Targetware: 3D Dev Guide

Instruments

Instruments are an important part of any flight simulator. Ideally, they would be readable at a glance, accurate, and functionally and visually identical to those found in the plane being simulated. With the Targetware engine, it is easy to add instruments to any airplane. Instruments are added to cockpits singly, through the .anm file.

What Goes into an Instrument?

An instrument is composed of three parts:

• Static Background: A 3D object, typically a simple 2-triangle flat square upon which a 2D texture drawn to look like the real instrument has been placed.
   
• Animated Indicator: A separate 3D/2D object, such as a needle or compass ball, that animates in front of or behind the background object in order to give the player feedback.
   
• .ANM code: A child entry in the cockpit .anm file that tells the game where to find the graphics files, where to put them in the cockpit, and how they should behave. Typically, instrument anm code is bundled into it's own .anm file, and saved in the /planes/_instruments/ folder.