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How to create a Quest in The Sandbox

3/17/2022

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The Mission

Resources

The Sandbox is an Ethereum-based decentralized NFT gaming metaverse that enables non-tech savvy users to create, sell, use, and monetize their own virtual reality NFTs, but all this would be meaningless if there were no missions to complement and create a story.​
We are going to learn how to use the behaviours and components available to us to make our own missions and quests for our game.
  • The Sandbox Maker
  • A “The Sandbox Maker” account
How to create a Quest in The Sandbox guide

User Interface


First of all, we will open “The sandbox Maker” and we will create a new Experience.
The Sandbox Maker Project Draft
Drafts “The Sandbox Maker”
Once we have entered the new land that we have created, we will see that there are quite a few options, but we will use just a few of them to make the guide simpler.
The Sandbox Game Maker Tools Menu
The Sandbox Game Maker Main Menu
Main menu → Go back to main menu
The Sandbox Game Maker Floopy Drive
Floppy Drive → Save current scene settings
The Sandbox Game Maker Undo
Undo and Redo
The Sandbox Game Maker Rules
Rules → We can set the main values for our quests
The SandBox Game Maker Play
Play → Allows to play the current land

Properties

When we select an asset, a tab appears on the right side showing us the properties of that asset.
We can change the Name, the Visibility, Position and Rotation.
​We can assign different Physics to the object:
  • Collisions
  • No Collisions
  • Collisions + Gravity
​The Attributes can make our assets more useful.
​There are different attributes, which scale from 0 to 100.​ A single GEM can give between 1 and 25 attribute points to an ASSET.
The Sandbox Game Maker Properties menu
Properties menu
Catalysts are divided into four different tiers: Common, Rare, Epic and Legendary.
Each tier defines the number of sockets and the scarcity of your ASSETS.
  • Common Catalyst: 1 Gem socket — 20,000 copies of the ASSET.
  • Rare Catalyst: 2 Gem sockets — 4,000 copies of the ASSET.
  • Epic Catalyst: 3 Gem sockets — 1500 copies of the ASSET.
  • Legendary Catalyst: 4 Gem sockets — 200 copies of the ASSET.
The Sandbox Catalysts page
Common, rare, epic and legendary are basic Catalyst
The Sandbox Game Maker Behaviour and Logic Components
Behaviour menu

Behaviour

​As the name suggests, it allows us to change the behaviour of NPCs and various assets.

COMPONENTS

​We can set different types of component for our assets.
​We can edit the logic of the components, this allows us to manage more things within each component and behaviour.

TAGS

Help us to count and trigger assets in quest.

BEHAVIOURS

​These are the different behaviours available right now:
The Sandbox Game Maker Select Behaviour menu
Behaviours Landing Page
Animated Decoration → Allows to play one of the Asset animation.edit.
Asker → A needy person that needs to talk with you.
Asset Spawner → A spawner of assets that does it automatically or whenever you ask it to.
Basic Platform → A simple platform that can go wherever you want.
Button → A classic button on which you can press to trigger something around.
Message Broadcast → A message repeater or a message broadcaster that can be used to trigger events following your conditions.
Door → A clasic door that can be opened and closed manually or through a trigger.
Bird → A simple bird flying around the sky.
Citizen → A classic person who walks around.​
Farmer → A farmer who walks and gathers Plants around.​
Healer → A nice person that heals injured you and Friendly things around, but also flees Hostile things.
Melee Enemy → A bad person that attacks you or other targets if you get too close.
Plant → A basic plant that is destroyed when beeing interacted with.
Predator → A hostile thing that walks until it is Hungry, in which case it chases you and Friendly things.
Prey → A hungry prey who eats plants and flees Hostile things.​
Soldier → A weird person that walks around and attacks Hostile things when they’re too close. Also defends itself when beeing attacked.​
Replace Asset → A basic option that allows to switch the used asset with specific conditions.​
Multi → A magic point that allows to create cubes around.​
Void → A magic point that allows to destroy cubes and assets around.

​COMPONENTS

The Sandbox Game Maker Select Component menu
Components Landing Page
Climbable: Allows Players to climb the object and to define at wich speed they do it.
Collectible: ​Allows to be collected by the Player, (future: which put the Object in the Inventory)
Defeat: ​Allows to define the Defeat condition(s).
Drop: Allows to drop Things on the floor when the Object dies or when being trigger triggered by defined conditions.
Health: Allows to have Health Points (H.P), with a global Health system (respawn, regeneration, etc.).
Indicator: Allows to define how Cursors , Name, etc are displayed.
NFT Details Display: Shows a window displaying nft details on message.​
Pickable: Allows the Object to be picked by the Player.
Play Sound: Allows to Play a sound with a specific condition and specific parameters.
Rarity VFX: Allows to have special visual effects around the asset depending on the Rarity of the Object.
Speaker: Allows to display a text Balloon above the Object when being interacted or triggered by something else.
Toggle Behaviour: ​Allows to switch on and off the Objects behaviour with specific triggers.
Victory: Allows to define the Victory condition(s).

Basic Movement Controllers


Edit Controls

The Sandbox Game Maker Edit Controls

Play Controls

The Sandbox Game Maker Play Controls

Examples


We are going to create a mission in which you have to talk to two NPC's who will guide you to an elevator, but until you talk to all of them it will not activate.
We will start the quest seleccting the assets needed.
  • 3 NPC’s (Anyone is good)
  • Platform
  • Any small Asset (It will be a toolbox for adding behaviours and components)
Soldier Assets to create a Quest in The Sandbox Game Maker
Assests we need to start
We can use the predefinied avatars, provided by the platform.
The Sandbox predefinied avatars
The SandBox predefinied avatars
​First of all we need to set up our Quest, to do this, click on the Rules button which is located at the top left of the screen.
Then set the name of the quest and a description.
In this case, we want the mission to start when we talk to the Soldier01. To do this, let's create a new message called “quest.soldier01.talk”.
(We can Launch the quest automatically with the option Auto Launch)
​Then, we want a Quest type of “Wait For Message” but we have a few more like “Counter”, “Timer” or “Asset Death”.
​In “Quest completion” , we will check “RequiresMessage” and set the “Message” in “quest.soldier01.final”.
​In “Action after completion” we can choose between “Send message” or “End Game”, we want a Message, not to end the game.
The Sandbox Quest Set up menu
Setting Up our Quest on The Sandbox
Set up menu
Let’s add an asker behaviour to our Soldier01 and click on “Edit Logic”.
To add a behaviour, select the asset to which you want to add it and a small options tab will appear on the right hand side.
The Sandbox Asker menu
Asker menu
The Sandbox Behaviour menu
Behaviour menu
Now change the Question to whatever you want.
Remember to replace the “Speaker Name” to whatever we want.
​Change the “Message sent” to the one we want the mission to start with, in this case A1.
“quest.soldier01.msg1”
Soldier asset toolbox The Sandbox
Soldier Toolbox
No Collisions The Sandbox
We can check the “Look At Player”
Change the “Message When Spoken” to “quest.soldier01”.
Add to The King an “Asker”.
Change the “A1 Message sent” to “quest.soldier01.final”.
​Finally, let's change the “Behaviour” of the platform.
Add a “Basic Platform” and change the distance and direction in which it moves to our preference.
We also add a component called "Toggle behaviour" and change the "Turn On Message" to "quest.soldier01.final".
​Don’t forget to uncheck the “Initial Behavior State” to “False”.
Now make our “Blade” a “Collectible” with the right component, this will allow our blade to be equipped.
In this case, we can set up too another Component called “Rarity VFX” this will show a halo that wrap the Asset.
Now we will add a Toolbox behind the “Soldier01.
This Toolbox will have another “Asker“ Behaviour.
​Make sure to uncheck the eye, this makes our asset invisible.
Change the “Physics” to “No Collisions” or we will crash with it.
​Add an “Asker” behaviour to the Toolbox, this will be our second text of the Soldier01.
Change the name to “Soldier 01”.
​Change “A1 Message Sent” to “quest.soldier01.talk”.
​Now, we add a “speaker” component to the Soldier02.
We want to have more information about our quest with this NPC.
Asker Main Menu The Sandbox
Asker Main Menu The Sandbox
Components The Sandbox Game Maker
The platform will start working when we talk to the King, as we have made the platform active as soon as the toggle behaviour is resolved.
The Sandbox Game Maker Final Mission Quest
Final Mission The Sandbox Game Maker

Conclusion


As simple as that.
​Create your own adventure with monsters, heroes, magic, supernatural beings and more.
There are many ways to create missions and totally different from this one, it’s time to let your imagination run wild.
Picture
Javier Vicén Lucia
3D ARTIST
Enthusiastic about videogames, 3D impression and photography
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The Sandbox - How VoxEdit works

2/24/2021

0 Comments

 
The Mission
This month I have the opportunity to work with a new software called VoxEdit to create a series of characters and assets. In this article I want to present a full explanation about this software (what it is for? how it works?) and my opinion about it.
Resources
  • VoxEdit
VoxEdit, What it is?

VoxEdit is a software to create, rig and animate your own custom voxel models. Right at the moment I'm writing this, the software is on a beta release from 31 of January 2020.

The software was created by The SandBox, a platform that allows you to sell voxels and gaming experiences on the Blockchain.

Althought there is still ways in which this software can be improved, is otherwise a great way to start creating your first models on voxels, since its interface is really simple and friendly for new users, which some features can be helpfull to new users.
​
In this article, I want to talk about the difference interface that exist and what I found is the best way to work into create full humanoid characters.
The Sandbox How VoxEdit works
VoxEdit, the modeler

Once you open the program, you will find an interface with all the options that this software offers.
In this first article I just want to talk about the modeler and the animator.
The Sandbox interface menu
The Sandbox program interface
So without further to do, let's begin. Once you click the modeler panel you will find small menu where you can access the most recent models that you have created, create a new asset and access a tutorial that explains the basic controls of this software.
​
Once you create a new asset or open one you created before, you will find yourself with the modeler.
The Sandbox tools
To explain the different tools I divided the interface in parts, which I divided not only for position but for use too:
​
  • 1 → Top part or Tools related to the viewer
  • 2 → Tools to create Voxels
  • 3 → Tools to create colour palettes
  • 4 → Viewer

Although right now it seems there is too much, don't worry, they are really easier to use than you think. In the viewer part you can see the model on perspective or ortographic. You can also see the voxel as a pixelated image.
Viewer voxel pixelated image
Tools related to the viewer:

Top part or Tools related to the viewer
From left to right, the tools are these:
​
  • The home button
  • Save button
  • Duplicates the number of voxels
  • Reduces the number of voxels by half
  • Cut the space that is not used on the voxels
  • This Trio of tools rotate the model around the axis, red in X, green for Y and blue for Z
Head pumpkin voxel gif
  • Inverts the model in the axis
  • Acivates the simmetry mode that allows you to work on both sides at the same time. this mode is incremental, being able to activate the 3 axis at the same time to work on the 4 corners at the same time
  • Density of voxels, you can choose the density you want in each of the axis
  • You can view the "wireframe" of the model in different ways, each voxel individually, a mix between faces and voxels, faces and nothing
wireframe tool voxels
  • The last button serves as a focus button, to center the camera into the model.
Tools to create Voxels:

Tools to create Voxels
This set of tools are divided in several parts; the different modes for the tools, how can you apply the voxels, a colour picker and a pivot. From top to bottom:

Mode tools

  • Select tool: you can select voxels and move them
  • Add voxels
  • Paint voxels
  • Erase voxels 

​Tools for Voxels
​
  • Pencil to add one voxel add a time
  • Line to add voxels creating a rect line
  • Add/paint/erase voxels in an area that you can select
  • Add/paint/erase voxels in a face
  • Add/paint/erase in an area that has the same colour

Colour Picker

  • Allows you pick the colour of the model without having to go to the palette, you can pick this tool clicking the alt button

Pivot

  • To move the pivot to a different part of the model
Tools Colour Palette:

Colour Tool Palette
One of the best things, in my opinion, of this software, is the colour palette.
​
On the first part you can select the color you want, you can also past the code to get the colour. This part is pretty standard you can find similar pickers on photoshop and other softwares.

But the interesting part comes from the menu below (The 3 stripes), where you can store the different colours you use on the model. Change it form there. And save and load colour palettes.
​
For example, to create an humanoid character that is composed by several parts, you will need the same palette to work, this feature allows you to save the colour palette and load it on the next part.
VoxEdit, the animator

In comparision with the modeler part, the animator has less tools to use, which in some parts makes it really difficult to understand.
​
But first things first, this is the first thing we see when we click on the animator in voxedit, we can see that is very similar to the modeler's start page, however in here we can see that instead of tutorials we have templates with animations already made. We will talk about this later on.
Project animation menu
If we create a new project we can find these different tools:
Project animation menu
To explain the different tools here I also divided the interface in different sections:
​
  • 1 → Top part or Tools related to skeleton
  • 2 → The rigging section
  • 3 → Timeline and animations
  • 4 → Library on where we can see all the models that are inside the same folders as the animator, you can also import other vxm models, which creates a copy of the model in the folder.
Tools related to the rig or skeleton

Rig Tools skeleton
From left to right:
​
  • The home button to return to the principal page
  • Save button
  • Select the model part you are interested in
  • Move the part of the model
  • Rotate the part selected
  • Two tools to choose between moving only the model or the bone, this is important becasue if you have selected the model you only move the model selected but if you move bone you move the one you selected and the children of the bone
  • This button allows you to see the skeleton
Rig skeleton
  • Allows you to see the boundaries of the voxels that you have created and imported into the scene
  • Inverse kinematics
  • Focuses the models in your scene
Rig

Rig Menu Tha Sandbox
Rig Menu Tha Sandbox
On this part we can see the rig. When we start a new project we only have the root bone, to create a new bone we click on the three dots menu.

This menu allow us to create a child node, rename the node and duplicate or delete the node.
​
Once we have the rig created we can add a model from the library, dragging the model into the bone. Once we have done this we can access to a button that is really useful, the pencil that appears on the model allows us to access the modeler window and retouch the model from the animator.
​
When we have retouched the model, we can return to the animator window, you just need to click on the home button in the modeler window.
Timeline and animations

Timeline tool
From this window we can create the animations, here appears the different bones we created, and see the keyframes. It's important to notice that the animation is always recording, so it your are still creating the rig, don't move the timeline because if we move it we will create a keyframe.
​
Once we have the fully animated model, we can create a new animation selecting the menu from the iddle animation, and select new animation. From this menu we can choose and change the animation.
Timeline menu
On the Template you can find a set of animations already made, but you can retouch them because the controls of the animation are deactivated.
VoxEdit, a pipeline

Once these two parts are explained, I'm going to propose one of the possible pipelines to create your own characters.

For that purpose, first I'm going to explain how the characters work in here. The characters are composed of different parts, in particular NINE (9) essential parts.
​
  • Head
  • Chest
  • Hips
  • Leg x2
  • Foreleg x2
  • Feet x2
  • Arm x2
  • Forearm x2
  • Hand x2

Once we have the parts defined, here comes the essential part and where the pipeline divides in two sections, you can either create the parts from the modeler and then import them into the animator. Or open the template and edit the models from the animator.

The first one has a lot of disanvantages, for example you can't control the proportions of the different parts of the models, so when you import them into the animator template to use the animations, the parts does not fit.
model proportions
If you decide to create a new animation scene, you don't have the animations made, so you need to create them from scratch.
​
So if your objective is to create humanoid models, I would recommend to open a template and edit each one of the pieces of the model from the pencil button as we explained on the animator section.
new animation template
The proportions are already made and the animations work with the model, the cons are that you move the parts, not rotate them and you can edit the animations to make them custom for your model.
animations work with the model
Conclusion

All in all, this software is really easy to use and has a few things that are pretty great.
​Such as the connection of the animator with the modeler, and the colour palette.
​
However there is still a lot of room for improvement, the software is a bit slow and has no keyboard gestures, which is quite umconfortable (there is no CTRL+S). So you can only save by clicking the save button. There're are all quite small faults but I noticed that these small things slow your work process making the modeling quite slow feat.
Final Avatar animated

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​Laura Usón
​3D ARTIST
​Passionate about videogames, movies and creatures. artist by day and superhero at night.
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