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Interaction > Editing Triggers

Editing Triggers


The trigger defines exactly what happens when a sensor launches a reaction.

For example, when you link a mouse sensor to an animation reaction, by default, the animation starts when you click the mouse. But you can change it to:

To edit a trigger:
  1. In the Interaction Editor, multi-select the sensor and the reaction or select the link that joins them.
  2. In the Parameter Editor, adjust the trigger parameters.

Trigger Parameters

Trigger on

For mouse, keyboard, and arrow key sensors, determines at what point the reaction occurs:

Down: it occurs when you click the mouse button or key.

Hold: it occurs as long as you hold the mouse button or key.

Release: it occurs when you release the mouse button or key.

Modifier key

For mouse, keyboard, and arrow key sensors, the surfer has to press Shift, Ctrl, or Ctrl+Shift with the sensor to launch the reaction.

Expiry count

The maximum number of times that a trigger can be set off. For example, if a honking sound plays when a surfer clicks a horn, an expiry count of 10 means the surfer can honk the horn 10 times.

Time delay

The delay in seconds before the reaction occurs after it has been triggered. For example if the delay is 1, the honking sound plays 1 second after the surfer clicks the horn.

Repeat delay

The number of seconds that must pass before the reaction can be triggered again. For example, if the repeat delay is 2, the surfer can honk the horn every 2 seconds. Even if he clicks repeatedly, the sound plays only if 2 seconds elapsed since the last time it played.

Trigger mode

Determines what happens when the sensor is triggered:

Start: starts the reaction.

Stop: ends the reaction.

Toggle Start/Stop: toggles the reaction on and off.

Toggle Stop/Start: toggles the reaction off then on.

Activate: allows the reaction to be triggered by other sensors.

Deactivate: prevents the reaction from being triggered by other sensors.

Toggle Activate/Deactivate: toggles between allowing and preventing the reactions from being triggered by other sensors. See Using a trigger to control a reaction.

Toggle Deactivate/Activate: toggles between disallowing and allowing the reactions to be triggered by other sensors.

Start mode

For Play Animation reactions, when the Trigger mode is set to Start, the Start mode determines how the reaction starts:

Restart: the animation starts from the beginning.

Continue: the animation starts where it last stopped.

Stop mode

For Play Animation reactions, when the Trigger mode is set to Stop, the Stop mode determines what happens when the reaction is stopped:

Pause: the animation stops and stays in its current state.

Go to beginning: the animation stops and is reset to the first key.

Go to End: the animation goes to the last key.


See also:

Example: Editing the trigger on a Translate handle

Using a trigger to control a reaction

Linking Sensors and Reactions

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