Vertices[Counter].Position = new Vector3(vertex, 0);
           Vertices[Counter].Color = color;
           Counter++;
        }
        // handles the drawing
        private void Draw()
        {
            if (Begin == false) { throw new InvalidOperationException(" Plese Call Begin Method First"); }
            if (Counter == 0) { return; }
            GraphicsCard.DrawUserPrimitives<VertexPositionColor>(type, Vertices, 0, Counter - 1);
            Counter = 0;

        }
        //this is for Clean-Up
        public void End()
        {
            if (Begin == false) { throw new InvalidOperationException(" Plese Call Begin Method First"); }
            Draw();
            Shader.CurrentTechnique.Passes[0].End();
            Shader.End();
            Begin = false;
        }

    }
}

PROBLENS WITH THE GETTING STARTED TUTORIAL

marco aurelio lino — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:38:05 GMT

Hello friends,
I folowed step-by-step of the getting started tutorial, but i had one problemem. When i compile my project the game is like that:
http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/6108/problemdl.png
What can i do? Is the same code of the tutorial. I need help, thank you.

Att..