The assets keyword¶

The assets keywords provides methods for loading game assets such as textures and sounds. The filename structure can be either absolute, or relative (comared to the main game.lua).



assets.load_audio(file)¶

Use this method to load audio files. The file formats supported by this method are WAV, MP3 and FLAC. For best results encode in 44,000kHz and in Stereo. The return type of this method is an Asset Object Type that should be stored somewhere so that you can use it. Here is an eample of how to use this method:

sound1 = assets.load_audio('audio/track1.mp3')

In future versions the ability to load other sample rates will be implemented.



assets.load_shader(vert_file, frag_file)¶

Use this method to load a a shader program. You should pass it a filename for a vertex shader, and another for a fragment shader. The return type of this method is an Asset Object Type that should be stored somewhere so that you can use it. Here’s an example of how to do it:

shader1 = assets.load_shader('shaders/vertex.glsl', 'shaders/fragment.glsl')

Xentu supports shaders written in GSLS compatible with OpenGL ES 3.2. Lets take a look at how a basic monochrome shader filter could be written. First the vertex shader:

#version 330

in vec3 i_position;
in vec2 i_texcoord;
in vec4 i_color;

uniform mat4 u_MVP;

out vec2 v_TexCoord;
out vec4 v_Color;

void main()
{
    gl_Position = u_MVP * vec4(i_position, 1.0);
    v_TexCoord = i_texcoord;
    v_Color = i_color;
}

Next the fragment shader:

#version 330

in vec2 v_TexCoord;
in vec4 v_Color;

uniform sampler2D u_Texture;

out vec4 frag_colour;

void main()
{
    vec4 color = texture(u_Texture, v_TexCoord) * v_Color;
    frag_colour = vec4(color.r, color.r, color.r, color.a);
}

You can not currently pass extra information into a shader, however this is something that will be added in a very near future build.



assets.load_texture(texture_file, color_mode, wrap_mode)¶

Use this method to load a texture. This method allows you to specify color mode, and a wrap mode (of which both arguments are optional). The file formats supported by this method are the same that are supported by the stb_image library (JPG, PNG, TGA, BMP, GIF, HDR). The return type of this method is an Asset Object Type that should be stored somewhere so that you can use it. Here is an example of how to use the method:

texture1 = assets.load_texture('texture1.png', TX_RGBA, TX_REPEAT)

The currently available color modes are:

  • TX_RED - For 8bit red channel only.

  • TX_RGB - For 8bit RGB colour without an alpha channel.

  • TX_RGBA - For 8bit RGB colour with an alpha channel.

The currently available wrap modes are:

  • TX_REPEAT - The default mode.

  • TX_CLAMP_TO_EDGE - A mode of clamping to the edge resulting in a stretched edge pattern.

  • TX_CLAMP_TO_BORDER - A mode force clamping the image to the border.

More modes (such as compressed variants of color modes) will become available as development on the engine progresses. Feel free to make a feature request if one you need is currently not provided.



assets.load_spritemap(json_file, format)¶

A SpriteMap is a loaded resource used as an information source for the Font and Sprite structs. It provides a map for a texture letting the engine know where named regions are. This method allows you to load those files from various compatible formats. The return type of this method is an Class Object Type that should be stored somewhere so that you can use it. Here is how to use it:

spriteMap1 = assets.load_spritemap('texture1_sprites.json', SM_DEFAULT)

The second argument is optional and specifies the format. Here is a list of format codes that you can provide it:

  • SM_DEFAULT - The built in JSON format, created using a not yet released SpriteMap tool.

  • SM_ASESPRITE - Reads a spritemap from a JSON file genereated by the app Aseeprite.

  • SM_TEXPACK - Reads a spritemap from a JSON file genereated by the app TexturePacker.

For more information about how to use a sprite map once loaded, please see this page.



assets.load_tilemap(tmx_file)¶

A tile map is a complex object made up of tile set’s (similar to sprite map’s), properties, and a collection of layers of either objects or arranged tiles that can be drawn onto the screen. The return type of this method is an Class Object Type that should be stored somewhere so that you can use it.

Here is an example of how to load a tilemap:

tilemap = assets.load_tilemap('level1.tmx')

When you call this function the tile map will be loaded, along with any associated tile set’s and textures. For more information check out The TileMap class