Geometry Images and SceneLayers

11 replies [Last post]
Joined: 12/23/2010

First of all I need to know of a way to control the depth of images attached to geometry. This is because if I have such an image, Goo Balls (at least those that are added afterwards) appear above it, which is a huge annoyance. I mean the actual geometry doesn't overlap the Goo Balls, but the image does. Same deal with fire, it appears above the image.

This is really crucial so if someone knows how to change the depth for either geometry images, or fire and Goo Balls, I really need to know. Or if you know how to make a SceneLayer explode along with a geometry, I suppose that would be sufficient.

Also, I noticed that in WooGLE, SceneLayers have a context attribute. Unfortunately I there's no documentation on it and I have no clue what it does, would anybody happen to know? This is just out curiosity, but the first question is really urgent.

EDIT: So I managed to control the fire's depth by giving it an "empty" effect (used ish_bitPop as MOM suggested here) and then just using a separate particle for the fire particles, since I can control the depth of that. However I still have the Goo Ball problem.

Joined: 07/05/2011

Goo Ball must be in the same depth ( = 0 ) with the geometry so that they could collide. So I think there is no way to control the depth of the geometries.

context is used in IslandUi, if the value is screen, it will appear above the letterbox and the position won't change even the screen is moved. (I guess so)

Joined: 12/23/2010

Hm. Well I think I've found a way to overcome the Goo Ball problem, it isn't really changing the depth but it's just an alternative way that I think will work with my method.

Still if someone finds out how to do it, or can find a way to make SceneLayers explode, I'd want to know.

Joined: 09/01/2009

Hmm, I reckon you could use a button with anchor set to the geometry, but that wouldn't allow explosions and stuff. I'm not sure it's possible.

goomatz? Tongue

Joined: 12/23/2010

MOM4Evr you're a genius.

If you anchor a button onto a geometry, you can still explode the geometry. The thing is that while the button is removed along with it, it doesn't give the explosion animation, it just disappears.
HOWEVER, if you give make the button exactly the same as the geometry's image, in the same location, the explosion animation of the image can act as a replacement. So the button can cover the Goo Balls and whatnot, and when the geometry explodes it disappears, and the explosion animation of the geometry image shows. This gives the impression that the button exploded, or rather, that the geometry image covers Goo Balls.

Not sure how well this would work with semi-transparent images or rotating geometry, it might get extremely tricky/impossible at that point, but in my case this is working perfectly. So yeah, thanks a billion! "I love you, MOM" Wink

Joined: 09/01/2009

Wow, I'm smarter than I thought. That would work brilliantly. Good idea! Smile

Joined: 08/06/2010

Rotating geometry would work just fine. Semitransparent would, too, but you'd have to make each one 75% what you actually want.

Another Planet finally has an official release! Download chapters 1 through 3 here! Thank you for waiting so long while I kept starting over.

Joined: 12/23/2010

That's awesome! So anchored buttons just rotate along with geometry? How about composite geometry?

Joined: 08/06/2010

Same. It's like a hinge with 0 for all values. That's how WorldSpin works.

Another Planet finally has an official release! Download chapters 1 through 3 here! Thank you for waiting so long while I kept starting over.

Joined: 12/23/2010

Ah, I see. Yeah I thought that'd be how WorldSpin does it, haven't used it yet though.

Anyway it's awesome to know that there's finally a solution for the depth problem for geometry. Well, at least in high depth, if you want to make it lower that 0 I'm not sure how that'd work.

Joined: 08/06/2010

Don't give the geometry an image, make a stacking goo with one strand and the image you want only on detached, attach the other strand to an anchor on the geometry, held above a tiny deadly bit. Blowing up the geomery kills the strand, making the anchor disappear and die, making the image appear and explode.

Another Planet finally has an official release! Download chapters 1 through 3 here! Thank you for waiting so long while I kept starting over.

Joined: 09/01/2009

Umm, yah. I guess that would work too, you troll. Tongue

One possible drawback to the geometry-image method would be that you'd have to make the geometry's image slightly smaller than the button's image, just so your antialiasing on the image shows up right. It shouldn't have any visual drawback if you do that, too, since the explosion effect is scaled to the image's original scaling to begin with (This is particularly noticeable in my level "Mothership Takeoff", for example, where the explosion effect for the large red blocks is the size of the original image, rather than being scaled horizontally like the blocks are).