makVre::DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator Class Reference

Detailed Description

PATTERN: VR-Forces Actuator Components Actuator components execute simulation-side logic on entities, controlling their behavior, appearance, and state. They are the simulation engine counterpart to player station components (DtPlayerComponent).

Common Actuator Component Types:

• Motion actuators: Control entity movement and navigation
• Weapon actuators: Manage firing, reloading, aiming
• Sensor actuators: Simulate detection and tracking
• Animation actuators: Control visual appearance and articulation (this example)
• Communication actuators: Handle radio and data link simulation

Actuator Lifecycle:

1. Construction with entity owner and simulation services
2. init() called once after construction for initialization
3. tick() called every simulation frame to update state
4. Destruction when entity is removed or component detached

DI-Guy Articulated Parts: DI-Guy human characters use a skeletal system with named joints (articulated parts). Each joint can be controlled via:

• Azimuth: Rotation around vertical axis (yaw)
• Elevation: Rotation around lateral axis (pitch)
• Rotation: Rotation around forward axis (roll)
• Angular rates: Velocities for smooth interpolation

This Example: Animates the left shoulder joint with a sinusoidal motion, demonstrating:

• Articulated part lookup by DI-Guy joint identifier
• Setting joint angles and angular rates for smooth motion
• Pause-aware animation (stops during simulation pause)
• Continuous cyclical animation using time accumulation

REUSABLE: This class structure applies to any actuator that needs to control human character articulation. Replace the joint identifier and animation logic to control different joints or implement different motion patterns.

#include <exampleHumanArtPartActuator.h>

Inheritance diagram for makVre::DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator:

Public Member Functions
	DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator (const DtString &name, DtLocalObject *owner, DtSimulationServices *simManager, DtComponentDescriptor *desc=nullptr, DtReaderWriterRegistry *parentRegistry=nullptr)
	DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator ()=delete
	DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator (const DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator &orig)=delete
const DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator &	operator= (const DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator &orig)=delete
virtual	~DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator () override
virtual bool	init () override
virtual const char *	type () const override
virtual void	tick () override

Static Public Member Functions
static DtSimComponent *	creator (const DtString &name, DtLocalObject *owner, DtSimulationServices *simManager, DtComponentDescriptor *desc=nullptr, DtReaderWriterRegistry *parentRegistry=nullptr)

Protected Attributes
DtPlatformLocalObjectFacade	myPlatformLocalObjectFacade
makVrf::DtArticulatedPartStateRepository *	myLeftShoulder
double	myAnimationInterval
double	myTimeInInterval

Constructor & Destructor Documentation

DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator() [1/3]

makVre::DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator::DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator	(	const DtString &	name,
		DtLocalObject *	owner,
		DtSimulationServices *	simManager,
		DtComponentDescriptor *	desc = nullptr,
		DtReaderWriterRegistry *	parentRegistry = nullptr )

Constructor - Initialize actuator component for an entity.

PATTERN: VR-Forces Component Construction VR-Forces components are constructed with references to:

• name: Component instance identifier (for debugging and logging)
• owner: The entity (DtLocalObject) this component belongs to
• simManager: Access to simulation services (time, messaging, etc.)
• desc: Component descriptor from entity definition (configuration)
• parentRegistry: Reader-writer registry for parameter serialization

The owner provides access to entity state and other components. The DtPlatformLocalObjectFacade helper class simplifies access to platform-specific features like articulated parts.

Parameters

name	Component instance name
owner	Owning entity
simManager	Simulation services access
desc	Component descriptor with configuration parameters
parentRegistry	Parent registry for parameter serialization

Referenced by DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator(), and operator=().

DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator() [2/3]

makVre::DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator::DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator ( )

delete

Default constructor - deleted (components require owner and services)

DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator() [3/3]

makVre::DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator::DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator ( const DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator & orig )

delete

Copy constructor - deleted (components are not copyable)

References DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator().

~DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator()

virtual makVre::DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator::~DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator ( )

overridevirtual

Destructor - cleanup component resources.

Member Function Documentation

operator=()

const DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator & makVre::DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator::operator= ( const DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator & orig )

delete

Assignment operator - deleted (components are not assignable)

References DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator().

init()

virtual bool makVre::DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator::init ( )

overridevirtual

Initialize component after construction.

PATTERN: VR-Forces Component Initialization The init() method is called once after construction to perform initialization that may depend on other components or simulation state. Always call the base class init() first to ensure proper initialization order.

This Example: Performs only base class initialization. Articulated part lookup is deferred to the first tick() call to ensure the entity's articulated part system is fully initialized.

Returns

true if initialization succeeded, false on failure

type()

virtual const char * makVre::DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator::type ( ) const

overridevirtual

Return component type identifier string.

Used by VR-Forces factory system to identify component type for instantiation and serialization. Must match the type string used in component registration.

Returns

DtExampleHumanArtPartActuatorType constant

tick()

virtual void makVre::DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator::tick ( )

overridevirtual

Update component state for one simulation frame.

PATTERN: Articulated Part Animation This method demonstrates the complete pattern for animating DI-Guy joints:

1. Check for simulation pause (dT() == 0) and stop motion if paused
2. Lazy lookup articulated part on first tick (ensures entity is initialized)
3. Calculate desired joint angle and rate based on animation time
4. Set joint angles (azimuth, elevation, rotation) and rates

Smooth Animation: Setting both the target angle and the angular rate produces smooth interpolated motion. VR-Forces/DI-Guy interpolates between the current and target angles using the provided rate.

Animation Pattern Used: Sinusoidal motion from 0 to π/2 radians over myAnimationInterval seconds:

• angle = maxAngle * sin(theta)
• rate = derivative of angle with respect to time

REUSABLE: This animation pattern can be adapted for:

• Different joints (change DiGuyDisArtPartShoulderLeft to other joint IDs)
• Different motion types (linear, ease-in/out, keyframed)
• Multiple simultaneous joint animations (lookup and animate multiple parts)
• Triggered animations (respond to events rather than continuous cycles)

creator()

static DtSimComponent * makVre::DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator::creator ( const DtString & name, DtLocalObject * owner, DtSimulationServices * simManager, DtComponentDescriptor * desc = nullptr, DtReaderWriterRegistry * parentRegistry = nullptr )

static

Static factory creator method for component instantiation.

PATTERN: VR-Forces Component Factory VR-Forces uses factory methods to instantiate components from entity definitions. This static method must match the signature expected by the component factory and return a new instance of this component class.

Registered in plugin initialization: componentFactory()->addCreatorFcn(DtExampleHumanArtPartActuatorType, &DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator::creator);

REUSABLE: This exact signature is required for all VR-Forces components.

Parameters

name	Component instance name
owner	Owning entity
simManager	Simulation services access
desc	Component descriptor with configuration
parentRegistry	Parent registry for parameters

Returns

New component instance

Member Data Documentation

myPlatformLocalObjectFacade

DtPlatformLocalObjectFacade makVre::DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator::myPlatformLocalObjectFacade

protected

Facade providing convenient access to platform-specific entity features Simplifies access to articulated parts, sensors, weapons, and other platform subsystems.

myLeftShoulder

makVrf::DtArticulatedPartStateRepository* makVre::DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator::myLeftShoulder

protected

Pointer to the left shoulder articulated part state Null until first tick() call, then cached for efficient subsequent access.

myAnimationInterval

double makVre::DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator::myAnimationInterval

protected

Animation cycle duration in seconds The joint will complete one full motion cycle (0 to max angle and back) in this time.

myTimeInInterval

double makVre::DtExampleHumanArtPartActuator::myTimeInInterval

protected

Current time within the animation cycle (0 to myAnimationInterval) Accumulated each tick to calculate the current phase of the animation.

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The documentation for this class was generated from the following file:

• examples/humanArtPartActuator/exampleHumanArtPartActuator.h