Howto:Animate models: Difference between revisions

This document provides basic information for all kind of animations. For more complex animations, you are advised to check the available [[aircraft]] for examples.

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Animations are executed by FlightGear in the order that they are read in the model's .xml file. Therefore, it is very important to pay attention to the order, especially when multiple animations are applied to the same object(s).

An axis part is required in every animation that involves a rotating or moving thing.

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Various animations ([[#Rotate|rotate]], [[#Spin|spin]]) move around a center point.

The axis are similar to the ones of the 3D model, so finding coordinates is easily done in 3D modeling software.

Multiple animations can make use of a conditional.

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For non-fixed factors, an interpolation "table" can be created.  

You can add as many entries as you need. Interpolation tables are often used for gear animations (eg. to open doors during gear-movements and close them again once the gear is either retracted or fully extended).

With a name animation, you can group multiple objects.  

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These names are set in the 3D model. Each single object has a unique name; for easy identification it is advised to use descriptive names (LeftElevator, Rudder etc.). Animations are only applied to those objects that are mentioned in an object-name line (one object per line!). Animations lacking those, will be applied to the entire model.

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This faces an object towards the viewer. Often used on 2D objects, like clouds, trees and lights.

* '''spherical:'''

Used to scale an object, based on the distance to the viewer.

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Scenery objects are automatically defined as solid by FlightGear, meaning that an aircraft can taxi on them and/or crash when touching. For certain objects (groundmarkings, beacon light-beams etc.) this might be an unwanted feature. The solidness can be disabled with the following animation:

* '''enable-hot:''' can be either true or false. Remember that objects are automatically solid, so it should not be nesecarily to set this at all when wanting solidness.

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An animation type that can be used in various ways.

Used for the [[Livery over MP]] system.

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{{Main article|Howto: Illuminate faces}}

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Emission colors are multiplied by the factor-prop value. 1 is maximum coclor intensity, while 0 is the minimum. Colors are calculated according to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RGB_color_model RGB color model].

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  <animation>

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{{Main article|Howto: Make a clickable panel#Pick}}

To prevent objects -like instruments- being drawn when the aircraft is actually too far away for them to be seen anyway, a range animation is used.  

* '''max-property:'''

One of the most important and frequently used animations of all. It rotates an object to an absolute position in degrees, as provided by the property-value.

* '''factor:''' is optional.

A scale animation scales (resizes) an object. This can be either property-value dependant (first example) or a fixed scale (second example).

* x.offset: the scale factor.

This animation selects (or unselects) objects when certain conditions are true (or false). The example below shows the object when the n1 of engine[1] is higher than 25%.

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* '''texture:''' path to the texture used by the shader.

Very similar to [[#Rotate|rotate]], but the property provides a value in revolutions per minute (RPM) rather than an absolute position in degrees, and offset cannot be used.

* '''factor:''' is optional.

A very important animation for cockpits! This animation moves textures over a surface.

property * factor * step * texture width/height = the amount of pixels that the texture should be translated. If your texture is 256 pixels, an textranslate of 0.1 will result in the texture moving with 26 pixels, into the direction specified by the axis settings.

Swtiches between objects at specified intervals. This example switches between a lights-on model and a lights-off model. Lights on are shown 0.2 seconds, while lights off are displayed for 0.8 seconds.

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The same as [[#Textranslate|textranslate]], but this animation moves a whole object (so including fixed textures). The example below will move an object 5 meters in the y-direction.