How to create models.
How to use keyframing to animate our models.
How to use the Moving Platform entity.
In this tutorial we are going to create an elevator. These same methods however can be used to create doors and other objects. We have chosen to use an elevator for this tutorial because it is the simplest to create.
Begin by creating a tall square room, and add a deathmatch start to the room. Now we are ready for the interesting stuff.
Click on the Create Box Button(
) and select the Solid button. Place a small square platform in the center of your room. Make sure that the
elevator is touching the floor, and is pretty thin in size(that way you can step onto it without having to leap).
Add the brush to your world(by hitting enter). A static elevator platform doesn't do you much good. In order to animate our elevator we are going to have to turn it into a model. Select the Models tab from the Options Page(mid-right side of screen). Now highlight the brush you wish to use for your mover(in this case the elevator) by clicking on it in the textured view. Click on the Add Model button(in the Models Options Page). It will give you an option to name your model, in this case we will name it Elevator.
Now it is time to animate our elevator. Click on the Animate button. Now drag your elevator to the desired location(make sure you leave enough room so that your player doesnt bump his head). When you have it where you wish for it to move to hit the Stop Animating button. It will prompt you to Enter Key Time. I selecting 2 in my example, you may choose any value that you wish. This is the amount of time that it takes for your mover to reach this key frame, from the original setting. The higher this value, the longer it will take for out mover to make the transition(thus the slower your elevator will move).
The Genesis engine interpolates between keyframes, to smooth our animation. We are now going to define an addition keyframe at the same location. To help the engine along, we are now going to define an extra key frame. Click on the Animate button once again. Do not move the elevator at all this time, simply click Stop Animating. When you are prompted to Enter Key Time enter a value of 2.01. This helps the engine to form knots to interpolate against, resulting in more exact animation.
We don't want our elevator to instantly return back to the floor, instead we are going to have it hold it's position for one second. To do so we need to click the Animate button. Just as in the last frame we will click Stop Animating without moving our elevator position. For key time enter a value of 3. Next repeat the same process to form a new knot, this time enter a key frame of 3.01.
Now we need to make sure that our elevator returns to its original position. So click on the Animate button once again. Now drag your elevator brush back to it's original position(you can actually drag it anywhere you please. However in this example we only wish for our elevator to move straight up, then straight back down) and click on the Stop Animating button. When you are promted to Enter Key Time, select the desired time. I chose 4 for my example. Keep in mind that this is the keytime from the original frame. If you for example selected 1, then you would be inserting a frame between the original position and our second position. This allows you to insert and move animation sequences around.
The last thing we need to do is to attach a Moving Platform entity to our model. Go into Modify Brush(
) mode, and then click on the
Template tab in the Options Page Menu. Add a Moving Platform
entity to our map, and create it anywhere you like(you may want to move it near your elevator to make it easier
to find in the future). Lastly click on the Entity Dialog button(
) and choose Moving Plat1 from the drop down listbox. Double click on
the Model property, and select Elevator
from the listing.