Download User's Guide - ACT Solutions

• • • • •
Arena 3DPlayer User's Guide.book Page 56 Wednesday, June 1, 2005 9:21 AM
ARENA 3DPLAYER USER’S GUIDE
Adding shapes to a static system
You may want to build up or augment a static system using shapes added one at a time,
such as potted plants, static people, or pieces of furniture. Before adding a shape to a static
system, be sure the appropriate system is marked as active, following the method stated
above. Then select Tools > Add 3D Objects > Static Shape or press the Static Shape
button ( ), available only when a static system is activated. This action does not open a
dialog; it simply changes the pointer to a placement cross hair so you may place the
default potted plant shape. Then you may right-click on that box to open Choose Library
Shape and assign another shape from the library, including VRML shapes you have
imported.
If you happen to have a VRML file that represents a large static portion of a layout, you
can still import that as a single static shape. The building and landscaping in the Banking
example were imported this way from a single VRML file.
If you are going to add a lot of shapes, consider starting with a new, empty static system instead
of adding the shapes to an existing imported or other static system. This will allow you more
control in managing your collections of static shapes.
Static shapes from Arena
When you import from Arena, you get static shapes as well as animation information.
Specifically, any boxes, polygons, and ellipses in the Arena layout are converted into 3D
static shapes. The Arena-to-Arena 3D import process extrudes these shapes into waferthin three-dimensional static shapes near ground level (Y = 0). You can move and also
“grow” these static shapes vertically, individually or by group-selecting, to get an easy 3D
effect or to change which one is topmost when viewed from above.
Static text is diverted to the Dashboard where it more naturally belongs. (Text in the 3D
window, for labels and signs, is not currently supported. You can create 3D text in an
outside graphics program and import it as a VRML shape, as was done in the supplied
layout for the Banking Transactions example.)
3D wall systems
There may be times when you want to draw 3D walls in a static system. You could do this
by placing a simple box on the floor and scaling it differently in X, Y, and Z to make it look
like a wall with the desired length. Then you could do that again and again for each
additional wall section, carefully positioning each panel to avoid uneven corners. Your
walls would not have doors (unless you leave gaps) or windows, but it’s a start.
Or you could draw a wall system in an outside program and import it as was done in the
Banking Transactions example.
56