Question Alternate positions on child gameobject

I have a script that generates a super simple mesh (a quad with a texture) and places it on a sphere.
The script meshgenerator is this one:

Code (CSharp):

1. [RequireComponent(typeof(MeshFilter))]
2. public class LeafMeshGenerator : MonoBehaviour
3. {
4.     Mesh mesh;
5.  
6.  
7.     Vector3[] vertices;
8.     Vector2[] uv;
9.     int[] triangles;
10.  
11.     private void Start()
12.     {
13.         mesh = new Mesh();
14.         GetComponent<MeshFilter>().mesh = mesh;
15.  
16.         //Material leafMaterial = new Material(Shader.Find("Standard"));
17.         //leafMaterial.SetColor("_Color", new Color(0f, 0.7f, 0f)); //green main color
18.  
19.         CreateShape();
20.         UpdateMesh();
21.     }
22.  
23.     void CreateShape()
24.     {
25.         vertices = new Vector3[]
26.         {
27.             new Vector3(0,0,0),
28.             new Vector3(0,0,.2f),
29.             new Vector3(.2f,0,0),
30.             new Vector3(.2f,0,.2f)
31.         };
32.  
33.         uv = new Vector2[]
34.         {
35.             new Vector2(1f,0f),
36.             new Vector2(1f,1f),
37.             new Vector2(0f,0f),
38.             new Vector2(0f,1f)
39.         };
40.  
41.         triangles = new int[]
42.         {
43.             0,1,2,
44.             1,3,2
45.         };
46.  
47.     }
48.  
49.     void UpdateMesh()
50.     {
51.         mesh.Clear();
52.  
53.         mesh.vertices = vertices;
54.         mesh.uv = uv;
55.         mesh.triangles = triangles;
56.  
57.         mesh.RecalculateNormals();
58.  
59.     }
60. }

At a certain moment, a sphere is generated and during this generation, the mesh created with the script above is instantiated at position (see line 6):

Code (CSharp):

1.         if (!geometry && !tree.skeletonOnly)
2.         {
3.             geometry = GameObject.Instantiate(tree.budPrefab);
4.             geometry.transform.position = transform.position;
5.             geometry.transform.parent = transform;
6.             leaf = GameObject.Instantiate(tree.leafPreFab, geometry.transform.position, Quaternion.Euler(new Vector3(0, 0, 0)));
7.             leaf.transform.position = geometry.transform.position;
8.             leaf.transform.parent = transform;
9.         }

After some iterations, I have a bunch of spheres with generated mesh attached:



I want to "alternate" the position of generated mesh along all consecutive spheres (children).
It should look like these (I've manually moved the generated meshes for visualization purpose):



I was thinking about something that "remembers" where the mesh is placed on previous sphere in hierarchy.

Thank you

 

Easiest is just a bool.

Code (csharp):

1. // first one could be left or right, randomly
2. bool onTheRight = Random.value < 0.5f;
3.  
4. // every time you place a leaf... flip it!
5. while(inside_my_leafmaking_loop)
6. {
7.    ... make the leaf
8.    if (onTheRight)
9.    {
10.       .. emplace it on the right
11.    }
12.    else
13.    {
14.       .. emplace it on the left
15.    }
16.    onTheRight = !onTheRight;
17. }

 

Thanks for the answer, the fact is that the sequence of positions is not random. If a leaf is on the right, the leaf on the subsequent child must be on the left, then on the right again, and so on. Using a random value, there is a chance that two subsequent leaves are placed both on the right or on the left, right?

 

Nice bamboo btw... another thing you can do is randomly pick left/right every time.

Also, perhaps you could consider not only left/right but a range of angles around the base stem, say from -200 to +200 degrees. In that case just use Random.Range() to create an angle, then rotate the leaf around the +Y:

Code (csharp):

1. float angle = Random.Range( -200, 200);

// change the THIRD argument in your instantiate call to contain:

Code (csharp):

1. Quaternion.Euler(new Vector3(0, angle, 0)

 

Ah that original code is only for the FIRST position; you can force it to true or false if you always want the first one reliably on one side.

The flip left/right is this code:

onTheRight = !onTheRight;

 

I see another "issue" here:
I have no leafmaking_loop so I don't have a while loop
The leaf is instantiated once when something happens and "attached" to the sphere, see:

Code (CSharp):

1.         if (!geometry && !tree.skeletonOnly)
2.         {
3.             geometry = GameObject.Instantiate(tree.budPrefab);
4.             geometry.transform.position = transform.position;
5.             geometry.transform.parent = transform;
6.             leaf = GameObject.Instantiate(tree.leafPreFab, geometry.transform.position, Quaternion.Euler(new Vector3(0, 0, 0)));
7.             leaf.transform.position = geometry.transform.position;
8.             leaf.transform.parent = transform;
9.         }

That's why I was talking about to check where the leaf is instantiated on the "previous" sphere in hierarchy and avoid instantiate the leaf in the same position

 

Somewhere you have a place you can store state that lasts for the duration of building the tree.

That's where to store the state.

Somewhere you make a leaf.

That's where to respect the bool, and then to flip the bool.