BBC BASIC
Programming >> Graphics and Games >> Box2D pinball with 3D rendering http://bbcbasic.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=graphics&action=display&num=1506245294 Box2D pinball with 3D rendering
Post by Richard Russell on Sep 24th, 2017, 09:28am
[continued from the 'BOX2D library for BBCSDL' thread]
The only aspects that I would make 3D would be the spinning ball and the rotating paddles.
A quick Google search shows that, not surprisingly, many pinball simulations have been created using Box2D. For example the YouTube video below shows one attempt, using only the debug graphics (this is the way most Box2D applications are developed: the high-quality rendered graphics are added later once the 'physics' has been debugged).
However I haven't found one that combines Box2D physics with 3D rendering in the way Michael was suggesting, and if done well this could be an excellent demonstration of the capabilities of BBC BASIC (and a playable game in its own right). Being able to change the 'viewpoint' in real time while the pinball animation is running would be really cool. There are of course apps out there for mobile platforms that do it fantastically well, and I'm not proposing to compete with those, but a BBC BASIC implementation would still be impressive.
I suspect this is a project which is too complex, and requiring too great a range of skills, for one person to tackle. I would feel confident in building the Box2D simulation but I don't have the graphics skills to create a texture-mapped 3D model of a pinball table, certainly not in the detail that would be required to create something really spectacular (and original - copying an existing design could raise legal issues).
Would anybody be willing to collaborate with me on such a project, particularly from the 3D modelling perspective?
Richard.
Re: Box2D pinball with 3D rendering
Post by DDRM on Sep 27th, 2017, 08:32am
Hi Richard,
I reckon I could make a stab at creating the 3d modelling, but I'm not sure my artistry is up to the challenge of making the actual textures, (unless you wanted a "birds" theme, when I could use some of my multitude of photos!). Maybe someone else could design the artwork?
As you know, I'm a working man, so it might not happen on your timescale...
Best wishes,
D
PS maybe a "Broads" theme, with different areas of the table representing different broads/sites? That's in your neck of the woods, isn't it, so it has a certain appropriateness. There's no reason obstructions couldn't stick up well into the third dimension, even if the ball can't go there, so you could have churches etc mapped in.
Re: Box2D pinball with 3D rendering
Post by Richard Russell on Sep 27th, 2017, 5:06pm
(unless you wanted a "birds" theme, when I could use some of my multitude of photos!)....
My knowledge of pinball machines is negligible, to the extent that I didn't even know that they were 'themed'! So I can't make any judgement on the suitability of birds, or any other theme for that matter.
Quote:
PS maybe a "Broads" theme, with different areas of the table representing different broads/sites? That's in your neck of the woods, isn't it
Not really. Norfolk is loosely split into Fens, Brecks and Broads (running west to east). We're roughly where the Fens meet the Brecks, but nowhere near the Broads. We haven't visited the Broads since we moved here ten years ago!
Practically speaking I don't have a choice, I'll go with whatever you feel able to create. Maybe the whole thing is too ambitious, but it seemed a neat way to combine Box2D physics and 3D rendering, two things that BBC BASIC has libraries for.