Profile image

(+Pics) [XML] New Discovery! Using Fill (Slice Tool) with GREATER-THAN 1.0 or NEGATIVE Values

4,287 Formula350  3.0 years ago

Classic "Hmm... what happens if I..." moment lol
Since it's easier to understand when experienced, I'll just provide a short explanation and then an example of each for you to try out in game.

All examples will use a vanilla Fuselage part, as it is when removed from the Menu. The contents of all examples can be applied to EITHER the fillFront or fillBack, as well as to any position of each. Feel free to mix-and-match to explore the capabilities further!

PRIMER: The Fill values correlate to - Top, Bottom, Left, Right

BASIC EXAMPLE Displaying what Slice Tool can do; for reference.

Cause - and - Effect

When One Side Is Sliced Already...

If you adjust any of the fillFront or fillBack values to a value > 1 when the opposite end has a value in the same position that's < 1, the "End Point" of the Slice gets moved forward.

EXAMPLE 1: Moving the Slice half-way between Front and Back
The offset amount if a result of however big a difference there is between the two values, when the decimal is anything ABOVE 0.00 and opposite of a value > 1
fillFront = 1,1,0.5,1
fillBack = 1,1,2,1

EXAMPLE 2: Replicating the "Inlet Slant" function (aka "Angle" in the menu)
When one side has its value as 0, it shifts the Slice to now extend completely across the Width, instead of the usual half-way across.
fillFront = 1,1,0,1
fillBack = 1,1,2,1

The higher. the > 1 value (the 2 in this case), the SMALLER the slice. So 0 and 5 would be like a 10% Inlet Slant, whereas the 0 and 2 is more like 100%.

When NEITHER Side Is Sliced...

This will require manually adding the XML entry since when 1,1,1,1, they are not present in Overload.
Applying a > 1 value when the opposite side is un-sliced... Does absolutely nothing. :P Just adding this to save you the time. This applies to changing both sides to something > 1, as well.

Using NEGATIVE Values...

This is probably stuff that can be done using positive values, but that would take a lot more time for me to determine. In my quick test it seemed different enough to merit inclusion here.
EXAMPLE 1: A tiny slice of pie is all you get to have!
fillFront = 1,1,0.25,1
fillBack = 1,1,-5,1

EXAMPLE 2: Entering the Quantum Realm... I went there so you don't have to. DO NOT DO THIS!
fillFront = 1,1,0.25,1
fillBack = 1,1,-5000,1
It looks funky in the Designer, but is invisible when Spawned. HOWEVER...
After returning to the Designer, your entire build. will become Invisible... Not deleted, but will require you to perform an "Undo" JUST ONCE -- but it will not return yet -- then click Play to spawn again. Now, after returning to the Designer, your build will be there.

+ + +

UNRELATED BONUS EXAMPLE: Just showing ways to combine all the above. This fuselage part also has the "Angle" (aka Inlet Slant) at -100%, giving you an additional "sliced" face. (Was hard to show off in a pic; did my best!)
fillFront = 1,1,0,1.2
fillBack = 1,1,1.25,0.5


The biggest benefit to this that I can see, is the ability to replicate the "Slant" function, since at the moment we can only change the Slant of ONE END of the Fuselage. If you happen to have stuck the wrong end on your build, you'll have to do some work to flip it around anyhow. Or you can just do this bit of XML wizardry.

HOWEVER, what we DON'T have the ability to do is apply the Slant to both sides. Or for that matter, even if we could, we wouldn't be able to apply one side rotated 90deg from the other! :}

ENJOY!

  • Log in to leave a comment
  • Profile image
    11.6k JesusChrist

    So basically if you make a fuselage tiny enough it will turn into a black hole and swallow your build?

    Interesting.

    2.2 years ago
  • Profile image
    4,287 Formula350

    @hpgbproductions I think I follow you.
    In which case, no you can't exactly do that..... with Slice alone...
    However, Slice and using "Angle", will. As "Angle" can. ""add"" (though it technically may be "stretching", I dunno?)
    .
    That's only IF I'm understanding you. I'm a hands-on learner, so this is what I've come up with after monkeying with it a bit. Let me know if this is what you were trying to achieve?
    fillFront = 1,2,1.1
    fillBack = 1,0,1,1
    inletSlant = -0.5 (aka "Angle" in Part Settings menu)

    3.0 years ago
  • Profile image

    @Formula350 the shape changes if you try to increase a fill less than 100%, because the mesh exists to 100% fill.
    For example, if you have a semicircular line of Top 50% and want to add an angled part to the front, you cannot replace 50% with 200%, because your semicircle would turn into a circle.
    If you are panelling with sliced fuselage, you sadly need that one extra part for angling the back.

    3.0 years ago
  • Profile image
    4,287 Formula350

    @hpgbproductions
    Do you have an example of fill values?
    Because it sounds like what you're saying is similar to what I did in my "Bonus" example at the bottom. Where I cut both Left and Right on the Front and Back:
    ----------------T | B | L | R
    fillFront = 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.2
    fillBack = 1 | 1 | 1.25 | 0.5


    @BaconEggs lol Thanks
    It isn't "over-9000" but I'll still take it! :D

    3.0 years ago
  • Profile image
    137k BaconEggs

    8000 iq post thid cool method make lots of cool stuff

    3.0 years ago
  • Profile image

    I just tried this recently, it's a neat trick but can't be used if the fuselage is already cut at that side (only 100% fills can be increased further)

    3.0 years ago
  • Profile image
    15.4k Kangy

    @Formula350 Absolutely agreed, the slant stuff is a gamechanger and has always been very helpful when building

    3.0 years ago
  • Profile image
    4,287 Formula350

    @Kangy Yea, for me personally, finding a way to replace the "Angle" / "Inlet Slant" function, is going to be really handy. I won't have to worry as much about if I have a Fuselage the "right way around" in order to use it lol
    Though, similarly, being able to adjust where the slice ends, now also means a person doesn't need to use 2 pieces of Fuselage to accomplish that same sort of taper! :D


    @AWESOMENESS360 I'm "ok" at building, but am better at finding ways to exploit stuff to do (or look) how it wasn't intended! So the quicker I can figure out ways to manipulate stuff, the quicker the community can come up with ways to use it and make all kinds of... *ahem* awesomeness... with them! lol
    .
    For example, I recently found out that a Sliced in half Inlet, if the middle value of the scale variable is set to -1 (so 1,-1,1; at least in how mine was sliced)... it looks fine in the Designer, but when spawned into the game it sort of turns itself inside-out and looks 2D :}

    +2 3.0 years ago
  • Profile image

    This is very creative, there’s so much that we can do that has yet to be discovered!

    3.0 years ago
  • Profile image
    15.4k Kangy

    @Formula350 Gah thank you so much mate!
    This is really good find!
    I'll defs note this down somewhere so that I can use this technique on future builds :)

    3.0 years ago
  • Profile image
    4,287 Formula350

    Now with some basic pics! Whether they help convey what's happening to any appreciable degree, I dunno :}
    Having played around with this enough, I can see the difference, but to others it may be like "Uhh... Looks the same?" heh


    While making that Bonus, I found out that using even a small amount of Negative on just ONE of the complimentary sides (ie Front and Back, or Left and Right), while the other side uses positives even within vanilla range, can result in the part being Sliced into oblivion (disappears), OR all that remains is a itty bitty sliver of fuselage.
    Using the Bonus Example's values, all it takes to 'vanish' is changing the Back's 1.25 into -1.25, and changing it's "Angle" (Slant) to 0%.

    3.0 years ago
  • Profile image
    4,287 Formula350

    @Kangy *grumbles* lol
    To really do it proper justice that'd need a lot of images, and, ideally they'd have to be also GIF to show the transition from original to modified. And while a few static images would be doable, I don't have the monthly bandwidth to tackle uploading a bunch of GIFs :( (Blame corporate America's crappy rural internet infrastructure)
    .
    That's why I opted to provide the two pieces of code in each example.
    As with that, all you have to do is select the piece of Fuselage you've just placed out of the Parts Menu, open up Overload, select Fuselage from the drop-down menu, and add the lines.
    .
    If adding new entries is new to you, that's Ok! It's easy:
    1] At the bottom of Overload is a subtle darker-gray box with a + in it. Clicking that adds a new line.
    2] Click on it twice (2x), to make two new empty lines
    3] In the first new line's "Name" box, paste or type in fillFront, and in the "Value" box type or paste any of the number sequences I provided in an Example above. ie 1,1,0.25,1
    4] In the second new line, put in fillBack and the second number sequence from that same Example. ie 1,1,-5,1
    5] Click on Checkmark in Overload (bottom-right) to accept the changes, and you'll see the Fuselage immediately change.
    .
    But yea, I just figured it was easier to appreciate the changes first hand, by being able to first play with the Fill sliders through the Parts Setting menu in real time to see the limits of the default 0-to-1 (0% to 100%)... Then be able to contrast it against what I've shown. I didn't think that pics would've actually illustrated what it's doing compared to what was possible via the menu.
    Alas, I'm still happy to oblige, so I'll add some basic pics for each example, in case that's all anyone really wanted; give me a bit.

    +1 3.0 years ago
  • Profile image
    15.4k Kangy

    Images?

    +5 3.0 years ago