Table of Contents
- 39.1.
<effect>.xml - 39.2.
<enumeration>.xml - 39.3.
<flora>.xml - 39.4.
<graphics_settings>.xml - 39.5.
<light>.xml - 39.6.
<mouse_cursors>.xml - 39.7.
<particle>.xml - 39.8.
<sky>.xml - 39.9.
<fx>.xml -
- 39.9.1. Light Section
- 39.9.2. Model Section
- 39.9.3. ParticleSystem Section
- 39.9.4. PPChain Section
- 39.9.5. DummyModel Section
- 39.9.6. Entity Section
- 39.9.7. HardPoint Section
- 39.9.8. LightSource Section
- 39.9.9. ModelRoot Section
- 39.9.10. Node Section
- 39.9.11. PPScreen Section
- 39.9.12. AOEVictimNodeList Section
- 39.9.13. AddDecal Section
- 39.9.14. AlignModel Section
- 39.9.15. ClearParticles Section
- 39.9.16. CorrectMotionTriggeredParticles Section
- 39.9.17. Fade Section
- 39.9.18. Flicker Section
- 39.9.19. FlickeringLight Section
- 39.9.20. ForceParticle Section
- 39.9.21. PPAnimateProperty Section
- 39.9.22. PPTranslationProperty Section
- 39.9.23. ParticleSubSystem Section
- 39.9.24. PlayAction Section
- 39.9.25. PlaySound Section
- 39.9.26. RampTimeTriggeredParticles Section
- 39.9.27. RandomDelay Section
- 39.9.28. ResetTimeTriggeredParticles Section
- 39.9.29. SetBasis Section
- 39.9.30. SetColour Section
- 39.9.31. SetOrbitorPoint Section
- 39.9.32. Shockwave Section
- 39.9.33. SwarmTargets Section
- 39.10.
<weather>.xml
Various BigWorld files use the XML format, and this chapter describes the grammar of the following ones:
-
Lens effect configuration files — For details, see
<effect>.xml. -
Enumeration files — For details, see
<enumeration>.xml. -
Flora configuration files — For details, see
<flora>.xml. -
Graphics settings configuration files — For details, see
<graphics_settings>.xml. -
Light configuration files — For details, see
<light>.xml. -
Mouse cursor configuration files — For details, see
<mouse_cursors>.xml. -
Particle system files — For details, see
<particle>.xml. -
Sky configuration files — For details, see
<sky>.xml. -
Special Effects files — For details, see
<fx>.xml. -
Weather System configuration files — For details, see
<weather>.xml.
Used by the client engine to configure lens effects, these files are located under fantasydemo/res/environments/fx.
The grammar of
<effect>.xml files is
listed below:
<root> <maxDistance>float</maxDistance> <area>float</area> <fadeSpeed>float</fadeSpeed> *<Flare> <occlusionLevel>float</occlusionLevel> <type>folder/file</type> <size>float</size> <width>float</width> <height>float</height> <depth>float</depth> <rgba>floatfloatfloatfloat</rgba> ?<secondaries> *<Flare> <type>folder/file</type> <size>float</size> <depth>float</depth> <rgba>floatfloatfloatfloat</rgba> </Flare> </secondaries> </Flare> </root>
Grammar of
fantasydemo/res/environments/fx/<effect>.xml
The list below describes the tags in
<effect>.xml:
-
area
Radius in pixels of the flare that will be used for occlusion calculations.
By default, this value is 1, as used for point lens effects. Area lens effects such as the sun require a larger value.
-
depth
Distance along the vector from the light source to the centre of the screen.
If set to 1.0, the flare will be displayed directly on the light source. If set to anything less than 1.0, flare will be moved somewhere along the vector.
Values below 0.0 are valid, and will place the flare on the other side of the pivot point (0.0, the centre of the screen).
-
fadeSpeed
Speed in which the lens effect's flares will fade in/out. Larger numbers result in slower fade in/out speeds.
-
Flare
The flares to use for the lens effect.
If multiple flares are specified, then the flare which occlusionLevel most closely matches the current visibility will be rendered on the screen.
-
height
size sets both height and width, therefore set either size or both height and width.
Clip Coordinates range from (-1,-1) to (1,1) so a size of 2.0 represents the entire screen.
Height of the lens flare in clip coordinates. Clip coordinates range from (-1,-1) to (1,1), and so a height of 2.0 represents the entire screen.
-
maxDistance
Distance up to which flare will still be seen. This value also applies to secondary flares.
-
occlusionLevel
Value between 0.0 and 1.0 specifying the percentage of the lens effect that needs to be visible in order for this flare to be rendered.
All occlusionLevel values between flares must be unique — flares with duplicate occlusionLevel values are not loaded.
-
rgba
Colour value to tint the lens flare's texture map. This colour is multiplied by the values in the texture.
-
secondaries
Tag for section specifying secondary flares. Secondary flares are displayed whenever the primary flare is displayed. Set the depth value for secondary flares to something other than 1.0 for the best results (although a value of 1.0 is still valid).
-
size
size sets both height and width, therefore set either size or both height and width.
Clip Coordinates range from (-1,-1) to (1,1) so a size of 2.0 represents the entire screen.
Size (height and width) of the lens flare in clip coordinates.
-
type
Material generated by Model Editor used to describe the flare. For details on grammar of materials, see .mfm.
-
width
size sets both height and width, therefore set either size or both height and width.
Clip Coordinates range from (-1,-1) to (1,1) so a size of 2.0 represents the entire screen.
Width of the lens flare in clip coordinates.
BigWorld's enumeration files (dxenum.xml and
<enumeration>.xml)
provide descriptions for enumerated values defined in DirectX, so that
they can be used in source files (such as FX files) and BigWorld tools
(such as Model Editor).
BigWorld uses the enumeration file specified in
<res>/resources.xml's
section system/dxenum (for details on this file, see
the document Client Programming Guide's section
Overview
→ Configuration files → File resources.xml). It is initially set to
system/data/dxenum.xml, which is the file shipped with
BigWorld Technology.
For details on the implementation of enumeration for material properties in World Editor and Model Editor, see the document Client Programming Guide's section 3D Engine (Moo) → Textures → Texture detail levels/compression.
The grammar for the enumeration file is described below:
<root> +<enum_name> +<ENTRY> <NAME>string</NAME> <VALUE>number</VALUE> <DESC>string</DESC> </ENTRY> </enum_name> *<enum_alias> <ALIAS>enum_name</ALIAS> </enum_alias> </root>
Grammar of enumeration file
The list below describes the tags in the enumeration file:
-
ALIAS
Name of the enumeration which entries the current enum_alias will use.
Value must be the enum_name of another enumeration specified in the file.
-
DESC
Description of the entry.
-
ENTRY
Tag for section specifying a value entry for the enumeration.
-
enum_aliasName of an enumeration for which the entries have already been specified as part of another enumeration.
-
enum_nameName by which to refer to the enumeration.
-
NAME
Name by which to refer to the enumeration entry.
For example, FALSE for VALUE of 1, or BLENDFACTOR for VALUE of 14.
-
VALUE
Numeric value of the entry.
Flora configuration files have their location set by the
floraXML tag in
<res>/resources.xml.
The XML flora file defines among other things, the light map to be used, plus the ecotypes and noise generation functions.
For details on flora light maps, see the document Client Programming Guide's section 3D Engine (Moo) → Features → Lighting → Flora light map.
For more details on
<res>/resources.xml,
see the document Client Programming Guide's section
Overview
→ Configuration files → File resources.xml.
The format of this file is described below:
<flora.xml> ?LightMapSection<vb_size>
integer</vb_size> <texture_width>integer</texture_width> <texture-height>integer</texture_height> <ecotypes> ?<empty> *<texture>file</texture> ?<sound_tag>string</sound_tag> </empty> *<ecotype> *<texture>file</texture> *<visual>file?<flex>float</flex> </visual> [GeneratorSection|VisualSection] </ecotype> </ecotypes> </flora.xml>
Grammar of the flora configuration file
|
|
See LightMapSection. |
The grammar for the GeneratorSection is described below:
<generator> [empty | visual
Grammar of flora configuration file's GeneratorSection
|
|
Please note that the keyword visual may appear as a value for the generator section (see the grammar above), or as a regular tag (see the grammar for VisualSection below) |
The grammar for the VisualSection is described below:
*<visual>file?<flex>float</flex> </visual>
Grammar of flora configuration file's VisualSection
The grammar for the NoiseSection is described below:
*<noise>
<frequency> float </frequency>
GeneratorSection
</noise>Grammar of flora configuration file's NoiseSection
The grammar for the RandomSection is described below:
<random> float_btwn_0_and_1 </random>Grammar of flora configuration file's RandomSection
The grammar for the FixedSection is described below:
<fixed> float_btwn_0_and_1 </fixed>Grammar of flora configuration file's FixedSection
The list below describes the tags in the flora configuration file:
-
chooseMax
One of the possible values for tag generator.
If this type is specified, then it will define one more value sub-generators (possible values: noise, random, and fixed).
Section specifying functions that generate values between 0 and 1.
The one that generates the highest value will be used.
-
ecotype
Arbitrary name identifying the ecotype.
More than one texture can be associated with the ecotype.
An ecotype might have a sound_tag associated with it, as well as a detail object (returned by generator section).
The ecotype of a part of the terrain is determined by the texture with the highest blend applied to it.
-
ecotypes
List of ecotypes.
-
fixed
One of the possible value sub-generators that can be specified if generator is chooseMax.
Value would normally be between 0 and 1, although higher values can be specified to make sure that this generator is always chosen.
-
flex
Amount of flexion to be applied for visual, in relation to standard shader amount.
-
frequency
Perlin noise frequency. Value must be between 0 and 1.
-
generator
Specifies the parameters for choosing the detail objects to be randomly placed and oriented over the ecotype.
Script bigworld/tools/WorldEditor/resources/scripts/ Ecotypes.py can be used to specify the rules of placement (i.e., how steep should the terrain be before the object is not placed, etc...).
-
LightMapSection
For details, see LightMapSection.
-
noise
One of the possible value sub-generators that can be specified if generator is chooseMax.
Higher output value produces larger and fewer patches.
-
random
One of the possible value sub-generators that can be specified if generator is chooseMax.
This returns a random value between 0 and 1.
-
texture
One of a list of terrain textures that will produce the given ecotype.
Note that it should be a DDS file, as this is the type of file stored in the terrain data.
Script bigworld/tools/WorldEditor/resources/scripts/ Ecotypes.py uses these entries to match terrain textures with ecotypes.
-
texture_height
Maximum height of flora visuals.
-
texture_width
Maximum width of flora visuals.
-
vb_size
Size of the vertex buffer (in bytes).
-
visual
-
As tag
File containing information about one of a list of flora visuals that is to be used for this ecotype.
Ecotypes may contain more than one visual. In this case, visuals are used on a rotating basis, starting at the top of the list.
For more details, see .visual.
-
As value for generator section
One of the possible value sub-generators that can be specified if generator is chooseMax.
Specifies that visuals will be used as flora objects. It may contain a list of visuals, which are used on a rotating basis, starting at the top of the list.
-
The graphics settings configuration files have their location set by the graphicsSettingsXML tag in resources.xml (for details, see the document Client Programming Guide's section Overview → Configuration files → File resources.xml).
The XML graphics settings file hosts the customisable options of the client's graphics settings feature — for details, see the document Client Programming Guide's section 3D Engine (Moo) → Graphics settings.
The grammar of this
<graphics_settings>.xml
is described below:
<graphics_settings.xml>
<flora>
+<option>
<label> string </label>
<value> float </value>
</option>
</flora>
<farPlane>
+<option>
<label> string </label>
<value> float </value>
</option>
</farPlane>
</graphics_settings.xml>Grammar of
<graphics_settings>.xml
configuration file
The list below describes the tags in
<graphics_settings>.xml:
-
flora
Section for setting flora density labels and distance from camera.
For details, see the document Client Programming Guide's section 3D Engine (Moo) → Graphics settings → Customising options → FLORA_DENSITY.
-
farPlane
Section for setting far plane labels and distance from camera.
For details, see the document Client Programming Guide's section 3D Engine (Moo) → Graphics settings. Customising options → FAR_PLANE.
Mentioned in:
-
Document Content Tools Reference Guide's section World Editor → Assets → Asset Browser panel.
-
Document Content Creation Manual's lesson Add Lights to the World.
The grammar for the XML light configuration files for ambient lights is described below:
<fileName>
<ambientLight>
<colour> float float float </colour>
?<multiplier> float </multiplier>
</ambientLight>
</fileName>Grammar of XML light configuration file — Ambient lights
The grammar for the XML light configuration files for directional lights is described below:
<fileName>
<directionalLight>
<colour> float float float </colour>
<direction> float float float </direction>
?<dynamic> [true|false] </dynamic>
?<static> [true|false] </static>
?<specular> [true|false] </specular>
?<multiplier> float </multiplier>
</directionalLight>
</fileName>Grammar of XML light configuration file — Directional lights
The grammar for the XML light configuration files for flares is described below:
<fileName>
<flare>
<resource> file </resource>
<position> float float float </position>
<colour> float float float </colour>
</ambientLight>
</fileName>Grammar of XML light configuration file — Flares
The grammar for the XML light configuration files for omni lights is described below:
<fileName>
<omniLight>
<colour> float float float </colour>
<position> float float float </position>
<innerRadius> float </innerRadius>
<outerRadius> float </outerRadius>
?<dynamic> [true|false] </dynamic>
?<static> [true|false] </static>
?<specular> [true|false] </specular>
?<multiplier> float </multiplier>
</omniLight>
</fileName>Grammar of XML light configuration file — Omni lights
The grammar for the XML light configuration files for spot lights is described below:
<fileName>
<spotLight>
<colour> float float float </colour>
<position> float float float </position>
<direction> float float float </direction>
<innerRadius> float </innerRadius>
<outerRadius> float </outerRadius>
<cosConeAngle> float </cosConeAngle>
?<dynamic> [true|false] </dynamic>
?<static> [true|false] </static>
?<specular> [true|false] </specular>
?<multiplier> float </multiplier>
</spotLight>
</fileName>Grammar of XML light configuration file — Spot lights
The list below describes the tags in the MVL light configuration file:
-
colour (Available for ambientLight, directionalLight, flare, omniLight, and spotlight)
Colour of the light.
-
cosConeAngle (Available for spotlight)
Cosine of the angle of light's cone.
-
direction (Available for directionalLight and spotlight)
Direction at which light will be projected.
-
dynamic (Available for directionalLight, omniLight, and spotlight)
Specifies that light should be applied to dynamic, i.e., moving objects.
-
innerRadius (Available for omniLight, and spotlight)
Area over which the light will be at full intensity.
-
outerRadius (Available for omniLight, and spotlight)
Total area influenced by light.
-
position (Available for flare, omniLight, and spotlight)
XYZ point of origin for the light.
-
resource (Available for flare)
Configuration file for the flare effect.
-
specular (Available for directionalLight, omniLight, and spotlight)
Boolean specifying whether light should be applied to materials with a specular map specified.
-
static (Available for directionalLight, omniLight, and spotlight)
Boolean specifying whether light should be applied to static, i.e., scene objects.
Used by the client engine to define the shapes of mouse cursor available from within the game, the mouse cursor definition file can be specified in tag gui/cursorDefinitions in res/resources.xml, but defaults to res/gui/mouse_cursor.xml (the tags are documented in the file itself — for details, see Client Programming Guide's section Overview → Configuration files → File resources.xml).
For details on how to control the behaviour and appearance of mouse cursor via game scripts, see the document Client Programming Guide's section Graphical User Interface (GUI) → Mouse cursor.
The grammar of
<mouse_cursors>.xml
files is listed below:
<mouse_cursors>
*<cursor_name>
<hotspot> integer integer </hotspot>
<texture> folder/file </texture>
</cursor_name>
</mouse_cursors>Grammar of
<mouse_cursors>.xml
The list below describes the tags in file
<mouse_cursors>.xml:
-
cursor_name
Arbitrary value identifying the type of cursor.
For example, FantasyDemo's mouse cursor definition file (res/gui/ mouse_cursors.xml) is shipped with the following cursor names:
-
arrow
-
drag
-
no
-
point
-
-
hotspot
XY location of the cursor icon's hotspot in the respective texture.
-
texture
Image file to be associated to the icon type.
Generated by Particle Editor (for more details, see Content Tools Reference Guide's chapter Particle Editor), the grammar for
<particle>.xml files
is described below:
<file_name>
+<sub_system>
<serialiseVersionData> integer </serialiseVersionData>
<capacity> integer </capacity>
<windFactor_> float </windFactor_>
<explicitTransform_> [true|false] </explicitTransform_>
<explicitPosition_> float float float </explicitPosition_>
<explicitDirection_> float float float </explicitDirection_>
<localOffset_> float float float </localOffset_>
<maxLod_> float </maxLod_>
<fixedFrameRate_> float </fixedFrameRate_>
<Actions>
*Source
*Sink 
*Barrier 
*Force 
*Stream 
*Jitter 
*Scaler 
*TintShader 
*NodeClamp 
*Orbitor 
*Flare 
*Collide 
*MatrixSwarm 
*Magnet 
*Splat 
</Actions>
<Renderer>
{ Amp | (16)
Blur | (17)
Mesh | (18)
Sprite | (19)
Trail } (20)
</Renderer>
</file_name>Grammar of
<particle>.xml
|
|
See SourceComponent. |
|
|
See SinkComponent. |
|
|
See BarrierComponent. |
|
|
See ForceComponent. |
|
|
See StreamComponent. |
|
|
See JitterComponent. |
|
|
See ScalerComponent. |
|
|
See TintShaderComponent. |
|
|
See NodeClampComponent. |
|
|
See OrbitorComponent. |
|
|
See FlareComponent. |
|
|
See CollideComponent. |
|
|
See MatrixSwarmComponent. |
|
|
See MagnetComponent. |
|
|
See SplatComponent. |
|
See AmpParticleRenderer. |
|
|
See BlurParticleRenderer. |
|
|
See MeshParticleRenderer. |
|
The sub-sections below describe the 15 possible sub system components of the particle system (they are described in the order in which they appear in Particle Editor's Add Component drop-down list box):
-
SourceComponent — See SourceComponent.
-
SinkComponent — See SinkComponent.
-
BarrierComponent — See BarrierComponent.
-
ForceComponent — See ForceComponent.
-
StreamComponent — See StreamComponent.
-
JitterComponent — See JitterComponent.
-
ScalerComponent — See ScalerComponent.
-
TintShaderComponent — See TintShaderComponent.
-
NodeClampComponent — See NodeClampComponent.
-
OrbitorComponent — See OrbitorComponent.
-
FlareComponent — See FlareComponent.
-
CollideComponent — See CollideComponent.
-
MatrixSwarmComponent — See MatrixSwarmComponent.
-
MagnetComponent — See MagnetComponent.
-
SplatComponent — See SplatComponent.
The grammar for the SourceComponent is described below:
<Source> <delay_>float</delay_> <minimumAge_>float</minimumAge_> <name_>string</name_> <pPositionSrc> {BoxVectorGenerator |float</dropDistance_> <rate_> float </rate_> <sensitivity_>float</sensitivity_> <activePeriod_>float</activePeriod_> <sleepPeriod_>float</sleepPeriod_> <sleepPeriodMax_>float</sleepPeriodMax_> <minimumSize_>float</minimumSize_> <maximumSize_>float</maximumSize_> <forcedUnitSize_>integer</forcedUnitSize_> <allowedTimeInSeconds_>float</allowedTimeInSeconds_> <initialRotation_>floatfloat</initialRotation_> <randomInitialRotation_>floatfloat</randomInitialRotation_> <initialColour_>floatfloatfloatfloat</initialColour_> <randomSpin_> [true|false} </randomSpin_> <minSpin_>float</minSpin_> <maxSpin_>float</maxSpin_> <ignoreRotation_> [true|false] </ignoreRotation_> <inheritVelocity_>float</inheritVelocity_> </Source>
Grammar of SourceComponent in
<particle>.xml
|
|
See BoxVectorGenerator. |
|
|
|
|
|
See LineVectorGenerator. |
|
|
See PointVectorGenerator. |
|
|
|
|
|
See BoxVectorGenerator. |
|
|
|
|
|
See LineVectorGenerator. |
|
|
See PointVectorGenerator. |
|
|
The grammar for the SinkComponent is described below:
<Sink> <delay_>float</delay_> <minimumAge_>float</minimumAge_> <name_>string</name_> <maximumAge_>float</maximumAge_> <minimumSpeed_>float</minimumSpeed_> </Sink>
Grammar of SinkComponent in
<particle>.xml
The grammar for the BarrierComponent is described below:
<Barrier> <delay_>float</delay_> <minimumAge_>float</minimumAge_> <name_>string</name_> <shape_> [1|2|3] </shape_>floatfloatfloat</vecA_> <vecB_>floatfloatfloat</vecB_> <radius_>float</radius_> </Barrier>
Grammar of BarrierComponent in
<particle>.xml
|
|
Possible values:
|
|
|
Possible values:
|
The grammar for the ForceComponent is described below:
<Force> <delay_>float</delay_> <minimumAge_>float</minimumAge_> <name_>string</name_> <vector_>floatfloatfloat</vector_> </Force>
Grammar of ForceComponent in
<particle>.xml
The grammar for the StreamComponent is described below:
<Stream> <delay_>float</delay_> <minimumAge_>float</minimumAge_> <name_>string</name_> <vector_>floatfloatfloat</vector_> <halfLife_>float</halfLife_> </Stream>
Grammar of StreamComponent in
<particle>.xml
The grammar for the JitterComponent is described below:
<Jitter> <delay_>float</delay_> <minimumAge_>float</minimumAge_> <name_>string</name_> <affectPosition_> [true|false] </affectPosition_> <affectVelocity> [true|false] </affectVelocity_> <pPositionSrc> {BoxVectorGenerator |
Grammar of JitterComponent in
<particle>.xml
|
|
See BoxVectorGenerator. |
|
|
|
|
|
See LineVectorGenerator. |
|
|
See PointVectorGenerator. |
|
|
|
|
|
See BoxVectorGenerator. |
|
|
|
|
|
See LineVectorGenerator. |
|
|
See PointVectorGenerator. |
|
|
The grammar for the ScalerComponent is described below:
<Scaler> <delay_>float</delay_> <minimumAge_>float</minimumAge_> <name_>string</name_> <size_>float</size_> <rate_>float</rate_> </Scaler>
Grammar of ScalerComponent in
<particle>.xml
The grammar for the TintShaderComponent is described below:
<TintShader> <delay_>float</delay_> <minimumAge_>float</minimumAge_> <name_>string</name_> <repeat_> [true|false] </repeat_> <period_>float</period_> <tints_> *<Tint> <time>float</time> <color>floatfloatfloat</color> </Tint> </tints_> </TintShader>
Grammar of TintShaderComponent in
<particle>.xml
The grammar for the NodeClampComponent is described below:
<NodeClamp> <delay_>float</delay_> <minimumAge_>float</minimumAge_> <name_>string</name_> <fullyClamp_> [true|false] </fullyClamp_> </NodeCLamp>
Grammar of NodeClampComponent in
<particle>.xml
The grammar for the OrbitorComponent is described below:
<Orbitor> <delay_>float</delay_> <minimumAge_>float</minimumAge_> <name_>string</name_> <point_>floatfloatfloat</point_> <angularVelocity_>float</angularVelocity_> <affectVelocity_> [true|false] </affectVelocity_> </Orbitor>
Grammar of OrbitorComponent in
<particle>.xml
The grammar for the FlareComponent is described below:
<Flare> <delay_>float</delay_> <minimumAge_>float</minimumAge_> <name_>string</name_> <flareName_>folder/file</flareName_> <flareStep_>integer</flareStep_> <colourize_> [true|false] </colourize_> <useParticleSize_> [true|false] </useParticleSize_> </Flare>
Grammar of FlareComponent in
<particle>.xml
The grammar for the CollideComponent is described below:
<Collide> <delay_>float</delay_> <minimumAge_>float</minimumAge_> <name_>string</name_> <spriteBased_> [true|false] </spriteBased_> <elasticity_>float</elasticity_> <minAddedRotation_>float</minAddedRotation_> <maxAddedRotation_>float</maxAddedRotation_> <entityID_>integer</entityID_> <soundTag_> string </soundTag_> <colourize_> [true|false] </colourize_> <useParticleSize_> [true|false] </useParticleSize_> </Collide>
Grammar of CollideComponent in
<particle>.xml
The grammar for the MatrixSwarmComponent is described below:
<MatrixSwarm> <delay_>float</delay_> <minimumAge_>float</minimumAge_> <name_>string</name_> </MatrixSwarm>
Grammar of MatrixSwarmComponent in
<particle>.xml
The grammar for the MagnetComponent is described below:
<Magnet> <delay_>float</delay_> <minimumAge_>float</minimumAge_> <name_>string</name_> <strength_>float</strength_> <minDist_>float</minDist_> </Magnet>
Grammar of MagnetComponent in
<particle>.xml
The sub-sections below describe the 5 possible vector generator for position and velocity:
-
AmpParticleRenderer — See AmpParticleRenderer.
-
BlurParticleRenderer — See BlurParticleRenderer.
-
SpriteParticleRenderer — See SpriteParticleRenderer.
-
MeshParticleRenderer — See MeshParticleRenderer.
-
TrailParticleRenderer — See TrailParticleRenderer.
-
VisualParticleRenderer — See VisualParticleRenderer.
The grammar for the AmpParticleRenderer is described below:
<AmpParticleRenderer> <viewDependent_> [true|false] </viewDependent_> <local_> [true|false] </local_> <textureName_>folder/file</textureName_> <width_>float</width_> <height_>float</height_> <steps_>integer</steps_> <variation_>float<variation_> <circular_> [true|false] </circular_> </AmpParticleRenderer>
Grammar of AmpParticleRenderer in
<particle>.xml
The grammar for the BlurParticleRenderer is described below:
<BlurParticleRenderer> <viewDependent_> [true|false] </viewDependent_> <local_> [true|false] </local_> <textureName_>folder/file</textureName_> <width_>float</width_> <time_>float</time_> </BlurParticleRenderer>
Grammar of BlurParticleRenderer in
<particle>.xml
The grammar for the MeshParticleRenderer is described below:
<MeshParticleRenderer> <viewDependent_> [true|false] </viewDependent_> <local_> [true|false] </local_> <visualName_>folder/file</visualName_> <doubleSided_> [true|false] </doubleSided_> <materialFX_>integer</materialFX_> <sortType_>integer</sortType_> </MeshParticleRenderer>
Grammar of MeshParticleRenderer in
<particle>.xml
The grammar for the SpriteParticleRenderer is described below:
<SpriteParticleRenderer> <viewDependent_> [true|false] </viewDependent_> <local_> [true|false] </local_> <textureName_>folder/file</textureName_> <materialFX_>integer</materialFX_> <frameCount_>integer</frameCount_> <frameRate_>float</frameRate_> </SpriteParticleRenderer>
Grammar of SpriteParticleRenderer in
<particle>.xml
The grammar for the TrailParticleRenderer is described below:
<TrailParticleRenderer> <viewDependent_> [true|false] </viewDependent_> <local_> [true|false] </local_> <textureName_>folder/file</textureName_> <width_>float</width_> <skip_>integer</skip_> <steps_>integer</steps_> </TrailParticleRenderer>
Grammar of TrailParticleRenderer in
<particle>.xml
The grammar for the VisualParticleRenderer is described below:
<VisualParticleRenderer> <viewDependent_> [true|false] </viewDependent_>
<local_> [true|false] </local_>
<visualName_> folder/file </visualName_>
</VisualParticleRenderer>Grammar of VisualParticleRenderer in
<particle>.xml
The sub-sections below describe the 5 possible vector generator for position and velocity:
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BoxVectorGenerator — See BoxVectorGenerator.
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CylinderVectorGenerator — See CylinderVectorGenerator.
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LineVectorGenerator — See LineVectorGenerator.
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PointVectorGenerator — See PointVectorGenerator.
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SphereVectorGenerator — See SphereVectorGenerator.
The grammar for the BoxVectorGenerator is described below:
<BoxVectorGenerator> <nameID_> BoxVectorGenerator </nameID_> <corner_>floatfloatfloat</corner_> <opposite_> floatfloatfloat</opposite_> </BoxVectorGenerator>
Grammar of BoxVectorGenerator in
<particle>.xml
The grammar for the CylinderVectorGenerator is described below:
<CylinderVectorGenerator> <nameID_> CylinderVectorGenerator </nameID_> <origin_>floatfloatfloat</origin_> <direction_>floatfloatfloat</direction_> <maxRadius_>float</maxRadius_> <minRadius_>float</minRadius_> <basisU_>floatfloatfloat</basisU_> <basisV_>floatfloatfloat</basisV_> </CylinderVectorGenerator>
Grammar of CylinderVectorGenerator in
<particle>.xml
The grammar for the LineVectorGenerator is described below:
<LineVectorGenerator> <nameID_> LineVectorGenerator </nameID_> <origin_>floatfloatfloat</origin_> <direction_>floatfloatfloat</direction_> </LineVectorGenerator>
Grammar of LineVectorGenerator in
<particle>.xml
The grammar for the PointVectorGenerator is described below:
<PointVectorGenerator> <nameID_> PointVectorGenerator </nameID_> <position_>floatfloatfloat</position_> </PointVectorGenerator>
Grammar of PointVectorGenerator in
<particle>.xml
The grammar for the SphereVectorGenerator is described below:
<SphereVectorGenerator> <nameID_> SphereVectorGenerator </nameID_> <centre_>floatfloatfloat</centre_> <maxRadius_>float</maxRadius_> <minRadius_>float</minRadius_> </SphereVectorGenerator>
Grammar of SphereVectorGenerator in
<particle>.xml
Sky configuration files are used by spaces, and can be located in
any folder of your choice, as their location is set by the
timeOfDay tag in
<res>/spaces/<space>/space.settings
(for details on this file's grammar, see space.settings).
Mentioned in the documentClient Programming Guide's sections Terrain → Cloud shadows → Tweaking and 3D Engine (Moo) → Features → Lighting → Light maps → Sky light map.
The grammar is listed below:
<root> <texture>file</texture> <mieAmount>float</mieAmount> <turbidityOffset>float</turbidityOffset> <turbidityFactor>float</turbidityFactor> <vertexHeightEffect>float</vertexHeightEffect> <sunHeightEffect>float</sunHeightEffect> <power>float</power> <farPlane>integer</farPlane> ?LightMapSectionfloat</angle> <moonAngle>float</moonAngle> <hourLength>float</hourLength> <startTime>float</startTime> +<lightKey> <time>float</time> <colour>floatfloatfloat</colour> </lightKey> +<ambientKey> <time>float</time> <colour>floatfloatfloat</colour> </ambientKey> </root>
Grammar of sky configuration file
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See LightMapSection. |
The list below describes the tags in the sky configuration file:
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ambientKey
Section specifying colour that should be used to evenly light all models at the specified time.
The ambient lighting is an approximation of global bounce lighting, and hence comes from all directions (is directionless)
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angle
Angle of the sun (in degrees).
It determines the sun's path across de sky.
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colour
Base colour that the respective light source (sun or ambient) should produce.
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day_night_cycle
Section containing settings that configure the lighting at various times of the day, as well as how quickly hours pass.
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farPlane
Camera far plane for all spaces using this sky definition file.
This will be overridden on a per-space basis if there is a farplane entry in the space.settings file (for details, see space.settings).
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hourLength
Number of real seconds that a game hour will last.
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lightKey
Section specifying colour that the sun should produce at the specified time.
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LightMapSection
For details, see LightMapSection.
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mieAmountA
Amount of mie (forward) scattering in the sky. Set this to larger values to increase the amount of light that is added to the sky when looking in the direction of the sun.
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moonAngle
Angle of the moon (in degrees).
It determines the moon's path across de sky.
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power
Exponent for the mie (forward) scattering in the sky.
Set this to a higher value to create a more focused corona around the sun.
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sunHeightEffectA
Unit-less value that adds mie (forward) scattering as the sun rises in the sky.
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texture
File containing texture, which displays the colour gradient of the sky over time.
Vertical line displays the sky gradient at a particular time.
Horizontal line displays a point in the sky along the day.
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time
Time (in 24-hour format) at which the respective light should be used.
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turbidityFactorA
Overall multiplier for mie (forward) scattering in the sky.
Set this to a higher value to represent more particulate matter in the sky (and thus see more forward scattering of light in the direction of the sun).
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turbidityOffsetA
Overall offset for mie (forward) scattering in the sky.
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vertexHeightEffectA
Unit-less value that adds mie (forward) scattering depending on the height of the vertex in the sky. Higher values produce more scattering on the horizon.
A — Advanced setting. Should only be modified by advanced users.
FX files are used by the python FX module, and can be located in any folder of your choice. FX files are based around Actors. For each actor, you should specify one Joint. And for each actor, you can specify any number of Events. Each Actor, Joint or Event section requires the name of the actor to be specified as its section name as a string.
The grammar is listed below:
<file_name> +<Actor>string{ Light |string{ DummyModel |string{ AOEVictimNodeList |
Grammar of FX file
The list below describes the tags in the FX file:
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See Light Section. |
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See Model Section. |
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See PPChain Section. |
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See DummyModel Section. |
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See Entity Section. |
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See HardPoint Section. |
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See LightSource Section. |
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See ModelRoot Section. |
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See Node Section. |
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See PPScreen Section. |
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See AddDecal Section. |
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See AlignModel Section. |
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See Fade Section. |
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See Flicker Section. |
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See PlayAction Section. |
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See PlaySound Section. |
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See RandomDelay Section. |
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See SetBasis Section. |
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See SetColour Section. |
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See Shockwave Section. |
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See SwarmTargets Section. |
The Light Actor creates a PyChunkLight. It allows specification of the following :
<Light>
<innerRadius> float </innerRadius>
<outerRadius> float </outerRadius>
<colour> Vector4 </colour>
</Light>-
innerRadius
Inner Radius of the light, in metres.
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outerRadius
Outer Radius of the light, in metres.
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colour
Colour of the light source in RGBA form.
The Model Actor creates a PyModel. It allows specification of the following :
<Model> string </Model>-
Model
Resource ID of the model to load.
The ParticleSystem Actor creates a PyMetaParticleSystem. It allows specification of the following :
<ParticleSystem> string </ParticleSystem>-
Particle System
Resource ID of the particle system to load.
The PPChain Actor creates a post processing chain. It allows specification of the following:
<PPChain>string<Property>string<Float>float</Float> </Property> <Property>string<Vector4>Vector4</Vector4> </Property> <Property>string<Colour>colour</Colour> </Property> </PPChain>
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PPChain
Resource ID of the *.ppchain file to load.
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Property
Property in post processing chain to set. Properties can be of types:
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float
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vector4
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colour
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The DummyModel Joint attaches the actor to a dummy model, which follows the player but is not attached to them. This is useful because even if the player changes model, or becomes invisible, effects attached to a DummyModel will still be visible. It allows specification of the following :
<DummyModel> </DummyModel>
The Entity Joint adds the actor as a secondary model of an entity. It the actor is a Model, it creates a Motor that makes it follow the entity. If the actor is a ParticleSystem, its position is set to where the source is at time of attachment. It allows specification of the following :
<Entity> </Entity>
The HardPoint Joint attaches the actor to a hardpoint. It uses the hardpoint feature, meaning that both the actor and the source must have the corresponding hard point. It allows specification of the following :
<HardPoint> string </HardPoint>-
HardPoint
Hard Point name, without the HP_ prefix.
The LightSource Joint attaches a light to a PyModelNode. The actor must be a PyChunkLight.
<LightSource> ?string
</LightSource>-
LightSource
Optional name of node to attach to.
The ModelRoot Joint attaches the actor to the source model's root node. It allows specification of the following :
<ModelRoot> </ModelRoot>
The Node Actor attaches the actor directly to the specified node on the source model. It allows specification of the following :
<Node> string </Node>-
Node
Node name.
The PPScreen Joint attaches a post processing chain to the screen. It allows specification of the following :
<PPScreen> </PPScreen>
The AOEVictimNodeList Event this event finds all victims in the area of effect, and sets the node list into the actors' MatrixSwarmPSA target lists. It allows specification of the following :
<AOEVictimNodeList>string<maxNodes>float</maxNodes> <maxRange>float</maxRange> <findTeam>int</findTeam> </AOEVictimNodeList>
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maxNodes
Maximum number of nodes that can be struck.
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maxRange
Maximum range for AOE.
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findTeam
Hit team members within range.
The AddDecal Event adds a decal to the world, at the position of the source when the event is fired. It allows specification of the following :
<AddDecal>string<size>float</size> <extent>Vector3</extent> </AddDecal>
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size
width and depth of the decal, in metres.
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extent
extent of the collision ray. The actor's position is used as the midpoint for the collision ray when choosing where to put the decal in the world.
The AlignModel Event will position and align a model actor at runtime according to the basis tuple (dir,pos) passed into the Effect's variable arguments dictionary. It allows specification of the following :
<AlignModel> </AlignModel>
The ClearParticles Event clears all particle containers, resetting them to their initial state. It allows specification of the following :
<ClearParticles>
*<systemName> string </systemName>
</ClearParticles>-
systemName
Optional list of names of sub-systems within the MetaParticleSystem actor to apply the event to.
The CorrectMotionTriggeredParticles Event resets the motion trigger flag on all applicable sub-systems. This allows motion triggered particle systems to be re-used. It works around a problem caused by the motion trigger using its last known world position to calculate the distance the particle system has moved since the last frame. It allows specification of the following :
<CorrectMotionTriggeredParticles>
*<systemName> string </systemName>
</CorrectMotionTriggeredParticles>-
systemName
Optional list of names of sub-systems within the MetaParticleSystem actor to apply the event to.
The Fade Event fades out a light actor over the specified time. It allows specification of the following :
<Fade>
<time> float </time>
</Fade>-
time
Specifies the time over which the light will fade out.
The Flicker Event flickers the colour of a light actor. It allows specification of the following :
<Flicker>
<amplitude> float </amplitude>
<speed> float </speed>
</Flicker>-
amplitude
Multiplies the amplitude of the noise that drives the flicker.
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speed
Multiplies the frequency of the noise that drives the flicker.
The FlickeringLight Event creates a canned flickering light effect at the position of the source's model's root node. It lasts for the duration of the effect, or the duration of a specified actor in the effect, fading out over the last 50 percent. It allows specification of the following :
<FlickeringLight>
<innerRadius> float </innerRadius>
<outerRadius> float </outerRadius>
<colour> Vector4 </colour>
?<actorForTiming> string </actorForTiming>
</FlickeringLight>-
innerRadius
Inner Radius of the light, in metres.
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outerRadius
Outer Radius of the light, in metres.
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colour
Colour of the light source in RGBA form.
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actorForTiming
[Optional] Specify the name of another actor in the Effect to use as the duration of the FlickeringLight event. If not specified, the total duration of the rest of the effect will be used.
The ForceParticle Event spawns a single unit of particles. The unit size is specified with the particle system, in Particle Editor. It allows specification of the following :
<ForceParticle>
*<systemName> string </systemName>
</ForceParticle>-
systemName
Optional list of names of sub-systems within the MetaParticleSystem actor to apply the event to.
The PPAnimateProperty Event animates a material property in a post-processing chain over time. It allows specification of the following :
<PPAnimateProperty>
*<Key> float, Colour, Vector4 </Key>
</PPAnimateProperty>-
Key
It reads a list of keyframes of (time,value) The value can currently be a Float or Vector4.
The PPTranslationProperty Event gets the world position of the SFX source, and sets it on a post-processing chain actor It allows specification of the following :
<PPTranslationProperty> string
</PPTranslationProperty>-
PPTranslationProperty
Property name.
The ParticleSubSystem Event is a base class that exists to provide a foundation for all events that deal with selected subSystems of a MetaParticleSystem. ParticleSubSystem-based events allow the user to specify the name of specific ParticleSystems within the MetaParticleSystem, by adding a list of "systemName" tags in the XML file. If no system names are specified, then the entire MetaParticleSystem will be affected. It allows specification of the following :
<ParticleSubSystem>
+<systemName> string </systemName>
</ParticleSubSystem>-
systemName
Resource ID of the particle system.
The PlayAction Event plays, in sequence, a list of Actions on a Model. It allows specification of the following :
<PlayAction>
+<Action> string </Action>
</PlayAction>-
Action
List of action names to play sequentially on the actor.
The PlaySound Event This class implements an event that plays a sound. The sound may be associated with a particular actor to provide its 3D position; if not the sound will be played on the source model. It allows specification of the following :
<PlaySound>string+<attachToActor>string</attachToActor> </PlaySound>
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attachToActor
Specify an actor's position from which the sound should be played.
The RampTimeTriggeredParticles Event ramps up/down the generation rate of time triggered particles, to fade them in/out. It also gives them a specified duration, which allows time triggered particles to behave correctly in a OneShot effect scenario. It allows specification of the following :
<RampTimeTriggeredParticles>
<Duration> float </Duration>
<FadeTime> float </FadeTime>
</RampTimeTriggeredParticles>-
Duration
Total duration of the event, i.e. how long the particles will be visible for.
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FadeTime
Time in seconds, measured from the end of the event, when the particles should be turned off.
The RandomDelay Event waits for a random amount of time, then spawns a list of events at once. It allows specification of the following :
<RandomDelay>
<MinDelay> float </MinDelay>
<MaxDelay> float </MaxDelay>
+<Event> EventSection </Event>
</RandomDelay>-
MinDelay
Minimum time in seconds for the random delay.
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MaxDelay
Maximum time in seconds for the random delay.
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Event
List of Events to spawn at once, after the delay has been observed.
The ResetTimeTriggeredParticles Event resets the time trigger of a particle system actor. This is useful for effects that are reused. It means that when reused, the particles will begin "from the beginning", instead of sometime through their normal cycle. It allows specification of the following :
<ResetTimeTriggeredParticles>
*<systemName> string </systemName>
</ResetTimeTriggeredParticles>-
systemName
Optional list of names of sub-systems within the MetaParticleSystem actor to apply the event to.
The SetBasis Event positions and aligns a particle system in the world, based on the basis tuple (dir,pos) passed in at run-time to the effect's variable arguments dictionary. It allows specification of the following :
<SetBasis>
*<systemName> string </systemName>
</SetBasis>-
systemName
Optional list of names of sub-systems within the MetaParticleSystem actor to apply the event to.
The SetColour Event sets a colour modulator on the TintShader action of a particle system actor, using a Vector4Provider passed int at run-time to the effect's variable arguments dictionary. It allows specification of the following :
<SetColour>
*<systemName> string </systemName>
</SetColour>-
systemName
Optional list of names of sub-systems within the MetaParticleSystem actor to apply the event to.
The SetOrbitorPoint Event sets the world position of the orbitor location for Particle System actors using the Orbitor action, using the location of the effect source when the event is initiated. It allows specification of the following :
<SetOrbitorPoint>
*<systemName> string </systemName>
</SetOrbitorPoint>-
systemName
Optional list of names of sub-systems within the MetaParticleSystem actor to apply the event to.
The Shockwave Event is an event that you can play on a shockwave model. It allows specification of the following:
<Shockwave>
<colour> Colour </colour>
<actionName> String </actionName>
<shimmerStyle> int </shimmerStyle>
<hitCameraSound> String </hitCameraSound>
</Shockwave>-
Colour
Fade colour.
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actionName
Name of the action to play on the shockwave model.
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shimmerStyle
Shimmer style for the shockwave.
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hitCameraSound
Sound to play when the shockwave hits the camera.
The SwarmTargets Event sets a list of target nodes on a particle system containing the MatrixSwarm action. It allows specification of the following :
<SwarmTargets>
+<Node> string </Node>
*<systemName> string </systemName>
</SwarmTargets>-
Node
One or more node names on the target model to be set on the MatrixSwarm particle system actions as their target.
systemName
Optional list of names of sub-systems within the MetaParticleSystem actor to apply the event to.
The weather XML file specifies a list of weather systems available for an entire game. The number of different weather systems is up to you. Since the file is simply a list of systems, and each tag name is the user's name for the weather section, there's no point documenting the grammar of the overall file. Instead we will look at what goes within each weather system section.
The grammar is listed below:
<weather.xml> *<WeatherSystemName> +<skyBox>string</skyBox> ?<sfx>string</sfx> ?<rain>float</rain> ?<sun>Vector4</sun> ?<ambient>Vector4</ambient> ?<fog>Vector4</fog> ?<windSpeed>Vector2</windSpeed> ?<windGustiness>float</windGustiness> ?<bloom> <attenuation>Vector4</attenuation> <numPasses>int</numPasses> <power>float</power> <width>int</width> </bloom> </weather.xml>
The list below describes the tags in the Weather System section:
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skyBox
resource ID of a .model file. The model file should use one of the environment .fx file in order to draw and sort correctly in the scene. You may specify any number of sky box models. These will be drawn in the order they are specified in the XML file.
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sfx
resource ID of a Special Effect file. This will be attached to the player when the weather system is summoned.
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rain
Amount of rain, from 0.0 to 1.0.
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sun
Colour that multiplies with the dynamic time-of-day colour of the sunlight. In RGBA form.
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ambient
Colour that multiplies with the dynamic time-of-day ambient colour. In RGBA form.
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fog
Colour that multiplies with the dynamic time-of-day colours of fog. The fourth value is the fog density, where 1.0 is the normal amount of fog, and any higher value is thicker fog. The colours are in RGB form.
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windSpeed
Wind velocity, as x/z metres per second in world-space.
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windGustiness
Wind gustiness. The gustiness randomly adjusts the wind velocity over time. A value of 0 means the wind will always be exactly the windSpeed.
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bloom
Section describing bloom settings.
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attenuation
Per-pass colour attenuation of the bloom filter. In normalised RGBA form; e.g (1,1,1,1) means no colour attenuation.
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numPasses
Number of gaussian blur passes the bloom filter will perform.
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power
Mathematical power of the scaling function, for shader 2.0 cards and above.
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width
Texel width multiplier of the bloom filter kernel. Larger values produce a larger bloom area, but beware of creating gaps or holes in the effect.