Book Image

Panda3D 1.6 Game Engine Beginner's Guide

Book Image

Panda3D 1.6 Game Engine Beginner's Guide

Overview of this book

Panda3D is a game engine, a framework for 3D rendering and game development for Python and C++ programs. It includes graphics, audio, I/O, collision detection, and other abilities relevant to the creation of 3D games. Also, Panda3D is Open Source and free for any purpose, including commercial ventures. This book will enable you to create finished, marketable computer games using Panda3D and other entirely open-source tools and then sell those games without paying a cent for licensing. Panda3D 1.6 Game Engine Beginner's Guide follows a logical progression from a zero start through the game development process all the way to a finished, packaged installer. Packed with examples and detailed tutorials in every section, it teaches the reader through first-hand experience. These tutorials are followed by explanations that describe what happened in the tutorial and why. You will start by setting up a workspace, and then move on to the basics of starting up Panda3D. From there, you will begin adding objects like a level and a character to the world inside Panda3D. Then the book will teach you to put the game's player in control by adding change over time and response to user input. Then you will learn how to make it possible for objects in the world to interact with each other by using collision detection and beautify your game with Panda3D's built-in filters, shaders, and texturing. Finally, you will add an interface, audio, and package it all up for the customer.
Table of Contents (22 chapters)
Panda3D 1.6 Game Engine
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

Time for action – implementing BitMasks


Using BitMasks is actually pretty easy. This example will show us how.

  1. In the setupCollisions method of our Cycle class, add the following code right after the lines where we add our CollisionSpheres to the CollisionNode:

        self.shieldCN.setIntoCollideMask(BitMask32.bit(3))
        self.shieldCN.setFromCollideMask(BitMask32.bit(2))
  2. Save the file as CycleClass_02.py.

  3. Modify WorldClass_01.py to import CycleClass_02.py instead of CycleClass_01.py. Then, save it as WorldClass_02.py and run it from the command prompt. Attempt to collide the two cycles together and we'll see them pass through each other, like in the following screenshot:

What just happened?

Our cycles don't collide anymore! That's because they are set to have different From and Into BitMasks. BitMask.bit creates a BitMask that has the indicated bit set to 1, and all other bits set to 0. The calls to setIntoCollideMask and setFromCollideMask apply the masks created by BitMask.bit to the CollisionNode...