model tree | sub-assy | ||||||||||||||||
inner wing
outer wing | INWING
OUTWING | ||||||||||||||||
animation | aileron | MYAILRN | |||||||||||||||
aperture/closure | well door | MYDOOR | |||||||||||||||
test |
gear is hidden when fully retracted
deployment/retraction
|
gear strut
|
MYSTRUT
|
damper animation
|
gear damper
| wheel shaft
MYDAMPR
| MYSHAFT
wheel rotation
|
wheel
|
MYWHEEL
| |
The INWING and OUTWING sub-assies are first level branches. The aileron animation is handled through an animated branch applying to the MYAILRN sub-assy. The well door animation is handled through an animated branch applying to the MYDOOR sub-assy. The gear (strut, damper, shaft and wheel) forms an animated sub-tree which is conditionnally displayed.
In the gear sub-tree, the MYSTRUT sub-assy is a first level branch. An animated branch performs the damping effect. This animated branch controls two basic sub-branches (MYDAMPR and MYSHAFT sub-assies) and an animated one which performs the wheel rotation (MYWHEEL sub-assy).
The Model Tree Editor allows to build and modify such a tree.
The Model Tree Editor is launched by clicking on the button of the
Graphic Editor tool bar. It is composed of four display sub-panels and a set of buttons.
The action of the different buttons is summarized in the following tables.
button | action | remark |
add | adds a new node to the selected one | can't add a node to no-child node
can't add a third node to a test node |
insert node | insert a father node to the selected one | can't add a node to the root node |
delete | deletes the selected node | can't delete a child of a test node
can't delete the assy node |
modify | modifies the kind of a node | opens a node selection window
or activates the properties button |
properties | defines the attribute of a node | opens a dedicated input window |
compile | compiles the assembly | unavailable in case of a master project |
master project | opens the master project model editor | unavailable in case of a simple assembly |
quit | ends the model tree editor |   |
There are several kinds of node. They are listed in the following table.
node | description | node child | attribute | |
![]() | assy | root node | yes | assembly name |
x | no-op | no operation | no | comment |
s | sub-assy | sub-assy | no | sub-assy name |
n | node | grouping node | yes | node caption |
m | moving | simple animation based on a hinge | yes | animated part and hinge |
r | rolling | simple animation of a wheel or of a prop | yes | wheel # or prop #, part position (vector) |
a | anim | complex animation | yes | animated part and animation block |
tr | trans/rot | translation/rotation | yes | hinge and angle |
if | test | test | two | condition |
l | light | light cone or light spot | no | color, position and direction |
w | wire | line | no | chain and color |
The anim, moving, rolling and test nodes may be associated to different animation
sequences. The light node may be associated to different kinds of light. The proposed
options are given by the following table.
node | attribute | part |
animation
anim
| rotation block
| translation block (complex animation) RIGHT GEAR
| LEFT GEAR CENTER GEAR animate gear
| RIGHT FLAP
| LEFT FLAP animate flap
| RIGHT SPOILER
| LEFT SPOILER animate spoiler
| RIGHT WING FOLD
| LEFT WING FOLD animate wing folding
| RVRSR #1, RVRSR #2
| RVRSR #3, RVRSR #4 animate thrust reverser
| COWL #1, COWL #2
| COWL #3, COWL #4 animate cowl flap
| DOOR
| animate cargo door
| HOOK
| animate tail hook
| moving
| hinge
| (simple animation) RIGHT AILERON
| LEFT AILERON animate aileron
| RUDDER
| animate rudder
| STABILIZER
| animate stabilizer
| RIGHT FLAP
| LEFT FLAP animate flap
| RIGHT FLAPERON
| LEFT FLAPERON animate flaperon
| RIGHT V TAIL FIN
| LEFT V TAIL FIN animate vertical tail fin
| C STEER WHEEL
| steer center wheel
| rolling
| vector
| (position of the center of rotation) RIGHT WHEEL
| LEFT WHEEL CENTER WHEEL rotate wheel
| PROP #1, PROP #2
| PROP #3, PROP #4 rotate propeller
| test
| no attribute
| DOOR
| test door closure
|
RIGHT GEAR UP/DOWN
| LEFT GEAR UP/DOWN MID GEAR UP/DOWN test gear position
| RIGHT SPOILER DOWN
| LEFT SPOILER DOWN test spoiler position
| RVRSR #1 CLOSED
| RVRSR #2 CLOSED RVRSR #3 CLOSED RVRSR #4 CLOSED test thrust reverser closure
| LIGHT
| LANDING LIGHT test light status
| STROBE ON
| test strobe status
| test
| range
| PROP #1, PROP #2
| PROP #3, PROP #4 test propeller speed
| (% of max speed) RIGHT FLAP
| LEFT FLAP test flap position (deg.)
| light
| location
| NAV LIGHT
| LOGO LIGHT WING LIGHT light spot
| light
| location
| direction LANDING LIGHT
| TAXI LIGHT light spot
| |
node selection window
Attribute input windows
sub-assy selection window
node caption input window
anim attribute window (animation block editor panel)
The anim attribute window is launched when you click on the properties button of the model tree editor while an anim node is selected. It allows you to:
moving attribute window
rolling attribute window
test attribute window
light attribute window
wire attribute window
model tree | sub-assy | ||
deployment/retraction | right gear strut | MYSTRUT | |
wheel rotation | right wheel | MYWHEEL |
This model tree requires 3 different kinds of node (in addition to the assy root node):
0 .. 100 | 100 .. 200 | |
RGEAR | 0 .. 90 | 90 .. 90 |
Therefore, the resulting tree is the following:
anim
kind: right gear rotate block: RGEAR | sub-assy: MYSTRUT |
rolling
kind: right wheel vector : wheel position | sub-assy: MYWHEEL |
model tree | sub-assy | ||||||||||||||||
inner wing
outer wing | INWING
OUTWING | ||||||||||||||||
animation | aileron | MYAILRN | |||||||||||||||
aperture/closure | well door | MYDOOR | |||||||||||||||
test |
gear is hidden when fully retracted
deployment/retraction
|
gear strut
|
MYSTRUT
|
damper animation
|
gear damper
| wheel shaft
MYDAMPR
| MYSHAFT
wheel rotation
|
wheel
|
MYWHEEL
| |
This model tree requires 6 different kinds of node (in addition to the assy root node):
0 .. 50 | 50 .. 100 | 100 .. 200 | |
RDOOR | 0 .. 90 | 90 .. 90 | 90 .. 90 |
RGEAR | -90 ..-90 | -90 .. 0 | 0 .. 0 |
RDAMPR | 0 .. 0
0 .. 0 0 .. 0 | 0 .. 0
0 .. 0 0 .. 0 | 0 .. 0
0 .. 0 0 .. 10 |
RDOOR rotation block
At the beginning of the deployment animation sequence, the door
is closed:
alpha = 0
key = 0
It opens during the first part of the sequence until it reaches its fully open position:
alpha = 90
key = 50
Then it remains in the same position:
alpha = 90
key = 100 up to key = 200
RGEAR rotation block
At the beginning of the deployment animation sequence, the gear
is retracted:
alpha = -90
key = 0
It does not move during the first part of the sequence:
alpha = -90
key = 50
Then it deploys until it reaches its fully extended position:
alpha = 0
key = 100
Then it remains in the same position:
alpha = 0
key = 200
RDAMPR translation block
The damping effect only affects the z coordinate.
At the beginning of the animation sequence, the damper is in its lowest position:
z = 0
key = 0
It does not move during the deployment phase:
z = 0
key = 100
Then it goes up until it reaches its highest position:
z = 10
key = 200
The resulting tree is the following:
assy | sub-assy: INWING | ||||||||||
sub-assy: OUTWING | |||||||||||
moving
kind: right aileron hinge: aileron hinge | sub-assy: MYAILRN | ||||||||||
anim
kind: right gear rotate block: RDOOR | sub-assy: MYDOOR | ||||||||||
test
kind: right gear up |
comment: gear is hidden when fully retracted
anim
| kind: right gear rotate block: RGEAR
sub-assy: MYSTRUT
|
anim
| kind: right gear translate block: RDAMPR
sub-assy: MYDAMPR
|
sub-assy: MYSHAFT
|
rolling
| kind: right wheel vector : wheel position
sub-assy: MYWHEEL
| |