IFL Animations

#1 You can do some pretty cool stuff with IFL, glad to hear you got it working. :o)

#2 Thanks Matt, and also for putting IFL into the exporter:) This really opens up a lot of idea's.

#3 @Eric, I'd like to see an example .scn of IFL. The more examples the better.

#4 IFL_test.zip

#5 My question is, are .jpg's the only format supported by IFL animation? Would .png's work as well?

#6 Nevermind the above post- .png's seem to work. Sweet!

#7 I downloaded IFL_test.zip and followed the directions. However, I can not get it to animate in TGE. It does animate in ShowToolPro. Do I have to do something in the scripts to make it animate in TGE?

Also, is there a tutorial on how to create a IFL start to finish? I am wanting to create tank with the tracks as a IFL. What would I need to do to have the track animation to start and stop when the tank does in TGE? Thanks.

#8 To get an object placed via the Mission Editor to animate or play it's sequence, it will need a script with some method of calling the animation. Without that; try this:

Place the object va the Editor.
Note it's ID#, in the MissionTree
Open the console and type this:
XXXX.playThread(0, "sequenceName"); //where XXXX=object ID# and the "sequenceName" is the sequence naming convention in the shape's sequence helper[or embedded within the shape itself] during export.

...that should start the animlation playing. If it's cyclic, it should run continously, otherwise, it should run once.

#9 What is the sequence helper?
I placed the IFL.dts in the world but get syntax error from console when I
type XXXX.playThread(0, "sequenceName") in the following formats:
1972.playThread(0, "test.ifl")
1972.playThread(0, "ifltest.scn")
These do not work..
what do I need to do to make it animate?

#10 If you have no idea what the sequence helper is; then you should re-read the documents that accompany the exporter. The 'helper' tells the exporter there is animation within the scene to process into the shape/or dsq file....if you didn't setup a helper, it's no wonder there is no animation present in the engine...

Put the name of the shape's sequence INSIDE the quotes where you've put TEST.IFL and IFLTEST.SCN.....put the name you've given the sequence. This is what you've named it inside the HELPER object, you're almost there. In your example above, you've given the sequence both file names; One being the texture and the other the gameSpace scene name.


...also add a ';' right after the paranthesis with the sequence name....

XXXX.playThread(0, "test");

=start animation

XXXX.stopThread(test);

=stop animation

the above ENTIRE line of code is how it should look, replace XXXX with the object ID#, for Eric J's example file. Thanks Eric!

#11 Thanks

#12 I typed this exactly into the console:

1749.playThread(0, "test");

and received an error:

Unknown command playThread

#13 Very odd. I'm watching it cycle right now, in my engine, using playThread. Is the object ID# correct? The only thing I could guess, playThread is a method of the base of all Classes, I believe, and therefore, should be callable with this override...??

#14 Ya.. i copied and pasted what you had up there.
Just changed the XXXX.

#15 Just went on this box with a cut/paste and exchanged my player's ID# and specified the 'run' sequence, viola, the player avatar I was just in[popped into camera mode], started running inplace....can't guess why that method is coming up bad...shouldn't.

#16 Is the sequence name in fact ("test") ?
for that file or is it something else?

#17 The sequence name is "test".

I also get :
Unknown command playThread

I am using the Torque release 1.3 and using the the above IFL_zip file.

Question... does it have anything to do with it being a TSStatic shape?

#18 I copied mine into the Static shapes folder.

#19 Could be!...I've got the object in a sub folder of Shapes. You've got to reference this shape in a script with a datablock, to be able to place it out of the Shapes folder in the World Creator tree, NOT out of the StaticShapes folder...that is probably why you're getting the error.

Objects placed into a mission from the StaticShapes and it's subfolders will never be able to be animated...I just tried and found the error you spoke of, and the path it checked to find the function....;).

There are some good official tutorials on scripting basics here at the site which outline the process involved to get a shape successfully working in the engine. You'll discover, this is not a point/click type of programming...everything that happens or you want to happen, needs to be scripted to work.

#20 Can you tell me the directory structure for placement?
I"m confused because there are a few Shapes directories
in my structure.
Or just clarify where it belongs.