The Imaginality Module Packer

Introduction

The ModulePacker is where you collect togeather all of your content/media, add the script for interaction etc, try running it and finally submit the module to be published in the Imaginality Access Portal.

How to Install

Click here to download the Module Packer (This link may only work through Internet Explorer). It is deployed as a .NET Clickonce application, so will automatically search for new versions and update itself every few days if an internet connection is present. This ensures you are creating modules that will work with the latest Imaginality Module players.

How to Use

The two most important boxes are the 'Module Script File' and 'Module Media Files'.

Module Script File

Beside 'Module Script File', click on browse, point to your .cs file and click ok. A .cs is a C Sharp (C#) script file - it is a standard text file with script in it that defines what media goes on what paddle, and how the paddles interact. While you can create a .cs file in Notepad or Visual Studio, we highly reccommend you start with a template .cs file:

• To get started, try the sample in 3DSMax04 - Importing content into the ModulePacker and making a Module.
• For more interesting examples, see Code Snippets and Examples.

You can edit the .cs file in the following ways:

• In any text editor like Notepad. When saving, be sure to change 'Save as Type' to 'All Files', or it will save as a .cs.txt file. While this is an option, for ease of use, you probably want to use one of the other ways below.
• In the ModulePacker, click 'edit' and edit it in the simple text editor provided. This is reccommended mostly for reasonably small changes. If you are doing more coding, or want to find new functions etc, the following method will save you a lot of time and confusion.
• In a dedicated IDE (integrated development environment). These are discussed here, along with links to free ones and how to get started using them.

Note, that if you are not editing the .cs in the ModulePacker, then whenever you save changes in your code editor and switch back to the ModulePacker, it should notice there are changes and ask if you want to load these changes into the the script file in the ModulePacker. Therefore, to test your code, it is quite easy to save your code, switch to the ModulePacker, click yes (or hit 'y') and click 'Run' (or hit space (if 'Run' was the last thing you clicked)).

Module Media Files

Click 'Add' to add all of the content/media you plan to use in the module. The Content 'web' of this Wiki is dedicated to how to create content for Imaginality Modules. The Content Overview lists all of the content types that can be used.

Video Demonstration of ModulePacker in Use

Here is a series of Flash Video demonstrations of creating Imaginality content in 3D Studio Max and creating a Imaginality Module from it. Even if you don't use 3D Studio Max, these demonstrations are of use, because they show content being imported into the ModulePacker, scripts being coded and the result being run. They also provide sample files that you can use to re-create what you have seen. These sections are the most useful:

• 3DSMax04 - Importing content into the ModulePacker and making a Module.
• 3DSMax05 - The .cs script template explained in more detail.
• 3DSMax06 - The ModulePacker explained in more detail.
• 3DSMax07 - More things you can do with scripting (scale, rotate, translate, selectable).

-- EricWoods - 21 Apr 2007