Help! Visual effect: how to rotate in zx plane

from Elemental Forums

Hi, everyone. Particle cauldron has beat me, fair and square, I guess, LOL.

I am in the process of trying to create a visual effect for a tile: an indefinite duration lightening beam that goes horizontally from one corner of a 1x1 tile to another.

To help visualize, here is the tile:

I want the beam to originate in between one pair of horizontal crystals up top, and end in beteen the other pair.

I managed to make the beam horizontal (or rather the emitter, because for the life of me I can't make the beam NOT go from  top down)

My current problem is I cannot rotate this emitter to go from corner to corner. If someone knows how, please, please tell me! I' really appreciate the help :).

Here's the effect .xml, if it's any use: http://www.mediafire.com/?38nt8gqhcgx2b97

 

 

5,411 views 4 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

The default shader/renderer (forget what the actual name it is called in the cauldron) is drawn always facing the screen. There are a number of different render types that can be set for the emitter, basic, additive, exclusive etc. Some of them will be basic ZX plane or something similar. These renderers will render the particle on that plane any rotation done will be perpendicular to the render plane. Or at least that is how I remember it being. Can't check from here unfortunately, will have a look back in when I'm home if no one has sorted it by then.

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

Nimbyjester: Whenever you have time to, please :)

I've played around with zx/xy etc render options for emitters (can't do that with beams at all?) but I can't get the effect to rotate around the plane at all. There are values to do it, I think I saw... but how they are determined and measured is all... chineese to me. Trial and error (LOTS of trial and error) resulted in absolutely nothing so far.

Galactic Civilizations IV
Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top

As far as I am aware you can only rotate on one plane and that is perpendicular to the image. So while you can set the render option to ZX (so it is parallel to the ground) and rotate the image to appear diagonal, you can't then rotate it so the image is viewed vertically as well. Which looking at your structure might be ok, but not ideal.

The reason the beam effect does not have the zx/xy plane options is that the beam effects are supposed to be made up of lots of particles traveling from the origin to the target, rather than being a single texture.

I've altered you effect as an example, adding a second emitter cause I thought it looked a little nicer. I don't think it is exactly what you were trying to do but I think it is as close as you can get currently. The rotation won't be quite right as it was just a rough guestimate. The rotation is measured in Radians of which there are 2pi of in a circle (6.28 ish).

Altered Effect: Download

 

I think in order to make it less obviously on one plane, you would have to essentially create the whole lightning bolt yourself using smaller individual parts; which would be quite tricky.

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

Oh, my god. With game perspective, this looks absolutely fricking PERFECT. I tweaked the rotation values a little now that I actually understand they are in radians, changed color values a bit, added another pair... and... take a look yourself :).

 

Thank you so very much! And for explanation too! I can't believe I let the radians measure slip by me!