Well… This is more of an opinion thing, I wanna get as much as possible before deciding.
Basically, I’ve been using a little combination of Panda3D built-in functions (such as Collision Solids and Pushers) and my own manually coded stuff (such as movement and jumping)
But lately, I’ve been chancing across more of the built-in functions, which seem to do the same thing as my manually coded stuff, such as Intervals (for movement).
So I would just like to ask, which do you think I should choose? Or at least, which do you prefer? Built-in functions? Or manual coding?
Sometime the Panda3D functions are simply convenience functions, code that someone else has already written and you don’t have to write yourself. But more often, the functions provided by Panda3D are implemented internally in C++ (such as most intervals), and are therefore somewhat faster than the equivalent functions you would write yourself in Python.
On the other hand, intervals will be more limited than whatever function you write yourself to do movement.
So, it comes down to a case-by-case basis. If you know of a Panda3D function that will do the task you require, and you don’t need to make any compromises to use it, I suggest you do. It also has the advantage that it will make your code a little more readable to someone else who is also familiar with Panda3D, because there’s a little bit less new code they will have to understand.
But if the Panda3D function in question doesn’t precisely fit your needs, then it may be a harder choice.