Big things are made of little things. Making things at all takes tools. We all know it is not the chisel that creates the sculpture, but the hand that guides it. Still, having a pointy chisel is probably better to break the rock than your hand.
In this article, I'll enumerate the software tools that I use to put together various parts of my software. I learned about these tools by reading sites like this one, so feel free to contribute your own. I learned how to use them by setting a small goal for myself and figuring out whether or not the tool could help me achieve it. Some made the cut. Some did not. Some may be good for you. Others may be good for you.
A good developer (or shop) uses the tools of others as needed, and develops their own tools for the rest. The tools listed here are specifically software that is available "off the shelf". I did not list a logging framework (because I use my own) or a unit test framework (more complex discussion here) or other "tools" that I have picked up over the years and use to optimize my work flow.
I once played with Blender, the fabulous open-source 3-D rendering tool. It has about a million "knobs" on it. Using it, I realized I was easily overwhelmed by it, but I also realized that my tools could easily overwhelm somebody else if they were unfamiliar with them and did not take the time to figure out how to get the most out of them.
The point of all this is that every solid developer I know figures out the tools to use in their kit and tries to get the most out of them. Not all hammers fit in all hands, though.
5 Nov 2014: Initial Release
In this article, I'll enumerate the software tools that I use to put together various parts of my software. I learned about these tools by reading sites like this one, so feel free to contribute your own. I learned how to use them by setting a small goal for myself and figuring out whether or not the tool could help me achieve it. Some made the cut. Some did not. Some may be good for you. Others may be good for you.
Software Tools
| # | Name | Used For | Cost | Link | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cocos2d-x | C++ Graphical Framework | Free | www.cocos2d-x.org | Has lots of stuff out of the box and a relatively light learning curve. We haven't used it cross-platform (yet) but many have before us, so no worries. |
| 2 | Box2D | 2-D Physics | Free | www.box2d.org | No longer the default for cocos2d-x :( but still present in the framework. I still prefer it over Chipmunk. Now you know at least two to try... |
| 3 | Gimp | Bitmap Graphics Editor | Free | www.gimp.org | Above our heads but has uses for slicing, dicing, and mutilating images. Great for doing backgrounds. |
| 4 | Inkscape | Vector Graphics Editor | Free | www.inkscape.org | Our favorite tool for creating vector graphics. We still suck at it, but at least the tool doesn't fight us. |
| 5 | Paper | Graphics Editor (iPad) | ~$10 | App Store | This is an incredible sketching tool. We use it to generate graphics, spitball ideas for presentations, and create one-offs for posts. |
| 6 | Spine | Skeletal Animation | ~$100 | www.esotericsoftware.com | I *wish* I had enough imagination to get more out of this incredible tool. |
| 7 | Physics Editor | See Notes | $20 | www.codeandweb.com | Creates data to turn images into data that Box2D can use. Has some annoyances but very solid on the whole. |
| 8 | Texture Packer | See Notes | $40 | www.codeandweb.com | Puts images together into a single file so that you can batch them as sprites. |
| 9 | Python | Scripting Language | Free | www.python.org | At some point you will need a scripting language to automate something in your build chain. We use python. You can use whatever you like. |
| 10 | Enterprise Architect | UML Diagrams | ~$130-$200 | www.sparxsystems.com | You probably won't need this but we use it to create more sophisticated diagrams when needed. We're not hard core on UML, but we are serious about ideas and a picture is worth a thousand words. |
| 11 | Reflector | See Notes | ~$15 | Mac App Store | This tool lets you show your iDevice screen on your Mac. Which is handy for screen captures without the (very slow) simulator. |
| 12 | XCode | IDE | Free | Mac App Store | Cocos2d-x works in multiple IDEs. We are a Mac/Windows shop. Game stuff is on iPads, so we use XCode. Use what works best for you. |
| 13 | Glyph Designer | See Notes | $40 | www.71squared.com | Creates bitmapped fonts with data. Seamless integration with Cocos2d-x. Handy when you have a lot of changing text to render. |
| 14 | Particle Designer | See Notes | $60 | www.71squared.com | Helps you design the parameters for particle emitter effects. Not sure if we need it for our stuff but we have used these effects before and may again. Be sure to block out two hours of time...the temptation to tweak is incredible. |
| 15 | Sound Bible | See Notes | Free | www.soundbible.com | Great place to find sound clips. Usually the license is just attribution, which is a great karmic bond. |
| 16 | Tiled QT | See Notes | Free | www.mapeditor.org | A 2-D map editor. Cocos2d-x has import mechanisms for it. I haven't needed it, but it can be used for tile/orthogonal map games. May get some use yet. |
Conclusion
A good developer (or shop) uses the tools of others as needed, and develops their own tools for the rest. The tools listed here are specifically software that is available "off the shelf". I did not list a logging framework (because I use my own) or a unit test framework (more complex discussion here) or other "tools" that I have picked up over the years and use to optimize my work flow.
I once played with Blender, the fabulous open-source 3-D rendering tool. It has about a million "knobs" on it. Using it, I realized I was easily overwhelmed by it, but I also realized that my tools could easily overwhelm somebody else if they were unfamiliar with them and did not take the time to figure out how to get the most out of them.
The point of all this is that every solid developer I know figures out the tools to use in their kit and tries to get the most out of them. Not all hammers fit in all hands, though.
Article Update Log
5 Nov 2014: Initial Release