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

Controlling animations


Since we're talking about the loop() method, let's start discussing some of the different controls for playing and stopping animations. There are four basic methods we can use:

  • play("AnimName"): This method plays the animation once from beginning to end.

  • loop("AnimName"): This method is similar to play, but the animation doesn't stop when it's over; it replays again from the beginning.

  • stop() or stop("AnimName"): This method, if called without an argument, stops all the animations currently playing on the Actor. If called with an argument, it only stops the named animation.

    Tip

    Note that the Actor will remain in whatever posture they are in when this method is called.

  • pose("AnimName", FrameNumber): Places the Actor in the pose dictated by the supplied frame without playing the animation.

We have some more advanced options as well. Firstly, we can provide option fromFrame and toFrame arguments to play or loop to restrict the animation to specific frames.

myActor.play("AnimName...