Data Explorer

Module description

Data Explorer manages all the resources : import, create, delete resources and publish project for the different supported platforms. it also provides a source control management for the ShiVa Advanced version.

Overview :


Use the root folder to quickly access to the 10 last opened files and to a project notes :

Menus description

File Menu

Open : Open the selection with the dedicated editor module.
Rename : Rename the current selection. You can't rename a resource currently in-use.
Duplicate : Duplicate the current selection with a new name.
Delete : Delete the current selection. The resource dependencies are not deleted.

Display Menu

Thumbnail : Display the resources as miniatures, pictures or large icons according to their type.
Details : Display the detail of the resources : name, size, modification date and a description if available.
Sort by name, type, size, date, description: Sort the list of resources.
Refresh : Force the refresh of the current folder content.
Generate all missing thumbnails : Generate all missing thumbnails if resources allow it.

Folder options : displays the resource folders in alphabetical order and a file count.
The eye icon indicates that the folder visibility state in the Data Explorer. Clicking on this icon will change it.

Create Menu

Game : (cf game concept)
Scene : (cf scene concept)
Plugin : (cf plugin concept)
Model : (cf model concept)
Resource : (cf resources concept)

Import Menu

Scene : Import objects as Scene -> Go.
Model : Import objects as Model -> Go.
AnimClip : Import an animation -> Go.
Movie : Import a video -> Go.
Sound : Import audio file as sound -> Go.
Music : Import audio file as music -> Go.
Texture : Import an image -> Go.
Archive : Import a set of resources from a St archive -> Go.

Menu Export

Export Game : Export the selected Game -> Go.
Export selection : Export selected resources -> Go.
Profiles : Manage export profiles -> Go.

Menu Tools

Import from libray : Import the content of a library archive in your project.
Add to libray : Add an archive (.ste) to your library to be able to use it in any of your project.
To manually add ste files to the library, locate the Data\Library from the ShiVa Editor installation and copy files here, usually C:\Program Files\Stonetrip\ShiVa Editor\Data\Library.
The Library files are available from every project created with ShiVa Editor.

Create database : Create a new workspace with a selection of files
Synchronize selection with database : Synchronise the selection with the shared base workspace.
Synchronize with database : Synchronise the whole project with the work base.

The fast filter

The fast filter is a quick search tool that filter on resources name.

example:
A filter 'for' will only display resources containing 'for' in their name.

Import a Scene

A scene is a collection of models and simple objects that can be loaded by the engine at runtime.



Select a collada file. This file have to be in a path without spaces.

- Scale : Apply a uniform scale on each objects.
- Convert from Z to Y up axis: For 3dsMax users, change the pivot orientation to match with ShiVa's one.

- Import meshes, materials, cameras, lights,vertex color : ShiVa will import these properties if they are correctly provided by your DCC tool
- Animations : Create an Animbank and animClip

- Prefix all : Add a prefix on each ressource name.
- Scene name : The scene name.
- Tag objects : rename your object in your DCC tools like ( myTag_xxx), input "myTag_" and ShiVa will auto add a tag on each object named myTag_xxx

Import a Model

A model can be instanciated in a scene manually or in script using the scene.createRuntimeObject function.



Select a collada file. This file have to be in a path without space:

- Import meshes, materials : ShiVa will import these properties if they are correctly provided by your DCC tool
- Animations : Create an Animbank and an animClip

- Prefix all : Add a prefix on each ressource name.
- Scene name : The scene name.

- Skeleton Transform : Apply a rotation,scale, translation on the skeleton

Import an AnimClip

An animClip contains TRS information of an animation and can be applied on various object.



Use the same rotation and scale parameters as those used in your model import if you want the animClip to match with your model.

Import a Movie

To import a movie, select a valid file: .avi, .mpg.
You can resize the movie.
You can resample and change channel count (stereo, mono) to reduce file size.
You can choose a compression level quality for movie and sound between 0 and 10. 5 is the default value.

Import Sound, Music

Sounds are punctual and should be shorter than 10 secondes for performance purpose, music are bigger files.
At runtime, musics are streamed, sounds are entirely loaded.

To import a music or a sound, select a valid file: .wav, mp3, etc...
You can resample and change channel count (stereo, mono) to reduce file size.
You can choose a compression level quality between 0 and 10. 5 is the default value.

3D sound spacialisation need a mono sound.

Import a Texture

To import a texture, you have to select a valid file: .tga, jpg, etc...
You can resize the texture to reduce file size.
A high quality normal map is not compressed, a better result but a larger size in memory.

Import an Archive

To import an Archive, you have to select a valid archive(.ste).

Global import behaviour

Before overwriting your resources, ShiVa Editor will ask you...
Select 'No' to overwrite anything; 'Yes' to overwrite selected items.

Profiles

Dedicated for multi-platform game creation, profiles are used to prepare all the resources for the seletected platform targets. You can force the maximum size, compression for the exported texture.
Only exported resources will be modified according to the target settings. Edition version of the resources will remains unchanged.

Once created, the profile will be available in the export windows.

Export Selection

Right click on any resource > Add to export
You can continue to browse folders in the Data Explorer to drag'n'drop some other resources into this window .

Click on Export to continue the export process.

Export

Separate files : use this option to clean a project, only files used will be exported.

Edition Archive : like the separate files option but the export will produce a single file( zip style )

Runtime Package : with the profile chooser on the right, create a runtime package (stk) to be used with the Authoring Tool or as-is using the ShiVa Players.

Runtime Package ( + cpp source) : with also the profile chooser on the right, create an assets only ( ie without script ) runtime file, the scripts will be exported as separate files and converted into C++ to be used with the Authoring Tool.

Library

Library contains library archive which are edition archive. Library archives contain re-usable generic resources such as the HLD collection, reflector plane, tweener functions, light sets...



Make your own library archive and add it in your library to reuse it in any other project.

Source control management

Feature available in Advanced version only

Setup the connection to your Source control manager :
Open the settings in ShiVa : Main > Settings > Source control tab.


For SVN, the server must indicate the full SVN path to the folder where the project will be. If your current project is named 'WonderfulProject' and your server address is 'svn://192.168.1.15/AllMyProjects', the Games folder of your project will be checked in 'svn://192.168.1.15/AllMyProjects/WonderfulProject/Games'. The 'autolock' option allows to automatically lock a file.

Create a new project in your source control manager (SCM)

Create a new project in the dialog from ShiVa Menu > Main > Projects.
Then, checkin your new project in your SCM : DataExplorer Menu > Tools > Checkin project to repository.
You can change the name under which the project will appear in the SCM.

If you enter 'MarvelousProject', the Games folder of your project locally named 'WonderfulProject' will be checked in 'svn://192.168.1.15/AllMyProjects/MarvelousProject/Games'. The DataExplorer root will change from WonderfulProject to WonderfulProject[MarvelousProject]. That means that your local project 'WonderfulProject' is now linked to the SCM folder 'MarvelousProject'.

Retrieve a project from your source control manager (SCM)

Create a new project in the dialog from ShiVa Menu > Main > Projects (The project can be named differently than the project on the SCM).
Then, checkout the project form your SCM : DataExplorer Menu > Tools > Checkout project from repository.

The DataExplorer root will change from 'MyNewProject' to MyNewProject[MarvelousProject]. That means that your local project 'MyNewProject' is now linked to the SCM folder 'MarvelousProject'.

Synchronise your local project with the SCM repository

This dialog presents the overall status of your local project.
'Outgoing files' contains the files modified locally and that need to be checked in the SCM repository.
'Incoming files' contains the files other users have modified in the remote SCM repository.
You can use filters to display only desired files. In that case, only displayed files will be taken into account by the synchronization process (even if you select file before enabling a filter).
the file is locally new (not present in the repository yet).
the file has been locally modified.
the file is locally deleted (but still present in the repository).
the file has been locally modified but, meanwhile, has been modified in the repository by other users. If you select the outgoing file, it will replace the remote version. Note: in this version, it's not possible to merge local changes and remote changes. You either overwrite remote changes with your local changes or overwrite your local changes with remote changes (see below).
the file has been added to the repository.
the file has changed in the repository.
the file was deleted from the repository.
the file has been locally modified but, meanwhile, has been modified in the repository by other users. If you select the incoming file, it will overwrite your local file (your local changes will be lost and replaced by the incoming file).

Manage locked files

This dialog allows you to see all locked files (including files locked by other users) and allows you to unlock the files you have locked. There are two ways to lock a file:

Manually, by right clicking on the file and selecting the 'Version control > Lock' option.

Automatically, when you modify and save the file. Automatic mode works only if you have checked the 'Autolock on editing' option. This option is available in the 'Settings' dialog (Main > Settings > Source control tab).
A locked file can be modified only by the user that locked it. If, in Shiva Editor, another user tries to modify a file already locked by you, the editor tells him that the file is locked (warning in the Log Reporter) and prevents him from checking this file in the repository until you release the lock.
There are two ways to unlock a file:
• Automatically, when you checkin the locked file in the repository. • Manually by clicking on the 'Lock icon' in the dialog or by right clicking on the file and selecting the 'Version control > Unlock' option. Warning: if 'Autolock on editing' option is checked, the file will autolock again if you modify and save it.

Project and files revision

You can list all the revisions of your project using DataExplorer Menu > Tools > Checkout project from repository. To retrieve a revision, select the revision and click on 'Get revision'. It will overwrite all the files of your project : your local changes will be lost and replaced by the incoming files.

You can list all the revisions of a file by right clicking on it in the DataExplorer list and select 'Version control > Show history'. To retrieve a revision, select the revision and click on 'Get revision'. It will overwrite it: your local changes will be lost and replaced by the incoming file.

Right clic

cf menu description

Special actions :

On a game : Export Game

On a texture :
- Open, open the texture using the system file association
- Create > Streamable Data -> cf DDZ resource

On a set of texture :
- Create > Texture Clip -> cf Texture Clip ressource