SpringArm

SpringArm

A helper node, mostly used in 3rd person cameras.

Description

The SpringArm node is a node that casts a ray (or collision shape) along its z axis and moves all its direct children to the collision point, minus a margin.

The most common use case for this is to make a 3rd person camera that reacts to collisions in the environment.

The SpringArm will either cast a ray, or if a shape is given, it will cast the shape in the direction of its z axis.

If you use the SpringArm as a camera controller for your player, you might need to exclude the player’s collider from the SpringArm’s collision check.

Properties

int	collision_mask	`1`
float	margin	`0.01`
Shape	shape
float	spring_length	`1.0`

Methods

void	add_excluded_object ( RID RID )
void	clear_excluded_objects ( )
float	get_hit_length ( )
bool	remove_excluded_object ( RID RID )

Property Descriptions

int collision_mask

Default	`1`
Setter	set_collision_mask(value)
Getter	get_collision_mask()

The layers against which the collision check shall be done. See Collision layers and masks in the documentation for more information.

float margin

Default	`0.01`
Setter	set_margin(value)
Getter	get_margin()

When the collision check is made, a candidate length for the SpringArm is given.

The margin is then subtracted to this length and the translation is applied to the child objects of the SpringArm.

This margin is useful for when the SpringArm has a Camera as a child node: without the margin, the Camera would be placed on the exact point of collision, while with the margin the Camera would be placed close to the point of collision.

Shape shape

Setter	set_shape(value)
Getter	get_shape()

The Shape to use for the SpringArm.

When the shape is set, the SpringArm will cast the Shape on its z axis instead of performing a ray cast.

float spring_length

Default	`1.0`
Setter	set_length(value)
Getter	get_length()

The maximum extent of the SpringArm. This is used as a length for both the ray and the shape cast used internally to calculate the desired position of the SpringArm’s child nodes.

To know more about how to perform a shape cast or a ray cast, please consult the PhysicsDirectSpaceState documentation.

Method Descriptions

void add_excluded_object ( RID RID )

Adds the PhysicsBody object with the given RID to the list of PhysicsBody objects excluded from the collision check.

void clear_excluded_objects ( )

Clears the list of PhysicsBody objects excluded from the collision check.

float get_hit_length ( )

Returns the spring arm’s current length.

bool remove_excluded_object ( RID RID )

Removes the given RID from the list of PhysicsBody objects excluded from the collision check.