Props
Props
Props are meshes that don't flex, but can be animated. They are very useful for things like steering wheels, shifters, gauge needles, pedals, or other parts that are better animated than simulated. They can also be used to create spotlights that are tied to the glowMap/electrics system, to make working lights.
Arguments
| Name | Type | Optional | Default Value | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| func |  |
 |
n/a | Defines the electric that will drive this prop |
| mesh | |
|
n/a | The name of the object to use for this prop |
| idRef | |
|
n/a | The reference node for this prop |
| idX | |
|
n/a | The X axis reference node |
| idY | |
|
n/a | The Y axis reference node |
| baseRotation |  |
 |
0,0,0 | The initial rotation |
| rotation | |
|
n/a | Specifies the amount of degrees on each axis to rotate the prop by |
| translation | |
|
n/a | Specifies how many meters on each axis the prop will move |
| min |  |
|
0.0 | Minimum value cap for (func * multiplier) |
| max | |
|
100 | Maximum value cap for (func * multiplier) |
| offset | |
|
0.0 | Offset of the output value |
| multiplier | |
|
1.0 | Multiplier of the input value |
| baseTranslation | |
|
n/a | Additional initial position adjustment |
| deformGroup | |
|
n/a | deformGroup used to break lights |
| breakGroup | |
|
n/a | breakGroup used to hide the prop |
Prop Placement
In the 3D modeling software a prop should be placed at it's proper location and have it's pivot placed where it should rotate around. The procedure for setting the pivot will vary between modeling packages. For example see "Adjusting Pivots" for 3ds Max or "Object Origin" for Blender. Pick 3 reference nodes on the node/beam structure that form a perfect right triangle, in the correct order (reference node, a node directly to the left, and a node directly behind).
BaseRotation is necessary to give a prop an initial offset, like a steering wheel on an angled steering column or a needle in an angled gauge cluster. The mesh can be angled in the 3D modeling program and the angle copied into the props section, but unlike the position, it's not automatically gotten from the mesh file.
Simple Example
"props": [
["func" , "mesh" , "idRef:", "idX:", "idY:" , "baseRotation" , "rotation" , "translation" , "min", "max", "offset", "multiplier"]
//needles
["wheelspeed", "fullsize_needle_speedo", "f7r","f7l","f8r", {"x":5, "y":0, "z":0}, {"x":0, "y":0, "z":-4} , {"x":0, "y":0, "z":0}, 0, 54, -27, 1],
["rpm", "fullsize_needle_tacho", "f7r","f7l","f8r", {"x":5, "y":0, "z":0}, {"x":0, "y":0, "z":-0.038} , {"x":0, "y":0, "z":0}, 0, 6000, -2900, 1],
],
Example with additional properties
"props": [
["func", "mesh", "idRef:", "idX:", "idY:", "baseRotation", "rotation", "translation", "min", "max", "offset", "multiplier"]
//steering wheel
["steering", "steer_04a", "f1l","f1r","f6l", {"x":-78, "y":0, "z":180}, {"x":0, "y":0, "z":1}, {"x":0, "y":0, "z":0}, -1000, 1000, 0, 1, {"baseTranslation":{"x":-0.070,"y":0.605,"z":-0.56}, "breakGroup":"steeringWheelBreak"}],
],
Lights
Props can also be used to create and animate spotlights. In order to use a light instead of a mesh, we must use "SPOTLIGHT" as the mesh name.
Lights are also positioned in a different way. The difference with the placement is that it uses a polar coordinates system. Translating on the X axis is moving the prop along a line relative to the two nodes (ref and idX). The same goes for the Y axis. Z axis is absolute (in meters) offset.The Wiki page Spotlight Positioning explains how to aim and position a spotlight.
"func" will turn on the light, and also be used for it's animation properties. The light will turn on so long as "func" is greater than zero.
Lights Example
"props": [
["func" , "mesh" , "idRef:", "idX:", "idY:" , "baseRotation" , "rotation" , "translation" , "min", "max", "offset", "multiplier"]
{
"lightInnerAngle":65
"lightOuterAngle":120
"lightBrightness":0.4
"lightRange":30
"lightColor":{"r":255, "g":255, "b":200, "a":255}
"lightAttenuation":{"x":0, "y":1, "z":1}
"lightCastShadows":true
}
//low beams angled right slightly to avoid blinding oncoming traffic
["lowhighbeam" , "SPOTLIGHT" , "fa2rr", "fa2r", "fa1rr", {"x":20, "y":-45, "z":-20} , {"x":0, "y":0, "z":0} , {"x":0, "y":0, "z":0}, 0, 0, 0, 1, {"baseTranslation":{"x":0.2, "y":0, "z":0.05},"deformGroup":"hatch_headlightglass_R_break"},],
["lowhighbeam" , "SPOTLIGHT" , "fa2ll", "fa2l", "fa1ll", {"x":160, "y":-25, "z":25} , {"x":0, "y":0, "z":0} , {"x":0, "y":0, "z":0}, 0, 0, 0, 1, {"baseTranslation":{"x":0.2, "y":0, "z":-0.05},"lightOuterAngle":75,"deformGroup":"hatch_headlightglass_L_break"},],
//high beams
["highbeam" , "SPOTLIGHT" , "fa2rr", "fa2r", "fa1rr", {"x":20, "y":-45, "z":-20} , {"x":0, "y":0, "z":0} , {"x":0, "y":0, "z":0}, 0, 0, 0, 1, {"baseTranslation":{"x":0.4, "y":0, "z":0.05},"lightRange":50,"deformGroup":"hatch_headlightglass_R_break"}],
["highbeam" , "SPOTLIGHT" , "fa2ll", "fa2l", "fa1ll", {"x":160, "y":-45, "z":20} , {"x":0, "y":0, "z":0} , {"x":0, "y":0, "z":0}, 0, 0, 0, 1, {"baseTranslation":{"x":0.4, "y":0, "z":-0.05},"lightRange":50,"deformGroup":"hatch_headlightglass_L_break"}],
//dim parking lights
["parking" , "SPOTLIGHT" , "fa2rr", "fa2r", "fa1rr", {"x":20, "y":-45, "z":-20} , {"x":0, "y":0, "z":0} , {"x":0, "y":0, "z":0}, 0, 0, 0, 1, {"baseTranslation":{"x":0.4, "y":0, "z":0.05},"lightRange":50,"lightBrightness":0.2,"deformGroup":"hatch_headlightglass_R_break"}],
["parking" , "SPOTLIGHT" , "fa2ll", "fa2l", "fa1ll", {"x":160, "y":-45, "z":20} , {"x":0, "y":0, "z":0} , {"x":0, "y":0, "z":0}, 0, 0, 0, 1, {"baseTranslation":{"x":0.4, "y":0, "z":-0.05},"lightRange":50,"lightBrightness":0.2,"deformGroup":"hatch_headlightglass_L_break"}],
],
| Vehicle Creation | ||||||||||||||||
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| Get started: Introduction to Vehicle Creation | ||||||||||||||||
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| See also: JBeam Examples • JBeam Physics Theory |