AckStudio IDE

Hi folks,

During my development of Portico, I "noticed" that programming with SED is quite a pain in the behind. Especially if you have been working with Visual Studio before, you just miss out on all the fun programming can be.

In a quest to make a VS Plugin I slowly realized that a plugin would not offer all the functions that would make a nice 3DGS IDE.

So I set out to make my own IDE.



Here's a preliminary list of features, feel free to add ideas:

• Project Management
• Manipulation of functions, actions, panels, views(...) with the property grid
• A Panel editor
• A Shader/Material Editor
• A smallweight Image editor so you don't have to start up Photoshop for every small change.
• Level and Model viewer (using the C# Wrapper)
• Intellisense clone dubbed "AckSense", with all the comfort of the big brother, including SNIPPETS!
• Accurate Syntax Highlighting.
• Easy to use Plugin system, so you can add your own Language into the IDE (shaders for example, I suck at them and therefor can't even begin to write a language plugin)

Here some screens:

Looks soooooo great

Great work !

would be definetely usefull,saw this on your blog earlier, any release date?

it looks great and I like the idea behind it, kepp up the good work
I don't use Acknex since A6 but If I'll turn back I'll probably use it when it's out and if it is planned for other users too
spontaneously I don't have any Ideas to add, I think you already have a good collection of features..probably because u've done it while developing your game and had to face the problem how to develop faster your game or code
continue this way and good luck with both projects
bye

not yet, but I'll make a public beta available as soon as I get the Project manager working and the code parser that will "fill up" AckSense.

well in cc++ when u go to make windows project it give u yore first window still does. but something happened no more add in coding for another window when u add one on. that was to be a functionality in visuastudio every time u make a window all you would have to do is link and put it in your accellerator. theres linking,but no actuall link to the window so really it is visuallcc++ though i think it is visuall what. can't compute iter that or i'm illiteret. so really all the functionallity is triall and error u can even take a look at a first window you would make and add it on and name change,number ids,ect i cant even get one to work what am i missing.

what?

lol

I am actually thinking the same thing...I'm sorry(I'm not making jokes), I have no idea what you mean.

Fueled by public exposure I've been improving the script parser and added all engine functions(not variables yet, I have to categorize them manually by var's and strings)

No need to say, the AckSense box looks a lot fuller now and is heaps more helpful:

looks like an excellent tool, especially if you'll be able to pull off all the planned features
Keep it up!

Wow, I love it! How much will this tool cost?

I hope you add customizable colors. That white text on dark background skin is looking damn awful to me :-)

Beside that, make sure that you add all standard features of good text editors. The editor of my choice for Gamestudio projects, ConTEXT is now free & open source and maybe you can have a look at it.

"AckSense" is promising and would be the only reason why I should use this tool. Make sure that you don't add too much fuzz, concentrate on the core components first.

I agree with HeelX. I won't use AckStudio because of those features:



But because of AckSense and a good Project Manager. Maybe for the first release, don't add the features above. (You could also create another version beside express with those features)

If you take a look at the first post, you can see a screen of the options window where you can customize the colors. I just happen to like that color scheme.

And yes, of course, AckSense and the project Manager are my top priority. Just this morning at 4 AM I had an idea how to improve it while I was dreaming, I woke up and implemented it. So you can see how serious I take this



I'm not really sure yet if I'm gonna release it for free or at cost. But if it's gonna be at cost, then it won't be much more than 5 EUR.

Looks like you put alot of effort on this,
sell it for 5eur and dont give any offical support(ofc except for bug reports and help requests in forum -> thats not official support.)

or make it free and put a donate button, im sure there are acknex user out there that would gladly donate 5eur for your project... also people who cant shop online can use your IDE this way.

This looks very great! This would save some time for me!
Waiting for the release.

Some new feature: Add all your 3DGS Installations and choose which one to use to start your project:




Two more things:

I have considered what has been said about price and have come to the conclusion:

There will be the free Express version, but extremely stripped down, no plugin support(ergo 1 version for c-script and 1 for lite-c), full project manager but only the code editor with acksense.

The full version for only 5 EUR will then include the full fledged version with all the Awesome!(TM) features.

Also, I will start a closed beta soon, if there should be no "biggie" problems, I will release a public beta. Although only closed beta candiates will receive the newest updates.

I'll definitely but the full version. Awesome work!

I love your color scheme, mine is similar...I starded working like that when I was in the military(close quarters sleeping arrangements)......
as far as "Context", I know it supports "c" syntax, but what about lite-C...is there a plugin, I could not find one.

i'm not sure I understand what you mean by "context", could you elaborate?

looks awesome.

text highlighting, engine functions and commands...that is all. I have used Context extensively in the past, but not lately...I know it covers a lot of different languages...a lot!...so I was just curious...sorry about the thread jack..I want to try this out soon.

He means the text editor ConTEXT

Two features that would be cool:

1) Generating an installer for the published project with a few clicks.
2) A better publish function than the one that is implemented in Gamestudio (although I don't know if this is possible).

very cool, i will buy it, if you sell it!
I tried to use Acknex with Visual Studio Express c++, but it was not very useful

i also have some requests and feature suggestions, but ill wait for the first release, and planned feature list, then i will make my suggestions.

ah sorry, now I understand, yes of course AckStudio will support lite-c aswell, but I will need someone to write a plugin for it, as I have little to no idea about the lite-c syntax.



Sounds do-able. I'll see what I can do.

To everyone else: thank you so much for all your kind words, that really means a lot!

Just a minor update, I was a bit busy with work.

There are more important features but I'd like to add SVN integration to the wishlist

i was going to request that. (something like sed command help)

Sorry for not reporting anything for so long, but my actual work was keeping me, and I have been working on converting the database from an internal array to a SQL CE database which is faster, more reliable and uses A LOT less memory.

So this is actually no real interesting update, but for the detail geeks you might like to see the new configuration management tool:



also, I kinda changed the "Acknex Configuration" window, easier to use and less prone to bugs.




Well, like I said, most changes took place in the "Backend" area, so there isn't really much new to see. But I guess you'd like to know that the performance has been improved and that it uses less memory than before.

Wow, not sure how I missed this. Looking very promising.
Just on a side note: "This settings should be changed..." should be "These settings should..."
I'm not sure about "break"-ing a program. There must be a better word.

The second screen lets you choose what engine to compile your script with? That's pretty neat.

breaking sounds fine,

i look forward to this, great work so far!

thanks! I didn't notice that typo.

And yes, you can add all the Acknexes you have installed (A5, A6, A7... Pro/Com/Extra/Standart/Litec) and run/compile/build-map depending on which is your current active configuration:

I just finished implementing a rudimentary version of the project manager.

And by rudimentary I mean, load a directory structure and import it in a database to be further handled.

The "further handled" is still subject to completion.

Also I still don't distinguish between file types, so every file right now has the same Icon. (But I already have icons for the different file types ready)

Anyway, I'm just keeping you updated. Here's a screen:

so far looks great!

funtcion and region folding would be great too.

sweet.
will you make sure there's no double-files in there? SED always allowed me to import the same file twice, which I accidentally did once and then I had all files twice cause I wanted to update the folder, but it just imported everything again. Very annoying.
Also, is a function planned that lets you define a sound or bmap or whatever by clicking on the filename on the left (or dragging it into the current script?)

Quick update on file icons:

Hi!

After a long time of silence around AckStudio I am now officially inviting people to sign up for a closed developer beta.

However, there are certain requirements:

- You MUST be able to program C#, the purpose of this beta is to be able to deliver as many 3rd party plug-ins as possible by the release date. (As well as refining the plug-in interface)

- You must be at least 16 years of age!

- Be able to speak the English language

If you meet these requirements and want to participate, please send an eMail to beta.ackstudio@xware-cg.com.

Good news,
I am not so good at C# though. looking forward to the release.

I hope you are going to release it

bumping this project because it's a good one.

Is it still alive?

When is the closed beta finished?
Will it give a public beta?
Is a release insight?
short:
Can you give a update how far you are?

Hope you get it to a release. would like to work with it instead of SED.

muffel

Great Work Michael_Schwarz! Can't wait to see your tool in action!

Me too, hope it is releasing soon.

Seems to be cancelled like all of his other projects. Portico is dead, his blog is dead, he`s developing iPhone apps, think about Ackstudio..
A project just like the 3DGS Easy Scripter which seems to be dead, too.

He doesn't develops iPhone Apps, where did you read that?
And Portico is also not dead, he showed us a nice preview of the project last year in Bielefeld.

I think he builds AckStudio in Minecraft now

That is a pretty grim view

Portico is currently on hold, because I am waiting for some replies from Valve regarding legal issues.

Ackstudio is still being developed, but slowly as I have to work too

But I never developed any iPhone apps, dunno where you heard that

3DGS Easy Scripter isn't dead, I just have a degree to do and so I have higher priorities in life at the moment. Like Michael_Schwarz, I'm still working on it...albeit slowly...

(I just provoked because I wanted to get the status .. I know it`s hard to do some hobby stuff that isn`t always just fun to do).

I`m looking forward to those tools. Thanks for you work.

Good that it's not canceled. Never cancel this. Take your time you need for you and your work family etc, but never cancel it. It seems a realy good project for the 3d GameStudio World Good luck

any news?

AckStudio.
(2009 - 2011)

noo ... please not really ..i just found this (dont know why i didn't found it before ...) and it was looking really great .. what am i telling it is still loking great^^
so please keep it alive i think i'm not the only one who would be happy about it

Kitsu, you could also have a look at liteEditor: http://www.opserver.de/ubb7/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showgallery&Number=370818

how is the status?

I would qwite glady pay 800+ Euro for this tool, I can see it being very benifical for the 3ds community.

From the screenshots ive seen it looks amazing.

Hope this does continue and get released soon. My programming in C# sucks but I still wouldnt mind beta testing this.

We have a fund raiser!

Who is "we"?

The community who supports this project .