Moving Platforms dont work

[incenseman2003]

I tried setting up a moving platform using the online docs and even opened the rftechv1.3dt and found the platform in that and set it up identical to that and mine did not work.

I tried all of these:
Example #1 is your ordinary platform. It activates upon player collision, cycles through its animation and then stops. It can be activated multiple times.

Example #2 is an auto start, continuously running platform. It plays a looping sound when activated at level load and while running.

Example #3 is a platform that is solely controlled by a trigger and does not require a collision to activate. It also plays a looping sound while it is running. It can be activated multiple times.

All of the settings that I used are the same ones in the online help docs for each one.

None of them worked.

There were no errors and there was nothing to indicate malfunction in the RF log file. The platform just didnt move under any of the outlined circumstances.

I did notice that there is no obvious way to tell the platform what direction to move in or how far to go.

Is there something that was not mentioned in the help docs?

Total posts: 52

[AndyCR]

Did you animate the model? It sounds like you didnt, since thats how it knows what direction to move.

[incenseman2003]

AndyCR

Since "models" in RF are not ".act" files that must mean that they are not animated in 3DS Max or other programs like it. Is that correct?

If that is the case where would one find details on animating the model?

If I do have to use a modeling program, how do I get the model to use the texture I give it? I have had issues with that lately. I make the model and create the texture and the map it to the model and then make the act file including the model and texture and when I put the actor into the level it doesnt show the texture.

I have Milkshape, 3DS Max, Gmax and 3DS Canvas. I have seen many tutorials for these and they are either to general or bounce from one type of model to another (A.K.A: Start out working with people models and then jump to weapons and then to something else). By the end of the tutorial I am more confused than enlightened. Is there a complete tutorial other than the confusing ones availible that covers Creating a model and creating a texture from the model and saving it in such a way that it can be turned into an act file that shows the texture that was created from the model and runs the animations that it is given and so on....?

I have Milkshape 3D 1.7.7a, 3DS Max 8, Gmax 1.2 and 3DS Canvas 6.5.0.2. Any full tutorials for any of those would be great.

The ones that come with the programs are to cluttered with useless information and as a result are as confusing as the others I have seen.

Thanks for your time.

[Juutis]

You can animate models in the level editor. Just go to the "models" tab and select your model. There should be a button named "animate" somewhere. Now click on the animate button and it should change to "stop animating". Now move your model where ever you want it to move when it is activated and click "stop animating". Then it asks for a "key time". This is the time in seconds how fast the model moves to the new location. The new key time/location should appear in the box right above the "animate" button.

And about that actor texturing problem of yours... make sure your textures are bitmaps (.bmp) and their sizes are a power of 2 (2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128 etc...).

[AndyCR]

No problem. No, it is not a .act file. It's basically moving level geometry created in-editor. heres a tutorial: (Some things may not apply or may have been changed since, but its the basic idea)

http://www.genesis3d.com/~wog/tutorials ... vator.html

[incenseman2003]

That did the trick for the platform. Ty..Ty..Ty..Ty..!

As for my textures. I used one that I extracted one from the default.txl and it is 128 by 128.

It took the texture in 3DS Max but I had to export it to 3ds and the import it to milkeshape and then export it to bdy and then use the AStudio.exe to build that act file using the bdy file and the texture file. I tried to apply the texture in Milkshape but it didnt show there. I have applied textures successfully in Milkshape before and max also.

Not sure what is different this time.



Edit 12:47 PM 4/8/2006: Can someone please give me an example of what a parent model is? I know its the parent of another model because I read the Online docs. Other than that I dont know its function or how it relates to the function of other models.

I have set up a trigger for a platform. The animation and functionality works fine for the trigger model. I set up a model to be activated when the trigger is activated. The animation and functionality works fine for this model. When I set the model that is to be activated by the trigger model to do just that and the player hits the trigger model the only thing that happens is that the trigger model goes through its animation but the model to trigger next doesnt move.

Is there something that I missed in the docs that might have helped with this?

Edit 1:12 PM 4/8/2006: I have the switch so that it activates the next model. It only activates once 120 seconds though. I cant find a setting that allows me to activate the switch again right after the first time and have it move the next platorm though. Is there one or is this as good as it gets?