Can't use mission editor tools to translate a shape
by Mark Alsip · in Torque Game Engine Advanced · 03/20/2009 (5:18 pm) · 2 replies
I expect this question will be met with some "RTFM" answers because of how simple the answer should be, but after 60 minutes of trying, I just cannot find the solution.
I've imported a shape, a German Tiger tank, into one of the TGEA demo missions using the mission and world editors. As shown in the screen snapshot at http://www.alsip.net/NoTiger.jpg, the tank shape loads up nice and pretty until you realize it's hovering above the terrain. The problem is that none of the available editing tools will let me solve this shape's identity crisis (it seems to think it is an airplane) by dropping it to the ground.
Dragging on the vertical axis of the tank's gizmo immediately drops it out of sight -- I assume it's under the terrain. But it can never be brought back. Manually entering a value for the vertical component of the location has no effect, even when re-entering the same value I started with.
I'm sure I'm doing something wrong but I'm still enough of a TGEA newbie that I can't figure it out. Any help would really be appreciated.
I've imported a shape, a German Tiger tank, into one of the TGEA demo missions using the mission and world editors. As shown in the screen snapshot at http://www.alsip.net/NoTiger.jpg, the tank shape loads up nice and pretty until you realize it's hovering above the terrain. The problem is that none of the available editing tools will let me solve this shape's identity crisis (it seems to think it is an airplane) by dropping it to the ground.
Dragging on the vertical axis of the tank's gizmo immediately drops it out of sight -- I assume it's under the terrain. But it can never be brought back. Manually entering a value for the vertical component of the location has no effect, even when re-entering the same value I started with.
I'm sure I'm doing something wrong but I'm still enough of a TGEA newbie that I can't figure it out. Any help would really be appreciated.
#2
All 3 of your suggestions work. You are correct, the tank was not set up as a vehicle. I'm embarrassed to say I didn't realize physics didn't apply to shapes. That fact answers many questions I've had about world editing.
I assume this is also why my player (or other objects affected by physics) fall downward into infinity if I make the mistake of spawning them underneath the terrain.
That said, what approach would an advanced TGEA developer take in developing a game set in outer space, free from gravity? I'm thinking of a big collection of planets I built -- simple spheres textured with images I made with using MojoWorld and LunarCell -- I want them to stay put when I load them, rather than eternally fall downward. I think I remember reading that I can turn the effect of gravity off for select objects. Or would it be better to just bring these spheres into the mission as simple shapes?
I appreciate the help. Hopefully I'll eventually get good enough with TGEA to return the favor to future newbies...
03/21/2009 (7:04 pm)
Thank you Jaimi, All 3 of your suggestions work. You are correct, the tank was not set up as a vehicle. I'm embarrassed to say I didn't realize physics didn't apply to shapes. That fact answers many questions I've had about world editing.
I assume this is also why my player (or other objects affected by physics) fall downward into infinity if I make the mistake of spawning them underneath the terrain.
That said, what approach would an advanced TGEA developer take in developing a game set in outer space, free from gravity? I'm thinking of a big collection of planets I built -- simple spheres textured with images I made with using MojoWorld and LunarCell -- I want them to stay put when I load them, rather than eternally fall downward. I think I remember reading that I can turn the effect of gravity off for select objects. Or would it be better to just bring these spheres into the mission as simple shapes?
I appreciate the help. Hopefully I'll eventually get good enough with TGEA to return the favor to future newbies...
Associate Jaimi McEntire
King of Flapjacks
It has physics acting on it, it should drop down by itself, and adjust itself as best it can, aligning itself to the terrain. But your tank doesn't appear to be setup as a vehicle.
If it is just a "static shape":
You need adjust your editor settings. Go to Edit/World Editor Settings, and change the move rate to "0.05" (or something like that). You can drop models to the ground with Ctrl-D. Since they don't have physics acting on them, you need to rotate and adjust the model yourself to make it look right. Hold down alt, and you can rotate the model on the axis by dragging with the mouse.
Also, you can drop the models by hitting "Ctrl-D".