What's New in Director 8.5 > Working with Models and Model Resources > Cast member commands

 

Cast member commands

If the models and model resources you need aren't contained in a particular cast member, the following commands allow you to create models and model resources using other 3D cast members at run time.

Command

Description

Returns

loadFile(fileName,Overwrite, GenerateUniqueNames)

This command loads a W3D format file from fileName, adds all models as children of the world, and updates all palettes.

You can call this function only if the cast member's state property is either -1, meaning that an error occurred during a previous attempt to load the file, or 4, meaning that media loading is complete. If an attempt is made to call loadFile while the cast member is streaming media in, a Lingo error is generated.

Overwrite is an optional variable that can be TRUE (1) or FALSE (0):

TRUE (1) means the old world is replaced by the contents of the file.

FALSE (0) means the new file is merged into the existing world.

GenerateUniqueNames is a variable that has no meaning unless Overwrite is FALSE (0).

If Overwrite is FALSE (0), then ifGenerateUniqueNames is TRUE (1), all new elements sharing the same name as existing elements are assigned a new, algorithmically determined unique name.

If GenerateUniqueNames is FALSE (0), all existing elements sharing the same name as new elements being read into the file are replaced by the new elements.

Nothing if the operation is successful, or a Lingo error if the operation fails

cloneModelFromCastmember(name, model,castmember)

Performs a deep clone of a model from one cast member and puts it into another cast member.

The model, its resources, its children, and its children's resources all are put into the new cast member.

A model object

cloneMotionFromCastMember(name, motion, castmember)

Performs a deep clone of a motion from one cast member and puts it into another cast member.

A motion object

newModelResource(name,type)

Creates a new model resource and adds it to the model resource palette. The type can be #plane, #box, #sphere, #cylinder, or #particle.

The type cannot be #mesh. To create a new mesh model resource, use the newMesh command detailed below.

New model resource object

newMesh(name,numFaces, numVertices, numNormalsnumColors,numTextureCoordinates)

Creates a new mesh model resource.

numFaces is the user-specified number of triangles.

numVertices is the user-specified number of vertices. A vertex can be used by more than one face.

numNormals is the user-specified number of normals. Enter 0 or omit this step to use the generateNormals() method.

numColors is the user-specified number of colors. You can specify a color for each point of a triangle.

numTextureCoordinates is the number of user-specified texture coordinates. Enter 0 or omit this step to get the default coordinates.

New mesh model resource