Coding the Fixed Parts

After you have coded the header section of your .anm file, it's time to add the fixed (non-moving) parts as child objects. Here is the model to follow:

This is similar to the header section, but with some important differences. First of all, the name = line is very important. It must match the part name used in the FM (.acm) file. So scan through your .acm file for part names, and use them for your child objects. If they have different names, the game won't be able to link your graphics objects to game events.

The geometry line should point to the part you are adding. I hope you chose file names that were easy to remember!

The offset line is all zeros, because your fixed objects were all aligned in the modeler. The rotation for these parts should be 0,0,0 because rotation for child objects is relative to the parent (core) object, and we have already correctly oriented the plane in the header section (Step 3).

That's all there is to it. Go ahead and create a new child object section for each of your non-moving parts, making sure you check that the names you are using match those in the .acm file. Remember to augment the number in the [child n] line, and change the 'num_children' line in the header section to match your current count. When you're done, fire up the game, and see how your plane is taking shape. It should be mostly visible now, with the only missing parts being the ones that will be moving during flight. Here's how our Zero is shaping up: