Simple Waypoint System (SWS) - Move objects along paths

I tried SetPath but doesn't start anything, in fact it generates a : "KeyNotFoundException: The given key was not present in the dictionary" error, which is not there if the keystrokes just run through empty states. Do I have to prefab the path and instantiate it first (create object in PM speak) and then SetPath, or is instantiating part of what SetPath is supposed to do?

I've tried prefabing but still no results. Calling paths from within the scene I get a jerky start then a strange linear movement bouncing back and forth between startpoint and then next waypoint- not curved. It looks like I need to use a sendMessage telling SWS to instantiate the chosen path and then set it to curved inside the script. I've been looking at the runtime example but would appreciate help on which code blocks to single out and remodel.

 

In the runtime example, paths are getting instantiated and then added to the WaypointManager dictionary. If you instantiate a path and leave it in the scene, SWS still does not know that there is a new path in your scene, therefore you can't call it via SetPath. Every step is described on page 15 in the documentation. I didn't know that instantiating a path is used that often with PlayMaker, so there's no action included.

Are you sure you set up hoMove correctly? Path type curved, easetype linear and so on? Else I really don't know what's going on in your project.

 

Got it to work now, by running setPath actions on a gameobject with a waypoint manager on it. Before I was setting paths from the player object as well as trying to setPath with the prefabbed WPM. Must admit that I resist reading manuals as close as I sometimes should. Also I gather that it won't work if you both put in path name AND a dragged path reference (either OR as the readme says). Thanks.

 

Could you guy's please help me with this issue. I am working on a 2.5D platformer and I am new to scripting. My character controller slides and fall's off from a moving curved platform (hoMove). The platform has a rigidbody attached to it. Everything seems to work fine with the straight platform (iMove) and I did not face a problem like this. The character stays on the platform throughout the movement.

 

Ok I was a bit premature in celebrating my problem solved above, could I ask advice on arrangement in following scenario:

A thirdperson viewed player can move up or down (with ordinary translate) but when player moves left and right, player travels on a curved path in either direction. My problem is - how to get the player to continue his travelling from the vector3 position where the path is discontinued (by keystroke leading in other directions) - how to arrange these elements?

 

Hi Neefy,

the platform does not need a rigidbody. Instead, make your character controller a child of the platform when it enters the box collider of the platform and unparent the cc when it leaves the platform (e.g. on jumping). This works with a platform using iMove or hoMove. See here for a similiar question and code snippets:

http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/89...-Platforms-example-using-Character-Controller

 

The player can't move forwards or backwards, right? Only up and down, plus left and right on one path (or two paths, one for left and one for right)?

Off the top of my head, I would say you should take a closer look at local paths. The path could be parented to the player, so if the player moves the path should move along. In the scene "Example_Curved" a sphere is parented to a rotating path - same principle.

Another question, does the player have to hold down the left/right key to move on the path or does the player move by pressing left/right once?

 

Sorry badly worded on my part.

The player moves forwards and backwards by pressing W and S (normal transform). but when the player presses A he goes left by a unique curved path and S makes him go right by a another curved path. The problem is; every time the player travels a path and for example the opposite direction/path is called he is put back to the paths origin. also once a path has been travelled the player isn't able to move backwards and forwards, but that I suspect is just bad state setup in playmaker, another issue for later.

Do you mean local as the bool in HoMove or is this a more general concept?

I've been trying to do that, but no succes yet. The two paths are both children of a prefabed waypoint manager, is that a problem?

I've tried to set it up to only travel on path as long as key is pressed but playerobject finishes it's path regardless. I probably have to destroy path at nearest child or other such complicated thing right?

 

Actually this is how tweens work, they are created with a specific order in mind - the waypoint index. You can't go back and forth unless you reverse the tween or create a new one with a reversed order. Furthermore, in my implementation StartMove() always initializes a tween and starts at its first waypoint. I have a new idea.

Yes I meant the checkbox named "local" in hoMove. My mistake, the player and the path have to be parented to a third gameobject. As in Example_Curved, the hierarchy of your objects should look like this:

Waypoint Manager
-----> RotatingPath (empty gameobject that rotates - or moves)
--------------> RotatingPath (PathManager)
--------------> Sphere (hoMove)

It's easier than that but more complicated at the same time If you want to use user input, the hoMove script is pretty much useless, as it was built for automated movement. A new idea is to only use one path for both sides and put the player in the middle of the path when the game starts. This can be achieved by using HOTween's tween.GoTo(time value), while the time value is the time it takes to walk to the middle.

HOTween has a method called GetPointOnPath(path progress in percentage):

So basically you don't use hoMove's automated movement at all and directly manipulate the user's position based on the Vector3 path progress value through this method. If the user presses A, you pass in a lower progress value (< 0.5 and lower), meaning your player moves to the left. If the user presses D, you increase the path progress value (GetPointOnPath(> 0.5 and higher)), then the player will move to the right. I think I've done something similiar for a client a while ago... if it helps I can send you the script, shall I?

 

Great! It's working just fine now but when the character jumps and exit's out of the trigger, the force of the jump is weird. I mean, when you are jumping from one moving platform to the other, the jumping physics is supposed to feel the same but it isn't. Do you know what may be the cause?

 

When leaving platform1 and jumping to platform2, did you parent the character to platform2 once it collided with the object (so every platform needs the parenting script)? Just tested it out in my project and I couldn't find major differences. If the object leaves the platform while still parented to it, the force of the platform may be added to the character.

 

Hi Baroni
Im using Unity4 and it seems im unable to place waypoints, the default "alt+left click" just enables the orbit and therefore wont place anything on my scene and if i try to alter the key used to trigger the placing i just end up marking the ground object instead and thus ending the making of the path. I might be missing something essential but just cant figure it out, thankful for help

 

Hi Mezzerzmith,

you'll find an instruction on how to change the WaypointManager to only use the 'p' key here:

http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/11...(SWS)-RELEASED?p=787900&viewfull=1#post787900

When you create a new path, focus the scene view (by right clicking in the scene or using the mouse wheel), then you are able to place new waypoints for the path. A new version is in the works, that will make this a little bit easier.

 

i tried this earlier and dint work, this is how i do after i changed the key to "P"
1. state the name for the new path
2. click start path
3. rightclick in the scene
4. hold my cursor over the "floor" and press P
5. nothing happens

am i missing a step or just plain doing it wrong?

Awesome ^^

 

Does the floor gameobject have a collider? You're doing nothing wrong - you can test creating a new path in the example scenes, it should behave properly.

 

My floor has a box collider and my player character can move around on it, and i couldn't create paths in the example scenes either, and i tried with both alt+click and P :/

 

If it doesn't work in an empty new project, could you please upload and send me your project via pm.

 

Tried in a new project with just a cube as floor, still same result. Where do i upload the project so i can attach it in a PM?

 

You can use various freely available filehosters such as dropbox, zippyshare, rapidshare etc. and only send me the link in your pm. Thank you!

 

Baroni, some more questions to throw at you!
I have come on leaps and bounds and realised a much simpler process to achieve what I was looking for (hope to have something to show relatively soon). So, my questions.. (This is all hoMove)

1: I have a path and have a number of objects assigned to it. I am using timeScale to set their speed as it needs to be dynamic and potentially change under certain circumstances. But the objects' speed seems to change around the path, (they kind of "lurch" forward sometimes) it is not constant. I'm guessing this is something to do with the fact I am using timeScale? It's not actually too much of an issue for my game, but it would be better if I could smooth this out somehow. Any ideas?

2: I can't work out how to use tween.goTo(T). My understanding is that I can use this to start an object on a path at a specific position. But it only seems to set a percentage between the first and second waypoint. Is that correct or can I set it to start two thirds of the way around the path regardless of waypoints?

3: On Example_curved, the car goes around beautifully smooth bends, is that just a case of spending time to get it right or am I missing a trick to get some nice smooth curves? I am looking to do a nice oval and probably a circle as well.

4: (final question!) Is there a way of displaying the path in the game? Or even better, is there something I can use that will travel around the path and "paint" a path? It need only be a simple line, no need for graphics.

Thank you - I'm going to leave a review now, I am still loving SWS by the way!

 

Hehe, will try to catch and answer them one by one!

1. Both movement scripts have a method called "ChangeSpeed", that uses timeScale internally. Do you call this method or do you just set the tween's timeScale per code? I think it depends on the easetype, but ChangeSpeed should not produce any stutter either way.

2. Did you receive my pm with my SampleSwitch package? Hope it helped a bit in this context. Usually, tween.GoTo sends the gameobject to a point in the future, based on the time value you've passed in. This could be anywhere on the path. However, when using partial paths (that's the case in SWS) GoTo does consider the time between waypoints, not the time for the absolute path. In the package I sent you, I modified the method NextWaypoint() in hoMove to start at a specific waypoint on the path. So to skip two thirds of the way, for example, you would start at the ~7th waypoint and add 2 seconds on the way to waypoint 8 by using GoTo. These are just random numbers I come up with!

3. Curves are smoother if you place less waypoints and have more distance between them, otherwise there is no trick for that.

4. Path are being displayed by gizmos in the editor, but they are invisible at runtime. You could create another gameobject with a trail renderer on it:
http://docs.unity3d.com/Documentation/Components/class-TrailRenderer.html
and then let it follow the path just like your other objects.

Great! I read your review, thank you very much for your support! It's always a pleasure to read positive feedback

 

Hi Baroni,

I made a simple test to understand how SWS works.

Using HoTween,
1. made long path1 = 3 nodes, with total distance = 6.6 using getTotalPathDistance() function below.
2. made short path2 = 3 nodes, with total distance = 3.5
3. created a sphere to traverse path1 and path2.
4. in the HoMove script, I set the TimeValue to time and set it to .5f for both paths.
5. For testing, I switched paths using hoMove.SetPath() in code.

Result, the ball traversed the shorter path2 from the first node to the last node. Whereas in the case of the longer path1, the ball did not get to the last node.

Question: Shouldn't the ball finish traversing the entire length of path1 and path2 ?

Thanks.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

private float getTotalPathDistance(PathManager path){

float totalDistance=0;

waypoints = WaypointManager.Paths[path.name].waypoints;
//store the current and next waypoint position to initialize the path between those two points

Debug.Log("WaypointManager.Paths.Count="+ WaypointManager.Paths.Count);

for ( int currentPoint=0; currentPoint < WaypointManager.Paths.Count; currentPoint++){
currentPath[0] = waypoints[currentPoint];
currentPath[1] = waypoints[currentPoint + 1];
float tempDist = Vector3.Distance(currentPath[0].position, currentPath[1].position);
totalDistance += tempDist;
Debug.Log("tempDist="+ tempDist + ", totalDistance="+ totalDistance);
}


return totalDistance;

}

 

Hi rocki,

just a hint, the PathManager component already shows the total path length if it is selected.

At what point in time did you call SetPath()? SetPath() immediately switches the path and starts movement on the new path.

 

Ahh, I hadn't seen your PM. For some reason notifications from the forum are broken for me, so I didn't realise it was there, so thank you. Looks like I might be able to utilise some of what you have provided in the example to get what I need.

The trail renderer looks like it might be perfect, excited to get that going, thank you.

I am honestly amazed by the support you offer. To be blunt, I only paid you around £15 and yet you offer more support than big companies that charge hundreds for their software. Kudos to you and your approach If I ever get to the stage where I am lucky enough make money from my game, you will definitely be receiving more money from me.

 

Baroni,

Thanks, you are correct, the test code switched the path too soon. This was the problem.

1. How do I get the total path length from the pathManager. Is this the distance calculation or the total number of waypoints?
2. I would like to change the location of the waypoints in the path that is not currently being traversed by the ball. Is this possible?

 

1. The total path length is being displayed when inspecting a PathManager gameobject, it's a straight distance calculation between all waypoints. Here's an image from the Asset Store, the path length shows up beneath the color fields.

2. Yes, sure. You can move the whole path or access the PathManager's waypoints array and reposition single waypoint transforms at runtime.

 

Thank you llolslim, I do my best supporting our products. Well, in that case, good luck to you and your project!

 

Hi again Baroni

Sorry it took so long to respond. I tried to setup a combined path in a hierarchy as you suggested but with no good result. I was then at a loss to explain what I wanted the player to do as I don't think I explained it good enough. Moving the player along the paths (either a combined one or separate) should be equivalent to a normal transform around the world (not fixed), with the difference being that in using a path there is a particular movement trajectory made. Was thinking that down the line these paths (left and right) could be scaled independently. Don't know if that made more sense or I'm just making things worse.

Yes please, then I can perhaps see what you did in code and reconstruct in Playmaker.

 

Forgot to ask an important question.. Does SWS work on Flash ?

 

@O'parallel
Will send you a pm shortly, have to configure the package first.

@rocki
I think Flash does not support reflection yet, so it likely won't work. HOTween relies on reflection, see this discussion: http://code.google.com/p/hotween/issues/detail?id=35

 

Today's news:

Version 3 is ready! Will be released on the Asset Store soon.

If you haven't bought Simple Waypoint System yet, you can also purchase it through our online store,
which sends you a generic download link at the time of purchase, that always points to the latest version.



New addition: Bezier paths!



Fixes Changes

• WaypointEditor: changed waypoint placement combination from alt + mouse click to keyboard key ‘P’. Auto-focuses scene view when starting a new path
• hoMove: fixed an issue where Pause() + Resume() could affect other tweens
• hoMove: added slot for an animation curve when using a custom easetype
• HOTween: updated to v1.1.727​

Features

• Bezier paths! (only 2D - x,z axis - for now)
• At the cost of some movement settings, bezier paths give you more control over the shape of your path: drag small handlers per waypoint in order to further define the curves
• WaypointManager: now creates normal or bezier paths
• BezierPathManager, BezierPathEditor and bezierMove scripts added
• bezierMove can trigger messages anywhere on the path, at a given percentage - not restricted to waypoint positions
• New example scene “Example_Bezier”​

Bezier paths are an addition to SWS, you don't necessarily have to use them. All old paths, movement scripts etc. stay intact.

Happy Easter!

 

Anything we should know about for upgrading?
Thanks!

 

Nothing important, everything should work as before. There are no breaking changes to iMove or hoMove, just a few additions to the WaypointManager and PathManagers.

 

I've tried to use the message script tied to a waypoint, but instead of getting anything on my screen all I get is the character rotates 360 degrese and then moves on.

I'm trying to display a message in the main camera each time I reach a waypoint.

a different message each time, plus each time I reach a waypoint I need my score to inscrease by a chosen value.

please help

I've finished my whole game, except this, I really want to package it and put out the free version tomorrow.

 

What's the name of the method that you've called? Please make sure you typed in the correct method name in the message settings at the desired waypoint. The method has to be placed in a script attached to the character object. If you want to call a method on another script, you can set a reference within the script and call the referenced method.

A possible way would be to use a message with a text value, then let your script receive that text and display it via OnGUI(). Also, add another message to the waypoint with a int value and call your other method to increase the score.

 

Hi Baroni,

We have been using SWS and it's really a great system and now we have a requirement to publish to Flash. This is where things are breaking down because none of the tween packages that SWS supports can function on Flash properly. However, as of today, LeanTween has managed to publish to Flash and this means that we can use SWS even on Facebook. Please advise when LeanTween can be supported by SWS. Also, for those who are using SWS and would like to use SWS with Flash, please chime in.

 

Hey rocki,

a few days ago I updated SWS with another movement script for version 3 (bezier movement), using HOTween. It's unlikely that I'll integrate another tween package in the near future, as the new bezier feature is still under development. The question is not whether it would be great to use SWS with Flash, the question is when will Unity support reflection in their Flash build. Of course you can write up your own movement script based on LeanTween (I don't know how to code with LeanTween yet) and use the waypoint array of a PathManager as input.

 

Baroni,

You are totally right about Unity should definitely support Reflection in Flash, after all, flash itself uses reflection heavily. As for integrating LeanTween with SWS, is it correct to say that SWS by itself is 100% compatible with Flash? Have you tested SWS on Flash. The reason for this question is that if we were to try to make this integration, we would like to know that SWS is compatible with Flash before proceeding.

 

I haven't tested SWS on Flash, I don't own this plugin. As for the compatibility - the WaypointManager and PathManager components just consist of dictionaries, arrays and gameobjects, so I think it's safe to predict that these will work on Flash at least.

 

Hi all,

just a quick heads up: Version 3 is now live on the stores. Please find the release notes in the original post.

Thanks!

Edit:

In version 3.0, a NullReferenceException error occured when calling SetPath() on a new walker object with an empty tween. I submitted version 3.0.1 to fix this issue.

 

Hi Baroni, I spoke to LeanTween and he interested in integrating LeanTween with Playmaker and SWS. Please have a look here at his forum, Playmaker author also wrote:

"
Hi, I must have missed your email somehow - sorry! We'd love to see Lean Tween actions!

Most third party developers make their own Playmaker actions since they're pretty easy to write, but we're happy to help

And of course we'll help promote the integration. We find that this kind of cross promotion works quite well...
"

http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/16...ompeting-engines!/page4?p=1210343#post1210343

 

Hi Baroni,
I imported 3.0.1 into my project (first time, not an update), and I got an error about BezierPoint being used multiple times in WaypointEditor cs. (Line 23/18). I would appreciate a prompt response, seeing as I have had to remove sws from my project atm.

I also wanted to ask how I could rename WaypointEditor cs. so it doesn't lose its connections to other scripts, as I have an other programme that uses the same script name, and obviously one of them has to be renamed...not sure if the normal renaming process (select, wait, click and rename) is ok.
Love the asset, have used it several times in other projects and it works great - until this bezier curve update. I would import an older version, but this new one has overwritten them in my onboard assets folder. Thanks for your time.

 

Hi wheelbarrow,

you are using Unity 4.1+, right? I just imported SWS 3.0.1 in Unity 4.1.2 and I didn't get an error. Could it be that not only you have another script named "WaypointEditor" in your project, but also one of your scripts has a class named "BezierPoint"?

Yeah, you would have to rename the script file and its class name to something else. May I ask what other asset interferes with this update?

Thanks! I can send you an old version (2.1.2b), please send me your invoice no. if you wish to.

 

Hey Baroni, you were right, it had to be something else in my project, as it imported no problems into a clean project. The asset that I think was giving the trouble is "Simply A* pathfinding - 2 solutions"...it has both a grid and waypoint system to choose from. Thanks again.

 

Another question: my scene restarts from the beginning if the player dies; as the scene begins, a helicopter is taking off. 9 out of 10 times when the scene restarts on the player death, the orientation of the the helicopter is completely erratic, i.e. the helicopter will be flying the path 90 degrees tail-down or up, instead of its normal level orientation. I have the x axis locked, and this is the axis the chopper is pivoting onto its tail. This only happens on in-game restarts, not when I initially start the scene in Unity. Any suggestions? Cheers.

 

When dealing with complex models, especially if the starting rotation of the model is different than (0,0,0), it is more common to use another root gameobject for the model and then to tween this root gameobject (script attached to the root), instead than tweening the model gameobject directly. Make sure your root gameobject has a rotation of (0,0,0). If you still face problems, you could reset the object's rotation in a Start() method.

 

yea I have the chopper under a root object set to 0,0,0, so I may have to try the Start() method, thanks. For your info, I just imported the latest version of gamedraw into the project, and once again the bezierpoint error occurs - it seems a lot of assets are using it. Cheers.

 

Thanks, I will alter the class name to something else then.

 

I'm wondering, does it support route selection?

you know like you reach a corner and you get to choose right or left

if this was answered pls don't shout, you need to understand there's over 20 pages of stuff and some are from 2 years ago

 

Hi Mew,

yeah no problem, this thread is really long indeed. To answer your question: depends what you mean by saying "route selection". This plugin does not have an automatic route finding mechanism built-in, if you mean that. However, you could call a message (a method in your own script) at the end of a path, that determines the new path (left / right) by passing in the path names, then let the object start from there. Such a route selection (choose between left / right at the end of the path or even at waypoints in between) would be very simple to set up. With my message implementation in SWS, nearly every custom feature is supported

Greetings