Attached Link: http://ockhamsbungalow.com/PPP/EasyFollow.zip

I haven't posted anything new here in a while, because I've been busy with the latest iteration of my Anatomy courseware. This script was actually a spin-off from the anatomy stuff.... I needed a way to show "sparks" running along a neuron. It's meant to move a (preferably simple) prop along a figure made with Ajax's Easy-Pose system. The prop will start at the Node and move along the tube or rope or whatever. At the moment, the script does not try to rotate (steer) the prop, so it's best with spherical or small items. My old steering script works pretty well with it. I'll add an internal steer/bank method later, after some feedback about the basic workings.

Wow. You do some amazing stuff with them scripts.

oh my.... Oh dear... Good sir -- thank you ever so kindly. THis will be wonderful!

A couple of obvious variations: 1. Use figure BODY instead of PP2 prop. 2. Allow for multiple copies of simple prop, starting at randomizable intervals. (eg corpuscles flowing through artery, low-res cars driving on road, or similar situations.) Any other ideas before I start tweaking?

yes, both of the above. Plus the abilities to: pull in/remove additional props/figures at predefined intervals alter size of props/figures definitely the sterring thing -- perhaps with a randomization effect oh, and of course, the ability to control changes in the easypose object over time... (heck no, I don't want much....)

"pull in/remove additional props/figures at predefined intervals" Hmm.... do you mean setting up a list of things in advance, then starting them along the path? Item StartFrame ___________________ Duck 1 Duck 10 Goose 20 Mouse 35 Skeleton 45 Skeleton 70 Pencil 120 Like that?

hmm -- yeah, that would work quite well, actually, although I was thinking of bringing a new instance of an object in from that list, and being able to remove an instance of an object (or at least reduce the size of it to negligible) But yes, something very much like that. So I'd have a path, and along that path moves duck. frame 8 =duck is joined by goose frame 10, goose and duck are joined by Fred frame 30 Fred is nice and full and feathers float around...

Aaaahh! Gotcha. So the list would do the job, if it also included stop-frame. Also, the list should include the location (as in Node_35) of the appear and disappear points. This would make tributary action possible.

yes! (duh -- this is what I get for not being a rogrammer, lol) Feature bloat could increase exponentially from this point, lol

Can the floating items change their "road" at a certain point? Like a railroad car on a turnout.

Is it necessary to use an easy poseable thingy (rope, etc.)?

Could there be a list of props or figures (like snap tracks) to follow?

I know I'm greedy ;-)

Message edited on: 07/24/2004 15:41

"Can the floating items change their "road" at a certain point? Like a railroad car on a turnout. " That's what I meant by "tributary" action. Like autos merging into a highway, or barges in rivers.... The existing Easy-pose system makes only one track. But..... answering your second question and thinking out loud.... This doesn't really use the full EP setup, with all of its controls. All it really needs is a chain of parented parts, so a branch, turnout, tributary, or switch should be possible. Because of the way Poser does parenting, we can't have both an split and a merge in the same chain; only a split is possible when starting from the Node. To accomplish a merge, the prop will have to move backwards toward the node, which is an easy choice to include.

Because of the way Poser does parenting, we can't have both an split and a merge in the same chain; only a split is possible when starting from the Node.<< That's why I asked, if the item could "jump" onto a different node, which would implement a merge, like a railway siding, or a river with an island in it. A list of possible (but not necessarily parented) props with a "point of interference" would do.

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