• GitHub release

• Release announcement

Notes

Pull Requests Merged source

• Update version string to 4.0.3 #952

• Fixes the command build for the Navmesh's Follow test tool so it doesn't create a parse error #954

• Fix up handling of assets marked for UseForDependencies during import process #953

• inspector cleanups #951

• add an explicit interpolatetick back in to flyingvehicle #950

• Alpha403/hdr fixes #949

• bump up max allowable texture dimensions #947

• probe code review #946

• Fix some compiler warnings on macos #945

• Rollback of this change because GCC is weird #944

• emissive to recivesShadows #943

• misc fixes #942

• setControllingClient augs for the vehicle chain #941

• Establishes a common namespace for Module ScopeSet objects to make it easier to work with function calls out of module namespaces #940

• Fix LibPNG on Universal MacOS + Bump minimum MacOS version to 10.14 #939

• Misc fixes for options and key remapping #938

• fix bad rtParams refrence #937

• rigidshape and wheeledvehicle perf work #936

Rendering

Torque3D includes both a high-performance forward-rendering basic lighting engine, and a deferred-rendering advanced lighting mode so you can tailor your game to meet the needs of different customers. The modern rendering system includes per-pixel lighting, normal and parallax mapping, and materials generated by a high-level editor, or written from scratch in GLSL/HLSL. The engine comes with shaders for water, sky and sun, and many common material types.

The engine also has a powerful PostFX system allowing you to create custom post-processing effects. It ships with buit-in effects including:

• HDR/light adaptation

• Depth of field

• Lens flare and sun rays

• Screen-space ambient occlusion and FXAA

• Refraction, reflection and glow

Editors

Torque3D comes with everything you need to construct environments and levels from your assets. Shapes are imported in Collada DAE format and placed in the in-game editor. Switch to playing through your level with one press of a button.

• Powerful terrain editor that allows you to import terrains or sculpt them by hand.

• The shape editor provides tools for previewing and touching up your shapes after import.

• The road and river editor modes make it simple to place paths that become solid roads, flowing rivers or decal tracks across the terrain.

• A fully-featured material editor means you don't have to touch a line of shader code to create great-looking visuals.

• The GUI editor lets you place HUD and menu elements in an easy-to-use WYSIWYG environment.

• Torque3D will automatically reload assets that are changed outside the editing environment, enabling speedy development iteration.

• Editor modes are implemented as plugins, so you can add your own custom modes.

Networking

Since its inception as the engine behind the online shooter Tribes 2, Torque has consistently provided high performance, reliable networking for fast-paced online games. The engine has networking built into its core, allowing you to quickly get up and running with networked games.

Torque uses a server authoritative networking model that helps you to reduce cheating and exploitation. At the same time, the game state is predicted and interpolated locally so each client experiences a smooth view of the action. Time-invarying data is transferred via datablocks at client join time, reducing the amount of data that needs to be networked during gameplay.

Physics

Torque3D provides a plugin system for physics. There is a simple built-in implementation which can be easily swapped out for PhysX or Bullet libraries. They enable features like:

• Cloth dynamics

• Rigid body dynamics

• Destructible objects

• Destroyable joints

• Fluid buoyancy

Scripts and source code

When you get Torque, you get everything. The entire source code is yours to modify under the permissive MIT license. The codebase is mature and extensible with a plugin system, allowing you to easily add features of your own, or from other libraries, to each project.

If you're not the recompiling type, Torque provides a scripting engine using a custom C-like language called TorqueScript. You can create whole games without touching a line of C++. Check this out:

$minion = new AIPlayer(Fubar) {
   datablock = MinionData;
};
$minion.setMoveDestination("50 0 0");

function Fubar::onReachDestination(%self) {
   echo("I made it! Says" SPC %self.name);
}

Welcome to the Torque3D Game engine documentation! Your one-stop-shop for all your learning needs!

Are you a newcomer, or an old hand trying to get caught up?

No problem at all! This knowledgebase is designed to walk you through all the skills and tasks you'll need to get your dream game made. All you need to do is jump into the Getting Started section and follow along. By the time you reach the end of the list, you'll be a lean, mean, game developing machine!

Know what you're doing and want to deep dive?

Say no more, friend. You can find several pages labeled as Deep Dive (convenient!) which get into the nitty-gritty how-tos and why-fors of how the engine works. At the bottom of the directory is also the Engine section which goes into the structure of the engine, how the guts works, and how you can expand and change it to fit your needs!

Notes

• GitHub release

• Release announcement

Notes

This is a hotfix release. The main purpose was to correct the issues that had appeared with Visual Studio 2017 preventing 3.10 from compiling, but several other fixes were rolled in as well.

Pull Requests Merged

#2030 VS2017 compiler workaround #2123 Fix forest editor failing to load forest #2002 VolumetricFog memory leak fix #2014 Solves issue with getDesktopResolution and Windows 10 Creator update #1959 Does better sanity checking on cleanup for the splash screen closing in SDL #2106 Fixed a typo where the value of outBytesWritten was being clamped incorrectly #2238 Makes it so the SDL directory files aren't copied during a template install

• GitHub release

• Release announcement

Notes

Pull Requests Merged source

• conform gl to dx #904

• Fix for Linear Tonemapper color space #903

• Editor GUI Update pt.2 #902

• fix smaa backbuffer colorspace #901

• ligh shader final review #900

• correct constructorfile reference #899

• Add collision meshes to prototyping primitives #898

• add debug reportingfor cubemap arrays, and correct transcription flaw #897

• aug GFXTextureArray::setTexture to report what texture sizes are mism… #896

• Update cmake mark_advanced for sdl and libpng #895

• Implements SMAA and a few unaffiliated fixes #894

• Add GFXFormatA8L8 for OpenGL #893

• fix ab CreateNewModule appending ScriptFile extension #892

• Get probes displaying with low Texture quality #891

• Editor GUI Update #890

• correct a flaw with mapto importing. #889

• Misc aces adjustments #888

• Updated default levels and pre-exposed ACES Tonemapper #887

• bloom gl compile fix pt2. #886

• bloom gl compile fix #885

• shift the probe file colorspace to gamma #884

• fix playerbot mounts #883

• prototyping:playerbot look fix #882

• uniform float targetRatio; var by request #881

• Fullscreen 'Fix' and Bloom Pref #880

• Make Kork Chan transparent by default #879

• WIP: libcurl integration with HTTPObject #878

• from @oth_mars - fix borderless value lookup #877

• Splash Screen Replecement #876

• New Bloom Post Processing Effect #875

• Misc Fixes for 2022/08/29 #874

• leftover profile reference flaw #873

• remove leftover #872

• Alpha401/resolve audio conflict #871

• Change GuiProfile to use Sound Asset #870

• soundasset sourcegroup fallback #869

• Mac OpenAL 1.1 #868

• OpenAL Mac #867

• hdr upgrade, courtesy yeaf #866

• correct capturing flag test #865

• adds light fade and cap trackign to probe manager #864

• probe capture cleanups pt1 #862

• Revert "provide a new levelinfo. fallbackAmbient value for scenes wit… #861

• Misc Fixes for 2022/08/25 #860

• probe blend adjustments #859

• provide a new levelinfo. fallbackAmbient #858

Notes

More to add

• Release announcement

Notes

• GitHub release

• Release announcement

• Release candidate announcement

Notes

• You'll need to regenerate projects thanks to Oculus file changes, even projects which don't use OR.

• One remaining issue that we tried to get wrapped up, but was unable to was native file dialogs.

There's a few niggling issues causing a crash somewhere with Areloch's implementation. There's a branch concerning it here and if anyone can either tell him how to get Codeblocks to properly debug, or can figure out the crash themselves, it can PR'd right away and get a hotfix out to re-enable file dialogs for the Linux build.

Issues closed source

#1426 Backend correction for #1425 #1423 SDL Menubar accelerator fix #1421 CMake NMake fix to place exe in game directory #1418 Remove GL_EXT_gpu_shader4 #1416 SDL Textbox bleedthrough inputs fix #1411 void GuiTextEditCtrl::execConsoleCallback() reversion #1410 Light animation brightness fix #1409 U32 MRandomLCG::randI() was using longs #1407 Companion PR to 1398 #1406 Monkey PR w/ mergefix #1404 Companion PR to #719 #1402 Files caught by https://github.com/GarageGames/Torque3D/pull/1401 #1401 Adds a verifyCompatibility method to the Win32FileSystem to report case-sensitivity issues #1377 From Dušan Jocić: convexDecomp vs2015+ compatibility patch #1376 From Dušan Jocić: early out of treeview entries to prevent crashes #1375 Redux of Winterleaf's PR 1001, with the suggested updated values #1374 "AL: PSSM Cascade Viz" tool-button #1373 Ribbons in the editors #1371 Random VS warnings #1370 Stop precipitation from processing ticks when it's hidden #1369 Fix NaNs in Collada files #1366 Overrides the default CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX #1365 Removing pointless null-pointer tests for objects created with new #1363 Allowplayerstep lets folks run up sharper angles than normal. #1390 Case sensitivity fix for linux #1388 SDL mouse wheel speed fix #1387 Fixes the menubar functionality when using SDL #1385 -wall leads to incredibly long compile times #1383 SDL2 mouse wheel scrolling #1382 Fatality Fix: need to account for 64 bit windows as well. #1380 Partly addresses C4946 warnings #1379 C4189 warning cleanups #1378 Properly testing pointer vars aren't null before using them. #1400 Case sensitivity script fixes #1399 Adds a debug visualization mode for the active physics world #1398 Update messageBox.ed.cs #1397 From @LuisAntonRebollo -stops infinite loop on exit with SDL2+OGL on Win #1396 Adds data to vector out of bounds reports #1394 Release the mouse from window constraints when poping up a window prompt #1392 Warning C4005: 'WIN32' : macro redefinition #1391 Warning C4706: assignment within conditional expression #1362 Removes fatal assertion on duplicated object collisions (meshroads, primarily) #1361 Adds minimum displacement check prior to convexSweepTest to avoid NaNs #1358 Reduces rotation transmission size #1357 Followobject position caching #1356 Convert un-modified function arguments to const references #1354 Cleanup of ease functions operations #1353 Utilize ++iter rather than iter++ to improve iterator performance #1352 Unnecessarily repeated expressions #1350 Fills in profiler timer fallback #1346 Allow using ThreadPool synchronously #1344 Fix -Wreorder warnings from ShapeBase #1343 Fixed some random gcc's -Wreorder warnings #1342 Offsetof is actually a standard thing nowadays it would seem #1341 Fixed warning #1339 Remove demo and trial checks #1336 Fixed some minor compiler warnings on Linux #1333 Plugging Memory Leaks #1330 Basic fix for stereo rendering without a display device

• GitHub release

• Release blog

Issues closed source

• #883 Update readme and version

• #880 Improve documentation on getCursorPos and fix cursorInControl

• #879 Increment vertex pointer by 3, not 1.

• #878 Prevent crash when loading Player with no shape

• #875 Use existing methods instead of incorrect maths

• #874 Enable gamepad input when the startup GUI wakes

• #870 Andrew's fix for ear transform with detached camera

• #868 Contributing doc

• #854 New Physics doc group

• #851 Create contributing.md

• #846 guiobjectview corrections

• #840 Disable all post effects by default

• #839 Some engine fixes

• #836 Update info in README

• #834 Some engine fixes.

• #833 Fix: Null'ed pointer usage, possible access violation.

• #831 Ear transform does not match camera transform

• #825 TSMesh::castRayRendered triangle iteration error

• #824 TSStatic bounds collision normals seem wrong

• #765 RigidShape is in the Platform doc group

• #703 Cloned Dynamic Cubemaps bad.

• #701 Fix: Null'ed pointer usage, possible access violation.

• #693 Binds the full metrics display to CTRL+F2 while in-game. Escape Closes.

• #262 Gamepad input not working until you get into the game.

• #180 GuiCanvas::getCursorPos() broken

• #98 Crash in TSShapeInstance::setSequence in tsThread.cpp.

• GitHub release

• Release announcement

Notes

• Switched engine over to utilize Assets and Modules

• Switched lighting and materials to utilize PBR rendering

• Made BaseGame template the main/only template

• Added Assimp shape importer library

• Added Legacy Project Importer

• Updated to D3D11 from D3D9

• Updated GL to be 4.0

• Updated TorqueScript compiler for better performance

Pull Requests Merged source

• Alpha40/ts static cleanup #840

• tsstatic aug cleanups #839

• Re-enables reimport of assets #838

• Cmake DEBUG/RELEASE flag standardization #837

• targeted fix for #45 #836

• pathshape cleanups and callbacks #835

• soundAsset profile and description getter fixes #834

• particle emission safeties #833

• Update TORQUE_GAME_ENGINE_VERSION_STRING version number 4.0.0 #832

• Misc FIxes 2022/07/24 #831

• fix bounds box display #830

• DBEditor callback fix for asset fields #828

• Misc Fixes 2022/07/02 #827

• make sure the volfog manager is dead before we kill scene #825

• fix unspecified storage location mangle for new asset creation #824

• fix a pair of taml typos #823

• BugFix: Correct a missing asset for filling the background of the console #822

• Misc Fixes 2022/06/20 #821

• fix shape errorcodes #820

• you want the higher number, not the lower #819

• fix computeForwardProbes shadergen gl side #818

• fix out of bounds reference in arrayobject #817

• fix TORQUE_TOOLS = off compilation #815

• fix vectorlight visualizer varnames #814

• Fix Misc ConvexShape Tooling Issues #813

• BugFix: Remove the GCC Workaround #812

• Misc Fixes 2022/06/09 #811

• allow ambient light injection into ibl #809

• Misc Fixes 2022/06/05 #808

• Disconnect and Shutdown fixes #807

• Uncomments networking lines that ensure client has the particle's textures #806

• Sound Networking Fixes #805

• Misc Fixes 2022/06/01 #804

• proper player head rot clamp #802

• constrain player mRot.z reguardless of translation #800

• Misc Fixes for 2022/05/30 #799

• Use screen space coordinates for mouse pointer position #798

• BaseGame Template: Fix script assert on canceling game options changes #797

• fix particle emitter asset browser spawning #796

• lower min brushsize for forest to sub-meter levels #795

• set convexshape to use a standard vertex type #794

• fix on-RPC-command explosion sounds not playing the first time #793

• BugFix: Correct MacOS not responding to various hotkeys #792

• BugFix: Correct invalid fall-through behavior in sdlInputManager.cpp. #791

• Misc Fixes for 2022/05/24 #790

• Overhaul on CPU detection for Windows, Mac (x64/arm64) & Linux #789

• Fixes issue where creating a new ForestItem wouldn't have it show in the ForestItemData dropdown on brushes until you restart. #788

• Fix edgecase where empty string was not being explicitly set to 0 in … #787

• Better allocator for TorqueScript temp conversions during interpretation #786

• Adjustment: Update libsdl to address a bug in compilation on MacOS #785

• fix sDefaultAmbience intialization. #783

• Misc Fixes for 2022/05/10 #781

• Implements a more standardized way to format usual UI pages by having the ability to utilize the UINavigation namespace for page stack navigation #780

• Make the Console Sane Again #779

• Fix weird ternary operator in torquescript regression #778

• update assimp to 5.2.3 Bugfix-Release #777

• Adds a conditional to the github workflow file so it only runs on the main repo #776

• update sdl to release 2.0.22 #775

• Github actions CI #774

• Removes the BGRA inversion when displaying vertex colors on materials #773

• Cleanup: Resolve several compiler warnings associated with TORQUE_DEBUG #772

• correct mac compilation #771

• add .vs directory to gitignore #770

• Misc Fixes 2022/04/23 #769

• drop the prior requirement for a createcomposite to have a minimum of… #768

• Fix TAML schema for array groups #767

• requested feature: large number display #766

• bump down saveScaledImage default to 256 #765

• getAssetIdByFilename loaded state fix #764

• Misc FIxes for 2022/04/09 #763

• Updated readme with new links #762

• Add funding/sponsor options for support #761

• Fixes tooling of Forest Editor to be module-friendly #760

• Misc Fixes 2022/04/05 #759

• display the item to be spawned #758

• Misc Fixes 2022/04/04 #757

• Misc Fixes 2022/04/03 #756

• Misc Fixes for terrain material editing, creation and usage #755

• Fixes issue where nested callOnModules would thrash the queued exec lists from other invokes #754

• Misc Fixes for 2022/03/27 #753

• Misc Bugfixes for 2022/03/26 #752

• update sdl to https://github.com/libsdl-org/SDL 22March 2022 #751

• Misc tool fixes20220320 #750

• Misc Tool and Asset Import fixes and improvements #748

• extended callonModules hooks for baseline playgui #747

• fix compilation flaws #746

• Fixes handling of the setEditor commands so that the dropdown Editors menubar entry properly works #745

• Fixes and cleans up various issues and error spam for core and tools folders #744

• Changes the creation of new materials in the material editor process #743

• Tweaks handling of "invisible" files #742

• Adds a systemCommand console utility function #741

• crashfix and projection fix for spotlights with cookies #740

• point baseline fog color at the right target hen in deferred mode #738

• ensure MissionCleanup exists before .mis load #737

• Sky improvements #736 by marauder2k7 was merged on Mar 9

• Fixes handling of loading non-DDS images to better handle pointer references with the GBitmap resources. #735

• fix probe baking typo #734

• Fixes saveScaledImage to handle DDS format files, since DDS's go through a separate resource loader #733

• Misc importer improvements to handle importing in-place more predictably #732

• Fixes some mishandled cases when preprocessing objects and functions for project import #731

• Base UI module standardize pr #730

• template mixins need this-> specified #729

• doublesided material renderfix #728

• Probe Bake Capturing flag toggle fix #727

• Improves logical checks for the default value so it's more sane and stable #726

• Rework of the Probes and Probe Bin #725

• Shifts handling of material and terrain material definitions to be written into the asset definition taml file instead of having an extra loose file #723

• clean up ambiguous reference #722

• GuiBitmapCtrl named texture fixes. #721

• Changes the -> syntax check from exclusively checking simgroups to checking simsets, allowing both to be used #720

• Updated project importer #719

• Sound Asset Fleshout #718

• Improve tinyXml2 output formatting #717

• Fixes creation of convex shapes via editor #715

• Updates the handling of the baking of shape asset previews #714

• Feature: VFS Security #713

• fix ServerPlaySound #711

• fix opengl device not returning the correct anisotropic value #709

• BugFix: Correct a windows-only pathing issue in terrMaterial #708

• WIP: BugFix: Correct 'make install' not working on MacOS #707

• augments playSoundAsset #705

• A clean implementation of Lukas' Fix side projection #684 PR with Az's addendum fix rolled in #704

• BugFix: Fix a Windows ASAN reported allocation/deallocation mismatch error. #703

• Fixes mapping of imposter images to be packed as part of the shape asset, and fixes paths to be formatted more sanely. #702

• Fix console warning when calling void functions in console #701

• Cleans up some core execution behavior #699

• Removes the Library tabs from the World and GUI editors to avoid confusion #698

• BugFix: Correct compilation for MacOS #696

• Minor cmake corrections #694

• fix metal sound entry for playerdata #692

• use internalname for terrain layers #691

• TSStatic::updateMaterials() crashfix #690

• cleanups for sound assets #689

• adds colorization to GuiBitmapButtonCtrl #688

• Misc QOL and Bugfixes for 2021/11/26 #687

• modular source work #686

• BugFix: Correct data corruption potential in GuiInspectorField #685

• BugFix: Correct the inability to build on MacOS #681

• make use of folder properties in cmake #680

• set cubemapsaver profile to one that preserves sizes #679

• Fixed a leak with console stack in the interpreter. #678

• Fix extension case handling when looking up assimp importer #

• Optionally allow to treat script assert as warning #676

• fix reported ASAN crash #675

• Adjustment: Generalization of platformX86UNIX to platformPOSIX #674

• Shifts utilization of gui elements in editors that point to 'normal' image assets to utilize generated previews instead. #673

• Misc fixes2021114 #672

• brdf handling corrections #671

• Add Object Inheritence Acceptance Test #670

• BugFix: Correct the vehicle types double-tapping onAdd and onRemove #669

• Feature: Implement a TurretObjectType bit for typemasks #668

• fix fbx importer lookup for setting formatScaleFactor #667

• BugFix: Correct ASAN reported out of bounds reads in AssetImporter #666

• fill out a %this variable for trigger callbacks #665

• Better Architecture detection strategy if compiling on Apple Silicon #664

• [Tokenizer] BugFix: Correct a malloc/delete mismatch #663

• Misc asset import QOL and bugfix changes #662

• better handle old style references to named texture targets #661

• new method tsstatic.getNodeTransform #660

• [TAML] BugFix: Correct a delete and new[] mismatch in tamlWriteNode #659

• imageasset array profile fixes #658

• Updates asset importer and project importer to output to separate log files into tools/logs #657

• BugFix: Correct Module deinitialization Ordering #656

• BugFix: Correct an ASAN reported memory error caused by incorrect usage of __sync_fetch_and_add #655

• BugFix: Correction for compiling on x86 Unix devices. #654

• BugFix: Correct an invalid memory access error caused by the tab autocomplete #653

• BugFix: Correct a crash in the variable inspector #652

• BugFix: Correct an ASAN use-after-free Error in TSShapeEdit #651

• BugFix: Correct an ASAN reported memory access error in GuiGameListMenuCtrl #649

• BugFix: ARM Compilation #648

• clean up more texture profile refs to kill spam #647

• fix material scrolling #646

• Misc QOL and Bugfixes for 2021/10/28 #645

• Adjustment: Update Assimp version to 5.0.1. #644

• BugFix: Don't assume a tooltip profile is going to be set when waking and sleeping #643

• BugFix: Correct the usage of a local variable in a non-function scope #642

• Feature: Properly detect ARM32/ARM64 in the CMake build process #641

• Alpha40/ibl cleanups #640

• typofix for impoerter #639

• BugFix: Correct usage of mkdir in posixVolume.cpp #638

• blatantly ganked from T2D; adds rotation as an option for drawbitmap #637

• addsa material.setAnimflags(LAYER,TAGS STRING); method #636

• BugFix: Address an error where deleting directories may result in an infinite loop #635

• BugFix: Correct the inability to use function keys F1-F10 #634

• BugFix: Allow the asset browser tree view to use a horizontal scroll bar #633

• BugFix: Correct a crash caused by sfxProfile #632

• adress gl spotlights disapearing for deferred #631

• This one slipped through - nextToken can't use local variable for its… #630

• BugFix: Correct GLSL Pathing Errors in Light Rays Shader #629

• BugFix: Correct a case where creator categories may get populated Incorrectly #628

• sound asset followups #627

• BugFix: Correct a few memory leaks #626

• BugFix: Correct a fatal error that may be thrown in case insensitive Unix IO #625

• BugFix: Correct CMake errors on Windows #623

• partial rollback of #620 to stop win-side pop ups #622

• update lpng #621

• BugFix: Clear several CMake warnings. #620

• fix opengl cubemap display #619

• BugFix: Correct the inability to spawn assorted objects #618

• Adjustment: POSIX Case Insensitivty #617

• Sound asset implements #616

• OpenGL Memory Info Extensions #615

• BugFix: Correct the SelectAssetPath Window not Listing any Paths #614

• followups to #582 #613

• Added more tests for torquescript #612

• Tweaks the MaterialAsset loading logic #611

• simplify callOnModules #610

• BugFix: Correct a Windows compilation error in the endian swap code #609

• BugFix: Correct MSVC Compiler Warnings #608

• Adjustment: Utilize native compiler intrinsics for endian swapping when available #607

• [Linux] BugFix: Free the mouse cursor when triggering SIGTRAP #606

• don't try and sort ribbon particles #605

• BugFix: Clear a lot of warnings #604

• item->importStatus cleanup for asset importer #603

• fix groundplane material reference in examplelevel #602

• BugFix: Fix AL device listing #601

• BugFix: Correct tags in the asset browser not filtering correctly #600

• Add handling to RotationF's addRotation function to ensure formatted return #599

• uiCanvas keyboard mode callbacks. #598

• Adjusted handling of field converts in the project importer to deal with fields that didn't contain quotation marks #597

• GuiGameListMenuCtrl Update #596

• inputTest Module Update #595

• Fix specific usage of Con::executef where it was not being assigned t… #594

• Material editor fixes from eval cleanup. #593

• BugFix: Correct an object spawning error #592

• BugFix: Fix a crash that sometimes occurs when groups of of objects are deleted #591

• BugFix: Correct the onAdd callback not being raised for Projectiles #590

• BugFix: Corrections to allow the Linux win console to work #589

• kill splashscreen on nonwindows #588

• Allow local variables to be used in eval. #587

• particle cleanups #586

• Misc QOL and Bugfixes 2021/09/19 #584

• [OpenGL] BugFix: Correct shader errors being thrown during load #583

• BugFix: Correct function call Error that causes the engine to crash #581

• Converts precipitationData to use sound asset macros #579

• dedicated gfx device suppression #578

• Reimplement object copy failures. #577

• Clean up more evals that have local variables are not working correctly. #576

• Misc QOL and bugfixes for 2021/09/12 #575

• Updates Prototyping module #574

• Fixes initial indexing of the tool palette widgets #573

• Fix local variable being eval'd in materialEditor #572

• Forgot to null out the datablock after being deleted when it fails to preload #571

• remove FMODex from Torque3D #570

• %guiContent importer compliance fix #569

• fix PhysicsShapeData upconvert entry #568

• BugFix: Correct an error where the GUI editor cannot be opened #567

• don't try to generate mipmaps for images that aren't n^2 dureing prev… #566

• Bugfix qol 20210909 #565

• macro cleanup #564

• replace new with singleton to fix cannot re-declare object log file … #563

• followup to #531. fixes the same issue on mac #562

• Sound asset initial rollin #561

• BugFix: Correct placement of the TORQUE_NOINLINE statements #560

• Workaround: GCC Release mode Runtime Errors #559

• Misc Fixes and QOL improvements #558

• mini cleanups for ab #556

• Update thread ids for 64bit support. #555

• account for the possiblity of _set##name(StringTableEntry _in entries somehow getting punted nulls #554

• sanity check nodelist presence #553

• ensure new (foo) lines being converted are valid according to findObj… #552

• DiffuseRenderPassManager.addManager "cleanups" #551

• Misc Quality of Life and Bug fixes #550

• be clear where we're referencing gbuffer render targets #549

• kill off glowchan leftovers #548

• fixes for copypastas that somehow slipped in #547

• Converts most of AFX classes to utilize assets #546

• Enforces filename string case sensitivity for assets' internal filenames #545

• [PLEASE TEST BEFORE MERGE] Mac font stuff #544

• MacOS fixes #543

• tooltip work #542

• Fixes new emitter button bitmap to proper fieldname #540

• crash fixes #539

• [Shape Editor] BugFix: Correct a bad octahedron.dts reference when using the mount viewer. #535

• Importer sanitizing #534

• Bugfix linux release builds for Clang #533

• Linux BugFix: OpenAL Loading #532

• Asset Browser on Linux Fixes #531

• [Material Editor] BugFix: Correct case sensitivity errors on the model previews when running on case sensitive systems (Ie. Linux). #530

• get the splash screen on linux to stop corrupting the main window #529

• suppress deletion of temp material created by the editor #527

• ensure the asset browser is executed prior to other pseudo-modules that may need bits #526

• report if SDL_CreateWindow is unable to create a window at all #523

• bad constructor usage! bad! GCC no like! #522

• give useful data when not finding a given shader var #521

• Engine Asset Update #520

• Update TinyXML to TinyXML2 #517

• partly address #502 #515

• adress #510 - missing GFXFormatR11G11B10 macrohook #514

• template index file review #513

• adress #508 - fix postfxmanager default initialization #509

• adress #501 - thread oversight. #507

• adress #504 - typo leading to broken $origin reference #506

• typofix in getScreenResolutionList #500

• mac compilation and standarization fixes #499

• Script extension assignment. #498

• particle emitter bounds box fix #497

• Fix buffer overflow issue in StringUnit::getWords bug #496

• TorqueScript Interpreter 2.0 C++ Script #495

  Fix return value conversion when using SimObject::call() method #494

• shadowmap validator tweaks #493

• report simset names for add/remove errors #492

• augment bitstream write error reporting #491

• connects staticshape::unmount to the parent chain so it can actually do so #490

• expose a zip file password cmake config option #489

• Window resolution options bug [Mac] Test Needed #488

• Add support for Apple Silicon #487

• Update TORQUE_GAME_ENGINE version number to reflect current version 4.0 #486

• make string to char* conversion automatic #485

• form steve yorkshire: mat editor save extension fix #484

• Updates the masterserver domain referenced in the default scripts, pointing it to the new torque3d master server #483

• add additional chars to the flatfile->asset->objectID name santizatio… #482

• report which profile usages are conflicting (was,is) C++ QoL Enhancement #481

• adds binary to decimal and vice versa methods QoL Enhancement Script #480

• Implement Unit Test Suite for TorqueScript. C++ enhancement Script #479

• Fixes a resolution switching issue when the game uses only OpenGL… bug C++ Script #478

• Updates the torsion.in file to properly be configured to handle tscript extension C++ Script #477

• reset emissive to show 0,0,0,0 for local/vector lights in a manner th… #476

• Adds import config settings for forcefully adding configurable suffixes for shapes, materials and images #475

• Fixes display of internal names on objects shown in guiTreeViewCtrl #474

• Misc. minor AB fixes #473

• Makes the DB creation process better jive with modules #472

• Adjusts Forest object creation and forest item data creation/management to work with asset/module workflows #471

• fix emissive #470

• Missed a function where similar to previous was needed for the shape editor list fix to ensure it works both ways #468

• Fixes the constructor path compare logic in the shape editor so the lists can populate correctly. #467

• set prefab and makemesh origins to the biggest model #466

• ribbon particle resource port #464

• terrain brush dragging cleanups #463

• Re-fixes terrain edit dragging without breaking paint actions #462

• Implements shape preview caching for shape assets #461

• re-fix file exclusivity, readd callonmodules variable extension #460

• update openal-soft #459

• Integrates object creator logic into the AB #458

• augment datablock file handling to include references with no suffixes #457

• Fix for transparency in splash images #456

• version is not provided by current vendor api making it pointless to … #455

• Added fix for #365 from PR #367 - buffer overrun bug #454

• Corrects missed asset script file references in asset definitions when swapping to the tscript extension #453

• Add Discord badge to README #452

• Fixes some minor errors on MacOS regarding compiling in clang #451

• provides a general Playgui_onWake callback for modules #450

• Loading from zipped game directories. #449

  general spawnspheres #448

• Cmake allow non-source project directory #447

• add parameter handling to callonmodule callbacks. #446

• revert #401 as while it does surpress hieght painting touching the ce… #443

• Removed old fixed function code from GFX. #442

• D3d11 texture lock #441

• Improve terrain rendering, handle bug with no detail #438

• Assetifies MeshRoad, Decal Road, and the material slot of GroundCover #436

• Adjusts handling of C++ asset types #434

• moar asset errorhandling #433

• sdl usage standards proposal 3 #432

• mac fixes #430

• High resolution timer fixes #429

• Consolidates and standardizes terrain creation between the editor, asset browser and creator panel #428

• membervar compile fix #426

• Initial pass at implementing MaterialAsset macromagic utility functions #425

• Height based terrain texture blending #424

• OpenGL: Access viewtangent "DX" style for gbNormal in terrain textures #421

• update sdl2 to release 2.0.14 #418

• corrected and implemented a usage of shapeasset macros #417

• Converts GroundPlane to utilize assets #415

• Misc various improvements for noted issues with the Asset Importer #414

• add validation flagging for server objects #413

• Fixes a few bugs/issues on Linux #412

• asset pipe cleanups #409

• Fixes for AA toggle and GFX Device reporting for options menu #408

• Wraps material animation floats to sane values. #407

• Parametrize script extension, default to 'tscript' enhancement #406

• Correct bump map in waterObject.cpp being in sRGB space #403

• Fixing bug Terrain Editor bug #91 #401

• Fixes logic that checks if a postFX was enabled so the PostFX Editor works properly #400

• Misc Editor and editor GUI fixups/improvements #399

• mMipCount was never being filled out. just use mPrefilterArray->getMi… #398

• Removes unneeded redundant asserts when the functions already have range sanity checks #397

• Adds handling so the pause menu has a button to exit the editor as a quick shortcut #396

• WIP of marking active scene in the scenetree #395

• Fixes Datablock and Prefab DragnDrop behavior with the AB #394

• Adds ability to delete a module #393

• Cleanup of some log errors and spam with assets #392

• Better handling for finding modules by file path. Mainly used in asset importer #391

• variation on #387 that also introduces errorcodes #390

• hooks up shapebase children breadcrumb #388

• adress #385 #386

• get shapeassetID read. TODO: find further flaws and unrem the filter #383

• Pause Menu toggle fix #381

• light review (hdr and metalness vs direct lighting) #379

• shader preprocessor fixes #378

• mac compile fixes #377

• be sure to executte defaults prior to clientprefs #376

• Adds handling to the path manager so it can deal with both looping and non-looping paths #375

• Misc fixes to ensure that the default postFX save, load and editing process is valid #374

• get gl side HDR compiling, attempt clamp to keep bloom in range #373

• Misc. probe bake/load fixups #372

• Adds a sanity check so asset names cannot start with a number #371

• Misc. BaseGame UI fixes #370

• Added date/timestamp option to console log #369

• fix #365 #367

• Overhauls the handling of probes to utilize an active probe list #364

• Improves default suffix handling for asset importer on image assets under a material asset #363

• Basic prototyping module initial upload #362

• Updates some level asset functions and script handling #361

• clip ./ when doing pattern matching #360

• Move slider to core and add opacity slider to console gui in BaseGame #359

• Updates macromagic to properly set up for init'ing when image assets are set in material and terrain materials #357

• sceneobject mountchain enable/disable collision aug #356

• fix gl compilation #355

• fix for empty r channel creation of composites crashing out #354

• fix GCC compile #353

• followup #352

• replicate exec signatures for queueExec #351

• EngineExportScope(){} can't be initialized by default, aparantly #350

• Fix paths in caustics shader bug Script #349

• Use string.compare instead of String::compare when comparing strings bug C++ #348

• fix terrain compilation #347

• gl needs OUT_col filled out to return anything #346

• pathshape gravity suppression injection #345

• Profile editor for the meshRoad object C++ enhancement Script #343

• Replace uses of dStrCmp with new String::compare C++ QoL Enhancement #342

• breakShape() - remove parts created with invalid object box . C++ QoL Enhancement #341

• ForceFOV is not working on GuiTSControl. bug C++ help wanted question #339

• extra option for terrain block to disable the update of the basetexture #337

• Remove old and not needed torqueconfig files #336

• SFX Player fixes #74 #334

• Add NavMesh to World Editor #332

• Temporary fix for the geometry feed in spotlights #329

• Implementation of guiRenderTargetVizCtrl #328

• Fix global variables not being able to be used inside of a foreach$ loop bug C++ #327

• Feature/improve cinterface C++ help wanted QoL Enhancement #326

• code review: #324

• shift pbrconfig to ORM in keeping with the prepoderance of industry standards #323

• minor cleanups: #321

• memleak fix #320

• Implements new shape fadeout and lighting fade/max lights/shadows pref options into the options menu #319

• Implements hook-look-up logic for shape assets to ShapeBaseData including autoimport handling #317

• Updated version of OTHGMars' updated window and resolution options modes. #316

• Various misc. tweaks and fixes targeting memleaks and crashes #315

• Fixes the hook-ins so when a shape asset is changed, tsstatics now are correctly triggered for a reload #314

• fix chooseleveldlg #313

• Reorgs the layout and editing of PostFX with some supplemental level save/load changes #312

• Re-implements the dynamic cubemap mode option for reflection probes #311

• Misc asset browser/asset creation fixes #310

• new trigger features: triponce, tripcondition, and trippedby. #309

• Misc fixes for Asset Browser navigation, scene asset utilization and editor settings #308

• Misc editor settings fixes and additions #307

• Misc Fixes for level saving and selecting asset paths #306

• Fixes logic when opening shapeEditor with a TSStatic selected #305

• Misc. Fixes and cleanup for lights #304

• Miscellaneous small issue fixes #303

• Integrates sound and shapeAnimation assets into the importer #302

• Material Asset import lookups and initial re-integration of sis files. #301

• Adds sorting to the settings class so when it saves out to file #300

• Level Asset Dependency handling and various level fixes #299

• fix for trigger::testobjects vector population #298

• Adds a notes object that only displays in the editor #297

• Fix compilation with shipping flag #295

• Adds a pref to dictate if local lights can cast shadows or not. #294

• Expands AB tooltips with file info #293

• Adds image variances for the menuGrid image #292

• Adds in the missing materials used for the Convex Proxies for triggers, zones, etc. #291

• Standardizes the tooltip profile colors to match the rest of the themeing stuff #290

• Adds logical check to skip animated statics when baking selection to mesh. #289

• Misc. Image Asset improvements #288

• More misc. fixes #287

• Updates SDL to 2.0.12 #286

• Followup commit to switch to engine conventions #285

• Basic Platform::openWebBrowser implementation for linux #284

• mouse display for keybinds #283

• Even more misc asset fixes #280

• More various Asset Browser and importer fixes #279

• from @OTHGMars: AssetImporter type and path for material look-ups. #277

• Queue exec order #276

• Fixes the backend logic for setting/creating 3DTextures in D3D11 #275

• Various fixes for both asset importing and some workflowy bits relating to assets stuffs #274

• Fix gamepad binds on non-windows. #273

• inputTest Module Initialization #272

• Alpha40 shader gen cleanups #271

• Some cleanup and adjusting of local light fields and default settings. #270

• Adds additional light preferences #269

• Adds some console preference variables for object fade overriding on TSStatics #268

• ribbon shader variable order fix from @steve_yorkshire #267

• Adds a default value to the lodType of the asset importer #266

• proper variation on the datablock file list erasure #265

• crashfix: const U32 numVerts = curEntry.vertBuffer-> is invalid for vectorlights #264

• crashfix: decal report when missing the DB entry was malformed #263

• fix reverb out of bound initializations #262

• groundframe generation cleanup work #261

• Moves the BaseUI module to utilize the queuedExec function #260

• Captures secondary window close events #259

• Updates the BaseGame UI theme #258

• Fix GCC9 complaints #257

• Fix GCC9 complaints #256

• Fixes issue with Drag-and-drop asset import action #255

• Moves the delta-based rounding function Verve used up into the engine #254

• from jeff and tim: review of lighting impacts #252

• Added slider to consoleDlg for bg alpha (Needs refinement) #251

• from @rextimmy new isbackground shader feature. #250

• Adds additional functions for inserting inspectorGroups #249

• cleanup singlechannel glowmask leftovers (we use a full rgb map now) #248

• Various improvements, fixes and enhancements to Asset editor stuffs #247

• Various improvements, fixes and expansions for Asset Importing #246

• Minor additions to popup menus #245

• Adds logic to guiTextEditCtrl to have placeholder text when the control is empty. #244

• from @practicing01: trigger mounting #243 by Azaezel was merged on Jul 10, 2020

• from practicing: aiplayer onstuck correction #242 by Azaezel was merged on Jul 10, 2020

• comparison flaw in spotlight animation check. #241 by Azaezel was merged on Jul 8, 2020

• fixed cpu detection on 64bit windows #240 by JeffProgrammer was merged on Jul 7, 2020 1

• #include "console/typeValidators.h" #239 by Azaezel was merged on Jul 5, 2020

• fix cubemap capture for gl #238 by Azaezel was merged on Jul 5, 2020

• safety check #237 by Azaezel was merged on Oct 9, 2020 1

• client cleanups #236 by Azaezel was merged on Jul 26, 2020 1

• Fix crash due to GuiEditCanvas::save() #235

• Implements missing _captureBackBuffer method for GL gfx layer. #234

• Fix for crash in _onZoningChanged methods when called by hidden objects. #233

• Reworks the terrain loader code to work with the assets. #229

• adress #116 and #179 (shaderside) #227

• adress #225 #226

• Removal of old font files from basegame template #223

• adress #221 crash surpress macromap #222

• adress #16 - don't need to swizzle vert colors #218

• groundcover requested augs #216

• fixes for trigger onenter/onleave #215

• adds an animspeed and animoffset to tsstatic instances #214

• typofix in opengl terrain shadergen #213

• export rounds LODs to the nearest power of 2 #212

• Updated links, added info from torque3d.org #211

• adress #162 based on work by Chad Hall #210

• adress #203 #209

• Linux Slash compatability #208

• adress #205 #206

• D3D-only compile fix DirectX #204

• implement copyResource, fix copyToBmp #202

• Remove trailing whitespaces from simObject.cpp and fix pointer format #2382

• fixed texture call which reported as a missing image #2378

• Updates SDL to 2.0.10 #23699

• OpenAL efx fixes for macOS/Linux #2362

• Modification of #2145 Improvement #2354

• adress #2344 #2352

• Full template Scene conversion Bugfix Improvement #2345

• fix(es) for volumetric fog when dealing with dedicated servers. #2342

• Makes the popups correctly operate anywhere in the space of the canvas Bugfix #2340

• Adds logic to temporarily disable collisions of mounted objects on Players Bugfix #2339

• Fixes some outstanding menubar problems. Bugfix #2338

• Fixes artifacts in Cloud Layer. Bugfix #2336

• rewrite of NavMeshUpdateAll/NavMeshUpdateAroundObject Bugfix Improvement #2335

• Cleanup and minor tweaks to the core dir structure. Improvement #2334

• Fixes a crash that occurs on linux headless servers Bugfix #2332

• Set contrsaints for Player Z rotation Bugfix #2331

• Adds a filter for materials to never import when importing a shape New feature #2328

• Adds ability to skip loading of cached dts in enumColladaForImport New feature #2327

• Adds visualizers for various types of colorblindness Improvement New feature #2326

• Moves the path return from fileDialog through the returnBuffer Bugfix #2325

• Tweaks some object handling of guiTreeViewObj Improvement #2324

• Sanity check for calling getFieldValue Bugfix #2323

• Adds gui3DProjectionCtrl New feature #2322

• Updates TextEdit value when focus is lost. Improvement #2321

• Allows special inspectorFields to override their height Improvement #2320

• Initial implementation of the Scene object Improvement New feature #2319

• Tweaks to the Asset/Module info echo behavior to spam the console less. Improvement #2318

• Adds ability to set the split point of a guiSplitContainer #2317

• corrects a parity flaw between wireframe and non wireframe box display #2315

• Switches to absolute position for mouse tracking. #2313

• Snap to terrain Z offset. #2311

• Vert color correction #2310

• Remove redundant variables and clean up C4312 and C4305 warnings #2309

• nextfreemask does nothing for proximity mines as there are no subclas… #2307

• corrects a copy-corruption flaw with GuiSwatchButtonCtrl::onMouseDragged #2305

• Sdl joystick2 #2300

• Sqlite Console refactor, #2299

• Travis Compile #2298

• Fix SDL Input::getKeyCode on software keyboard layouts #2296

• Add a .editorconfig file #2295

• Adds features to GuiInputCtrl #2294

• afxRenderHighlightMgr: account for hardware skinning #2292

• corrects compilation errors on non-mac unix derivatives #2288

• corrects compilation errors on mac #2287

• Nfd update #2286

• corrects a pair of conversions. one object oriented, one not. #2285

• Fills in monitor functions in PlatformWindowManagerSDL #2284

• Adds handlers for sdl focus events. Final review Improvement #228

• Fixes CanvasSizeChangeSignal and Canvas::onResize() under SDL Final review Improvement #2282

• OpenALEffects New feature #2281

• Approved Improved BitStream writeQuat/readQuat methods. Improvement #2277

• filter out pixel shader normalmap calcs when not in deferred mode. Bugfix Final review #2276

• Adds Clamp to QuatF::dot() Bugfix #2275

• Core module-ification Improvement #2272

• micro patch to the nativefiledialogues library to mirror file type name #2270

• alternative to #2268 : remove secondary profiling #2269

• Network Code Fixes Improvement #2267

• Resolves #1721 - ScatterSky zOffset Bugfix #2266

• Fix for bug in GFXVideoMode::parseFromString() Bugfix #2265

• Resolves #740 - Remove redundant code in _GFXInitGetInitialRes() Bugfix #2264

• member var conversion error that oddly didn't crop up till mac testing. Bugfix #2262

• Changes TSStatic::castRayRendered to use passed texcoord argument. Bugfix #2259

• Fixes the front/back ortho views in the editors Bugfix #2258

• Particles should go downwind (while windCoefficient >0) Bugfix #2255

• SDL 2.0.8 Bugfix Improvement #2254

• It's almost imposible to change direction of wind. Reseting mCurrentT… Bugfix #2252

• openal-soft updates Bugfix Improvement #2251

• Fixes various incorrect popup menu behaviors. Bugfix Improvement #2250

• Updates PlatformCursorController to use full set of SDL cursors. Improvement #2249

• New cinterface #2248

• Corrects a problem with the D3D11 texture lock/unlock mechanism #2247

• Update CInterface #2246

• Clean-up uses of ConsoleFunction etc. #2245

• Higher resolution app icon #2243

• Interpreter Hotfix: Check for NULL on the thisObject before using it. #2242

• GitHub release

• Release blog

Issues closed

• #819 Version 3.6.1

• #817 Bump version to 3.6.1

• #818 Fixed Full template art a bit

• #813 Fixed minor issues with Outpost level

• #811 Fixed OPCODE problems with x64

Project Manager

Notes

• Most uses of ConsoleMethod have been changed to use DefineEngineMethod. The old macros haven't been removed, and are in fact still used for variadic script functions, which aren't currently possible with the DefineEngineMethod macros. But be warned that there are a lot of changes in this area, which may cause conflicts if you've modified any of the console methods.

• James Urquhart's major console function call refactor has finally found its way in, which has meant significant refactoring to the way TorqueScript works under the hood, including new wrappers for console types. This has introduced some subtle bugs we've managed to find, but if you're relying on custom console methods and behaviour, we urge you to double-check those and make sure they still behave exactly as expected.

• There's a new version of the SimDictionary based on the C++11 STL hashmap. You'll find a commented-out #define in torqueConfig.h which you can enable if you like. According to the contributors, it's worth doing if you have a lot of SimObjects about at the same time.

• The projects.xml file is now part of the main repo, instead of being part of the Project Manager repo. Just so you know, and don't go looking for it there.

• isObject is now stricter about what's actually an object. Where before, the string "3.14" would be cast to the integer "3" and resolved to object ID 3, the whole string is now validated first, and if it's not a valid integer, it won't count as an object ID. (Note that the method still also accepts object names as usual.) This logic expands to other types of object resolution as well - so "3.14".getClassName() now won't work.

What Is Torque 3D?

Torque 3D was created by GarageGames to make the development of games easier, faster, and more affordable. It is a professional Software Development Kit ("SDK") that will save you the effort required to build a rendering system, high speed multiplayer networking, real time editors, a scripting system, and much more.

As part of Torque 3D, you receive full access to 100% of our engine source code. This means that you can add to, alter, or optimize any component of the engine down to the lowest level C++ rendering calls. That being said, you don't need to be an experienced C++ programmer to use Torque 3D. In fact, you do not need to know C++ at all. Using TorqueScript and the collection of tools that are included with Torque 3D, you can build complete games (of many different genres) without ever touching a single line of C++ code.

To understand the basics of how the engine is setup and the tools available, a short reference is included below. Further sections in the documentation explain these tools in more depth.

Minimum System Requirements

OS: Windows 7, MacOS Catalina, Ubuntu LTS or equivalent Processor: 1.6 GHz Processor or better Memory: 3GB RAM Graphics: DirectX 11+ or OpenGL 4.3 supported Hard Drive: 3GB free disk space (less for binary only solutions)

The Engine

The engine handles all of the elements of a game that run in real time on your computer. The Torque 3D engine is written entirely in C++ and is fully accessible to you as a developer. This means you have access to the inner workings of the code to customize it for your needs. The end result is that Torque 3D allows developers to add functionality, increase optimization, and learn how everything works. Alternatively, you can build a game from scratch to release without delving into the source code. The choice of how to develop your game is up to you.

For example, if you wish to add MYSQL database functionality or integrate the Havok SDK to enhance your game, those paths are open to you. Another benefit of source code access is the ability to read through the comments and data structures to gain a better understanding of how the entire system is set up.

Do not be intimidated. This documentation will show you how to create games without touching the source code at all. There is no need to start working with the engine's C++ code until you feel comfortable. In the meantime, you can get going with Torque 3D right away!

Project Manager

The first place to start using Torque 3D is the Project manager. This is the main application that downloads Torque3D and launches Torque Projects. The Project Manager is the central hub of T3D game development.

The Project Manager allows you to download existing Torque engines from the official repositories, or you can add your own fork or local folder as the engine build.

One important part of the Project Manager is to Add or download Torque modules, which can be as large as full game templates and as small as a small graphics asset pack.

This allows you to create new projects based on Templates and Modules, which may also come in the form of Genre Kits. From inside the Project Manager, you can launch the demos that can be downloaded with the engine. The Project Manager also provides a direct link to access the documentation included with the engine.

TorqueScript

Much of your game play logic, camera controls, and user interface will be written in TorqueScript. It is a powerful and flexible scripting language with syntax similar to C++. The key benefit of TorqueScript is that you do not need to be a code guru or know the nitty-gritty specifics of a particular language like C++. If you are already familiar with basic programming concepts, you will have a head start on building your own game.

Another benefit of using TorqueScript, as opposed to editing the engine's underlying C++ source code, is that you do not have to recompile your executable to see changes in your game. You simply create or modify a script, save, and then run the game from the Toolbox.

Editors

Learning to work with Torque 3D editors is a large part of your initial experience. The key is to remember that the editors work in real-time and are WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get). When you use the editors to modify your level, you will see the changes immediately in the game.

World Editor - The World Editor is a tool that will help you assemble your game levels. With this tool, you will add and position terrain, game objects, models, environmental effects, lighting, and more.

GUI Editor - GUI stands for Graphical User Interface. Some examples of GUIs include: splash screens, your main menu, options dialogs and in game Heads Up Displays ("HUDs"). With the GUI Editor, you can design and create your menus, player inventory system, health bars, loading screens, and so on.

The Asset Pipeline

You would not have much of a game without models, textures, and other art assets. For Torque 3D, one of the preferred file format for 3D art assets is COLLADA, however Torque use the Open Asset Import Library so other formats such as FBX also work, many other formats have been less tested but many work for simple models quickly and easily.

For those of you familiar with previous Torque engines, you can still import DTS (static models) and DSQ (animation data) files for your 3D objects. This includes static shapes, players, buildings, and props. If you already have a library of DTS and DSQs, feel free to use them in Torque 3D. From this point on however we recommend you transition to the new formats for new art assets going forward.

Conclusion

What is the Torque Project Manager

The Torque Project Manager, or Project Manager, or PM, is a simple utility application built in Torque3D to help you manage your projects.

It does this by letting you manage builds of the engine, optional modules that can be installed in your projects, and the projects themselves. By default, you can point it at any engine builds, modules and projects you have on your computer's harddrive.

If you have git installed, it can download and update engine builds and modules from the internet from a curated list, and if you have cmake installed, you can utilize source code builds of the engine to generate new projects instead of needing to only utilize precompiled binaries.

Downloading the Project Manager

Naturally, the first step in working with Torque and the Project Manager is to download the PM. Fortunately it's easy to get. You can acquire a copy from the releases on the github repository for your respective platform here:

Once it's been downloaded, you can place it wherever you feel most comfortable on your machine. We would generally recommend having a sort of "gamedev" folder for organizing all your game development stuff, but ultimately what's most important is you putting it somewhere that works for you.

Once it's been installed, you can get cracking utilizing it immediately, but to maximize it's efficacy, we'll want to do some prepwork on your machine to make it a fully functional development environment

Setting up your Development Environment

While this sounds intense, really it's just installing a few common programs that help you get and use builds of the engine, namely, git and cmake.

The Project Manager utilizes git for cloning and pulling from online repositories to your local machine, and uses CMake for generating Source projects. While not strictly required, lacking either or both of these will drastically limit the functionality of the Project Manager.

You can learn more about installing each of these here:

Once you have these downloaded and installed, that's good enough for running the Project Manager, and you can continue below.

Getting Started

Interface

While generally simple to navigate, we can do a quick go-over of the layout.

On the left side, at the top, you'll find the navigation 'breadcrumbs'. It'll show you what page you're on and the navigation stack if you're in sub-pages.

Below that is the primary navigation panel. The buttons are largely self explanatory, allowing you to quickly move page-to-page to let you get your work done.

To the right is the main panel, which will show the primary content of whatever page you're on. In the above screenshot, we're on the Engine Builds page.

Above that are the Action Buttons, which are contextual to the page you're on, as well as a search bar for filtering contents of the main panel.

Engine Builds

Engine Builds are, as the name suggests for builds of the engine. To create projects, you must have a build of the engine to copy from. There are several builds listed by default which are pulled from the Torque3D website. You can also add new Engine Builds to the listing from git URLs or local directories on your computer.

There are two 'types' of Engine Builds:

Source

Denoted by the Source tag, these are Engine Builds that have the full source code with them. To utilize these you'll need Cmake and do the full generation and compile process.

Binary

Denoted by the Binary tag, these utilize precompiled binary files, and do not provide the source code. While these are less flexible, there are no additional setup steps needed. You can just create a project with them and immediately launch into the application and begin working.

By default, Engine Builds download to the /EngineBuilds/ directory in the Project Manager's folder. You can change the default download target in the Settings page.

Once you have a Engine Build downloaded, you can create a Project, but first we'll stop over in the Modules page.

Modules

For a full explination of what Modules(and the Assets they contain) are, you can check the Modules section of the documentation. But for the purposes of the Project Manager, Modules are self-contained chunks of content and code that are easily installed and managed for your projects.

Like Engine Builds, there are a number of default modules that are provided from the Torque3D website the Manager fetches info for. You can download any or all of them, as well as add new ones from local directories or git repositories.

Also like Engine Builds, they are by default downloaded to /Modules/ but this can be changed in the Settings.

Once you have downloaded modules, they are "Available", which will be important for when we go to make a project.

Projects

A project is, ultimately, your game. When creating a new one, you'll not only define the name and destination, but the Engine Build as well. If the build is a Source build, then you'll have additional prompts for for the Generator(what IDE/code platform Cmake uses to generate) as well as various Cmake flags.

Normally you can leave the flags as-is, but they do provide additional features and functions.

Likewise, if you've installed any Modules, you'll see a list of Available ones as well. While you can, at any time, install new Modules to an existing Project, you can quickly get a Project up to speed during creation by selecting some modules here. They will be installed as part of the setup process, making getting your game rolling even faster.

Notes

• Add a call to closeSplashWindow somewhere if you don't want it sticking around in the background. Template main.cs files now do this.

• If you manage Project Generator modules, the Generator class has been renamed T3D_Generator.

• If you were relying on Projectile impact decals being aligned vertically, sorry, but they will now rotate randomly on placement. We thought this was better default behavior.

• Player now makes use of PlayerData::swimForce while submerged, where previously it ignored this value and used only runForce.

• ShapeBase::Thread::sound and associated functions have been removed because they were not actually used. If you made them useful in your own code, we apologise for any merge conflicts.