[Released] Modular Building System (Realtime/InGame building system)

Should be in the next few days but as i add more stuff i keep having "Ideas" lol, and so more keeps getting added.

Doors and Windows are added, just working on the prop placement. Once that's done, the RTS + HUD example will be complete. Then i will make the FPS version which will be faster then i can release the update.

Will keep you all updated so check back soon.

Cheers,
Lee.

 

Hey, how's it going? Any updates?

 

Update coming very soon, just finishing off the prop placement tool. You can set whether the Props should be placeable on Floors, Walls or Ceilings in the inspector, plus you can also change the grid snap size just as with the other items. It's taken me a little longer than i expected but i am nearly there now, had to do a fair bit of debugging etc. Should be in next couple of days then i can start the networking examples.

I will probably start posting more updates on here just so you guys know I've not gone off grid or anything xD

 

Yeah, too many developers disappearing these days so would be nice to have a hello once in a while.

Thanks for the update!

 

Btw, also working with this dude Adam Stockton on integrating his modular pack into the system aswell.

 

Okay, now I am worried. lol

How difficult will it be for us to integrate a modular pack into the Modular Building System? I was hoping it was something easy that we could do ourselves. While Adam's stuff looks great, it is not what I need in my game.

 

Hey don't worry! What i meant was, i am going to make an example scene using this pack, it is additional to the other stuff i am doing.

You can use any modular 3d mesh pack you like.

As i have said before you can simplay change the meshes in the inspector , i am just doing an example scene showing it is possible etc.

All is well!

 

I've decided to release the next update without the prop tool as it is taking me a bit longer than i expected.

There is a lot of new scripts tho and two new example files plus a load more prefabs.

I'll update you all once it's gone live.

Prop tool will be in the update after that.

 

Looks good!

Rather than have walls in ours, I would like to place prefabs of building sections, such as a main house, then an addition, etc. Will this be possible or do I have to just put in separate walls?

 

This can definitely be done

 

Saving locally and a server the objects/locations/rotations via a (sql, php/web) or reading xml to download to clients for a network would be key, losing all their hard work after would be a bit of a nightmare

 

Hows things going?

 

Hey dude all is going good just bug testing the prop tool to make sure all is well then I'll update the package. Then i will start on sorting out these example scenes I've been promising everyone.

Sorry for taking my time with this but i wanted to get all the tools done before i started the examples because then i wont have to do backwards updates on the example scenes adding in the extra tools as i come up with them.

Here's a quick vid:

Thanks to everyone for your support, your examples scenes will be coming soon

 

Sounds good. Looking forward to this update I can get a video of my game out once implemented then. Keep up the good work!

 

BTW Teilia, i actually have spoken to 3dforge and he has been kind enough to give me a free copy of his modular building packs. I wanted to speak a bit more in depth as my last reply to you was quite short.

As you are probably aware the 3dforge publisher of the interior and exterior packs is soon to release his blueprint system where users can submit blueprints of buildings they've created and others can download them saving them lots of time having to do it by hand. Of course many would prefer original building layouts but for smaller buildings there is pretty much a limit on the amount of possible combinations so i think it's a good thing.

After going through the pack i realized it's not especially suited to my system since it's more optimized, where ever he could he's removed polygons which doesn't matter when placed together because you can't see it but if you were to try placing them in game it would have holes and would look like something is wrong

Which is why I'm glad to say i will be using his packs but as you have requested make the buildings preset building layouts where players then place those on the ground and afterwards place items inside the building to customize it.

Then to add the final touch the fence and wall tool wil allow them to place a boundary around their house and of course they will also be able to place other stuff like barrels, market stalls and lampost etc.

I hope that better answers your question.

 

Sounds good.

However, a few requests...Allow us to make our own preset building layouts so that we can have buildings that are not all exactly the as anyone else using your system.

Also, rather than entire presets, what about a basic house, and then an add-on addition, maybe a way to add a second story, or change the roof. So not each wall like you do it, but in modular blocks/pieces.

I have talked to Cobus about possibly making the modular bits in Maya so they are one solid house, rather than all the pieces, which might solve the problem you have with the holes.

Can these be done? I don't have the desire to let players build their homes brick by brick, wall by wall, or whatever, so making modular prefabs seems the best way to go.

I just want a lot of versatility, since I may be using my own models for some of our cultures and not Cobus' so prefer to have a system that is easy to modify rather than set in stone based on the few layouts you give us. If we can build our own, I can make my models to suit your layout system.

 

I'll be using the same concept based on what the player has in their bank/credits will determine what they can build... eg.. small shack, medium cabin, single level house, two storey house, block of flats, that sort of thing, then using the prop tool to add items to the building such as exterior lighting, trees etc. It would be good if a player can have a plot of land that only he/she can build on and how many props they are allowed to place within that area.. there would be a major overhead if you allowed a player to placed 200 props within the players plot of land.. maybe specify a radius distance between each prop and not allow placement if its within the range.

 

This is most certainly doable, i can just modify one of the scripts so you can place modular sections of buildings together.

If you kept parts seperate but just capped the ends so there is no holes, it would then be possible to say use a hammer or other tool to change it to another type of wall by right clicking the hammer on the wall which would bring up a menu and you could then select a new section etc.

Placing pre defined buildings can be done with the prop tool tbh so no need for custom stuff here and yeah then you could also place props as you would like in both of these systems.

Territory system is coming, the are a few ways to implement this. I can just include a prop you can place in your house and it will allow only you to build from that point on, you can do a check on the server to make sure the player can actually build inside this area by spawning a trigger mesh and keep track of who enters and exits, if the players ID matches the one stored on the server it will allow the user to place it or modify etc.

In the system currently there is two collision meshes for objects which you place.

One is the World, this is the one the player interacts with e.g colliding into a wall or door for instance, this is normally more higher poly but can be simple also.

Then the other collider used is the Structure this collider is in a different layer and the player doesn't interact with it, it is used by the building system when placing building sections and props.

For props this can be made bigger than the actual object thus will stop the item being placeble at a greater distance, hope that explains things a bit more!

 

Thanks for the detailed reply. Sounds good

 

Can't wait for the networking part of this asset!
Right now I am trying to network it with Photon and UFPS but things are just becoming a mess! I think I will just wait until the example scene or a tutorial in the next update!
Love the asset though! Keep up the awesome work!

 

NP!

Essentially inside the scripts are some instantiate commands, you just need to convert them to the networking version used by photon which can literally just be changing the included library or prefixing the command with the photon namespace.

Doing it this way will work but will be insecure. What you need to do in your code is check players have the building items before they are placed so you will probably want to use a remote function call, which will act as a request, if the server checks the player and he has the items, you can instantiate it from the server on all clients. That way it will be authoritive and more secure etc. If he/she doesn't have the item then you can just ignore the request or log it in case you want to test for hacking.

If you just want to get it up and running for now tho for internal testing then you can always use the non secure version and convert it later on.

 

Just wanted to report a bug on the asset! It seems when I place stairs down it will not allow me to walk up them.
I am using UFPS.

 

its not a bug
http://answers.unity3d.com/questions/39385/character-motor-wont-go-up-stairs.html

 

I used to get around a player going up stairs by creating an invisible mesh slope.

 

Can any one help me?
I can't seem to get this Asset to work with RPC's using Photon Networking. When the object is instantiated it keeps instantiating more and more until the game crashes.

 

Hey yeah as Damien pointed out it's probably the slope inclination value needs to be adjusted (or steepness) in the character controller. Edit* unless of course you are using a different mesh that has actual steps in it. In that case, you can either use IK to place the feet but i'm guessing you are using a simple character controller so you can use a different mesh in the mesh collider.

Mmmm? i can't help with this until i get to the PUN example scenes. Clearly something is causing it to trigger more than once so you may have somehow created a weird feedback/cascading loop.

When sending the RPC, inside the RPC function, are you checking to make sure it's the server before sending the instantiate? If not the RPC request may be being sent to all clients and not just the server.

I could help a bit more if i could see the code, feel free to PM me it if you don't want to post it in this public forum.

 

Does anyone have any luck with this RPC issue. Still trying to debug it myself. I successfully stopped the functions to stop being called every frame like before. But still have no luck being able to have other players that join your sever to see your buildings you created or other have created.

 

I've not used photon much yet but i did some googling and it seems it may be to do with the room settings.

"I solved my problem by using customroomproperties to save the current scene info and then load that scene directly after connecting to the room."

Source

Let me know if that helps!

 

Just a quick question, Will there be an update eventually that fully networks this asset of users are building a multiplayer game?

 

There is going to be some example scenes showing how to integrate it with third party networking solutions like photon, bolt, TNet etc

 

Please also make examples for/with unet.

 

Yep will do

 

hey wen every i try the demo scene fps, i just fall thru the world, even added a new terrain, and in a new project

edit! i Fixed that issue, but now the foundation just spawns across the map and wont move and same with the pillars walls just spawn at 0,0,0 and wont move with camera, i tryed on new project and seems ok, i checked all tags and layers seem the same, do u have any ideas? what i can try, thanx again

 

How would i go about intergrating this sysstem to my inventory and craftying systems?? Great asset btw well worth it

 

Hi @ModularTech3D - how far are we on the next release eta? Need to schedule my next bit of work. Would love to start working with the prop tool.

 

still no support?

 

Hey i haven't been checking on here as much lately as there wasn't that much activity, i was just soldiering on with the other features! I always provide support rest assured i just wasn't aware i was needed !

If the props are staying at 0,0,0 it's because the layers need to be setup and configured in the layer matrix.

http://modulartech3d.wikia.com/wiki/Layers_&_Tags

You can find how to set them up in the page linked above.

Sorry for the delay in response, I'll keep this tab open whilst working so i can support you until you get it sorted.

 

Hey! glad you like it, the next update has an inventory, action bar and item system example scene which is complete actually, just finalizing some bits on the prop tool then it's getting released.

If you are using a setup using a Item Class, where you store things like icon, name, description, item type enum etc

all you do is add a variable which stores the Building Module prefabs (ItemWall.prefab, ItemPillar.prefab etc)

Then in your code, probably in your action bar script, when you equip an item, you check what type it is, if it is a building module type object, you then instantiate the ItemWall.prefab or other building modules then it will start working and you can start building.

This is how the new example scene is setup, it also has options for things like creative mode so stacks will not deplete.

As for crafting, i have a crafting menu in my game already and it shouldn't be to hard to add it to the new examples scenes for Modular Building System but that will come in an update after

The way i do it is, create a SchematicDatabase Class, in that you just store which item is created and how many are made... also what items are required, this is just a list of Item IDs which reference the ItemDataBase. You also store how much of each item is needed. Then create a UI element for the Crafting Menu and when starting the level you just populate it by looping through the schematic database objects etc.

This code should give you a basic idea of what i tried to explain above

Code (CSharp):

1. using UnityEngine;
2. using System.Collections;
3.  
4. public class Item {
5.  
6.    string itemName;
7.    int itemID;
8.  
9.    string itemDesc;
10.  
11.    int itemStackCount;
12.    int itemStackMax;
13.  
14.     //assetts
15.     Sprite itemIcon;
16.     bool itemIconDraw;
17.     string itemIconFP;
18.  
19.    GameObject itemPrefab;  // ItemWall.prefab etc.. instantiated upon equipping.
20.  
21.    bool itemEquipable;
22.  
23.    ItemType itemType;
24.    enum ItemType {
25.         Weapon,
26.         Consumable,
27.         Resource,
28.         BuildingModule,
29.     }
30.  
31. }

Let me know if that helps and if you wouldn't mind taking the time to give the asset an honest review and rating on the asset store that would be great.

Thanks.

 

Very soon, just finalizing some bits on the prop tool then it's getting released, should take about a week to get reviewed so I'd expect within the next 1-2 weeks.

 

@ModularTech3D - great thanks for the update.

 

Hey did you get this sorted? I'd appreciate it once you get it sorted if you could rectify your review and rating on the asset store please...

 

did u update the broken demo? nope?
ppl need to know what they are buying

 

The setup guide tells you what tags you need and how to setup the layer matrix. This isn't something that i can export in the package easily but I'm working on it.

If you see this post you will see that layer matrix is exclusive per project so i can't export it with the package, hence why there is a link to the wikia page where it shows you how to setup the layer matrix and what tags you will need.

Link

So, it is not broken, it is something that is down to unity... As i said tho i am looking into it and am trying to find a way around this issue.

The other thing is that plenty of people don't like to import project settings anyway, as it can screw with your own project settings.

 

Also did you see the post where i actually gave you support? Have you tried it yet?

 

Honestly, I think this project wasn't ready to publish. This is why I am waiting and hoping that it will become more usable. The reviews sort of speak for themselves. I hope you get it working with Unity so it is usable. The community needs an asset like this and I think if it were finished, it would probably be very popular.

 

If you can get updates out as and when they are ready, such as the prop tool, then work on the networking examples after. This would help. Yeah its an early version, so code cleanup can be done in a later release as it evolves, and to improve on things that need it, without breaking the mould if you can help it. I really like this asset and have yet to review it once the Prop Tool and networking examples are there. I agree with Teila it needs more work, but from what I can see in the previous posts its being worked on, but release it in stages to keep your existing customer base sweet and encourage future sales as at the moment screenshots are something we can't get our hands on If anything it will take the pressure off you.

 

I'm sorry you feel this way, but i have to say that i think the issue is down to the user currently. They expect it to work straight out of the box and it's kinda not possible, it takes a little bit of setting up which isn't hard because there is a guide. It's the same with any assets.

If i buy an asset and can't work it out, i view the read me and go on the forums and find the guides.

I don't however get in a mood and rate people down because i am too lazy to do this.

I am thinking of ways to make it easier to use for those who aren't as experienced using Unity since 99% of people who bought it say they love it but i think that's because they are more experienced and actually were able to use their intelligence and view the read me and setup guides...

In coding and game developement, you can't expect asset developers to support you all the time for free, but yet i have said i will make extra example scenes for people but i am just getting attacked so it makes me wonder should i even bother?

 

hey its nothing personal i rated based the initial version, im sure once you update and get some more tutorials out your asset will become very popular, and of course ill re-rate... i've been looking for a system like this for a very long time, yours is very close to being perfect.

Lol above i know your talking about me, u seem to be very pissed? and the very first thing i done was follow the 1 tutorial u have on your website about tags and layers, even the physic layers i changed.

Most assets work out of the box and i expected this one to be no different, especially since its an expensive asset. I look forward to future updates, and thanx for making this system.

 

I'm not speaking about anyone specific, it's just I've seen similar things happen to other people's assets through no fault of their own. The problem is, people who buy it and like it don't often rate, so when someone who has trouble setting it up rate it down it has a very big impact on the rating which isn't a true reflection of the asset.

For instance, you didn't rate the asset until i hadn't gotten back to you, then you went to the asset, rated it down and said that people shouldn't bother as i offer no support. You also said the scenes are broken which they aren't, you just have to setup the layers which isn't something i can export with the package. Which is why there is a setup guide, this is standard practice with all assets which is why when people complain they are wrong because it is beyond the control of the asset coder. If there is a way to get around this i am all ears but for the most part, layers are limited, if i tried to automate the process, it may conflict with layers that are already setup in a given project and cause a game dev way more stress than having to setup some layer manually. This is why when importing packages you must be careful that any imported settings aren't going to overwrite any important project settings that you already have setup.

I've been supporting people who asked for support out of my own time for free, I take feature and example scene requests, none of which i have to do.

So I'm sorry i didn't respond to you instantly, the forum activity died down and i had mainly been checking my email and checking the forum less. If it was an email i would have gotten back to you quicker. Before the issue with you i have responded to people on time, this is really just a freak event tbh.

About the price, other people have said that $50 is a good price, i actually asked people's opinions on price before the asset went on sale, they said i could charge more when there is more example scenes but i wont be doing this, all future updates are free.

So to conclude, i offer free support, free updates, free feature requests. Only a small percentage of customers have asked for support when setting this up.

So to me it seems a little unfair that it only takes 2 people to lower my rating to 2, considering 95% of people didn't ask for support.

Not pissed, more like confused...

 

@ModularTech3D,

Please don't take what I said personally. My comments were only because I really like the idea of your product and want to see it advance and succeed.

I meant no disrespect at all but $50 is a lot of money for an asset that "feels" unfinished just from reading the forums. The support you give is not free. When you ask people to pay money for something the support is considered part of what they pay for here. Realize that the higher you price something, the more support people will expect and the more updates they will expect. This is why so many price low and then raise higher later.

I also realize how frustrating this must be to see people downrate your product when you were more than willing to help, but customer service is probably as important as the product. That means staying calm and collected even if you are rated unfairly. Probably not a good idea to argue publicly with users.

My concerns about this product come from a personal discussion I had with a user of this asset, one whom I trust and who is a good developer, not from the comments here.

Oh, and get some of those 95% to review you as well as post here. That would help a lot.