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AtmoWire Exclusive Interview: Steven Licciardi
AtmoWire's latest interview is with Steven Licciardi, the scripting mastermind behind a number of
well known Adobe Atmosphere environments such as Varrentombe and the new Remote Control Cars.
AtmoWire: When did you first discover Adobe Atmosphere, and what exactly was it that
got you interested?
Steven: I got into Atmosphere in a very round about way. I'd been using VRML for
work and thought I would like to try and create a fully chat enabled VRML
world. To do this I set about trying to learn Java, which proved more
difficult than I originally hoped. Anyway while doing this I was always on
the lookout for similar things on the internet, and during one search I
found Atmosphere.
It seemed completely pointless continuing with my VRML
project, given that Atmosphere was already doing it, and a lot better than I
could ever hope to. I remember feeling very disappointed when I first
looked at an Atmosphere world, as I knew I had now lost all motivation to
continue with the VRML stuff (which probably turned out to be a blessing in
disguise).
AtmoWire: What are some of the projects you have worked on in the past?
Which one did you enjoy most, and why?
Steven: Well, I've worked on quite a few smaller projects from the forum, usually
I just scan the forum and if I see something I like the sound of, I'll have
a go at it. But I've done quite a few scripts for George Lippert, of which
I would have to say my favourite was the RCWorld, this is a Remote Control
Car world, which you can see on the Adobe site here:
http://www.adobe.com/products/atmosphere/showcase/
marketing.html.
I'm particularly proud of how I worked out if the car is upside down, which is a
very small thing in the world and not particularly difficult when you figure
it out, but I like it. :-) I went through quite a few bad ideas before I got
to that one.
"I remember feeling very disappointed when I
first looked at
an Atmosphere world, as I knew I had now
lost all motivation to continue with the VRML stuff..."
AtmoWire: As a scripter, how do you feel your work contributes to the creative
development of a project?
Steven: As a scripter I would say that by far the majority of the creativity has
come from the world designer (at least from my perspective). Sometimes I
might be able to see something that may be improved by scripts that the
world designer may not have seen, or be aware is possible. I would say the
creativity of a scripter is not something people normally notice, it comes
in the form of imaginative ways of doing scripts. What would be the most
efficient way of making this work, or even how can I do this at all.
I long ago learned that if I can't calculate a 3D object, I can't draw it.
I have to create 3D models for work, for structural analysis (FEA) reasons,
and I have no problem creating them, the problems arise when I try and draw
something free style, everything comes out skew and distorted, not a pretty
sight. I have therefore limit my 3D drawings to examples only.
AtmoWire: Do you have any wish-list items for future Atmosphere versions?
Steven: A better script editor, there are some major flaws with the current one.
Deleting a line often deletes the first character of the line below, half of
the horizontal scroll bar is missing.
There is no save option, no colouring
of commands, string, variables etc..., no intellisense, if you've ever used
the Visual Studio editor, or some other editors (such as EditPlus),
something along those lines would be ideal.
I'd also like to see an ActiveX or dll that would allow me to create and
display Atmosphere worlds in my own application. Some method of creating
surface objects from my own application would also be a good thing.
AtmoWire: Are you working on any new projects, and can you share some details
with us?
Steven: Not really working on any Atmosphere projects at the moment, kind of got
my hands full trying (very slowly) to get to grips with DirectX in VS.NET.
AtmoWire: If you could work on any project without limitations, what would
your "dream project" be?
Steven: Some kind of simulation I think, car engine perhaps (although I'd have to
research it in more detail first). Actually any kind of detailed mechanical
thing, with lots of moving parts, all synchronised and harmonious, like
clockwork, perhaps even a clock mechanism, yes I think a clock mechanism
would be a good one, although I don't really know how one actually works
properly.
AtmoWire: Do you have any advice for new Atmosphere users?
Steven: Get a BIG book on JavaScript and read it :-), but then I would say that.
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