3D Graphics Properties for STK Objects - Model Articulation

Use these properties to define the movable parts on the selected model. The Model Articulations dialog box is accessible by clicking View under Articulations on the 3D Graphics Model Properties page.

Property Description
Level of Detail Specifies the level of detail (LOD) for defining articulations. Level 0 indicates the finest level of detail, and level 1 indicates the coarsest model. If level 0 is the only level listed, then the model contains only one level of detail.
Articulations

Use this to select the articulation that you want to define. When you select an articulation, the Transformations list automatically populates with all related transformations.

If the Articulations list is empty, it means that the model has no movable parts.
Transformations Use this to select the transformation that you want to define for a given articulation. Use the slider to modify the transformation value.
Save articulation value as default If you select this check box, STK saves the articulation value as the default for all future sessions using this model. STK saves the articulation value with the object and not with the model or articulation files.
Do not save articulation file If you select this check box, articulations that were added using the AddArticulation Connect command are not saved to an articulation file associated with the model but are available while the scenario is open during the current session. If you do not select the check box, STK will create the articulation file, or if one already exists will update it, when you save the object or scenario. STK may reformat existing files during the save.
Use object color for model If you select this check box, the model color will change if the object color, which is defined using the AGI_ColorArtic articulation, changes.
Default solar panels to point at Sun

If you select this check box, the model's solar panels are defaulted to point toward the sun. This setting will take effect the next time you load the model. This applies to satellites only.

When creating a model in which the solar panels automatically point to the sun, the following conditions need to exist:

  • You must set up an articulation so that the panels can rotate around their yoke.
  • You must define a pointing vector. You can do this by loading the model file into the STK Model Viewer and determining which axis is perpendicular to the face of the arrays.
  • You must declare a solar panel at the component level, where the actual panel was made.
  • You must define a Solar Panel Group at the top of the MDL file, outside any component.

For solar panel pointing, STK will ignore pointable elements at the root of a model's component hierarchy.

Ignore bound radius when culling If you select this check box, STK ignores bound radius when rendering the model. This is useful if you want to prevent articulated pieces from disappearing when the object position moves out of the view frustum by a distance greater than the bound radius.
Refresh automatic articulations If you select this check box and the articulation is controlled by Model Pointing or an external script, any changes you make using the slider will not affect the articulation.
Auto refresh If you select this check box, STK will display the changes as soon as you release the mouse from the slide control. If you clear the check box, any changes you make in the values of articulations appear only after you click Refresh.
Refresh If you click this button, STK will reload the articulation file for the object if you have edited the articulation file.

STK determines which model to display based on the detail threshold distances set and the viewing distance to the object. For models with only one level of detail, the LOD options have no effect.

How To. . .