Looks pretty cool, eh?
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Hi there,
Newbie’s question, please. Would “Sprite Stack” technique be able to work with “Jmonkey DynamicAnimControl”? For example, if I have a 3D character in pixel art format, and I would like its hands to move using “Jmonkey DynamicAnimControl”, it would be integrated well together correct?
Question 2, a 3D objects’s using scaping technique, for example. Would that work with “Jmonkey DynamicAnimControl” as well?
Thank you.
No. Spritestack generates sprite sheets. Sprites are a series of images much like a video. They have no concept of bones or “movement”. You “play” one image after another and it simulates a moving object.
2d Sprite character can have bone, though. I heard it can be done. That still would not work with “Jmonkey DynamicAnimControl”?
I guess the question is why don’t you think it would work? What are your doubts? If you fulfill the requirements - a.k.a a rigged character - why would it not work? What are your trying to do exactly? If you just want to animate a sprite you don’t need “dynamicanimcontrol” - so why do you specifically want that? I’m not certain of what you are trying to achieve. Could you elaborate more? Are you imitating a particular game or concept you’ve seen somewhere?
I notice many games, in order to increase the frame rate, while the users are playing the games, the games would swap 3D objects to 2D objects, instead.
If I try to do the same things by swapping 3D objects in my Jmonkey game to “3D Pixel Arts” or “3D Scaped Objects” would “Jmonkey DynamicAnimControl” still be the right option for such implementation.
If “Jmonkey DynamicAnimControl” is not the right option for this case, what I should be using?
Thank you.
Level of detail usually manipulates mesh indexes to determine how many triangles are visible - so you get levels of detail virtually for free. As the detail lessens it draws less triangles. When the distance becomes so great that you want a simple quad to represent it - it’s called an impostor. They can be generated automatically but are usually not animated - mostly because they are so far away you can’t really even tell. In that instance it would just be a billboard quad and have no animation.
Thank you so much for clarification. Now, I learn that there is no game swapping 3D objects to 3D Pixel Art 
there are, but not pixel, rather just billboard(its 2d plane) based trees (usually its about trees).
Also please note grass is often a billboard(but managed by shader).
Is it normal to apply this “impostor” to 3d objects, regardless of what their distance is? Let’s say I want to apply this impostor to them, when such 3d objects are hit by the explosion, and I do not care how well the objects should look any more?
This technique is still called impostor right?
Thank you.
btw. its almost possible what you want to do(if i good understand) - but its not how people do games.
What i would do would be image-generator.
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it would work using camera clip near and clip far.
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setup it this way so it clip needed layer.
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fill center area(that will be transparent because of clip) with average color of border.
ready! generated image layers can be used. it just theory, but should work.
Last question, please. So, impostor has to apply toward objects’ distance only? Can’t apply when the objects are exploded.
Let’s say the objects are flying in the air, because of the explosion, and we do not care about how good they would be any more. People would not do the impostor in this case?
Thank you.
depends
if it gonna explode using its parts:
yes, since object explode, i dont see possibility, but you can always check this, and once it gonna explode you can switch, and when end, switch back again(if need). But i didnt seen games to do so.
if not: then why care?
Please note this objects are usually very far away.
so when far away object gonna explode, i would just remove it, and place explode particle emitter to emit explode animation. But what do you mean by explode? you use some objects part to explode?
Thank you so much for clarification. The link that you gave helps explain a lot.
To achieve the effect of an explosion you usually have two meshes, one complete mesh and another mesh that is broken into pieces using blender or whatever and switch them.
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Thanks.