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[bomber]

Bear with me on this....

I'd like be able to define a part, a simple example being a gauge that's used over and over again in various aircraft.. without the 3d modeller having to reproduce this part over and over again.. I simply want to have it 3d modelled, textured and animated once, all kept in it's own folder within the gauges file structure and be able to call it up, position and rotate it onto the dashboard of the aircraft..

That's a simple example, a more complex example would be a ball turret on a B17... this turret also is used on B24. The Fraser and Nash Fn5 is used on a Lancster and also a Wellington.

Is it therefore possible at present to write code that calls up and positions child objects within a parent file ?

Simon

[cameni]

While it's possible at the engine level, it's not easily accessible from the scripts yet. Anyway, I would do this kind of sharing at the modeller level (importing components), to avoid dependency and version hell with complex usage.

[bomber]

Ok thanks for the reply...

So there's no  'include' <filename> to extend a js file.

Is there a separate internal and external animation file ?

[Levi]

Is there a separate internal and external animation file ?

At this moment all the animations (at least for vehicles/aircraft/boats) are done by script, but they plan to extend that, so we can be able to import custom animations from our modelling software, if i'm not wrong. Although I personally like to animate via script

[bomber]

Yes I too prefer to animate in script, I enjoy the flexibility.

It also allows me to reuse animation code, adding rotations, translation, texture swaps and particle effects and doesn't create a 'bottleneck' of production within the 3d modelling discipline.

I think there needs to be a revisit of thinking behind doing the animation at modeller level... It may give the impression and voiced as such by 3d modelers that it'll be quicker but from my experience at animating with Targetware, abd using scripting I'd say not.

If I had a suggestion it'd be to place the insertion and initial rotation 'pointer' for a reusable object on a separate layer within the modeler that calls up animation script for additional geometry, animation and particle effects.

[cameni]

So there's no  'include' <filename> to extend a js file.

Not yet, but we want to add support for it. Even if one would not be able to include scripts from outside of the package folder, it will be good for keeping the scripts clean.

Is there a separate internal and external animation file ?

Animations imported from FBX are stored in separate files, but API for applying them on models and controlling them from script is not yet ready. Right now you can only animate the bones in script.

[Levi]

Not yet, but we want to add support for it. Even if one would not be able to include scripts from outside of the package folder, it will be good for keeping the scripts clean.

That would be so useful, since the script for my A380 will be so long and messed up...