References

In Foxel, there are two types of reference objects: Voxel Reference Objects and Pixel Reference Objects. Each type serves a unique purpose in integrating assets into your projects.

Voxel Reference Objects

A Voxel Reference Object allows you to load data from other assets into Voxel Scenes and display them as a single voxel grid. The loaded grid can be rotated by 90° and flipped along the x, y, or z axes. Additionally, the grid can be cropped without altering the source data, making it useful for displaying specific parts of the grid. Cropping can also be animated, which is beneficial for simulating the construction or deconstruction of structures.

Voxel Reference Types

• Scene Reference: Merges voxel objects from another Voxel Scene into a single voxel grid. The grid is created by scanning a specified area of the source scene and combining all overlapping voxel objects. The scanning area is defined by a Scan Box, which can be the source asset's Default Scan Box or a custom Scan Box.

  Properties:

  • Voxel Scene: The source asset from which voxel data is pulled.
  • Scan Box: Specifies which Scan Box to utilize for the scanning process.

• Movie Reference: Displays a specific Voxel Keyframe from a Voxel Movie at a designated frame.

  Properties:

  • Voxel Movie: The source Voxel Movie asset to load the keyframe from.
  • Frame: Indicates which frame of the movie should be displayed.

• Heightmap Reference: Converts and displays a voxel representation of a 2D Heightmap.

  Properties:

  • Heightmap: The source Heightmap asset used for generating the voxel data.
  • Height Offset: A value added to the height of each pixel, adjusting the overall elevation.
  • Height Scale: A multiplier that affects the height of each pixel, allowing for scaling adjustments.

• Mesh Reference: Displays a voxel grid created from voxelized mesh objects of a Mesh Asset.

  Properties:

  • Mesh Asset: The source Mesh Asset from which the voxel grid is generated.
  • Scan Box: Indicates which scan box to use for the voxelization process.

Shared Properties

All four Voxel Reference Objects share the following properties:

• Crop: Activates the cropping feature for the voxel grid.
• Crop Box Position: Determines the location of the crop box within the voxel grid.
• Crop Box Size: Defines the dimensions of the crop box; any voxel data outside this area will be excluded from the grid.

Pixel Reference Objects

Pixel Reference Objects allow you to load data from other assets into a Heightmap and display them as a single pixel grid. The loaded grid can be flipped, rotated, and scaled. Currently, only Heightmaps can be referenced.

Pixel Reference Properties

• Heightmap: The source Heightmap asset used for generating the pixel data.
• Grid Flip X: Flips the pixel grid horizontally along the X-axis.
• Grid Flip Y: Flips the pixel grid vertically along the Y-axis.
• Grid Rotate: Rotates the pixel grid by a specified angle.
• Grid Scale X: Adjusts the size of the pixel grid along the X-axis.
• Grid Scale Y: Adjusts the size of the pixel grid along the Y-axis.

Info

For more detailed information on referencing assets and how to update, convert, and break them, please refer to Referencing Assets.