Clear Trail command in Thyme

[Xray]

Currently, we have to manually select the "Clear Trail" button in order to clear the trail that the tracer made. I would like to be able to clear the trail in my Thyme scripts.

And I have a question. In the Tracer script menu, there is a variable named "rotation". That doesn't make sence for a tracer. Can anyone give me an example of how "rotation" would be used in a scene?

Thanks

[Xray]

I finally figured out a way to do it! Here is my sample scene:

CLEAR TRACER TRAIL WITH KEY PRESS

I'll be posting a tutorial in the forum soon.

[jon_joy_1999]

In the Tracer script menu, there is a variable named "rotation". That doesn't make sence for a tracer. Can anyone give me an example of how "rotation" would be used in a scene?

Thanks

think what it would do if the tracer were non-circular

[Xray]

In the Tracer script menu, there is a variable named "rotation". That doesn't make sence for a tracer. Can anyone give me an example of how "rotation" would be used in a scene?

Thanks

think what it would do if the tracer were non-circular

I thought about that a long time ago, but you cannot make a tracer non-circular like you can with a regular circle. In that case, a circle becomes a polygon.

[jon_joy_1999]

I thought about that a long time ago, but you cannot make a tracer non-circular like you can with a regular circle. In that case, a circle becomes a polygon.

perhaps the reason you cannot make tracers non-circular is because they are already non-circular? try this: make a rod 1 meter long and 1/4 meter wide, and rotate it so it is horizontal. place an axle at one end, and a tracer at the other, and let it swing freely under the effects of gravity, and examine the tracer at the peaks of the swing, and you will see why the tracer has a rotation (also, you may want to have a text box that displays the rotation value for the tracer, although that type of function is beyond my Ken)

[Xray]

I just got done trying the experiment that you outlined in your reply, and I can see no difference in the width of the trail along its entire arc. Maybe your monitor needs to be adjusted? Try this: Place a large circle, centered in your monitor, so that the diameter is close to the extreme viewing limits. Does it look perfectly round? If not, then your monitor's aspect ratio probably needs to be calibrated. Just a thought....

[jon_joy_1999]

I just got done trying the experiment that you outlined in your reply, and I can see no difference in the width of the trail along its entire arc. Maybe your monitor needs to be adjusted? Try this: Place a large circle, centered in your monitor, so that the diameter is close to the extreme viewing limits. Does it look perfectly round? If not, then your monitor's aspect ratio probably needs to be calibrated. Just a thought....

my monitor is working perfectly fine, thank you for your concern. just a question, when do circles make flat line ends?

[Xray]

Oh, flat line ends! Yes, you are correct, and I never considered that before. Anyhow, I tried setting different values of rotation in the rotation variable, but nothing seems to change. The flat ends do not change shape or size. I suppose that it just must be how the tracer trails were designed. What do you think (or know) about it?

[jon_joy_1999]

I've done some further examination of my test scene, and I've added two additional rods hinged together to add a bit of chaos to the swinging. I've observed that the rotation value ONLY matches the rotation of the object it is attached to, which disproves my theory of what the rotation value is for (that the rotation value is what is used to calculate the drawing rotation).

I got no clue what the value is for, if it isn't some kind of orphan function