The sub-assy panel gives you a direct access to most of the operations on
the sub-assies. You can hide/show the sub-assy panel by clicking on the show/hide sub-assy panel
button of the Graphic Editor tool-bar.
The sub-assy panel is composed of a tool-bar and two columns of sub-assy sub-panels. The sub-assy panel tool-bar allows you to:
Each sub-panel is dedicated to a different sub-assy and displays the attributes of this sub-assy. There is one sub-panel for every existing sub-assy. If you do not see the sub-panel of a sub-assy on the panel, use the vertical scrollbar at the right of the sub-assy panel. The sub-panel of a sub-assy allows you to set the main sub-assy attributes. From the left to the right of the sub-panel, you can:
The sub-assy code window is opened by clicking on the open sub-assy code window
button of the sub-assy panel tool-bar when the given sub-assy is selected.
The sub-assy code window displays the instruction list associated to a sub-assy and gives you access to all the operations allowed on the sub-assy instructions. The instruction list is made up of a limited set of instructions:
You can select an instruction by clicking on it. The selected instruction is highlighted. Double-clicking on a LIMITS instruction launches the texture support selection panel. Double-clicking on a COLOR instruction launches the color selection panel. Double-clicking on a TRIANGLE, a HIDDEN or on a RETURN instruction does nothing.
You can select several instructions by clicking on them while pressing the SHIFT key or the CONTRL key. The selected instructions are highlighted. When you open the sub-assy code window, the instruction associated to the currently selected chain is selected and highlighted.
If the multiple selection mode of the Graphic Editor is active, the instructions associated to the sub-assy chains currently in the clipboard are automatically selected and highlighted when you open the sub-assy code window.
The sub-assy code window tool-bar allows you to:
If the sub-assy is a colored one, a small icon at the bottom of the window displays the currently selected color. Double-clicking on the icon opens the color selection window. Next to it, a pair of up/down arrows allows you to trim the transparency of the sub-assy.
If the sub-assy is a textured one, the small icon at the bottom of the window displays the color associated to the specular effect of the sub-assy (if any). Double-clicking on the icon opens the color selection window. The pair of up/down arrows next to it allows you to toggle the shadow/no-shadow attribute of the sub-assy.
The move mode allows you to move the currently selected instruction(s) every where you want except at the very top of the list and at the very end of it. To do that, select the instructions you want to move then click on the move mode button of the tool-bar. The cursor is changed into a finger. Click somewhere in the instruction list. The selected instructions are moved at this position. If you want to exit the move mode without moving the instruction, click on the resume normal mode button of the tool-bar. The first instruction (a LIMITS instruction or a COLOR instruction) and the last one (a RETURN instruction) cannot be moved.
The move options (move at the top, move at the end, move mode) are powerful when associated to another feature of AD2K2. In the Graphic Editor, you can select all the triangles of a sub-assy which are oriented in a given direction by activating the Sub-assy/Select chains.../[right, left, top, bottom, fore, aft] option of the menu. This menu option puts all these triangles into the multiple selection clipboard and activates the multiple selection mode. If you open the sub-assy code window at this time, the instructions associated to the chains which are in the clipboard are selected. This allows you to gather them at the top or at the end of the list. Then, you can assign them a texture support and texture limits by inserting a LIMITS instruction just before the selection. This is very useful to assign a different part of the texture to both sides of the sub-assy.
The texture support selection panel is opened by double-clicking on a LIMITS instruction in the sub-assy code window. It is only active when the sub-assy is a textured one and when a texture is assigned to it.
To learn more about texture limits, click on the link. |
It is composed of:
The currently selected texture is displayed in the texture display sub-panel if it is in the project directory. The maximum size of this sub-panel is 512x512 pixels. A 1024x1024 texture is temporarily resized to fit the maximum panel size. A red rectangle is super-imposed on it which shows which portion of the texture is assigned to the LIMITS instruction.
The texture support and orientation selection sub-panel allows you to:
The left/right arrows make you cycle through the texture support list. When you open the texture support selection panel, the texture support associated to the currently selected LIMITS instruction is automatically loaded. If there is no texture support associated to the instruction (undefined texture support), no texture support is loaded and the min/max coordinates are undefined.
Tip : Finding which texture support is appropriate by looking at its min/max coordinates is not an easy job. To associate the right texture support to the current LIMITS instruction, exit the texture support selection panel by clicking on the cancel button then exit the sub-assy code window. If the wanted texture support has already been declared, activate the show texture support mode (Utilities/Show texture support menu option or F3 key) and select the appropriate texture support by clicking on the T key as many times as needed until the texture support is properly highlighted. If the wanted texture support is not yet declared, select the appropriate chain in the Graphic Editor display window and declare it as a texture support (Utilities/Declare chain as support menu option). |
In both cases, the wanted texture support is now the currently selected texture support in the texture support list. Go back to the texture support selection panel (open the sub-assy code window then double-click on the currently selected LIMITS instruction). Clicking on the reset button in the texture support and orientation selection sub-panel automatically associates the currently selected texture support to the LIMITS instruction.
Caution : Inadvertently clicking on the reset button or on the right or left arrow will alter the texture support associated to the LIMITS instruction. To cancel the operation, click on the cancel button to exit the window and re-open the texture support selection window by double-clicking on the LIMITS instruction. |
The middle-right sub-panel displays the coordinates of the extremities of the texture portion associated to the LIMITS instruction. This texture portion is figured by a red rectangle on the texture display sub-panel.
At the bottom of the sub-panel, two-radio buttons allows you to define from which direction the texture is supposed to be seen.
Caution These radio buttons do not modify the actual orientation of the sub-assy triangles. If you select the wrong option, the triangle will not be seen from the opposite direction but the texture will be applied in a wrong way. The image will appear as if it is inverted. |
To modify the shape and position of the rectangle, click on the limits button. The middle sub-panel is updated to allow for the new selection. Move the cursor over the display sub-panel. A red cross follows the cursor position. In the button of the upper-right sub-panel that was previously the reverse button, the coordinates of the current position of the cursor are displayed. Click on the display sub-panel to select the left/top corner of the rectangle and then click on the small OK button in the middle sub-panel. Back to the display sub-panel, the red cross is now replaced by a variable size rectangle. Click on the display sub-panel when you are happy with the rectangle shape and then click on the small OK button in the middle sub-panel. The middle sub-panel appearance is reset and now displays the new limits in the texture.
The texture selection window can be opened either by clicking on the load a new texture
button of the sub-assy panel or by clicking on the select a texture button of the sub-assy
code window.
To learn more about texture allocation, click on the link. |
The texture selection window is composed of a texture list on the left of the window, a texture display sub-panel on the right of the window, a texture attribute sub-panel and a set of buttons.
The texture currently selected in the list is shown in the display sub-panel if it is in the project directory. The maximum size of the display sub-panel is 512x512 pixels. A 1024x1024 texture is temporarily resized to fit the maximum panel size.
The texture list shows all the texture used by the project. If you want to add a new texture to the project, click on the open button and select one. If you want to discard a texture, select it in the list and click on the discard button.
If the texture selection window was opened from a sub-assy code panel, the texture currently selected in the texture list is associated to the sub-assy if you exit the window by clicking on the OK button. If you exit the window by clicking on the cancel button, the texture associated to the sub-assy remains unchanged.
The texture attribute sub-panel allows you to assign the fall-back color associated to the texture and to activate the specular mode. To select the fall-back color, double-click on the small square figuring it.
The animation block editor window is launched when you click on the properties button of the model tree editor while an anim node is selected.
To learn more about animation blocks, click on the link. |
The animation block editor window appearance depends upon the animation block you are working with. If the animation block is undefined, the animation block editor is composed of two sub-panels: the part selection sub-panel and the animation block creation/selection sub-panel. If it is a rotation block, the animation block editor is composed of four sub-panels (from the right to the left):
The curve creation/selection sub-panel allows you to:
To create a new curve, click on the create button, give it a name and validate. The animation block editor window is updated to reflect your selection. Giving a name to a curve allows you to use the same curve shape with several animation blocks.
The hinge selection sub-panel allows you to:
A pair of left and right arrows make you cycle through the hinge list. When you select a rotation block, the associated hinge is automatically loaded. If there is no hinge associated to the rotation block, no hinge is loaded and the related coordinates are undefined.
Tip : Finding which hinge of the hinge list is appropriate by looking at its origin and vector coordinates is not an easy job. To associate the appropriate hinge to the current rotation block, exit the animation block editor and exit the model tree editor window. If the wanted hinge has already been created, activate the show hinge mode (Utilities/Show hinges menu option or F5 key) and select the appropriate hinge by clicking on the H key as many times as needed until the hinge is properly highlighted. If the wanted hinge is not yet created, create it in the Graphic Editor (Utilities/Create a hinge menu option). |
In both cases, the wanted hinge is now the currently selected hinge in the hinge
list. Go back to the animation block editor (open the model tree editor, select the appropriate node and click
on the properties button). Clicking on the small reset
button in the hinge selection sub-panel automatically associates the currently selected
hinge to the rotation block.
The curve editor is launched when you click on the edit button of a
curve creation/selection sub-panel in the animation block editor. The curve
editor allows you to define or modify a curve:
x = f(key)
or alpha = f(key)
the variable key being the step index in a 200 step animation.
The curve editor window is composed of:
Note : The gear animation uses a special kind of curve. The 0 to 100 indexes of a gear curve are dedicated to the gear motion, the 101 to 200 indexes are dedicated to the suspension animation. |
The color panel is launched when you click on the color icon in the left/bottom corner of the sub-assy code window.
The color panel is composed of two parts :
Select a color and validate. The small square at the left/top of the panel is now reflecting your
selection and a new color is added in the list of available colors. Click now on the modify
button. The color palette is displayed again. Select a new color and validate. The selected color square
is repainted as well as the lower sub-panel to reflect the modification. Click once again on the new
button, select another color and validate. This new color is now selected and is added to the available color list.
Exit the color selection window by clicking on the OK button. The selected color is now displayed in the color icon of the sub-assy code window.
Tip : The color panel automatically discards the unused color. Let us make a test. Select a sub-assy. Launch the sub-assy code window and then the color panel. Create two new colors and select one of them. Exit the panel by clicking on the OK button and then launch it again. You can see that the color that you have created and that you did not assign to the sub-assy is no longer displayed in the lower sub-panel. |
The light attribute window is launched when you click on the properties button of the model tree editor while a light node is selected.
The light attribute window is composed of:
There are six kinds of light:
The wire attribute window is launched when you click on the properties button of the model tree editor while a wire node is selected.
The wire attribute window allows for the selection of a chain belonging the Lines sub-assy associated to a color. It is composed of:
Tip: You can assign all the wires available in the lines sub-assy by checking the select all lines check box. |
The moving attribute window is launched when you click on the properties button of the
model tree editor while a moving node is selected.
Moving attribute window
The moving attribute window allows you to select:
Look at the section of this tutorial dealing with the part animation to learn how to create a hinge.
The rolling attribute window is launched when you click on the properties button of the model tree editor while a rolling node is selected.
The rolling attribute window allows you to select:
Look at the section of this tutorial dedicated to the moving parts to learn how to create a vector.
The test attribute window is launched when you click on the properties button of the model tree editor while a test node is selected.
The test attribute window allows you to select:
The 3D surface viewer is launched when you click on the
button of the sub-assy panel.
In the right of the panel, a check-box list allows you to select which sub-assy is displayed. Just below, a pair of up/down arrows allows you to tune the distance from which the model is viewed. The green arrow pad makes the model rotate around its origin.