Provide commands for interacting with the animation

Animations are usually bound to external signals. The signals can come from the process simulator or just be available for the instructor.

Typical animations have real-time triggers, such as states, levels, or intensities.

Black box design

A good practice is to design the animation as a black box. This means everything for the animation is self-contained. This includes:

• Avoid accessing animation graphic context elements from outside the animation logic file. For example, liquid levels, particles systems, or interpolators.

• Provide a set of commands to be called from outside to drive the animation behavior. Usually, there is a command for each animation parameter driven from outside.

In this way, you can always modify or improve the animation without changing anything outside the animation logic script file.

Code example

A code example for an animation.

<Var name="ST2000_speed" type="sfloat" value="0.0"/>

<Command name="set_ST2000_speed" nodeInfo="">

<local name="val" type="sfloat" value="%0%" />

<setlocal name="val" condition="%0%&lt;0" value="0" />

<setlocal name="val" condition="%0%&gt;1" value="1" />

<setfield field="ST2000_speed.value" value="@%val%@" />

<setfield field="Turbine_ST2001.speed" value="@%val%@" />

<setfield field="SOUND_ST2001_comb.volume" value="@%val%@" />

<setfield field="SOUND_ST2001_main.volume" value="@%val%@" />

<if condition="@%val%@&lt;0.05" >

<execute command="set_ST200_vapor_visible" value="false" />

<else>

<execute command="set_ST200_vapor_visible" value="true" />

</else>

</if>

</Command>