A short reference guide


align a vertex / capture a vertex

You can align a vertex with a vertex of another chain very simply. Select the vertex you want to align and move it in the direction of the other vertex. When you are close to the destination, press the CTRL key while keeping the left button of the mouse down. If you are close enough, the vertex will align itself with the other vertex, which means that its three coordinates will be the same as the coordinates of the other vertex. If several vertices appear at the same location in the selected view, a pop-up menu is displayed beside it, which allows you to select the desired vertex by clicking on the menu option the label of which shows the "third" coordinate of the vertex (x in the side view, z in the top view, y in the front view). If you press the SHIFT key instead of the CTRL key, the vertex will be captured. That means that the two vertices will be merged into a single one belonging to both chains. If several vertices appear at the same location in the selected view, a pop-up menu is displayed beside it, which allows you to select the desired vertex by clicking on the menu option the label of which shows the "third" coordinate of the vertex (x in the side view, z in the top view, y in the front view).

animation blocks

Animation blocks are used in the Model Tree Editor to set the attributes of the animation nodes. To define an animation block, select an animation node in the Model Tree Editor and click on the properties button.


There are to kinds of animation block:


assembly

A 3D model can be made of several assemblies. There is one assembly per *.3DM file. One of them is associated with the master-project.


Please look at the section of this tutorial dedicated to the components of an AD2K2 3D model.

branching instruction

Please have a look at the Project Editor reference guide.

chain

A chain is a set of vertices. It can be:

The chains are stored in the sub-assies. The lines are stored in a dedicated sub-assy, called Lines. The polygons can be stored in any other sub-assy, including the desk. The triangles are the only polygons that can be seen in Flight Simulator. The other polygons are automatically hidden. A triangle can be given the hidden attribute if it is not to be seen.

The chain editor allows you to edit the chain.


Please look at the section of this tutorial dedicated to the components of an AD2K2 3D model.

chain editor

The chain editor allows for the creation of a new chain as well as the modification of an existing one. It is launched by activating the Draw/New chain menu option or the Draw/Edit chain menu option or by clicking on the appropriate button of the tool bar. It is displayed in a temporary input panel on the right of the graphic window.

You can create or modify a vertex directly in the graphic window with the mouse or through the chain editor input panel. The chain editor input panel The chain editor panel is composed of three input fields, a listbox and two ranges of buttons. The input fields allow the input or the modification of the coordinates of a vertex (x, y and z). The listbox lists the vertices of the chain. Each vertex is represented by a line showing its three coordinates. The selected vertex is highlighted. When the listbox has the focus, you can scroll in the listbox with the keys of the keyboard. Coordinates are expressed in feet.

When you are in the chain editor, the focus is shared between the temporary input panel and the Graphic Window. When the temporary input panel has the focus, you can use the keyboard but the Graphic Editor shortcuts have no effect. On the other hand, when the Graphic Window has the focus, the keyboard is useless except for the Graphic Editor shortcuts. To give the focus to the Graphic Window or the temporary input panel, click on it.

There are 8 buttons in the chain editor:

Clicking in the graphical window adds a new vertex at the position you have clicked on (the third coordinate is the coordinate of the current plane which may be edited in the view control panel). If you click on an existing vertex of another chain with the SHIFT key pressed, this vertex is incorporated in the chain currently edited and will belong to both chains. If you click on an existing point with the CTRL key pressed, a vertex which is located at this point is created but both points remain independant. Clicking on an existing vertex of the edited chain has no other effect than selecting that vertex.

You can move an existing vertex as you would do out of the chain editor.

Exiting the chain editor : you can exit the chain editor either by clicking on the cancel, line or poly buttons of the Chain editor input panel or by clicking on the end capture mode button on the tool bar. The button has the same effect as the poly button.

class of template

See the template section below.
A Template class defines the common features that will be shared by the templates of the class:

These common features are important because they allow for an automatic treatment when you intend to generate a surface covering the backbone composed by the templates. You may define several classes of template in the same project. The template classes are identified by a name.

There are 3 different kinds of template :

Use the profile kind for a wing, a stab or a rudder. The profile class has special features to render the visual effect of the trailing edge. Use the section kind for the fuselage, a motor or a wheel. Use a half-section for the canopy or the underwing part of an engine nacelle.

code page

A code page is associated with a project. To display the project code page, click on the model editor button of the Graphic Editor tool bar. The code page is composed of instructions that control the way the model is displayed by Flight Simulator. The animation of the moving parts is performed thanks to these instructions. Look at the section of this tutorial dedicated to the Project Editor to get more details on it.


This code page allows you to merge several assemblies into the project.

There is also a code page at the sub-assy level. It is displayed when you select the sub-assy and when you click on the button of the sub-assy panel tool bar. Look at the section dedicated to the sub-assy code page in this tutorial to get more details.

combined pair of instruction

Please have a look at the Project Editor reference guide.

export chains

You can export chains from a project to another project or to an assembly. To do that, you need to mark these chains for export. You can do that:

Once you are finished with the chain marking, save the file you are working on and open the file in which you want to import these chains. Activate the File/Import.../import chains menu option and open the file in which the chains to be imported are. They will be imported in an Import sub-assy that is created for that purpose. The import sub-assy is a transit sub-assy. The triangles which are stored into that sub-assy are automatically hidden. To be displayed, they must be moved into another sub-assy. When the show chains marked for export option is selected, the chains marked for export are highlighted.

hinges

Hinges are used in the Model Tree Editor to set the rotation axis of most of the animation nodes and of the moving nodes. To define a hinge, activate the Utilities/Define a hinge menu option.


A hinge is based either on two existing vertices or on a vertex and a vector. The vertices are to be selected by clicking on the Graphic display window. When the show hinges option is selected, the hinges are displayed and can be edited.

Why do we use vectors with some animation instructions and hinge with the others ?
Some animation nodes are tied to a reference axis:

  • the RUN PROP X nodes perform a rotation around an axis parallel to the Oy axis,
  • the ROTATE X WHEEL nodes perform a rotation around an axis parallel to the Ox axis.
They do not require a hinge: they just need a vector to locate their rotation axis with respect to their reference axis.

move point / move chain

In the move point mode, you can move a single vertex by a simple click-and-drag operation on the Graphic Editor screen. In the move chain mode, you move the complete chain by doing that. You can go from one mode to the other by clicking on the button of the tool bar.

model tree

Every assembly is associated with a model tree. Each branch of the model tree can be a part (a sub-assy), a set of parts or a sub-tree. Any branch at any level of the model tree can be animated or can be subject to a condition. To display the model tree and modify it, click on the button of the Graphic Editor tool bar. The Model Tree Editor is launched.

Look at the section of this tutorial dedicated to the Model Tree Editor to get more details on it.

multiple selection

The multiple selection mode allows you to manipulate several chains at the same time. It acts as a clip-board where you temporarily store these chains. To work with the multiple selection clip-board, you need to activate the multiple selection mode by selecting the appropriate option of the Selection menu or by clicking on the button of the tool bar. When the multiple selection mode is activated, the chains stored in the multiple selection clipboard are drawn in yellow and the chain of the clip-booard on which the multiple-selection pointer points at is drawn in green. To add a chain to the multiple selection clipboard, select it and press the space bar. The multiple selection pointer will automatically point at it and it will be drawn in green. To remove a chain from the multiple selection clip-board, you need to select it. Selecting a chain belonging to the multiple selection clip-board makes the multiple selection pointer pointing at it. When it is selected, press the space bar. To reset the multiple selection clipboard, click on the button on the tool bar.

priority chain / priority template

The priority chain option gives a priority to the chains in the Graphic display. The priority template option gives a priority to the templates in the Graphic display. The priority mode is set by clicking on the appropriate button on the tool bar. The priority mode also affects the operation of the create/edit/delete buttons of the tool bar.

rotation block / translation block

Rotation blocks and translation blocks are used in the Model Tree Editor with the animation nodes. Please look at the dedicated application note.

show selected sub-assy / show all sub-assies

Clicking on the show sel button on the tool bar conceals any sub-assy which is not selected. Clicking on the show all buttons displays all the sub-assies. You can also select the sub-assies to be displayed by activating the View/View options menu option.


sub-assy The sub-assy is the basic component of an AD2K2 3D model. A sub-assy is a set of chains (triangles and hidden polygons) which can be colored or textured. A single color and a single texture is assigned to each sub-assy.


When you start a new session, AD2K2 automatically creates a desk sub-assy and a Lines sub-assy. The desk sub-assy is a working sub-assy. You can store into it any chain that you use during the design and that are not to be displayed by Flight Simulator (as the texture supports, for instance). The Lines sub-assy is the container of all the lines of the 3D model (antenna wires, for instance). A third sub-assy can be created automatically by AD2K2: this is the Import sub-assy (see the export chains section). Each sub-assy is associated with a sub-panel in the sub-assy panel.


Please look at the section of this tutorial dedicated to the components of an AD2K2 3D model.

template

The Template concept is one of the most powerful tools provided by the Graphic Editor. A template is a polygon with some invariant features :

These features are selected by you at the beginning of the design when you define a class of templates. You may use several classes of template for the same design. Templates help you to build a fuselage or a wing in a very efficient way. You just have to create several templates of the same class all along the axis of the fuselage, or the spar of the wing, and then adjust the profile of each template : the template editor provides you with convenient tools to shape a template. Then, select the cover option of the template menu : the programme will automatically link the templates with each others and generate the polygons (chains) defining the desired surface. Templates may be tied together to provide an accurate alignment in case you need to truncate a fuselage or a wing for some reasons. A tie acts as the geometric construction for the vertices : if you modify the templates supporting the tie, the child-template will be automatically adjusted to reflect the changes.

Please look at the dedicated section of this tutorial for more details on the templates.

texture supports

A texture support is a polygon which is used to define the limits of application of a texture on a sub-assy :

These coordinates are defined by the extrema of the chain in the related directions.
The texture supports must be declared in the Graphic Editor: To do that, you just have to select an existing chain and add it to the texture supports list which is maintained by AD2K2. The texture supports may be displayed in the Graphic window or hidden (Utilities/Show texture supports menu option.) When the show texture supports option is selected, the chains defined as texture supports are highlighted.

tool bar (Graphic Editor)


tool bar (Project Editor)


tool bar (Sub-assy panel)


tool bar (Sub-assy code page)


transparency and shadow

Please look at the dedicated application note.

tree

See model tree.

vectors

Vectors are used by AD2K2 in several occasions :

To create a vector, activate the Utilities/Make a vector menu option.


You can define a vector by its coordinates (direct mode) or by selecting two existing points on the Graphic display window (2-point mode). When the show vectors option is selected, the vectors are displayed and can be edited.


copyright Hervé Devred 2002