Hey guys! Ever wondered how to make a 3D game using Scratch? Well, you're in the right place! Today, we're diving deep into the awesome tutorial by oscscratchsc, breaking it down step by step so you can create your own stunning 3D world. Scratch is an amazing platform for beginners to get into coding and game development, and this tutorial will show you just how powerful it can be.

Introduction to 3D Game Development in Scratch

So, you want to create a 3D game? Awesome! The world of three-dimensional game development might seem intimidating, but with Scratch, it becomes surprisingly accessible. This section will introduce you to the basics and explain why oscscratchsc's tutorial is a fantastic starting point. We'll cover the fundamental concepts, the necessary tools within Scratch, and how they come together to simulate a 3D environment. Forget complicated coding languages for now; we're keeping it visual and fun! First, let's understand what 3D game development really means. In a 2D game, you typically have characters and objects moving along the X and Y axes – left, right, up, and down. But in a 3D game, we introduce the Z-axis, which represents depth. This added dimension creates a sense of perspective and realism, making the game world more immersive. To achieve this in Scratch, we use clever techniques to simulate depth, such as scaling objects to appear closer or farther away. Oscscratchsc's tutorial excels because it simplifies these techniques, making them easy to grasp even if you're new to coding. You don't need to be a math whiz or a coding guru. The tutorial breaks down the process into manageable steps, ensuring that you understand each concept before moving on. One of the key elements is the use of projections. Projections are methods used to represent a 3D object on a 2D screen. Think of it like taking a photo of a 3D object – the photo is a 2D representation of something that exists in three dimensions. In Scratch, we use mathematical formulas to project 3D coordinates onto the 2D screen, giving the illusion of depth. Another important aspect is perspective. Perspective refers to how objects appear smaller as they move farther away from the viewer. This is a crucial visual cue that our brains use to perceive depth. In Scratch, we can simulate perspective by adjusting the size of sprites based on their distance from the camera. The farther away an object is, the smaller we make it. This creates a convincing illusion of depth. The tutorial also covers movement and control. In a 3D game, players need to be able to move around the environment freely. This involves translating player input (like pressing arrow keys) into movement along the X, Y, and Z axes. Oscscratchsc's tutorial provides clear instructions on how to implement movement controls, ensuring that your game feels intuitive and responsive. And let's not forget about collision detection. Collision detection is the process of determining when two objects in the game world are touching. This is essential for creating realistic interactions, such as preventing the player from walking through walls or triggering events when the player interacts with an object. In Scratch, we can use the "touching" block to detect collisions and respond accordingly. So, why choose Scratch for 3D game development? Scratch is designed to be beginner-friendly, with a drag-and-drop interface and a wealth of pre-built blocks. This makes it easy to experiment and learn without getting bogged down in complex syntax. Plus, Scratch has a vibrant online community where you can share your projects, get feedback, and learn from others. Oscscratchsc's tutorial leverages the strengths of Scratch to provide a smooth and enjoyable learning experience. By the end of this tutorial, you'll have a solid understanding of the principles behind 3D game development and the skills to create your own amazing 3D worlds in Scratch. So, grab your mouse, open up Scratch, and let's get started!

Setting Up Your Scratch Project

Alright, let's get our hands dirty and start setting up our Scratch project! First things first, you'll need to open up Scratch. You can either use the online version or the desktop application – whichever you prefer. Once you've got Scratch open, create a new project. Now, let's talk about the essential elements we need to set up. We'll start by deleting the default cat sprite (sorry, cat!). We won't be needing it for our 3D game. Instead, we'll be creating our own sprites to represent the objects in our 3D world. The first thing we're going to do is creating a new sprite that will serve as our player. Click on the "Choose a Sprite" button and either select a sprite from the library or draw your own. For simplicity, you can start with a basic shape like a square or a circle. Name this sprite "Player". Next, we need to create a few variables. Variables are used to store data that can change during the game. In our case, we'll need variables to store the player's X, Y, and Z coordinates, as well as the player's rotation. Go to the "Variables" category and create the following variables: playerX, playerY, playerZ, and playerRotation. These variables will be used to keep track of the player's position and orientation in the 3D world. Now, let's set up the initial values for these variables. When the game starts, we want the player to be positioned at the center of the screen, with no rotation. To do this, we'll use the "when green flag clicked" block from the "Events" category. Drag this block onto the scripting area. Then, from the "Variables" category, drag four "set [variable] to [value]" blocks inside the "when green flag clicked" block. Set the values as follows:

• set playerX to 0
• set playerY to 0
• set playerZ to 0
• set playerRotation to 0

These initial values will ensure that the player starts at the center of the screen with no rotation. Next, we need to create a custom block to handle the 3D projection. Custom blocks allow us to encapsulate a set of instructions into a single block, making our code more organized and reusable. Go to the "My Blocks" category and click on "Make a Block". Name the block "update3D" and click "OK". This will create a new block definition in the scripting area. Inside the "update3D" block definition, we'll add the code that performs the 3D projection. This code will take the player's 3D coordinates and rotation as input and calculate the corresponding 2D coordinates and size that should be displayed on the screen. This is where the magic happens! We'll be using mathematical formulas to project the 3D coordinates onto the 2D screen, creating the illusion of depth and perspective. We'll also be adjusting the size of the player sprite based on its distance from the camera, making it appear smaller as it moves farther away. This is a crucial step in creating a convincing 3D effect. Once you've defined the "update3D" block, you'll need to call it repeatedly to update the player's position and appearance on the screen. To do this, use the "forever" block from the "Control" category and place the "update3D" block inside it. This will ensure that the player's position and appearance are updated continuously, creating a smooth and responsive 3D effect. And that's it! You've successfully set up your Scratch project for 3D game development. You've created the player sprite, defined the necessary variables, and created a custom block to handle the 3D projection. Now you're ready to start adding the code that will bring your 3D world to life. In the next section, we'll dive deeper into the mathematical formulas behind the 3D projection and show you how to implement them in Scratch. Get ready to unleash your inner mathematician!

Implementing 3D Projection

Okay, folks, buckle up! We're about to dive into the math behind 3D projection. Don't worry, we'll keep it as simple as possible. The goal here is to translate those 3D coordinates (X, Y, Z) into 2D screen coordinates (X, Y) that Scratch can understand. Plus, we'll adjust the size of the sprites to simulate depth. Remember that custom block we created, update3D? That's where all the magic happens. Inside this block, we'll perform the calculations to project the 3D coordinates onto the 2D screen. First, we need to take into account the player's rotation. We'll use trigonometric functions (sin and cos) to rotate the player's coordinates around the Y-axis. This will allow the player to look around the 3D world. Here's the basic formula for rotating a point (x, z) around the Y-axis by an angle theta:

x' = x * cos(theta) - z * sin(theta)
z' = x * sin(theta) + z * cos(theta)

In Scratch, we can use the sin and cos blocks from the "Operators" category to calculate these values. Make sure to convert the angle from degrees to radians before using the trigonometric functions. To do this, multiply the angle by pi / 180. Once we've rotated the coordinates, we need to project them onto the 2D screen. The simplest way to do this is to use a perspective projection. In a perspective projection, objects appear smaller as they move farther away from the viewer. This is a crucial visual cue that our brains use to perceive depth. The basic formula for a perspective projection is:

x_screen = x / z
y_screen = y / z
size = 1 / z

In Scratch, we can use the division operator to calculate these values. The x_screen and y_screen values represent the 2D coordinates of the projected point, while the size value represents the scale factor that should be applied to the sprite. To make the game more visually appealing, we can add a field of view (FOV). The FOV determines how wide the player's view is. A wider FOV will make the game world appear more distorted, while a narrower FOV will make it appear more zoomed in. To incorporate the FOV into the projection, we can multiply the x_screen and y_screen values by the FOV. This will effectively scale the projected coordinates, making the game world appear wider or narrower. Here's the updated formula:

x_screen = x / z * FOV
y_screen = y / z * FOV
size = 1 / z

In Scratch, you can create a variable called FOV and set it to a desired value (e.g., 100). Then, use the multiplication operator to multiply the x_screen and y_screen values by the FOV variable. Finally, we need to set the sprite's position and size based on the projected coordinates and scale factor. Use the "set x to" and "set y to" blocks from the "Motion" category to set the sprite's position to x_screen and y_screen, respectively. Use the "set size to" block from the "Looks" category to set the sprite's size to size * 100. Multiplying the size value by 100 will convert it to a percentage, which is what the "set size to" block expects. And that's it! You've successfully implemented 3D projection in Scratch. You've learned how to rotate 3D coordinates, project them onto the 2D screen, and adjust the sprite's size to simulate depth. Now you can create your own amazing 3D worlds in Scratch. Remember to experiment with different values for the FOV variable to find the FOV that works best for your game. You can also try adding more advanced features, such as texture mapping and lighting, to make your game even more visually appealing. So, go forth and create! The world of 3D game development in Scratch is waiting for you.

Adding Movement and Controls

Alright, now that we've got the 3D projection sorted out, let's add some movement and controls to our game! What's a game if you can't move around, right? We need to make it so the player can move forward, backward, left, and right, and maybe even jump! First, let's handle the forward and backward movement. We'll use the arrow keys for this. When the up arrow key is pressed, the player should move forward. When the down arrow key is pressed, the player should move backward. To do this, we'll use the "when key pressed" block from the "Events" category. Drag two of these blocks onto the scripting area. Set one to "up arrow" and the other to "down arrow". Inside the "when up arrow key pressed" block, we'll add code to move the player forward. To move the player forward, we need to increase the player's playerZ coordinate. However, we also need to take into account the player's rotation. If the player is rotated, moving forward should move the player in the direction they are facing. To do this, we'll use trigonometric functions again. We'll calculate the change in playerX and playerZ based on the player's rotation and add these changes to the player's coordinates. Here's the code:

change playerX by sin(playerRotation) * movementSpeed
change playerZ by cos(playerRotation) * movementSpeed

In Scratch, you can use the "change [variable] by [value]" block from the "Variables" category to change the player's coordinates. Create a variable called movementSpeed and set it to a desired value (e.g., 5). Then, use the sin and cos blocks from the "Operators" category to calculate the change in playerX and playerZ. Inside the "when down arrow key pressed" block, we'll add code to move the player backward. This is similar to moving forward, but we'll subtract the changes in playerX and playerZ from the player's coordinates. Here's the code:

change playerX by -sin(playerRotation) * movementSpeed
change playerZ by -cos(playerRotation) * movementSpeed

Next, let's handle the left and right movement. We'll use the left and right arrow keys for this. When the left arrow key is pressed, the player should rotate to the left. When the right arrow key is pressed, the player should rotate to the right. To do this, we'll use the "when key pressed" block again. Drag two more of these blocks onto the scripting area. Set one to "left arrow" and the other to "right arrow". Inside the "when left arrow key pressed" block, we'll add code to rotate the player to the left. To rotate the player, we need to decrease the player's playerRotation variable. Here's the code:

change playerRotation by -rotationSpeed

In Scratch, you can create a variable called rotationSpeed and set it to a desired value (e.g., 3). Then, use the "change [variable] by [value]" block from the "Variables" category to change the player's playerRotation variable. Inside the "when right arrow key pressed" block, we'll add code to rotate the player to the right. This is similar to rotating to the left, but we'll increase the player's playerRotation variable. Here's the code:

change playerRotation by rotationSpeed

And that's it! You've successfully added movement and controls to your 3D game in Scratch. You can now move the player forward, backward, left, and right using the arrow keys. Remember to adjust the movementSpeed and rotationSpeed variables to find the values that work best for your game. You can also try adding more advanced movement features, such as jumping and crouching, to make your game even more engaging. So, go forth and create! The world of 3D game development in Scratch is waiting for you to explore it.

Conclusion

And there you have it! You've successfully learned how to create a 3D game in Scratch, inspired by oscscratchsc's awesome tutorial. You've covered the basics of 3D projection, implemented movement and controls, and now you're ready to build your own immersive 3D worlds. Remember, the key to mastering game development is practice and experimentation. Don't be afraid to try new things, break the rules, and push the boundaries of what's possible. The more you experiment, the more you'll learn, and the more amazing your games will become. Scratch is a fantastic platform for learning the fundamentals of coding and game development. It's easy to use, visually appealing, and has a vibrant online community where you can share your projects, get feedback, and learn from others. So, take advantage of all that Scratch has to offer and let your creativity soar. Whether you're creating a simple 3D maze or a complex open-world adventure, the possibilities are endless. And who knows, maybe one day you'll be the one creating the tutorials that inspire others to follow in your footsteps. So, go forth and create! The world of 3D game development in Scratch is waiting for you to make your mark.