Modeling and Modifying a 3D Arrow

[hotshotiguana]

Hi,

I have a two part question for the best way to model and modify a 3D arrow in Vizard - see the top left image on this site for an example of what I am trying to accomplish. My ultimate goal is to connect two objects with an arrow like the one in that link, but I would like for the arrow to be dynamic, with respect to it's length, width, and/or angle.

First approach:
I create this arrow as a plane in 3ds Max 2012 and export the object to my project in Vizard. My question with this approach is: Does Vizard give me the ability to change the 3ds modifiers on this object, i.e. can I change the angle of the bend or the twist of the arrow or maybe simply the length and width of the object to match the x, y, and z coordinates of other objects already in my scene - possibly using joint, although I haven't used that feature before?

Second approach:
Can I draw this 3D arrow using vizshape.addPlane in Vizard and then adjust its angles, width, and length using the plane properties? If so, how may I go about this?

Any suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Chris

[Jeff]

For the bending and twisting of the model you would need to create a Cal3D model with various morph targets that you could animate between. See the following article for some information on this:

http://kb.worldviz.com/articles/1233

Scaling could be done either within the morph targets of the Cal3D model or using the <vizact>.sizeTo command.

[hotshotiguana]

The <vizact>.sizeTo works well to scale the .3DS arrow I imported into my scene, but now I want the arrow to go from one object (<vizshape.addBox) to another object (<vizshape.addBox). Is there a method (or a combination of a couple methods) that would allow me to connect one end of the arrow to the first box and the other end to the second box - basically creating a bridge between the two static objects?

Thanks.

[Darkmax]

i think you need to create this animations in 3ds max like jeff said, or i don't know if is possible to do a vertex animation in 3ds max and the export it like a osg and run the animation when you want it.

i think there is plugin somewhere to control the animation of a osg file with vizard 3 but i don't know if this works with vizard 4.

[hotshotiguana]

I think for what I am doing a 3DS Max arrow is not going to be the best option (although it definitely looks better than any arrow I have seen online), due to the changing control points, the changing width on the arrow, and the beginning and end points. I can implement this with 100 (or more) viz.LINE_STRIP segments to create this arched line, but it is definitely not the cleanest or best looking way to approach this. Is it possible in Vizard to create a plane, a cylinder, or a box that can bend with respect to about 10-15 control points on a half-circle? I am really hoping there is a way to create a single unbroken segment to connect these two points.