Share My Creation Scene Editor

Scene Editor is a tool for game developers and game designers to visually design scenes (e.g. different levels of a platform game or different scenes of an adventure game) with identical results to what will be obtained with code, and the ability to simulate object physics using the Box2D engine.

It is planned in the future that this tool will automatically generate code for libGDX, SimpleGameEngine or X2. For now, you must read the file produced by Scene Editor in your application and create the different objects yourself according to the content of the file. Here is a piece of code that will help you read the file in SEL format.

Downloads:
Scene Editor version beta 1.3
AngryBirds example (selz+projects B4A/B4J) v1.1
Bike example (selz+projects B4A/B4J) v1.21
Diktatour example (selz+projects B4A/B4J) v1.3
Documentation (ENG)
Documentation (FR)

Current limitations:
- Export functions are not implemented (except Export as text)
- You cannot change the scene colors for bounding boxes and debug drawings
- No multiselection
- No script

The shape editor for bodies:

The selection tool for animations:

The properties list:

The fixtures editor for bodies:

Scene Editor would not have been possible without these libraries:
- jObservable
- jSimpleGameEngine
- jTableViewExtended
- XUI2D
...and the work of Aurélien Ribon on PhysicsBodyEditor.

 

[Peter Simpson]

Hiya @Informatix,
This looks amazing, really good
I was under the impression that you were talking a bit of time out?

 

[ilan]

WOW @Informatix
it looks amazing! but the best part on it is YOU ARE BACK!
will have a look at it. thank you!

 

[ilan]

ok ok i just tried it out and i am a little bit confused. is it a game editor like a drag and drop editor and then you can export it to a b4a (libgdx) or b4x project?
can we create menu windows? and the whole game whit this tool? something like Buildbox?

i had long time ago the idea to do such a tool. i even discussed it with @andymc and even started the project.

 

[Alberto Iglesias]

Can you send simple examples for B4A and B4i?

Thank you

Alberto Iglesias

 

[Informatix]

Hiya @Informatix,
This looks amazing, really good
I was under the impression that you were talking a bit of time out?

I started this project at least two years ago and, due to time constraints, I have only been able to complete it in recent weeks. There are some things missing that I would have liked to see there but I know I will be too busy in the coming months to make it the tool of my dreams, so I share what has already been done, hoping that it will be useful to someone.

 

[Informatix]

ok ok i just tried it out and i am a little bit confused. is it a game editor like a drag and drop editor and then you can export it to a b4a (libgdx) or b4x project?
can we create menu windows? and the whole game whit this tool? something like Buildbox?

i had long time ago the idea to do such a tool. i even discussed it with @andymc and even started the project.

View attachment 81944

When you want to create an activity for Android or a form with B4J, you use the designer. Then see this tool as a designer for games. The idea is to be able to represent the different parts of the game on the screen, without coding anything, knowing that the result will be similar in the application. It is also to be able to test the physical part with Box2D so that you can make adjustments without waiting until you have coded this part. If you work in a team with someone who is not a programmer, you will quickly understand the usefulness of this tool (it avoids countless and tedious back and forth between someone who works with Photoshop or Tiled, and you the developer).
You can use this tool to design the different levels of a platform game for example (with a background built with Tiled), but also to design an interface or try to find the best way to represent something in the game (for example, I used it to determine how to compose a deck of cards and find the right size for each component of these cards).

 

[Informatix]

Can you send simple examples for B4A and B4i?

Thank you

Alberto Iglesias

I plan to provide an example this week for libGDX (B4A) and SGE (B4J). For X2, on the other hand, I don't plan anything because I don't know this library very well. I tried to use it but it didn't convince me and I dropped it. But if someone is an expert in X2, he can probably build an example from the examples provided for libGDX and SGE and that will teach me how to do.

 

[Jmu5667]

Wow !

 

[Peter Simpson]

I plan to provide an example this week for libGDX (B4A) and SGE (B4J). For X2, on the other hand, I don't plan anything because I don't know this library very well. I tried to use it but it didn't convince me and I dropped it.

@Informatix what exactly didn't you like about this library, lets say compared to LibGDX?
I'm still deliberating with myself which library to go with, why didn't X2 convince you?

 

[Informatix]

@Informatix what exactly didn't you like about this library, lets say compared to LibGDX?
I'm still deliberating with myself which library to go with, why didn't X2 convince you?

I don't think that's the appropriate thread to discuss this. Simply put, I gave up X2 because of a memory problem under Android and the lack of features. But X2 has a huge advantage over other solutions, it is compatible with B4a, B4i and B4j.

 

[Informatix]

I updated SceneEditor, the example and the documentation.

Version beta 1.1:
- I fixed a bug preventing to select some objects in a group after a Box2D simulation;
- I fixed a bug in the rendering of Tiled map objects when the map was rescaled;
- I fixed a bug in the joint editing dialog that did not update the data correctly;
- The viewport is now a property of the scene, which allows you to resize everything by changing its size;
- "Saved!" briefly appears under the FPS stats at the end of a save;
- The asset paths in the SEL files are now relative paths;
- I added a shortcut key (CTRL+O) to show/hide the object window.

I just finished two examples using libGDX. I still have to finish the example using SGE (I will post probably tomorrow).

 

[Informatix]

I added three projects to the AngryBirds example (link in post #1):
- B4A: libGDX + lgBox2D
- B4A: libGDX + XUI2D
- B4J: SGE + XUI2D (this one requires the ArchiverPlusZip lib as it uses a SELZ file)

If you are used to using one of the versions of Box2D, you will not be surprised to see that the result of a simulation differs from one phone to another, from one graphics engine to another... By using XUI2D, you will limit the differences.

 

[Peter Simpson]

Hello @Informatix,
Whe i run the SceneEditor_beta1_1.jar file, it just cashes. I'm running the latest B4J.

Java runtime directories that I have installed are as follows.

C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jre1.8.0_211
C:\Program Files\Java\jre-10.0.2

I just thought that I would let you know.

Thank you...

 

[Hamied Abou Hulaikah]

Looks a great addition toward game development in B4X world
Thank you ..

 

[Informatix]

Hello @Informatix,
Whe i run the SceneEditor_beta1_1.jar file, it just cashes. I'm running the latest B4J.

Java runtime directories that I have installed are as follows.

C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jre1.8.0_211
C:\Program Files\Java\jre-10.0.2

I just thought that I would let you know.

Thank you...

Thanks for the report. I found where's the problem. It's due to two libraries not compatible with JDK 9+. I fixed these issues but I won't release a new version before tomorrow.

 

[Informatix]

I uploaded a new version.

Version beta 1.2:
- I fixed a compatibility issue with recent versions of Java that caused a crash;
- I fixed a bug with the joints when one of the two connected bodies was removed;
- I added the automatic tracer tool in the shape editor (thanks to Aurélien Ribon);
- I replaced the object lists with a single TreeView;
- I added a shortcut key (CTRL+L) to load a scene layout file;
- Objects with the Visible property to False are no longer selectable with the mouse;
- An error message is now displayed in case of a critical error causing a crash (and is saved to disk).

 

[Informatix]

I uploaded a new version.

Version beta 1.21:
- I fixed a bug in the computation of the local anchors of joints (it shifted the rope joint, for example, with each save).

 

[Informatix]

I uploaded a new example: Bike
Inspired by https://www.codeproject.com/Articles/468121/Box2d-vehicles-part-3-bike

 

[Informatix]

I uploaded a new version and a new example (Diktatour, from a real game).

Version beta 1.3:
- I fixed a bug in the TreeView when a group was moved within another group;
- I added the Selectable property to all objects to define whether they can be selected or not with the mouse;
- I changed how objects can be selected (e.g. actors no longer have priority over groups);
- I rewrote the camera code tracking the selected object;
- The size of groups is now saved in the SEL file;
- The CenterMassX and CenterMassY properties now represent the local center expressed in meters;
- The center of mass is displayed on each body when you activate the joint creation mode.

Unless someone shows a real interest in this tool, it will probably be the latest version.