Scratch

clintonb · 2010-11-01 23:34:54

Jump here for the announcement of Enchanting 0.2.3 (or read about it on The NXT Step blog).

Jump here for the announcement of Enchanting 0.0.7.

Jump here for the announcement of Enchanting 0.0.4.

---------------

I'd like to introduce a new mod -- Enchanting.

Enchanting, as the video at the website shows, is an editor based on Scratch for programming LEGO Mindstorms NXT robots. It is a very early release right now, really, more of a developer's preview than a useful application, although it does work.

You may be interested in it even if you do not have an NXT. It is possibly to partially run it without installing the LeJOS environment by going into the FrontEnd directory and running EnchantingFE.

Two features that may be of general interest are:

1) Your Scratch-like script can be exported to computer source code. Right now it exports to Java, but you can create your own template and translation files to emit code in the language of your choice. [Write up some code, and choose File -> Export Code. It will save it as a java file, runnable on an NXT with LeJOS installed.]

2) You can export and import your Squeak code to files on the disk, and then put them under a standard version control system. [See this page, which is just a bit dated.] (If you want just the code to do this, give me a head's up and I'll help you out.)

Beyond that, of course, the main feature is that you can program for the NXT!

If any of you talented people would like to help test or code, I'd be thrilled! If anyone would like to use parts of the code, go right ahead.

Last edited by clintonb (2013-02-04 22:24:45)

touch_classroom · 2010-11-02 10:58:26

I don't know the technic part of Enchanting, buy I'd like to help testing. smile

clintonb · 2010-11-02 13:18:58

I'd be happy to have you help out by testing, touch_classroom! I take it you have an NXT. Why don't you see if you have any difficulties installing and running the software, and then, consider joining the e-mail list or e-mailing me.

clintonb · 2010-11-02 15:24:52

With that said, if anyone tries it out and would prefer to leave a comment here than contact me or join the Enchanting mailing list, by all means do so. I plan to check on this thread from time to time.

Lucario621 · 2010-11-02 18:45:33

Wow! This looks VERY impressive!

I have LEGO WeDo, but of course I always thought it was a bit silly we couldn't use Scratch to program it. But I can tell, you put a lot of work to make this possible! Based on the video on the website, it seems to have a lot of well-working features! Sure, some may have been removed, but it's all to make sure it's compatible I think wink .

What would be nice to me, is if there was a way so you could put elements on the Scratch stage as well as interact with the NXT. This way you wouldn't have to remove anything - and you could use the NXT to change things in-game.

Also, I think it might not be helpful for *everybody* that when you press the green flag, it downloads and compiles, but then immediately plays the program. Perhaps you want to wait so you can detach the cables or something.

These are just suggestions though. Tell me what you think smile

fullmoon · 2010-11-02 19:40:11

This looks really, really, cool. I wish I had an NXT kit to try it out. Can't wait to see more of Enchanting!

clintonb · 2010-11-03 10:46:14

Thank you, fullmoon.

Lucario621,

I agree that a method to upload the code without running it would be useful. I'm contemplating making it so you shift-click or right-click on the green flag to do that.

You are aware that you can use LEGO WeDo with Scratch, are you not? From the bottom of the edit menu, choose "Show Motor Blocks" and you'll have a couple of new motion blocks and some new options for the sensor blocks. Take a look at http://info.scratch.mit.edu/WeDo .

I also intend to make it so that you can have a program in Scratch that interacts with your program on the NXT. Specifically, the NXT will act as a remote sensor for Scratch, and Scratch will act as a remote sensor for the NXT; this means that it will be possible to read global variables that the other system is using and send broadcasts between the devices. Beyond that, I want to make it so that you can draw black-and-white sprites that appear on the NXT screen and can move around, just as they do in Scratch. (See http://enchanting.robotclub.ab.ca/Feature+Blueprints )

Thanks for the great suggestions!

Lucario621 · 2010-11-03 21:15:42

clintonb wrote:
Thank you, fullmoon.

Lucario621,

I agree that a method to upload the code without running it would be useful. I'm contemplating making it so you shift-click or right-click on the green flag to do that.

You are aware that you can use LEGO WeDo with Scratch, are you not? From the bottom of the edit menu, choose "Show Motor Blocks" and you'll have a couple of new motion blocks and some new options for the sensor blocks. Take a look at http://info.scratch.mit.edu/WeDo .

I also intend to make it so that you can have a program in Scratch that interacts with your program on the NXT. Specifically, the NXT will act as a remote sensor for Scratch, and Scratch will act as a remote sensor for the NXT; this means that it will be possible to read global variables that the other system is using and send broadcasts between the devices. Beyond that, I want to make it so that you can draw black-and-white sprites that appear on the NXT screen and can move around, just as they do in Scratch. (See http://enchanting.robotclub.ab.ca/Feature+Blueprints )

Thanks for the great suggestions!

Ah, yes I did know how to program LEGO WeDo with Scratch. I worded that extremely badly... I meant to say that I thought it was that you couldn't program LEGO Mindstorms with Scratch.

Anyways, having sprites on the NXT would also be really awesome! Quite a bit of work, I'm wondering how you would add that but... would be a great feature!

Keep up the good work! smile

Billybob-Mario · 2010-11-06 17:02:42

It would be cool if it had all of the normal Scratch things as well as the NXT things.

clintonb · 2010-11-08 09:17:14

Billybob-Mario wrote:
It would be cool if it had all of the normal Scratch things as well as the NXT things.

My intentions in that regard are two-fold:

1) Make it so that Enchanting connects to Scratch via remote sensor connections. (Indeed, if you run Enchanting right now, run Scratch, turn on remote-sensor connections in Scratch, you can send a broadcast from the Enchanting window (not from the robot yet) and it will be picked up and acted upon by Scratch).

2) Make Enchanting into a sort of Scratch For the NXT. I hope to be able to make sprites move around the NXT screen, and to play sounds, and such, and incorporate as many standard Scratch blocks as possible.

: )

Billybob-Mario · 2010-11-08 15:22:45

clintonb wrote:
Billybob-Mario wrote:
It would be cool if it had all of the normal Scratch things as well as the NXT things.
My intentions in that regard are two-fold:

1) Make it so that Enchanting connects to Scratch via remote sensor connections. (Indeed, if you run Enchanting right now, run Scratch, turn on remote-sensor connections in Scratch, you can send a broadcast from the Enchanting window (not from the robot yet) and it will be picked up and acted upon by Scratch).

2) Make Enchanting into a sort of Scratch For the NXT. I hope to be able to make sprites move around the NXT screen, and to play sounds, and such, and incorporate as many standard Scratch blocks as possible.

: )

Why did you get rid of the normal blocks, though?

Maybe the best solution would be to have an NXT object under the stage, and have everything else have normal blocks.

turntechGodhead · 2010-11-08 15:26:38

cool

i wish i had one of those robot things
i would make an rc car

Dymo · 2010-11-11 23:07:13

How did you do this? It must've been hard work digging through all that code.

Sperry · 2010-11-12 05:36:27

Wow! I'm impressed! After watching your video through, I think this is a great project! I have signed up, and I'd love to help test this! I do have a NXT, and I'll admit they are great, but they do lack a good feature like this wink

I can see throught your video that you have spent a while working on this, and it looks great! I'm glad I stumbled across it.

A word of advice to you:
Posting this here, you won't get that much attention from the community, as there are few people here who actually have Mindstorms. Could I suggest posting it here, at a forum called eurobricks. The link will take you straight to their Technic and Midstorms section, where there are plenty of people with Mindstorms and I'm sure would be willing to help there. By the way, it is a lego forum, not Scratch, so you will have to explain what Scratch is to them smile . I do not have an account there, becuase of the fact that you have to be over 18 to register, and I don't want to be told off for making a dodgy account :\ .

I wish you good luck smile

Mcsugarface · 2010-11-14 00:51:10

A Scratch program that works with NXT is cool! big_smile

gog1 · 2010-11-14 01:37:26

i have a nxt 2.0!!!!!!

Billybob-Mario · 2010-11-14 11:29:38

Can you look at what I said?

krackers · 2010-11-14 17:17:25

I'm a bit late to this thread, but I would like to say hi. I'm part of the enchanting team.

Billybob, he deleted the normal blocks because he has not found a way to distinguish between normal and nxt blocks. The way enchanting currently works is that it converts the blocks you place directly to lejos code. It uses the same translation mechanism built into scrath.

Jens · 2010-11-14 17:18:59

This is so awesome!

Billybob-Mario · 2010-11-15 07:29:53

krackers wrote:
I'm a bit late to this thread, but I would like to say hi. I'm part of the enchanting team.

Billybob, he deleted the normal blocks because he has not found a way to distinguish between normal and nxt blocks. The way enchanting currently works is that it converts the blocks you place directly to lejos code. It uses the same translation mechanism built into scrath.

Maybe you could have an extra box under the stage for the NXT, and all of the other sprites would just be sprites.

EnchantingNXTMorph or something.

clintonb · 2010-12-09 23:14:24

Good heavens. Sorry for the late replies, everyone.

Dymo,

Yes, it has been a lot of working digging into the code. The team at MIT have done a really excellent job, and, the more I figure things out, the more enjoyable it is to work with the code.

Sperry,

Good tip -- I'll be sure to post to Eurobricks. I hope to have Enchanting version 0.0.4 out by the 15th, and then it might be a good time to let them know. I have let the mindboards and lejos communities know as well.

Jens,

Boy am I glad to hear that!

Billybob-Mario,

I removed blocks from Enchanting that don't make sense for use on the NXT at this time. In the future, I hope to add sprites for use on the NXT, using the whole screen as a stage, and then almost all of the regular blocks will be applicable, but, again, only run on the NXT. In order for someone to use regular Scratch blocks to interact with the robot, they'll need to use the regular Scratch application and connect it to Enchanting (after the feature is implemented).

Your thought is not a bad thought -- build up on the awesomeness that is Scratch, and add NXT specific features to it. Especially as I want to have multiple sprites on the NXT, I think it'd be confusing telling which ones belong there, and which ones belong on the Scratch stage. Partitioning the library under the stage may help. Frankly, it makes sense to me to simply use Scratch for programming on the computer, Enchanting for programming on the NXT, and allowing the two programs to communicate so that your Scratch program can control your robot, and vice versa.

Billybob-Mario · 2010-12-11 19:05:14

clintonb wrote:
Good heavens. Sorry for the late replies, everyone.

Dymo,

Yes, it has been a lot of working digging into the code. The team at MIT have done a really excellent job, and, the more I figure things out, the more enjoyable it is to work with the code.

Sperry,

Good tip -- I'll be sure to post to Eurobricks. I hope to have Enchanting version 0.0.4 out by the 15th, and then it might be a good time to let them know. I have let the mindboards and lejos communities know as well.

Jens,

Boy am I glad to hear that!

Billybob-Mario,

I removed blocks from Enchanting that don't make sense for use on the NXT at this time. In the future, I hope to add sprites for use on the NXT, using the whole screen as a stage, and then almost all of the regular blocks will be applicable, but, again, only run on the NXT. In order for someone to use regular Scratch blocks to interact with the robot, they'll need to use the regular Scratch application and connect it to Enchanting (after the feature is implemented).

Your thought is not a bad thought -- build up on the awesomeness that is Scratch, and add NXT specific features to it. Especially as I want to have multiple sprites on the NXT, I think it'd be confusing telling which ones belong there, and which ones belong on the Scratch stage. Partitioning the library under the stage may help. Frankly, it makes sense to me to simply use Scratch for programming on the computer, Enchanting for programming on the NXT, and allowing the two programs to communicate so that your Scratch program can control your robot, and vice versa.

Thanks. Good luck with your mod!

clintonb · 2010-12-11 21:51:24

Billybob-Mario wrote:
...
Thanks. Good luck with your mod!

Thank you, Billybob-Mario.

Clinton

nxsupert · 2010-12-12 04:22:15

This is a good idea but I do not think that the 'LEGO company' will like it. I know some people (advanced programmers that are LEGO and Scratch users) who are working on it.
lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol

Sperry · 2010-12-12 06:21:45

clintonb wrote:
Sperry,

Good tip -- I'll be sure to post to Eurobricks. I hope to have Enchanting version 0.0.4 out by the 15th, and then it might be a good time to let them know. I have let the mindboards and lejos communities know as well.

Great, I think they should appreciate it, there are lots of people there who like their lego! tongue

Good luck with the project!

Scratch

archived forums

#1 2010-11-01 23:34:54

NXT Programming with Enchanting

#2 2010-11-02 10:58:26

Re: NXT Programming with Enchanting

#3 2010-11-02 13:18:58

Re: NXT Programming with Enchanting

#4 2010-11-02 15:24:52

Re: NXT Programming with Enchanting

#5 2010-11-02 18:45:33

Re: NXT Programming with Enchanting

#6 2010-11-02 19:40:11

Re: NXT Programming with Enchanting

#7 2010-11-03 10:46:14

Re: NXT Programming with Enchanting

#8 2010-11-03 21:15:42

Re: NXT Programming with Enchanting

clintonb wrote:

#9 2010-11-06 17:02:42

Re: NXT Programming with Enchanting

#10 2010-11-08 09:17:14

Re: NXT Programming with Enchanting

Billybob-Mario wrote:

#11 2010-11-08 15:22:45

Re: NXT Programming with Enchanting

clintonb wrote:

Billybob-Mario wrote:

#12 2010-11-08 15:26:38

Re: NXT Programming with Enchanting

#13 2010-11-11 23:07:13

Re: NXT Programming with Enchanting

#14 2010-11-12 05:36:27

Re: NXT Programming with Enchanting

#15 2010-11-14 00:51:10

Re: NXT Programming with Enchanting

#16 2010-11-14 01:37:26

Re: NXT Programming with Enchanting

#17 2010-11-14 11:29:38

Re: NXT Programming with Enchanting

#18 2010-11-14 17:17:25

Re: NXT Programming with Enchanting

#19 2010-11-14 17:18:59

Re: NXT Programming with Enchanting

#20 2010-11-15 07:29:53

Re: NXT Programming with Enchanting

krackers wrote:

#21 2010-12-09 23:14:24

Re: NXT Programming with Enchanting

#22 2010-12-11 19:05:14

Re: NXT Programming with Enchanting

clintonb wrote:

#23 2010-12-11 21:51:24

Re: NXT Programming with Enchanting

Billybob-Mario wrote:

#24 2010-12-12 04:22:15

Re: NXT Programming with Enchanting

#25 2010-12-12 06:21:45

Re: NXT Programming with Enchanting

clintonb wrote:

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