[Module = Question]Animated scatter objects?

[ximrm]

I was wondering if it's possible to implement animated meshes(rigged) as terrain scatter objects.

I would like to add animated trees(a little motion to simulate a light/heavy breeze/storm, to add some atmosphere to the scenery), but would they be animated?

1. Is it possible to implement this into the game with an animation?

optional questions if #1. should work:

2. The trees wouldn't have colliders and be at ~ the same detail(maybe a tick higher) than the stock scenery objects. Would there be a significant performance/memory hit?

3. Would it be possible to switch animations on events, like day/night cycle or based upon the weather mod which uses FAR to simulate wind? This one.

Thanks in advance for your answers!

BTW, if #1 is not possible but someone wants to create a plugin that would allow this behaviour, I'd gladly contribute the assets.

I have great ideas to enhancing it further if this should come alive.

Edited October 21, 2014 by ximrm

[SpannerMonkey(smce)]

Hi, Kerbal constructs allows for animated scenery objects, although they'd have to be placed individually.

Static objects don't need to have a collision mesh, many of the scenery objects in KSC++ for instance don't have a collider

I've a feeling that several dozen animated trees in close proximity could act as a Kraken attractant

There is some work being done on day and night cycles, though how you could incorporate weather eludes me and I'm fairly certain that the animation calculations plus weather on the aforementioned several dozen trees could lead to frame rate drops etc

[ximrm]

I just want normal scatter objects that have animations, everything the same, no colliders but (baked) animation.

About the simulation..I don't want to calculate anything, just faking it. Let's say the wind speed increases the animation speed of the trees increases or changes. I don't know how the Kraken should strike if no real physics are involved.

In fact, a randomizer could be enough or the animation settings depend on biomes. (ie. trees wiggle more in the highlands, almost no animation in lower altitude areas and a bit at the shores)

Also, I'd like to have it implemented at fixed points, so you don't have to set it manually, maybe just exchange the stock trees to the animated ones.

Of course there would be the issue with random rotation along the y-axis for the trees and a baked animation might look strange if there's heavy wind but each tree wiggles(sry, I have no other word for it) in another direction.

But that's an issue that can be fixed later.

Just checking the possibility first.

I'm not sure how KSC++ works but if it is possible to fake it this way and save the positions of the trees (to share it) without too much memory hunger. It might be an adequate solution.

Dos anyone know more about this?

Thinking about KSC++...a vulcan would be cool.