[SKY] Help with creating a triggerbox to act as an activator

[TripleSixes]

I am thoroughly stumped, I wanted to create activation hot spots using a mesh borrowed from the effects objects. Specifically, I am using a splash effect's .nif to get the job done. Since this effect doesn't have a rigid body (i think) I cannot use it straight-up as an activator since it technically isn't a solid. My next thought was to use a triggerbox to obtain the results I required, but no amount of testing seemed to get this to work. I created a triggerbox over the effect's objectreference, and made the activator (the effect nif) a linked ref to the triggerbox. I also made it an activate parent. I toggled the "player activation" under primitives, and no dice. Any suggestions?

[BrettM]

But the trigger box is the activator, not the effect. The trigger will work whether the effect is there or not, and your script should be attached to the trigger. It's the trigger that provides the "Activate" prompt and does all the work, while the effect is just there as a visual marker for the spot, so you shouldn't need any activate parentage or linked refs in either direction. Unless, of course, you need the trigger to turn the effect on or off, in which case the trigger needs a linked ref or a property pointing to the effect.

 

Edit: Another option would be to make a modified nif for the effect, adding an invisible marker box or sphere around it to provide collision and allow it to be used as an activator directly.

Edited November 2, 2013 by BrettM

[TripleSixes]

Thanks for the suggestions, I sadly had no idea a triggerbox could be found as an actual activator in the list of objects. I just made my own activator and used it as a triggerbox. Thanks for the help as ususal

[WillieSea]

A 'trigger box' can also be turned into an 'activator' object instead. (player activation, instead of activation by player entering the box.)

 

I did this in the Levelers Tower for the unique display room items.

[BrettM]

I sense a little confusion on definitions here, based on your ideas of using an activator as a trigger box and finding a trigger box in the list of objects. That isn't quite the way it works.

 

An "activator" is a combination of an object -- physical or non-physical -- with some properties that control its behavior. For example, a horse trough is an activator because the water in it is animated and the game engine needs to know what type of water appearance and animation to use, but it has no scripts and does not interact with the player or NPCs. If the activator can interact with an actor to cause something to happen, then the object is known as a "trigger". For example, a Dwemer valve that opens a gate when turned would be a trigger, while a horse trough would not be considered a trigger.

 

The trigger primitives can't be found in the list of objects because you create them out of thin air when you need them, just like collision planes, room bounds, and other primitive markers. The primitive markers don't come from the Object Window like non-primitive markers (XMarkerHeading, Light, etc.), but are the same kind of thing. They have a particular type and purpose. They're only called "primitive" because they have basic shapes -- plane, box or sphere -- that don't need to have a nif as other markers do. (Look under Data/Meshes and Data/Meshes/Markers to see a ton of non-primitive marker nifs. Even the CK gizmos have nifs.)

 

When you hit the little "T-in-a-box" button in the CK, you are creating an actual marker object of the "trigger" type that can only be used as an activator trigger object. You don't use an activator as a trigger box; you use a trigger box as an activator trigger in place of a nif. It just takes a slightly different procedure to set an activator up to use a trigger primitive instead of a nif.

 

First make an activator without filling in the Model field, since we are going to use a primitive instead of a nif. That gives you an activator template that has no object to place, though you can fill in any of the other fields that you need and add any scripts that you want to use with it. Then create the trigger primitive and select your activator template from the list when the dialog asks for a form. The new trigger primitive becomes the trigger object for that activator, while the Model field remains blank.

 

You do need some modeled object to point to when you create the trigger primitive, but it doesn't actually matter what item you point to, because the CK just uses it as a template to define an initial position and size for the primitive. It does not create any connection between the item and your trigger box. You can move the trigger box after it is created without affecting the item, and you can move or delete the item without affecting the trigger box. The two are totally independent.

 

However, you will usually want to point to some static object that will be a visual marker for your invisible trigger, whether it be a bookcase, a campfire, or a special FX. The reason to use a static is because the trigger box will still be there and still functional even if the visible object is removed, and it would look a bit silly to have an "Activate" prompt pop up when there is nothing in sight that looks like it can be activated. (You can delete a working book case using the in-game console, for example, and you will still get the prompts to add and remove books, because all the triggers are still there.)

 

In your case, you would want to place the splash FX where you want it and then point to it when you create the box. That will place your trigger box around the FX, after which you can adjust the size, shape, and position as needed, as well as checking the "Player Activated" box in the trigger's edit window.

[TripleSixes]

I did exactly that before coming to TESA for assistance. I was using a default triggerbox that was not meant to be used the way I intended, even if I selected "player activated", it wouldn't let me do so until I made my own activator to base the trigger off of. Regardless, I have a better feeling about these aspects of the CK after reading your post. Cheers!