Plastic Gem #25: Zapper Shape
by Jason Sharp · 07/14/2008 (11:21 pm) · 4 comments
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Plastic Gem # 25 : Zapper Shape
Difficulty: Easy
Hi again from Plastic Games. My name is Jason Sharp. I am a modeler, animator, and technical artist. Welcome to Gem 25 where I show you another one of the many cool shapes I have been able to build with Paul's thread enhancements.
The Zapper Shape.
Included in the .zip file for this gem is a zapper shape that I made oh so long ago (I was actually shocked when I realized I had not modified the max file since August 27th of 2003!). It's an old shape but it was certainly where Paul and I started to abuse the thread system, ifl's, and his own code tricks (editor comment: not tricks, illusions) to make some really sweet stuff. This shape is designed to be a "refuel station", and by the end of this week Paul and I will show you how to make it actually work as one! Today we will just introduce the shape and show which animation threads it defines. During the rest of this week Paul will show you code on making it all work.
The shape has three threads built to be played on three slots:
1: activate
2: ifl_gauge
3: infect_ifl
The activate thread is a blend thread that moves a mechanical arm from a rest position to an active position over the pad.
The ifl_gauge thread is a blend thread that runs the needle of the fuel gauge which was used to tell if the zapper had fuel to give.
The infect_ifl thread is an IFL blend that changes the look of the entire shape from "normal" to "infected with red virus". This thread was added later as this shape was incorporated into the Bit Shifter game prototype.
Unzipping the files
Unzip the pg25_zapperShape.zip file. In there is a zapper folder. Copy the zapper folder into ~/data/shapes. The zapper folder contains the .dts file, the images, and the .ifl files for the zapper. The .zip file was too big, so it does not include a .max file...but we will include that in the next gem.
As I have stated before, using multiple IFL threads can be tricky but they are an incredibly powerful tool. As promised, this is another example of how to use IFL threads to achieve awesome stuff.
Looking at shape with the Show Tool
You can use the show tool to setup three threads.
On one thread run activate. If you manipulate the slider for that thread you can move the mechanical arm into "zapping" position.
On a second thread run ifl_gauge. If you manipulate the slider you can see the gauge needles move as shown above in the animation depicting the zapper from the old game prototype, Droids.
For fun on a third thread run infect_ifl.
If you manipulate the slider for that thread you can see the "normal" and "infected" versions of the shape.
The Next Gem
That's all for this gem. Paul will take it from here and show you, over the course of the week, how to make this shape actually work as a refueling station. This is why all the gems from last week were about energy. By the end of this week you will be able to turn this zapper shape into refueling station that will refill the energy you spend as you jet around!
Plastic Gem # 25 : Zapper Shape
Difficulty: Easy
Hi again from Plastic Games. My name is Jason Sharp. I am a modeler, animator, and technical artist. Welcome to Gem 25 where I show you another one of the many cool shapes I have been able to build with Paul's thread enhancements.
The Zapper Shape.
Included in the .zip file for this gem is a zapper shape that I made oh so long ago (I was actually shocked when I realized I had not modified the max file since August 27th of 2003!). It's an old shape but it was certainly where Paul and I started to abuse the thread system, ifl's, and his own code tricks (editor comment: not tricks, illusions) to make some really sweet stuff. This shape is designed to be a "refuel station", and by the end of this week Paul and I will show you how to make it actually work as one! Today we will just introduce the shape and show which animation threads it defines. During the rest of this week Paul will show you code on making it all work.
The shape has three threads built to be played on three slots:
1: activate
2: ifl_gauge
3: infect_ifl
The activate thread is a blend thread that moves a mechanical arm from a rest position to an active position over the pad.
The ifl_gauge thread is a blend thread that runs the needle of the fuel gauge which was used to tell if the zapper had fuel to give.
The infect_ifl thread is an IFL blend that changes the look of the entire shape from "normal" to "infected with red virus". This thread was added later as this shape was incorporated into the Bit Shifter game prototype.
Unzipping the files
Unzip the pg25_zapperShape.zip file. In there is a zapper folder. Copy the zapper folder into ~/data/shapes. The zapper folder contains the .dts file, the images, and the .ifl files for the zapper. The .zip file was too big, so it does not include a .max file...but we will include that in the next gem.
As I have stated before, using multiple IFL threads can be tricky but they are an incredibly powerful tool. As promised, this is another example of how to use IFL threads to achieve awesome stuff.
Looking at shape with the Show Tool
You can use the show tool to setup three threads.
On one thread run activate. If you manipulate the slider for that thread you can move the mechanical arm into "zapping" position.
On a second thread run ifl_gauge. If you manipulate the slider you can see the gauge needles move as shown above in the animation depicting the zapper from the old game prototype, Droids.
For fun on a third thread run infect_ifl.
If you manipulate the slider for that thread you can see the "normal" and "infected" versions of the shape.
The Next Gem
That's all for this gem. Paul will take it from here and show you, over the course of the week, how to make this shape actually work as a refueling station. This is why all the gems from last week were about energy. By the end of this week you will be able to turn this zapper shape into refueling station that will refill the energy you spend as you jet around!
About the author
Torque 3D Owner Dave Young
Dave Young Games