Sample_Drawsurrogate_TD

Somebody asked me about the drawsurrogate functionality and even if there are already some models hidden in the community I built a very small model for better understanding. The model combines drawsurrogate and kinematics. It is more or less an animation at a processor. The animator creator by the way also uses the drawsurrogate functionality.


Here is the model: Sample_Drawsurrogate_TD.

Tom,
You may want to take out the itemtype attributes on your drawsurrogate sub-components so that they are not independently clickable (unless you explicitly wanted to do it that way). One of the reasons for using drawsurrogates is so that an object can have movable sub-components, but the user interfaces with it as one object, i.e. when he clicks on it he clicks only on the main object, no matter where he clicks, and not on the sub-components. However, if a drawsurrogate subcomponent has an itemtype attribute, the engine interprets that as a flow item that should be interfaced separately, so it draws it allowing the user to click on it separately. This is done so that implementations like the excavator model can use drawsurrogates for the flow items themselves, but still allow the flow items to be separately clickable.

Once you've deleted the itemtype attribute, you'll want to right-click on the sub-component object and select Build > Rebind Object Attributes to apply it.

Anthony,

Thanks for your reply. I hardly get feedback for my models so I really appreciate your help and hints.
I will have a deeper look into it, if I find the time. I am pretty sure, that I will come back to this thread.
I had a look into the excavator model when the thread started and I think it is a great model. And now I learned even more from it. Thanks.

Anthony,



I modified my model and put your comments in the description. I re-upload the model and hope that this model is now even more helpful.



Thanks again for your feedback.