How to make a bunch of components face the origin
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Basically, I want to place a bunch of 2d tree components in a big circle around my model to be used as background trees for a rendering. I'd like them to work pretty much like a face-me but to always face the origin rather than the camera. I seem to recall something like this in a video a long time ago using solar panels but I don't recall how it was done.
-Brodie
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First of all make a unique version of this 2d tree.
Edit it to remove it's 'FaceMe' behavior [Component-Browser > Edit].
Now Rotate it so that it faces due 'south'.
Place it at the northern-most point of the circle around which you want to have the trees arrayed.
With the 2dtree Selected use the Rotate+Ctrl tool to copy it around the circle - pick the circle-center [origin] as the rotation axis-point, locking the tool's gizmo in the blue-axis so the rotated copies stay in one plane.
Immediately type 360 to make one copy right round the swept arc and of top of the original, immediately type /N where N is the number of copies required - e.g. /12 to make 12 in all including the original which is temporarily overlaid.
You can [re]adjust the number of copies you make as long as you don't select another tool in the meanwhile.
When you are happy with the result Erase the copy that overlays the original to tidy up.
Now you have a swept array of the 2dtrees that face the circle's center [origin] - if you want instances of other similar trees in the model that still 'face the camera' use the original 2dtree that still has the 'FaceMe' behavior set. -
Thanks Tig, but I'm looking for something like a full treeline. So really, I'm looking to do this with about 5 different tree types as well as a few types of bushes (so you can't see sky through the tree trunks) which are all scattered randomly about the circle (probably a theoretical circle with about a 300' radius around the building), which means I'll probably need a couple hundred trees or so. Plus the circle will need a "thickness" - one layer of trees wouldn't be enough to give the appearance of a thick treeline.
So with the method you mention I'd need to do this quite a bit and still wouldn't have any degree of randomness (i could randomize the scale, but the placement would still be rigid without moving all the trees around by hand).
Ideally, I'd use compo spray to spray 8 or so 3D components around the circle, run a random rotate/scale script and be done. But using so many 3d components wouldn't really work in SU so I need to go with 2D, but then I face the problem of getting them to all face the center.
-Brodie
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How about just placing a bunch of trees and all everywhere, place the camera to the origin and edit their properties in the component browser by unchecking the "face me" property? Yes, it's a manual work but you only need to do it once for each definition. I guess you would not use more than around a dozen of definitions - no matter how many instances there are. They will "freeze" in the position they are when you are at the origin with the camera.
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Good idea, i'll give that a shot
-brodie
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How about just arranging multiple copies of this in a complete circle?
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