XACT with XNA

Game Technologies: Audio / XACT

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    - dotproduct3 support? There are no texture operations in XNA: those are a fixed function thing that we removed. Use a pixel shader for this functionality. Tag: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA Game Technologies: DirectX, XNA, XACT, etc.
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    - Diffuse HLSL for Skinned Mesh There's no big difference between a static and a skinned lighting algorithm. You simply have to take care of the coordinate system you're using cos skinning is usualy done in world space and lighting in object space. Even if that's not exactly your case, that's the sort of things (coordinate system stuff) that might be a bit confusing when going from static to skinned. I think you should have a look to the Direct3D sample "SkinnedMesh" which does that very well. Tag: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA Game Technologies: DirectX, XNA, XACT, etc.
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    - Saving out Vector3's The content pipeline always works with indexed triangle lists, so you don't need to worry about other formats. I think your problem is that VertexBuffer.VertexData is an array of bytes holding the processed vertex information, so you can't just look up a byte and cast this to a VertexPositionNormalTexture. I think the easiest way to do this, rather than scanning the processed output from the ModelProcessor, would be to look at the incoming NodeContent information. That is in a much higher level format that will be a lot easier to extract useful information from. Specifically you need to: - Recurse down the tree of NodeContent objects, using their Children properties - Examine each NodeContent to see if it is a MeshContent subclass - If so, loop over it's Geometry collection (which holds GeometryContent instances) - Inside each GeometryContent examine the Indices property, and use that to index into the Vertices.Positions collection. That will give you direct access to Vector3 position data without any nasty casting to or from byte arrays. Tag: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA Game Technologies: DirectX, XNA, XACT, etc.
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    - Problems with SurfaceFormat.Bgra1010102 on the XBOX360 What size is your surface Tag: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA Game Technologies: DirectX, XNA, XACT, etc.
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    - Where are the Creators Club? Hey Deldy, Take a look at our post and it should guide you on finding it: http://blogs.msdn.com/xna/archive/2006/12/11/xna-game-studio-express-has-been-released.aspx Thanks! Tag: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA Game Technologies: DirectX, XNA, XACT, etc.
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    - Shooting Yes, and no. You have the basic idea down, but your structure is somewhat lacking. For instance, your code for updating the bullet's position would only run once as it stands now. So your bullet would travel 5 coordinates to the right, and then it would stop. Setting the bullet position equal to the player position is the correct way to place the bullet initially. But you need the bullet to update constantly, not just once. A better way to handle this would be to make the bullet an object, and the player an object. Give the player object a position property that will store its current coordinates. Put the code for creating the bullet inside the player object. Make the bullet object's constuctor method take two float variables. When you call the bullet object in the player object, pass it the player object's current position, and use this to create the bullet object with the same position. Then create an UpdateBullet method within the bullet object. Put the code to change the bullet's position in this method. Then call the UpdateBullet method in whatever Update method you make for the player object. Now go back to your Game1 file, and create a player object in the Initialize method. Then call the PlayerUpdate method in the Game1.Update method, and the PlayerDraw method in the Game1.Draw method. Now you have an object-oriented player who will shoot bullets that continue to travel. Also, in order to save on processing power, it would be a good idea to create a BulletManager. This would most likely be an object or method that would create a set number of bullets, and handle passing them to the player object. That way you won't keep creating and destroying bullet objects. For instance, when a bullet object is fired, you don't create it, you just have it become visible, and start moving. When its traveled a certain distance (aka, when you are sure its off the screen) you just make it invisible, and reset its position to the player's current position. Basically, you would just keep recycling the same bullet objects over and over again. With most games, how fast the player is able to fire determine's how many player bullets can be on the screen at any given time. Make your maximum number of bullets three or four more than this number, just in case. Tag: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA Game Technologies: DirectX, XNA, XACT, etc.
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    - how do i learn to write games 4 mobile It's spelled 'for'. http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa446533.aspx Tag: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA Game Technologies: DirectX, XNA, XACT, etc.
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    - How do you canncel your XNA Creators Club subscription? I am pretty sure it just runs out unless you explicitly renew it (like your Live subscription). --Stephen Tag: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA Game Technologies: DirectX, XNA, XACT, etc.
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    - Anyone else rolling their own numerics? Is there any reason (other than perhaps perf) why you couldn't build this kind of abstraction on top of the XNA math primitives If people are finding a need to roll their own math from scratch, I'd like to understand why that is and what exactly we might be missing from the framework. Tag: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA Game Technologies: DirectX, XNA, XACT, etc.
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    - Calculating normals for large mesh with no vertex to triangle info I don't see why you have to Weight by the size of the triangle You simply have to add the Normal of all triangle that touch your vertex And Normalize the final direction Your concerned with a direction not the size of the final normal direction If you have a triangular roof top and what the normal at the top of it you would add both normal to each side of the roof and then Normalize it The resulting normal would be strait up since the Roof is symetrical (in slope) But you would not care if one side of the roof extend for twice as long on one side Tag: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA Game Technologies: DirectX, XNA, XACT, etc.
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    - How can I directly stop drawing a pixel? Dont think theres a way to do this directly. The pixel shader is called for every pixel and always must return a value - which will be your color. You could always set the alpha in this when you dont want to render and enable alpha blending, although this could leave you with artifacts if your objects arent rendered fromt he back to the front. What is the result you are after (ie description of what your trying to ultimately achieve) N Tag: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA Game Technologies: DirectX, XNA, XACT, etc.
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    - Starting work on my GUI system I've started doing the same thing as the games I have planned need dialogs at the very least. I'd be happy to contribute so we all could benefit. Let me know what you need and I'll see what I can do. Tag: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA Game Technologies: DirectX, XNA, XACT, etc.
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    - Camera woes If your trying to use a right handed coordinate system, you're doing a few things backwards... m_Right = Vector3 .Cross(m_Up, m_LookAt); In a right handed syste, up X at will give you the left vector. Switch this to: m_Right = Vector3.Cross(m_LookAt, m_Up); m_Up = Vector3 .Cross(m_LookAt, m_Right); this is giving you the Down vector Switch this to: m_Up = Vector3.Cross(m_Right, m_LookAt); the Matrix class has setters for Right, Up, and Forward. You can use these m_view.Right = m_Right; m_View.Up = m_Up; m_View.Forward = m_LookAt; Hope this helps Tag: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA Game Technologies: DirectX, XNA, XACT, etc.
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    - Where is the PositionColoredNormal Vertex type in XNA? There is no VertexPositionColorNormal in XNA. You can implement your own vertex types though. I'm not sure why they were left out thuogh. It wouldn't be too hard to implement the 7 different basic vertex structures. Tag: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA Game Technologies: DirectX, XNA, XACT, etc.
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    - Rotation help What are you referring to is the gimbal lock effect of using subsequent matrix multiplications to represent rotation. In the common order for rotation combination using this method (YXZ) if you pitch an object such that it is facing straight up, all yaw rotations would become cancelled and you lose a degree of freedom (at that point the only rotations that would affect it's orientation would be pitch and roll). Quaternions are the solution to this problem. Create 2 quaternions, one for each rotation, and use those to generate a final rotation matrix instead. Tag: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA Game Technologies: DirectX, XNA, XACT, etc.
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    - equivalent to progressive mesh XNA has no specific support for progressive meshes, but you can express progressive meshes in XNA using sliding window vertex and index buffers (that you construct yourself). Tag: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA Game Technologies: DirectX, XNA, XACT, etc.
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    - Can I use standard tcp/ip protocol on XBOX360? Hi, I am afraid that at present, MS is restricting access to the network layer in the XBox for security reasons. This may change to some extent over time but it is still not clear how much access MS will allow. Andy Tag: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA Game Technologies: DirectX, XNA, XACT, etc.
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    - ResourceManagementMode & LoadGraphicsContent As far as I know, ResourceManagementMode only applies to the types mentioned under the "See Also" section in the docs: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.xna.framework.graphics.resourcemanagementmode.aspx I would suspect that they are all automatic by default when loaded by your game's ContentManager. Tag: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA Game Technologies: DirectX, XNA, XACT, etc.
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    - Rotating a 2d sprite Ggcourtois wrote: Hey all, I would like to know if it is possible to rotate a 2d sprite at a given angle If so, how thanks alot, ggcourtois Code Snippet #region Using Statements using System; using System.Collections.Generic; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Audio; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Content; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Graphics; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Input; using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Storage; #endregion namespace ClickMove { /// <summary> /// This is the main type for your game /// </summary> public class Game1 : Microsoft.Xna.Framework. Game { GraphicsDeviceManager graphics; ContentManager content; Texture2D defaultTexture; SpriteBatch defaultSpriteBatch; float angle;//<---------------------------** //to track click MouseState lastMouseState; public Game1() { graphics = new GraphicsDeviceManager ( this ); IsMouseVisible = true ; content = new ContentManager (Services); } /// <summary> /// Allows the game to perform any initialization it needs to before starting to run. /// This is where it can query for any required services and load any non-graphic /// related content. Calling base.Initialize will enumerate through any components /// and initialize them as well. /// </summary> protected override void Initialize() { // TODO: Add your initialization logic here lastMouseState = Mouse .GetState(); base .Initialize(); } /// <summary> /// Load your graphics content. If loadAllContent is true, you should /// load content from both ResourceManagementMode pools. Otherwise, just /// load ResourceManagementMode.Manual content. /// </summary> /// <param name="loadAllContent"> Which type of content to load. </param> protected override void LoadGraphicsContent( bool loadAllContent) { if (loadAllContent) { // TODO: Load any ResourceManagementMode.Automatic content defaultTexture = content.Load< Texture2D >( "happy" ); } // TODO: Load any ResourceManagementMode.Manual content defaultSpriteBatch = new SpriteBatch (graphics.GraphicsDevice); } /// <summary> /// Unload your graphics content. If unloadAllContent is true, you should /// unload content from both ResourceManagementMode pools. Otherwise, just /// unload ResourceManagementMode.Manual content. Manual content will get /// Disposed by the GraphicsDevice during a Reset. /// </summary> /// <param name="unloadAllContent"> Which type of content to unload. </param> protected override void UnloadGraphicsContent( bool unloadAllContent) { if (unloadAllContent == true ) { content.Unload(); } } /// <summary> /// Allows the game to run logic such as updating the world, /// checking for collisions, gathering input and playing audio. /// </summary> /// <param name="gameTime"> Provides a snapshot of timing values. </param> protected override void Update( GameTime gameTime) { MouseState currentMouseState = Mouse .GetState(); // Allows the default game to exit on Xbox 360 and Windows if ( Keyboard .GetState().IsKeyDown( Keys .Escape)) this .Exit(); angle += 0.01f; // ****************SOME animation lastMouseState = Mouse .GetState(); base .Update(gameTime); } /// <summary> /// This is called when the game should draw itself. /// </summary> /// <param name="gameTime"> Provides a snapshot of timing values. </param> protected override void Draw( GameTime gameTime) { graphics.GraphicsDevice.Clear( Color .CornflowerBlue); defaultSpriteBatch.Begin(); /// angle in radians and the new Vector2(16,16) mean that the center of rotation is at the center of the sprite, because my sprite is a 32x32 sqare defaultSpriteBatch.Draw(defaultTexture, new Rectangle (50, 50, 32, 32), null , Color .White, angle, new Vector2 (16,16), SpriteEffects .None, 0.0f); defaultSpriteBatch.End(); base .Draw(gameTime); } } } Tag: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA Game Technologies: DirectX, XNA, XACT, etc.
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    - Private Network Functionality with XNA There is a current system built, you need to use the system.net classes from the .net framework. Tag: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA Game Technologies: DirectX, XNA, XACT, etc.
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    - Multiuser games? I doubt there is one available now, its very new and no one would have had the chance to build an MMOG! You could be the first to try :) I believe its possible. Tag: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA Game Technologies: DirectX, XNA, XACT, etc.
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    - Sprite Blitting question - Wondering if this is still a problem when the sprite isn't moving, do you still get the weird outline If you put a breakpoint before going to the next frame, do you see the outline If no to both questions, then I guess your sprite was "jittering" between different coordinates because of how the numbers are rounded to integers. Tag: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA Game Technologies: DirectX, XNA, XACT, etc.
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    - 2d resets with nuclex fonts? Here's their solution to a possible problem you are experiencing: http://www.nuclex.org/node/180. Hope that helps you out. Tag: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA Game Technologies: DirectX, XNA, XACT, etc.
  - 8
    - Could C# be the future of gaming? For now, at least, no; C# as well as Managed DirectX still have a hurdles to get over (IMO). The language is still relatively new, developers are still learning the ins and outs and how to push applications developed in C# to the limit. In my opinion, although I love C# and swear by it, the professional community is and will be very reluctant to drop C++ for a newcomer such as C#, especially considering its lack of cross platform abilities. Tag: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA Game Technologies: DirectX, XNA, XACT, etc.
  - 9
    - XNA Quake bin release 2 It just launches an exception when I try to run the .exe Perhaps you're missing a few files, or redistributables And frankly, I'm not too interested in Quake XNA if we don't have access to the source code. I mean, I come here to learn, and usually through example. I'm not interested in merely playing a game :\ And jah congrats on porting Quake over to XNA :) Tag: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA Game Technologies: DirectX, XNA, XACT, etc.
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    - RocketCommanderXNA Mouse Issue I also found this, the reason is that there is no mouse "Click" logic on the main menu screen. "\GameScreens\MainMenu.cs" As a save there are hot-key's set up for the menu "// Hotkeys, M=Mission, H=Highscores, C=Credits, Esc=Quit" You can code the mouse click yourself as the hover logic is there, just add OR logic to the hot key's code. Rgds Darkside Tag: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA Game Technologies: DirectX, XNA, XACT, etc.
  - 11
    - Static properties for nonstatic member variables? the way static properties work in .net is that they belong to the one global/static instance of that type. if you don't specify that the class is a "static class", then you can also create instances of that class ... all of which can access that static property. If one of those instances changes the static property, they all see the same changed value. Tag: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA Game Technologies: DirectX, XNA, XACT, etc.
  - 12
    - Building XACT project has failed error when building Spacewar Tutorial in documentation got some bug...maybe there's a problem: when loading settings, wave bank, and save bank...that's not really true that you should give same name as project and different extension. From my experience...(hour to solve this one). project will build into and create names it have in properties(default for audioEngine is sound, not your project's name) To make it clear - do everything as in tutorial, do not change anything in properties in Xact:...and change...this one: audioEngine = new AudioEngine("Content\\Audio\\MyGameAudio.xgs"); waveBank = new WaveBank(audioEngine, "Content\\Audio\\Wave Bank.xwb"); soundBank = new SoundBank(audioEngine, "Content\\Audio\\Sound Bank.xsb"); to this one: audioEngine = new AudioEngine("Content\\Audio\\sound.xgs"); waveBank = new WaveBank(audioEngine, "Content\\Audio\\Wave Bank.xwb"); soundBank = new SoundBank(audioEngine, "Content\\Audio\\Sound Bank.xsb"); EDIT: OH...my gosh...I wrote all this...but you were talking about Spacewar starter kit...sh.t. EDIT2: What you got in Output window Tag: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA Game Technologies: DirectX, XNA, XACT, etc.
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    - multistream rendering problem solved, had to change "TEXCOORD0", to "TEXCOORD", Tag: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA Game Technologies: DirectX, XNA, XACT, etc.
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    - ID3D10Effect::Get**() - what happens when handle isn't found?? In the D3D10 the effect framework every get method will always return a valid pointer and never NULL. But you have already recognized this. When I say valid pointer this means only that you can call methods without getting access violations or other exceptions. The object behind the pointer could still be invalid. Therefore you need to check this with a call to the IsValid method that every interface contains. Tag: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA Game Technologies: DirectX, XNA, XACT, etc.
  - 15
    - Video/Animation Playback Moved to XNA Framework forum Tag: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA Game Technologies: DirectX, XNA, XACT, etc.
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    - Surface.GetGraphics() in WindowsMobile.DirectX.Direct3D always throw an exception 9 Enable unmanaged debugging, and crank up the D3D debug level slider in the DirectX control panel. Then run your app under the debugger, you should see an error message from D3D9 saying why it is considering the call invalid. Tag: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA Game Technologies: DirectX, XNA, XACT, etc.

AerosolBeard

Hi

I recently attempted to use XACT for a 2d game using C++, and i got an error when loading the global settings file, which i never managed to debug and so used a different audio API instead.

Now i am coding audio for a 3D game using XNA and C#, the same thing happens when i attempt to load the xgs file. However it throws a much more helpful sounding Exception: "XACT could not load the data provided. Make sure you are using the correct version of the XACT tool."

I have checked that i have the most up to date, december 2006 version of XACT. I heard that only the august 2006 version of the actual creation tool works with XNA, is this true it seems a bit silly if it is, does it mean i have to use the august 06 version of DirectX if i want to use XNA properly
Is there anyway of just downloading august 2006 version of XACT without reinstalling the whole SDK

Also does anyone know if is there any plans in giving XACT anywhere near half the useful features that DirectSound has

Thanks :)

Re: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA

Joel Martinez

I'm not sure about the versions of XACT that come with the SDK, but I know that the version of XACT that comes with XNA Game Studio express works just fine for me. Perhaps you could give that a shot

Re: Game Technologies: Audio / XACT XACT with XNA

Brian MS

A very important point about XACT is that you should always use the tool version that matches the run-time version. So, if you are using GSE, you need to use the version of the XACT GUI tool that came with GSE.

-Brian