vp_parallel for a simple model!???????

[Nahuel]

Hello!!!! I need know what function can work so that the mdl of an entity behaves with the orientation of a sprite vp_parallel or something similar. I thought about something similar to ai_face (); but not for a monster, just for a simple model, more precisely to create fog. But I cannot use sprites because the shaders doesn´t work I do not know. Thank you very much, i am using darkplaces.

[necros]

well, if all you want is to make a model 'face' the player, than it's just a matter of getting the direction vector from the model to the player, and then converting that to yaw, and feeding the yaw directly into the y component of the angles vector:


pl = player entity

local vector vec;
local float yaw;

vec = pl.origin - self.origin;
yaw = vectoyaw(vec);
self.angles_y = yaw;

do this every frame and it will behave just like a vp_parallel sprite.

[frag.machine]

This wont work the same way because ai_face() doesn't take the z axis in account.

[Nahuel]

well, if all you want is to make a model 'face' the player, than it's just a matter of getting the direction vector from the model to the player, and then converting that to yaw, and feeding the yaw directly into the y component of the angles vector:


pl = player entity

local vector vec;
local float yaw;

vec = pl.origin - self.origin;
yaw = vectoyaw(vec);
self.angles_y = yaw;

do this every frame and it will behave just like a vp_parallel sprite.

thank you necros !!! But I have a problem! how (and where) can i define the entity player ?? can you write an example!? I do not know I am still a noob

[necros]

there are many ways to get the player entity.

probably the simplest is to just use nextent.

nextent is a builtin function that will cycle through all entities. this is normally slow, but player entities are ALWAYS the first 4 entities, so in this case, it's extremely fast.

simply do this:

local entity pl;

pl = nextent(world);

this finds the next entity after world (the top of the list, entity #0) which will be player 1.

a safer method would be to just do a find().

pl = find(world, classname, "player");

will find the first player. i think it's slightly more expensive but not overly so, since it'll find it right away.

edit: when i read 'ai_face' in your first post, i assumed you wanted the model to stay upright.
my post will cause the model to behave like upright_parallel.
to make it behave exactly like vp_parallel, you must do this:

vec = pl.origin - self.origin;
self.angles = vectoangles(vec);

note vectoangles INSTEAD of vectoyaw. this will make it 'face' the player in both yaw AND pitch, emulating vp_parallel behaviour.

[Nahuel]

Thanks for your explanation Necros:) ! It was very clear for noobs like me! I have my "fog" working!!!!

[Seven]

...that is why my winged-demon model always starts to lean back a little when flying upwards.

It is because ai_face() doesn't take the z axis in account !!

And when the entity´s z-position gets higher than the players, this happens...

Thank you frag.machine & necros.

Just like Nahuel said:
What would we noobs be, without all the kind + helpful people here at inside3d ?

Best wishes,
Seven