Hola a todos! (Hi to everyone!)
I’m the everlasting n00b coming all the way from Argentina (Yes, it’s as sad as you can imagine) to ask you a few questions, since six days ago I didn’t know neither Python, Panda nor Blender 
(Although I know some C++, 3DMax and GameMaker 3D from another experiment)
I’m making a game in the spirit of Final Fantasy Tactics with mechs like those in Front Mission III. It looks like this after five days of coding and modeling (Those models aren’t the real ones, I’m not THAT cheap ):
Well, this are my questions:
-My camera controlling code looks like this:
camera.py:
from pandac.PandaModules import *
from direct.task import Task #Task Manager
class Camera: #Camera class, controls the point of view
def __init__(self): #Start & setup the camera
base.disableMouse() #Disable the default camera
base.camLens.setNearFar(.2, 1000) #Set the clipping distance
self.floater = NodePath(PandaNode("floater")) #Make a reference point
self.floater.setPos( 0, 0, 0) #Set its position
self.floater.setHpr(0, -30, 0) #and its orientation
self.floater.reparentTo(render) #Parent it to Render
camera.setPos(0, -30, 7) #Set the camera's position
camera.setHpr(0, -15, 0) #and orientation
camera.reparentTo(self.floater) #Parent it to the reference point
taskMgr.add(self.cam_Update, "Cam_Update") #Add the camera update task
self.center = None #Make a epicenter
taskMgr.add(self.MouseInput, "MouseInput") #Add the Mouse Input task
taskMgr.add(self.cam_Update, "cam_Update") #Add the Camera Update task
def MouseInput(self, task): #Mouse Task
if base.mouseWatcherNode.hasMouse(): #If the mouse is reachable
mpos = base.mouseWatcherNode.getMouse() #Get mouse coordinates
if mpos.getX() > 0.8: #If the mouse is near the right edge of the screen
if -0.7 < mpos.getY() < 0.7: #But not in the corners
self.cameraTurn(-5) #Make the camera rotate 5 degrees to the left
elif mpos.getX() < -0.8: #If the mouse is near the left edge of the screen
if -0.7 < mpos.getY() < 0.7: #But not in the corners
self.cameraTurn(5) #Make the camera rotate 5 degrees to the right
if mpos.getY() > 0.8: #If the mouse is near the upper edge of the screen
if -0.7 < mpos.getX() < 0.7: #But not in the corners
self.cameraPitch(-5) #Make the camera rotate 5 degrees up
elif mpos.getY() < -0.8: #If the mouse is near the downer edge of the screen
if -0.7 < mpos.getX() < 0.7: #But not in the corners
self.cameraPitch(5) #Make the camera rotate 5 degrees down
return Task.cont #Loop It
def cameraTurn(self, dir): #Turn the camera
self.floater.setH(self.floater, dir) #Change the reference point orientation
def cameraZoom(self, dir): #Zoom the camera
distvec = self.floater.getPos() - camera.getPos() #Calculate a vector in between the camera and the reference point
print "Dist: %5.2f" % distvec.length()
print "Dir: %2.2f" % dir
if dir * 5 < distvec.length() < 100: #If the distance between them is valid
self.floater.setZ(self.floater, dir / 5) #Lower the reference point
camera.setY(camera, dir) #Move the camera
elif dir <= dir * 5: #If the distance is smaller than 5 times the amount passed
camera.setY(distvec.length()) #Stop the zoom
elif dir >= 100: #If the distance is larger than 100
camera.setY(distvec.length()) #Stop the zoom
def cameraPitch(self,dir): #Pitch the camera
if self.floater.getP() > -60: #If the pitch angle is bigger than -60 degrees
if dir < 0: #and the passed amount is negative
self.floater.setP(self.floater, dir) #Set the reference point's pitch
if self.floater.getP() < 0: #If the pitch angle is smaller than 0 degrees
if dir > 0: #and the passed amount is positive
self.floater.setP(self.floater, dir) #Set the reference point's pitch
def cam_Update(self, Task): #Update camera task
if self.center != None: #If there's a center
self.floater.setPos(self.center.getX(), self.center.getY(), self.center.getZ() + 4) #Set the reference point's position to it's coordinates plus 4 in the Z axis
base.camera.lookAt(self.floater) #Make the camera look at the reference point
if self.floater.getR() <= 0: self.floater.setR(0) #Make a negative roll positive
return Task.cont # Loop it… The problems are two, one that when I have some pitch and I try to turn, my camera takes the pitch in consideration and after some turning I see the other side of the terrain, and the other that my zooming control isn’t working like it should, when I start the game the camera appears too close to the floater, when I zoom in the floater flips 180 degrees making the camera go the wrong way and if I zoom out totally and then try to zoom in it breaks and I end up seeing the terrain from above without any posibilities of zooming.
My second question is regarding my skysphere.
The code to set it is:
self.skymap = loader.loadModel("skymap")
self.skymap.reparentTo(camera)
self.skymap.setEffect(CompassEffect.make(render))
self.skymap.setBin('background', 0)
self.skymap.setDepthWrite(False) and the sphere looks like this:
I tried calculating the normals inside (And in Blender, looking at the sphere showed me the other side of it, the texture showed too (Not very good because of the default light source)…
What can I do? 
And my last question is:
This is my random terrain generator:
def Generate_Terrain(self): #Generate Random Terrain
self.heightmap = [] #Create an empty array
for xc in range(size):
self.heightmap.append([]) #Fill the array with empty arrays
for yc in range(size):
if random.random() > wet: #If a random number is greater than the wetness coeficient
if random.random() > hill: #If a random number is greater than the hillness coeficient
self.heightmap[xc].append(random.randint(1, max)) #Make the height in that place positive and smaller than the max
else: #Else
self.heightmap[xc].append(random.randint(1, 2)) #Make the height in that place 1 or 2 for flatter land
else: #Else
self.heightmap[xc].append(random.randint(min, 0)) #Make the height in that place negative and bigger than the min(wet (0 < x < 1) , hill (0 < x < 1) and size (2**x + 1) are consts defined in another file.
I’m not happy with the results, my terrains look like a sieve with no flat patches of terrain
And yes, with that heightmap, later I make my tiles like this:
def Load_Terrain(self): #Create Terrain
self.Generate_Terrain() #Generate a heightmap
self.m_terrain = [] #Create an empty array
for xc in range(size):
self.m_terrain.append([]) #Fill the array with empty arrays
for yc in range(size):
if self.heightmap[xc][yc] > 0: #If the height is positive
self.m_terrain[xc].append(loader.loadModelCopy("T_Grass")) #Create a patch of grass
self.m_terrain[xc][yc].setPos(size * border - xc * border, size * border - yc * border, 0) #Set it to its position
self.m_terrain[xc][yc].setSz(self.heightmap[xc][yc] * 10) #Make it taller
if self.heightmap[xc][yc] <= 0: #If the height is negative
self.m_terrain[xc].append(loader.loadModelCopy("T_Water")) #Create a pond
self.m_terrain[xc][yc].setPos(size * border - xc * border, size * border - yc * border, -.1) #Set it to its position
self.m_terrain[xc][yc].setSz(1) #Make it thiner
self.Cpicker.makePickable(self.m_terrain[xc][yc]) #Either way, make it pickable
self.m_terrain[xc][yc].reparentTo(render)#And reparent it to renderSorry to bother you and I hope that you can help me (Whoever you might be),
Thanks a lot,
{} {} }{
PS: Yes, I comment my code line by line and in english
