Friday 5 December 2008

Back to the drawing board

Scripting to me, is one of those love-hate relationships.

Hate, because I don't do maths (US translation = math) but worst of all I have a problem with anything 'spatial'. Me on skis - bad news. I can't even follow dance steps unless I'm facing the same way as the teacher.

So, getting a pair of double doors to open inwards, together - well, think 3 days of SL time. But, in the end it worked. Joy, rapture! Much, much was learned about rotation. PIs and axes and path cuts and non-controlling... well, lots of things.

The scripts I actually bought, which said 'right in, left out' etc. seemed perfect for a dope like me but in fact were useless because a) they didn't work (and I know why now.... sort of: it's all about that little minus sign and get rot and get pos, yadda yadda) and b) they were no-mod. Hmph. I really really need a tame scripter. And an SL millionaire but that's another topic.

So it was onto the 'let's modify the freebie ones', and as I said, joy. Opening doors, sliding doors... truly a Major Step for Avatar Me. That's when I really LOVE scripts.
Is it pathetic when seeing a successful compile is nearly as good as yet another pair of virtual stilettos or Slow Dance No. 7?
Yes, thought so.

Equipped with this amazing skill, I linked doors to my brand new build (the fruit of... a lot of SL time), and that worked too. So did the rezzer. More joy. Must put it sale and on SLExchange with link to my place so people can see it rezzed and I can become rich and famous and do lots of other colours and versions and get even richer and...yeah.
A girl can dream. If I actually cover my tier one of these months (cue violins...)... The house looks cute in sand, or ochre, or old rose, though. Must go do that. Except...
Clearly somewhat too pleased with myself, I made the cutest trunk with an opening lid for a little R&R after the bigger stuff. Did the bit I enjoy (much fiddling with textures and tapering and more fiddling with textures), redid the axes of one of the other freebie scripts and... it worked! Wow. More megalomaniac dreams of conquering SL with trunks that open and close (along with the zillion that no doubt already exist but again, a girl can dream).
Rezzed another. Turned it a little...


Ooops. Backflips and various other fun effects. More work on the scripts needed. Something about a local position not just a 'get position'. Too tired to care last night, so back to the drawing board today.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

When you figure out how to make a script that opens up a box lid normally like that, I'd be happy to buy it from you. I think the secret has to do with not just the angles in the script, but you have to build an invisible object and put it on transparent that becomes like a door. I once had a lesson in it but forgot. I have a box I made where I want the lid to be normal on it.

ARIADNE KORDA said...

I found a VERY helpful French scripter who told me that the one I was adapting was...not good.

He has made one for me, and I'm sure he'd sell you a copy (I did promise not to sell it 'as is'). Feel free to contact Ales Beaumont and ask to buy the 'script coffre'.

Getting the axis to open it up and down is one thing, but to make sure it continues opening and closing when you rotate the object was what I couldn't figure.

You need to do a path cut to get the hinge to 'sit' on the edge of another prim. But it's not an invisible prim. Another solution is to use an invisible 'hinge' but that just complicates matters.