Prim Puppeteer

How to create an animation

End product:

  • An object composed of several prims.
  • With a trigger (e.g. when touched) the object is animated in a way which is determined by the script running inside it

Resources needed

ESSENTIAL

Prim Puppeteer scripts ‘Puppeteer free edition version 8.5’

(rez the vendor, right click, open, copy to inventory, find folder in recent items ‘Puppeteer free edition’)

DESIRABLE

Ready-made simple linked objects (puppets) .. free form Tod Borst’s shop, same address

Thanks to Misy Ferraris (Carmen) for ..

Demonstration for making a model / puppet of LINKED PRIMS which you will later animate. (The puppeteer only works on linked prims)

SUMMARY FOR KARELIA TO REMEMBER (and may help others!) (slightly different order from workshop to make base prim visible until the last minute!)

  1. Build at least 5 different prims .. any shape
  2. Choose one to be the ‘base prim’ .. the one that does not move and in relation to which all the others will move (e.g. a square one). This does not have to be part of the puppet. It can be made transparent at the end.
  3. Position the other prims in any way you want around the base prim
  4. Colour the prims [Figure 1]
  5. Link the prims, and make sure that the base prim is the LAST one you select before clicking ‘Link’ (it will then have a yellow surround when selected . the others will be blue) (2)
  6. Make the base prim ‘transparent’.. this way the puppet can appear to be independent of the base prim (3)
  7. To see base prim even though transparent Ctrl + shift + T (4)
  8. Drag the three puppeteer scripts into the content of the linked object (5)
  9. Name the object
  10. Take the object into your inventory

To animate the linked prim object

  1. Rez the object from your inventory (6)
  2. Make the scripts in the object run [V2: Build / scripts / set scripts to running] (7)
  3. See the menu for setting the scripts [Type /32 menu in local chat] (8 & 9)
  4. Unlink the prims (check edit linked, 10)
  5. Move one of the prims (11)
  6. Record the position (click on ‘record – if you have losty the menu, /32 menu in local chat)
  7. continue 13-16 as often as you like
  8. See what the effect is by pressing ‘play’
  9. When complete, publish [/32 menu – press publish]
  10. To set the linked prim to animate according to a chosen trigger, /32 menu, select trigger OR /32 trigger, then click on desired trigger
  11. Test it

PRACTICE

  1. Rezz the unanimated object (e.g., penguin) from your inventory (6)
  2. Drag 3 scripts into the content (7)
  3. Edit linked parts
  4. Select the head and rotate to the right (9)
  5. See the menu for setting the scripts [Type /32 menu in local chat]
  6. Record the position
  7. continue 4-6 as often as you like e.g.
  8. HEAD: rotate to the left, rotate up, rotate down
  9. left foot: rotate to the left
  10. right foot: rotate to the right
  11. HEAD, BODY AND FEET (i.e. all except the base prim), select all (i.e. all prims except the base transparent prim) move up, record, move down, record, move up, record, move down, record etc (11)
  12. See what the effect is by pressing ‘play’
  13. When complete, publish [/32 menu – press publish]
  14. To set the linked prim to animate according to a chosen trigger, /32 menu, select trigger OR /32 trigger, then click on desired trigger
  15. Test it

1
2

3.
4
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.

1