Reader Mail & Rumor Report
In today's report, we note the release of Babya bSuite to Go,Citybuilder,Icon Stiudio,Babya Film Central.
A minor update for Babya Icon Studio is now available at:http://www.winsite.com/bin/Info?31000000037383
New Babya synth-ES10 A new Babya synth-the ES10 is coming early next month.
Available for popular audio production hosts and VST hosts-including Babya VST Host supplied with Logic Pro, it can produce classic sounds of the 70's/80's and the 90's.
BabyaCAD-Softpedia BabyaCAD is now at Softpedia:http://www.softpedia.com/get/Science-CAD/BabyaCAD.shtml
Babya Citybuilder released
Babya Citybuilder is a fun game-that lets you build your own cities:http://www.winsite.com/bin/Info?31000000037381
Babya Photo Workshop Express 3.5-Softpedia
Babya Photo Workshop Express 3.5 is now available to download from Softpedia: http://www.softpedia.com/get/Multimedia/Graphic/Graphic-Editors/Babya-Photo-Workshop-Express.shtml
BabyaCAD is now available.
BabyaCAD is a powerful computer aided design software package, its features include
Position and rotation control
Adding polygons
Editing polygons
Editing points
Editing points extended
Textures
Materials
Light sources
Assigning textures and materials to polygons
View modes
Save as Shot It map
Restore original Shot It map
The position and rotation controls are left upper. There is only one basic rule: If there’s something selected, the position and rotation control works for the selected object. It there’s nothing selected, these controls works for the user position and rotation. This means you can move and look with these buttons if there’s nothing selected.
You can add polygons by clicking 'Add object…' in the 'Create 3d scene' menu. You get a form in which you can change between adding an object by defining its size manually or to add an object by defining its size and / or position by clicking on points of already existing polygons. Of course you can only choose this if there are already existing polygons.
You can choose which 3d object you want to add by selecting the repesentative point and clicking OK. Try the following: Choose 'Add a floor' and enter, for instance, the following numbers: Width 10, Lenght 10, Begin height –2, P. in width 5, P. in length 5. You get an floor like the following screenshot:
Adding other objects works similar.
If you have choosen to add an object by clicking on existing points of polygons, you get a message box which tells you what to do.
Editing polygons
You can edit polygons only if they’re selected. To select a polygon, choose 'Edit polygons' in the edit mode dropdown. After this, you can select a polygon by clicking on it. If a polygon is selected, it appears in a red colour. You are able to multi-select polygons if you press Strg and click on other polygons. You also can unselect a polygon if you click on a already selected polygon while pressing the Strg button, or if you click on any position where nothing is, all polygons become unselected again. If you click and move the mouse while the button is pressed you can define an area in which all polygons become selected. If you press Strg+A, every polygon becomes selected. Just try it!
With the Entf button you can delete the selected polygons. With the position and rotation buttons you can move and rotate the selected polygons in the representative direction. If the 'Also move near polygons' option in the 'Edit mode' is checked, every connected polygon also will be moved. If not, only the selected polygons are moved. Just try to select some polygons of the floor by holding the Strg button pressed and clicking on some polygons and move them up. To do this, you have to click the y+ button in in the position control some times. If you click on a button of the rotation control, the selected polygons rotate around their midpoint.
Editing points
If you select 'Edit points' in the edit mode dropdown, you are able to select single points of any polygon. It works nearly in the same way as editing complete polygons. You can select points by clicking on any corner of a polygon and you also can multi-select point by pressing the Strg button. After selecting points, you can move them like polygons with the position control.
Editing points extended
To use this feature, you have to select the 'Edit points extended' in the edit mode dropdown.
This is a very nice feature. You can generate hills with it. It moves the selected point(s) and also moves near points but not as much as the selected one. This generates a hill. Just check out the screenshot.
After changing the height with the y+ button three little hills were created. Pretty cool, isn’t it?Notice:
Textures
An important part of every 3d object are textures. In DX Cad, you can use every bmp file which has a width and height of 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256 etc. as basis for a texture. A 32 x 64 bmp file is valid, a 40 x 40 not. A invalid bmp file can’t be loaded in DX Cad. So, always change a bitmap file in a program like paint to a valid size before using it in DX Cad.
Every bitmap file which should be used as a texture has to be in the 'DX Cad'\Textures folder. To create a BabyaCADtexture file, choose 'Set textures…' in the 'Create 3d scene' menu. Now select 'Add new texture'. You can browse now for bmp files. After selecting a bitmap file, you can see it in the picture box. Now you can enter a colour which should be transparent. Notice: The preview 3d engine doesn’t support (render) this feature. Add all textures you want to use this way. After finishing, select the 'Save' button and specify a file name. You have created a texture file now!
Such files can be used for the texturing of any 3d object. Hint: Create for every obj file it’s own texture file except the files are using the same textures.
Materials
To render a 3d object, there are two things nescessary: textures and materials. You can define materials by choosing 'Set materials…' in the 'Create 3d scene' menu. Now select 'Add new material'. You can enter a name for the material. The other properties like colour and own lightning have default values which usually don’t have to be changed. There’s even a default material file (Standard.mat) which can be used for the most of the 3d objects so that you shouldn’t have to create your own material. The Global.mat is the material file used by the 3d ego shooter game Shot It.
Light sources
To generate a realistic 3d scene, you need to simulate lightning. The lightning info is usually not stored in the 3d object file itself, and BabyaCADsaves the lightning data to a lig file. Due to this, the 3d object is stored separtly in the obj file and the lightning in the lig file.
There are two light types: Directional light and indirectional light. The directional light is for example a point or spot light. The indirectional (also called ambient) lightning is a general lightning which floods the whole 3d scene. It is often used to keep a minimum lightness. In DX Cad, you are able to set both types of lights.
Indirectional lightThis light type intensity can be set if you choose '3D settings…' in the 'Extra' menu.
Directional lightYou can edit directional lights by clicking on 'Add / edit directional light source...' in the 'Create 3d scene' menu. If you select 'Add new light source', you’ll be able to change the light properties. It depends on the type of the light source which properties are enabled to change and which not. This type of light handling isn’t invented by me but DirectX needs this format. I’ll explain the most important light types and properties now.Pointlight:Spotlight:Directional light:
The lightning properties
You can enter a RGB colour between 0 and 255. A RGB of 0, 0, 0 means that the light colour is black and this is like there is no light. If the RGB is 255, 255, 255 you get the strongest white light which is possible. To create a normal light enter for the RGB values 10, 10, 10. If you want to create a coloured light source, enter for instance 10, 0, 0. This creates a red light source.Light colour:Specular light colour:Position:Direction:Max. range:Reduction:Angel phi and theta:Reduction form phi to theta:
Assigning textures and materials to polygons
A polygon is only a valid one if it has a texture AND a material assigned. If a polygon has only one of these two necessary things or none of it, DirectX would render the whole polygon only in a black colour, and BabyaCADsimply doesn’t render such polygons because black polygons wouldn’t be very useful.
So this means that every polygon must have a texture and a material. To assign it to the polygons, select all polygons which should get the texture or the material. Now click on 'Assign textures and materials to polygons...' from the 'Edit 3d scene' menu. You get a form in which you can set many things.
At first you have to set the texture and material file for the whole 3d object, if you havn’t done this so far. You can do this by clicking on 'Change texture / material file…'. Have a look at textures and materials on how to create such files. In most cases, you can use the predefined material file 'Standard.mat'.
After defining the texture and material file, the other properties gets enabled.
You can select a texture with the scroll buttons or entering it’s number. You also have to select the alignment of the texture. At least you have to choose between two texturing modes: the first one puts the texture on every selected polygon seperatly and the second one pushes the texture as a whole over all selected polygons. If you are ready, click on 'Assign texture to polygons'.
The material can be selected like the textures (with the scroll buttons or entering it’s number). If you use the Standard.mat, ther’s only one material, the 'Standard-Material'. It’s recommended that you use this material. If you are ready, click on 'Assign material to polygons'.
View modes
There are three different view modes: The standard polygon model, the edit model and the preview.
In the polygon model, only rectangles are drawn.
In the edit model, every single triangle is drawn. If you select a polygon, you can see it’s normal vector. This vector says from which side the polygon is visible. You can change this in the 'Edit 3d scene' menu by clicking on 'Set visibility…'.
In the preview, you can’t edit the 3d scene. The whole scene is rendered via DirectX. You can move and rotate with the position and rotation controls. Notice that only these polygons can be rendered which have assigned a texture AND a material and that you can only see the polygons from the side where to normal vector points to. This means for example that a floor is only seen if you are over the floor and look down to it. You won’t see the floor if you are under the floor and look up to it. This is done by DirectX because of the performance. You can change the visibility, as mentionted, in the 'Edit 3d scene' menu by clicking on 'Set visibility…'.
Save as Shot It map
Someone asked me if it was possible with BabyaCA Dto generate own landscapes for the 3d ego shooter game Shot It.
I’ve implemented in BabyaCADan export function to the Shot It file format.
Just generate the landscape with BabyaCADas usual and select 'Save as Shot It map…' from the 'Shot It' menu.NOTICE:
You get a form witch contains conditions for your map. This is to mind bugs in the game afterwards. After defining all necessary points, you get a message that the map was sucessfully saved. You should be able now to play your map with the Shot It game.
You can easily restore the original Shot It map by selecting 'Restore original Shot It map...' from the 'Shot It' menu.
You just have to select the Shot It game directory.NOTICE:
You’ll get an error message if you try this when you havn’t exported a own level into the game so far. It’s easier if you open the original Shot It map and edit it as to begin a new one, but you can do both things as well. This is the internal light reduction from the upper to the inner core of the lightning from a spotlight. It’s recommended to let this value to it’s default.
This two angles are only used for the spotlight to define the lightning angle.
Their functionality is very complex, so let this value to the default. This is the reduction of the light over the distance.
Default is 1. If you want to get a light which rapidly falls off, enter a higher value. This defines the maximum range of the light source. This is also very simple. Here you can enter the direction of a light source. I think it’s known what this means. Here you are able to define the light source position. This is like the normal light colour but it’s used for specular reflexions. Notice: The preview 3d engine doesn’t support (render) this feature.
This light type is in my mention not very usefully. It also floods the whole 3d scene like the indirectional light, the only difference is that it has a direction. This light type can completly be compared with a torch. It has a position, a lightning direction and angles which define the lightning size. This is a light with a 3d position and it lights in every direction, so it’s like a little sun. The range of the movement can be changed if you choose 'Settings' in the 'Extra' menu and changing here the value of 'Max. distance to points of extended movement'. Increase this value if no points except the selected point are moved when clicking on a button of the position control.
Download:http://www.winsite.com/bin/Info?31000000037359http://babyasoftwaregroup.googlepages.com/InstallBabyaCAD.exe
Babya Space War Babya Space War is a exciting game from Babya's new Babya Games division to be released next week.
The game comes in two versions: Retro and Evolved.
The Retro version is inspired by the first implementation of Spacewar, developed by Stephen Russell, Peter Samson, and Dan Edwards in 1962 for the DEC PDP-1; the Evolved version features similar gameplay, but with 3D models and effects
What's so cool about Babya Space War is that a Xbox 360 controller connected to your PC can be used to play-see the control mapping table below:Action Controller Keyboard P1 Keyboard P2 Select ship type, color, and weapon D-pad A, D, W, S arrow keys or keypad arrows Fire weapon Right trigger or A V keypad 7, keypad ., Home, or Delete Rotate ship, forward and reverse thrust Left thumbstick A, D, W, S arrow keys or keypad arrows Hyperspace warp Left trigger or B G keypad 1, keypad 0, End, or Insert Pause Back Left SHIFT Right SHIFT
Button Keyboard P1 Keyboard P2 A V Home or keypad 7 B G End or keypad 1 X F Page Up or keypad 9 Y T Page Down or keypad 3
Babya Software Group is now Babya Babya Software Group is now Babya-see below:
Babya Software Group today announced a corporate name change to Babya-dropping the Software Group part of its name from today.
Babya Software Group once best known from Babya System, now offers a wide range of software solutions-hence the change to just Babya.
The company also unveiled a new logo to coincide with the name change-a stunning silver colored 'babya'. It can be viewed at http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/1936/babyalogote4.jpg
Babya Software Group's A.A. Fussy said,"It was great being called Babya Software Group for four years-when we only did system and imaging software. But as we expanded to offer video,audio and office applications we felt our name didn't reflect our current product offerings. And as a result-the new Babya was born:with the power of the well-known Babya brand combined with our large product range and expertise."
The new Babya offers a wide range of products-from system utilities,office and photo software to video and audio applications.
Babya has a website at http://babyasoftwaregroup.googlepages.com and a blog at http://babyasoftwaregr.livejournal.com/.
About Babya:
Babya (formerly known as Babya Software Group) is an award-winning developer of digital media software for Mac and Windows, including bSuite,Babya OneVideo, bPicture, Babya Firestorm, Babya Photo Workshop and Babya Logic.
Babya's software has won many awards over the past several years, including 5 stars (Babya bSuite, 2005), a Softpedia Pick and 100% clean award (2006) and has been featured in magazines such as PC Utilities and PC Format. Jun. 24th, 2007 @ 11:42 am (Leave a comment) » Babya Photo Workshop Express 3.5 Babya Photo Workshop Express 3.5 is now available to download.
Download:http://babyasoftwaregroup.googlepages.com/InstallBabyaPhotoWorkshopExpress.exehttp://www.winsite.com/bin/Info?31000000037357
Babya bSuite to Go at Softpedia Babya bSuite to Go is now at at Softpedia:http://www.softpedia.com/get/PORTABLE-SOFTWARE/Office/Suites-editors/Windows-Portable-Applications-Babya-bSuite-to-Go.shtml
Babya Icon Studio-Softpedia Babya Icon Studio is downloadable at Softpedia: http://www.softpedia.com/get/Desktop-Enhancements/Icons-Related/Babya-Icon-Studio.shtml
http://www.softpedia.com/progScreenshots/Babya-Icon-Studio-Screenshot-76633.html
Babya bSuite to Go no-install http://www.winsite.com/bin/Info?31000000037338Jun. 21st, 2007 @ 07:32 am (Leave a comment) » Babya bSuite to Go released Babya's new portable office suite suitable for use on USB flash drives.
Called Babya bSuite to Go and based on the award-winning Babya bSuite, it offers: Babya E-Type Express Babya Notes Babya Clip-displays the contents of Window's clipboard Babya Picture Edit-a rebranded Babya Photo Workshop Express with basic drawing tools that now only saves images as .BMP files.
It is the first version of Babya bSuite that is designed to be a portable application for use from USB flash drives and the first in the To Go series-a line of portable applications that can be used from a USB flash drive from Babya.
Babya bSuite To Go is the first Babya software that is Windows Vista exclusive.
Babya bSuite to Go can be downloaded at: http://www.winsite.com/bin/Info?31000000037337
Babya Icon Studio released Babya's professional icon editor and creator application-Babya Icon Studio is now shipping.
Some features are:Effects ToolsReflectorsStretch/ShrinkScreen captureExtractorRotator
Download:
http://www.winsite.com/bin/Info?31000000037336
Babya Film Central Server Coming soon will be a web based server solution for Babya's video graphics asset management application-Babya Film Central Server.
More details are to be posted soon.
Babya Film Central released Babya's video graphics asset management application-Babya Film Central v 1.1 is now downloadable.New features:Has a new interface with file scanning
Download:http://www.winsite.com/bin/Info?31000000037335
Babya Icon Studio and bSuite to Go release date Babya Icon Studio and bSuite to Go release date-now offcial:Babya Icon Studio:July 1, 2007bSuite to Go:July 10, 2007
» Babya bSuite and System 2008-September release Babya bSuite and System 2008 will both ship in September-a month before OS X 10.5 ships.
Babya bDesktop Express Babya bDesktop Express allows you to is to get rid of that messy desktop. All this application does is clean your desktop. It does this by arranging all files of the same type together,easily accessible from the system tray.
Babya bDesktop Express is only available as part of Babya System 2008. Babya Spaces
Babya Spaces is the new name for Desktop4-now offering a RAM status viewer.
