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Visual Actions

Discussion in 'Assets and Asset Store' started by Sajid_farooq, Aug 5, 2013.

  1. Sajid_farooq

    Sajid_farooq

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    Version 2.0 is now LIVE!
    https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/#/content/10463

    $10 OFF, PROMOTIONAL PRICE
    A brand new version is now out! VA has been re-architected entirely to now support multiple actions, multiple events, on multiple objects, in any order.
    Visual Actions is a versatile visual coding utility to speed up your development and learning in Unity dramatically. It allows you to choose/explore/discover all available (or even your own) functions in Unity, and fire them at events that you choose, without writing any code. It even shows you the code on the fly if you want to learn how to do it yourself!

    Why should you have to write code just to "call" an action that already exists inside an object (rotate, or setvelocity for example?). Using the power of Reflection, Visual Actions allows you to simply select the object, choose which function you would like to call, even pass in the parameters, and then choose when you want it fired, all in edit mode, without touching code. Now you can make buttons, auto-opening doors, power-ups, or call initialisation routines, without having to litter your project with one-liner scripts.


    Visual Actions also complements other Visual Scripting tools superbly.
    As one reviewer puts it:


    "I often wished for some kind of visual scripting that didn't need all this setting up, that would just fit in with my game logic and my workflow that would save time doing actions that I need to script, but without figuring out a detailed FSM or full scene logic and without a learning curve to understand a pretty detailed visual scripting plugin.
    Then this comes along, absolutely brilliant, grabbed it straight off."
     
    Last edited: Mar 20, 2017
  2. Sajid_farooq

    Sajid_farooq

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    This comes with complete C# source-code, which is particularly instructive for those wanting to know how to use reflection in Unity.
     
  3. Play_Edu

    Play_Edu

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    Great work. it's really time saver. can it's work with play-maker.
     
  4. Sajid_farooq

    Sajid_farooq

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    I'm glad you liked it, and found it useful. :)

    I don't own PlayMaker so I have not checked whether it works with PlayMaker or not. However, if you could let me know what kind of integration you are looking for with PlayMaker, I will look into it.
     
  5. Sajid_farooq

    Sajid_farooq

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    Just squished a bug that would cause Ambiguous matching in method resolution.

    The update should appear on the Asset Store in a few days.
     
  6. sicga123

    sicga123

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    Playmaker does all these actions, that's what it's there for. These visual actions basically make use of methods built into Unity. Playmaker does the same but has embedded all that in a large visual scripting framework, so these visual actions are no use to someone with Playmaker as Playmaker has all that functionality already. They are of great use if you want to do these particular types of action without having to learn playmaker or any of the other visual scripting options, these seem easy and straightforward to use and have already saved me some time.
     
  7. sefou

    sefou

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    Hi Sajidfarooq,

    an feature request : an manager to use multiple Visual Actions for one game object , in chronologic order for example.

    another thought , can we have more doc / tutorials about Component /VisualAction .

    Thanks.
     
    Last edited: Aug 11, 2013
  8. Sajid_farooq

    Sajid_farooq

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    That's actually a very good idea. At the moment, its already possible to attach multiple Visual Actions to a GameObject. However, ordering them is not. It will likely be a complex problem, that may be tackled in a major version increment.

    In the immediate update, my focus is on providing Keyboard-events.
     
  9. Sajid_farooq

    Sajid_farooq

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    Version 1.1 has been submitted to the Asset Store. It should be live soon.

    Meanwhile, as usual, I have sent the updates to existing customers via email. For those customers that have not received the e-mail, kindly e-mail me your invoice number so I can add you to the list and send you the updates right away.

    Kind regards,
    Sajid Farooq

    P.S: The new version adds (among other things) support for Unity 3.5 for backwards compatibility.
     
    Last edited: Aug 13, 2013
  10. Play_Edu

    Play_Edu

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    Hi,
    Thanks for replay.
    I think it's work with get set property.
    Thanks
     
  11. Sajid_farooq

    Sajid_farooq

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    Version 1.1 released!

    Adds keyboard support and is now compatible with older Unity (3.5).

    Keyboard support means now you can create keyboard controllers without having to write code. Completely control your characters on key-presses by drag-and-drop of a simple component.
     
  12. Sajid_farooq

    Sajid_farooq

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    A new version with an increased price (to reflect the added features) will be released soon. Buy it now before the price increases!

    Thanks to everyone who has made Visual Actions a success, be it by purchasing, suggesting enhancements, pointing out bugs, or giving great reviews. I'm glad to report that Visual Actions is consistently among the top 6 products in its category.
     
  13. neoxeo

    neoxeo

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    What are the futur added features ?

    Can you give us more informations ?
     
  14. Sajid_farooq

    Sajid_farooq

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    Certainly.

    Version 1.2:
    ---------------

    • Expanded targets:
      • Application: Now you can perform Application-wide actions (Quit, LoadLevel, CaptureScreenShot etc) without writing code.
      • GameObject Class: Call functions on the GameObject class, such as CreatePrimitive or AddComponent, without code.
      • Object Class: Call functions of the Object class, such as Instantiate or DontDestroyOnLoad, without code.
      • Self: Now object can call actions on themselves without having to explicitly set target to themselves.

    • Frame-rate independence: Continuous events such as hover, or keyboard presses will (optionally) allow you to perform actions (move your character, for example) at the same speed, regardless of how fast/slow the computer/device is. No code required.
    • Support for AudioClips and AnimationClips.

    Future
    ---------

    • Chaining: Allow visual components to be "chained" together like a node-based scripting language, by passing the return value of one visual action to the parameter of another.
    • Wizard: To do lots of set-up automatically, e.g, add scripts that perform long chains without having to explicitly set-up objects.
    • Some super-secret stuff!



    In general, Visual Actions is very useful as a learning-aid for Unity as well: It automatically discovers, and shows you, all the functions that Unity (or other plugins) can perform, and the parameters they require, without having to search the documentation. It was made to allow exploration and experimentation possible, without having to explicitly think about how to implement complex behavior via nodes, or FSMs like other tools.

    I hope that answers your questions, but let me know if you need some more info.
     
    Last edited: Aug 29, 2013
  15. neoxeo

    neoxeo

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    Thank you for this answer.

    A lot of good news !

    Can you confirm me that I can add/use functions for one object without writing code, but the code is available in the script (to adjust some things if it's necessary) ?
     
  16. Sajid_farooq

    Sajid_farooq

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    Visual Actions comes with full source code in C#. You can change it in anyway you like. You can also ask any questions you have about it here, or email me directly for support.
     
  17. neoxeo

    neoxeo

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    Ok.

    If I buy 1.1 now, the upgrade to 1.2 and others versions are free or not ?
     
  18. Sajid_farooq

    Sajid_farooq

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    All updates are free, and I intend to keep it that way.

    If I ever release a version that is not free, I will offer a discount to existing users on upgrading.
     
  19. neoxeo

    neoxeo

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    I think that you will have a new user... (when I will be at home)
     
  20. Sajid_farooq

    Sajid_farooq

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    Remember to add yourself to the updates-list by e-mailing me with your invoice so that you can receive updates to the software immediately rather than having to wait for the Asset Store to approve them.
     
  21. Sajid_farooq

    Sajid_farooq

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    First video-tutorial Posted. "Basic Usage"

     
    Last edited: Aug 31, 2013
  22. neoxeo

    neoxeo

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    I have bought Visual Actions and I'm very happy to have do that.

    This video show the Basic Usage. We can see that Visual Actions is very easy to use and powerfull. We don't see that Visual Actions can also use all functions include in all scripts/plugins attached to the object without write code...

    With 1.2 version and the long todo list, I think that Visual Actions will be a "must to have" for Unity developper.

    Thank you Sajid for this tool and your support (clear and fast).
     
  23. neoxeo

    neoxeo

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    My Todo list :rolleyes:

    Add more "inputs" :
    * for mouse click :
    - add option to select the button (right, left, middle...)
    - add option to select the mousewheel
    * add joystick (buttons, direction)
    * add gyroscope/accelerometer (direction)

    Add more triggers :
    * add OnUpdate
    * add OnFixedUpdate

    Add the possibility to have the C# generated code produce by the call of the functions.
    FSM tools are easy to use, but if you need to modify small things, you havn't code to to do this.
    Visual Actions is already the easiest to use,already powerful tool (detect automatically the component) and better with 1.2 version. With generated code, it will be more than perfect :)
     
  24. Sajid_farooq

    Sajid_farooq

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    I'm very glad you like Visual Actions, and found it easy to use.

    Excellent ideas there. OnUpdate and OnFixedUpdate have already been implemented for version 1.2. Code generation is a very cool idea, though I expect it to come slightly later since there is a large back-log of things to do for this version.

    Will post an update on extra mouse/joystick support soon. :)
     
  25. Venged

    Venged

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    This very nice! Can it Set and Object or Child of an object active or inactive, For example making a gun holster vanish when I go into my archer mode?

    I gotta have this asset.

    Thanks!
     
  26. Sajid_farooq

    Sajid_farooq

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    Absolutely. In fact, its quite easy to do. Just choose the set_active variable of the Transform component from the drop-down list, set it to false, and choose an event where you want it to be fired.
     
    Last edited: Sep 1, 2013
  27. LearningThis

    LearningThis

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    Another vote for C# generated code
     
  28. ZJP

    ZJP

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    Again...
     
  29. Brainswitch

    Brainswitch

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    This is very similar to an in-house thing we are using in our projects. We were thinking of releasing it to the asset store in the not so far future, but since you released this we might not.

    Why would you want C# generated code?
     
  30. Sajid_farooq

    Sajid_farooq

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    This has happened to me several times as well. I guess we all are re-inventing the wheel in-house, until someone realizes the commercial potential and releases. Would love to see how you guys went about it, and what we did differently. :)

    As for C# code, I think a lot of people new to programming want to use it as a learning tool. They would like to be able to do things visually, experimentally, then see how it would look like in code.

    A few more votes, and it looks like I will have to move this feature request up in priority.
     
  31. pixelsteam

    pixelsteam

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    I will be buying this today...exactly what I need.

    On a side note, the link on the asset store to your site is spelled incorrectly so it goes to a 404.

    Once I start playing with this I will have a bunch of questions and ideas....like itween.

    I actually think you have a playmaker killer...(I'm ducking right now from the fanboy rocks...)
     
    Last edited: Sep 2, 2013
  32. Sajid_farooq

    Sajid_farooq

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    Thank you. That is very high praise. Thanks for the heads-up on the broken link.

    You are welcome to ask any questions here, and share any ideas you may have. Some of the best ideas of Visual Actions have come directly from customers. In fact, one customer (Neoxeo) has gone as far as donating some of his own additions to the code after purchase! Those features will be available in version 1.2.

    Some of the features of Version 1.2 (from page 1):

     
  33. pixelsteam

    pixelsteam

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    Bought it today....very please. Where has this been hiding!!
    If itween library could be integrated would be great.

    Also how would I access a custom script.
     
    Last edited: Sep 2, 2013
  34. Sajid_farooq

    Sajid_farooq

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    Since quite a few people have been asking how to access a custom script, I am providing a tutorial:



    The short answer (if you can't/don't want to watch the video) is: You don't have to do anything special. It should just "work". See the video for a demonstration.
     
  35. Sajid_farooq

    Sajid_farooq

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    While VA is already quite well integrated with most scripts, once I am done with releasing version 1.2, I am looking forward to providing some features that will allow easy integration with other extensions. I'm hoping iTweens will be one of those. Keep your fingers crossed. :)
     
  36. Venged

    Venged

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    Does the translate have the ability to take in account delta Time for smooth control?

    Thanks! very excited about this!
     
  37. Venged

    Venged

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    Thanks! I bought the asset on my lunch break and was able to get some things working. I was able to set an object active with a key press.

    I could not find a set inactive in the list. Could you advise me. In the mean time I will make script for that part.

    Thanks

    Robert
     
  38. Sajid_farooq

    Sajid_farooq

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    Yes, that is one of the new features of version 1.2 :)

    Just remove the "tick" from the Set_active checkbox, and it will de-activate automatically.

    I am very glad you liked VA! Don't forget to give a review and rating on the Asset Store!
     
  39. Venged

    Venged

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    I can't find the tick ypu are talking about. I have one visual script that enables a item tha tthe character us carrying when I hit a keyboard key. I tried to add a second one that uses another key to de-activate the object but it does not seem to work. Can you please explain what check box you are referring to?

    Thanks!
     
  40. Sajid_farooq

    Sajid_farooq

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    Have a look at the following screen-shot. The red arrow shows the "tick" that I am referring to. If you set it the same way as the image, it will deactivate "cube" via the "r" key.
    $SetActive.jpg
     
  41. Sajid_farooq

    Sajid_farooq

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    Remember to add yourself to the updates-list by e-mailing me with your invoice. This is so that you can receive updates to the software immediately rather than having to wait for the Asset Store to approve them.
     
  42. Venged

    Venged

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    I did try that check box. I can turn on a disabled object but can't turn it back on. I have two Visual Action scripts attached. One for turning SetActive and one for Not SteActive. I probably just gotta play it some more. I amvery impressed at the time this can save. I wrote a script to do what I wanted so don't feel pressure to respond. I'm gonna be using this tool a lot and look forward to watching it grow.

    Best!
     
  43. Sajid_farooq

    Sajid_farooq

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    Ah, you are probably attaching the activate script to the game-object itsself. Ofcourse, once a gameObject is de-activated, none of the scripts on it will run. So once de-actived, the set_active script wont work!

    The trick is to apply the active/deactive script on an emtpy gameObject (or any other GameObject) and set its target to the GameObject that you want to activate/de-activate. Let me know how that works out.

    Its feedback like yours that lets Visual Actions grow. You are welcome to discuss any problems you have with the tool here. I'm very glad that you are enjoying the tool. Version 1.2 is almost ready for upload to the Asset Store. Keep your fingers crossed :)
     
  44. Sajid_farooq

    Sajid_farooq

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    A quick update, regarding progress on Version 1.2.

    So, from the original list, only frame-rate independence is still TODO. There is also something more, but that will have to wait till the next post. :)
     
    Last edited: Sep 5, 2013
  45. franktinsley

    franktinsley

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    How difficult is it to extend this so I can add new things under "When to perform action:". I'm looking to add support for NGUI's events like OnClick, OnHover, OnScroll, etc. and then events for when tweens start, end, which direction they were playing, etc.
     
  46. Sajid_farooq

    Sajid_farooq

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    Short answer: Very easy.

    Long answer: Though I have not used NGUI specifically, adding your own events to Visual Actions generally requires one line of code. As mentioned previously, a customer (neoxeo) mentioned the need for more events (left/right button, accelerometer etc), and before I could respond, he implemented and donated back the features the very next day!

    Having said that, adding support for custom events without writing code is certainly on my TODO list (along with code-generation, chaining, conditional branching and what-not!). :)
     
  47. franktinsley

    franktinsley

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    That sounds fantastic! I can't wait for those new features!
     
  48. franktinsley

    franktinsley

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    Oh and, think I could trouble you with an example of one of those lines of code that would add a custom event?
     
  49. Sajid_farooq

    Sajid_farooq

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    Definitely. Let me just get over submitting version 1.2 to the asset store in a day or two, which is quite over-due, and I will get back to you.
     
  50. Sajid_farooq

    Sajid_farooq

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    Dissapointingly, my frame-rate independence implementation requires C# 4.0, which Unity doesn't support. I will have to begrudgingly release 1.2 without it, and add that feature in a mini-update soon thereafter.
    Still, good news is that I have managed to top the original list with some more features, which brings the feature list to:

    Expect an Asset Store submission within the next few days.