SC2Mapster

I'm trying to make the asteroid doodad into a unit. Everything is going fine except for when it moves, it no longer rotates in space and a random face of the asteroid becomes its "front." How can I keep it's idle spin animation going while it's moving?

There might be several ways to do this, depending on the specific model. Since I don't know, which model exactly you are referring to, I recommend unchecking the Turnable flag in the unit flags to prevent any kind of rotational influence when turning the unit.

If this isn't enough, attach the asteroid model to an invisible, rotating model like TechPurchasePortraitTurn.

@Kueken531: Go

The model in question is AsteroidSky.m3. Going off on a tangent, but how do I connect the asteroid model onto the TechPurchasePortraitTurn? Does the asteroid actor have to be type "model" or type Site Operation (attachment)?

@DrSuperEvil: Go

In which field exactly do I do the attaching? Tried linking up my Model to an Actor through a few of the "Hosting:" headings but I don't see it doing anything. Do I set it up through events: events + maybe?

Both, actually. You specify the host by selecting it in the Hosting: Host field as a Subject and then you add an event like this: UnitBirth.MyUnit -> Create. Then attach it to the rotating attachment point with the SOpAttachOrigin.

Ok so the attached model is creating and destroying with the unit now, but it's not attaching (when the unit moves, the model doesn't), so I don't think I have hosting: host site operations set up right. I just have to put in a value here that is one of the attachment points of the unit's model, right? Since my unit model (TechPurchasePortraitTurn) is invisible, does it even have attachment points? How can I view them in cutscene editor to see what I'm working with?

I managed to get it to attach (had to used a Sop (Attachment) actor as well) but it's not spinning, just sitting above the original unit. Since the model of the original unit doesn't even have a physical body, how can I tell if it's actually spinning at all? Keuken you mentioned TechPurchasePortraitTurn is a rotating invisible actor, how can you tell? Maybe I'm just not attaching my model addition to the right attachment point?

EDIT: Was watching a ladder replay and then it hit me: the Mothership is a unit that rotates around in a circle and never faces the direction it's going. Boom! I just attached me asteroid model to a scaled down mothership and I was set.

Sorry for bumping a solved topic, I just wanted to add that with 1.5 a Site Ops of type "Rotator" will be added that lets you spin models around arbitrary axes.

So instead of using workarounds right now I'd wait a couple of days and use the built in tools with 1.5, because they will for sure be better for the performance of your map.

@Bommes: Go

Will that continually spin it though, or just change the side of the actor that is considered the "front?" Looking forward to playing with it nonetheless though.

@Bilxor: Go

What do you mean, change the side?

It should visually spin the actor around a set axis iirc, you can set a radius if you wish so it orbits around. But I only tested it for like a minute or two, so I don't know exact things :)
I know that the SOp should work with 1.5 though, in contrast to a lot of other stuff that isn't usable for 1.5 (like all the Physics stuff that needs updated models or the new Light Actors).

It even says in the patch notes that it is used for movement like a propeller iirc.

edit:
Oh, you mean if it also changes the units facing. I doubt it does, but I don't know anything specific so it might not be suited for your problem. Sorry for my lack of understanding.
But in general, no Site Operation should not change anything about the facing of a unit, it only changes the visual actor. I'm personally very sure that the Rotator SOp does exactly what you need without requiring a workaround.

Just checked it and there is no way to set a radius or something like that, but apart from that it does exactly what you need, rotating an actor at a set rate.

Also it makes it much easier to combine for example a fast horizontal rotation with a slow vertical rotation to get a more 3D feel of the object (I could imagine this works very well with space related Asteroid rotation etc.).