Manipulating Objects
This tutorial cover some real basics but also some lesser known features of working with objects in the FMB:
- Zooming in and out, including with the mouse wheel.
- Scrolling through lists, including with the mouse wheel.
- Adding & Deleting objects, including choosing the order in which they're deleted.
- Rotating objects with the NumPad and mouse.
- Using 3D Roaming.
- Getting creative with a bit of object-merging.
This is mainly targeted at absolute beginners but there may be a thing or 2 that even the more experienced haven't bumped into yet.
Convert videos to web format
Manipulating Objects: Summary of the Vid
Here are the main points from the vid, designed as reference notes after watching it:
Zooming & Panning the Map
Shift-Click + Drag zooms into the selected area. Use the left scroll bar to zoom in or out. PLUS: Place the mouse cursor over the scroll wheel and use it to zoom in or out.
Scrolling through the lists
Apart from the obvious way of scrolling through any list, you can place the mouse cursor over the list box and use the mouse wheel to scroll through the list. It's especially good as an easy way to check out the un-named Objects list, with Show on. But get a good printed list, like Winger69's completely professional PDF which is at Mission4Today.com: Object Lists at Mission4Today.
Adding & Deleting Objects
Basically use the Delete key, or the NumPad "." but can we determine the order in which objects are deleted? Well yes: Select an object you want to delete, then before deleting it put the cursor over the next object to delete. When you delete that first object the object closest to the cursor will be selected. This makes for MUCH more efficient deletion of multiple objects, when only some are to be deleted!
Rotating Objects: NumPad & Mouse
Using the NumPad:
- 7,9 keys: 5 degree changes.
- 4,6 keys: 15 degree changes.
- 1,3 keys: 30 degree changes.
- 5 key: Face East.
Wondering why 'face East' might be useful? It's a good way to 'reset' the facing for objects, so that several objects can face the same way. Reset to East, then add say 40 degrees with the NumPad keys. If you're setting up fixed structures like buildings, this can be a real asset.
Using the mouse: You've got to be in 3D-view. Select the object to rotate and hit Enter. Hold down the mouse's scroll wheel and move the mouse left/right. The object will rotate through all angles. It's very useful.
Roaming 3D
To check things out in a free roaming way, with no objects selected (Right Mouse Button | Unselect), click Enter and with the right mouse button held down you can zip about at will. Use the F1, F2, F3 speed keys and the zoom ability holding down the left mouse button and moving the mouse forward and back.
Merging Objects
Although there are a lot of objects, why not 'make' your own. Not make as in 3D modelling, but using the ability to merge objects. This mainly applies to the large Objects list. Check out the vid for a few ideas, but the sky's really the limit.
Final thought
This tutorial has covered the basics, and some not so well known ways, of working with objects in the FMB. If you've followed along, you'll have more tools at your disposal than the average FMBer. S!
Fatal error: Call to undefined function mysql_connect() in /home1/iltwoful/offline_il2fmb/code.corefuncs.php on line 154