Class SoDirectionalLightManip

  • All Implemented Interfaces:
    SafeDisposable

    public class SoDirectionalLightManip
    extends SoDirectionalLight
    Directional light node with 3D interface for editing direction. SoDirectionalLightManip is the base class for all SoDirectionalLight nodes that have a built-in 3D user interface (this is the only such class provided with the Open Inventor toolkit). Since it is derived from SoDirectionalLight, any changes to its fields result in a change of lighting for nodes that follow it in the scene graph. In this case, the interface edits the direction field. Also, the color of the manipulator's geometry will reflect the color of the light (but you cannot edit the color using this manipulator).

    Typically, you will want to replace a regular SoDirectionalLight with an SoDirectionalLightManip (as when the user selects a light to be edited), or vice versa (as when the user is done moving the light and the interface should go away). Use the replaceNode() method to insert a manipulator into a scene graph, and the replaceManip() method to remove it when done.

    The SoDirectionalLightManip utilizes an SoDirectionalLightDragger to provide a 3D interface. However, the manipulator differs from the dragger; it lights other objects in the scene because, as an SoDirectionalLight, it alters the state. The field values and movement of the dragger, on the other hand, affect only the dragger itself. To find out more about how the interface works and what each part will do, see the reference page for SoDirectionalLightDragger. The interfaces of the dragger and the manipulator are identical.

    The SoDirectionalLightManip utilizes its dragger by adding it as a hidden child. When an action is applied to the manipulator, such as rendering or handling events, the manipulator first traverses the dragger, and then the manipulator adds its lighting parameters to the state. When you click-drag-release over the manipulator, it passes these events down to the dragger, which moves as a result ("I can't <B> help </B> it, I'm a dragger!").

    The manipulator maintains consistency between the fields of the dragger and its own fields. Let's say you use the mouse to rotate the dragger . Callbacks ensure that the direction field of the manipulator will change by the same amount, thus changing the lighting of nodes which follow in the scene graph. Similarly, if you set the direction field of the SoDirectionalLightManip, the manipulator will orient the dragger accordingly.

    Because the dragger is a hidden child, you can see the dragger on screen and interact with it, but the dragger does not show up when you write the manipulator to file. Also, any SoPath will end at the manipulator. (See the Actions section of this reference page for a complete description of when the dragger is traversed).

    You can get this dragger from the manipulator using the getDragger() method. You will need to do this if you want to change the geometry of a manipulator, since the geometry actually belongs to the dragger.

    File format/default:

    DirectionalLightManip {

      on true
      intensity 1
      color 1 1 1
      direction 0 0 -1
    }

    Action behavior:

    SoGLRenderAction, SoCallbackAction, SoGetBoundingBoxAction, SoGetMatrixAction, SoHandleEventAction, SoRayPickAction
    First, traverses the dragger the way an SoGroup would. All draggers place themselves in space, but leave the current transformation unchanged when finished. Then the SoDirectionalLightManip adds a directional light to the state just like its base class, SoDirectionalLight.

    SoSearchAction
    Searches just like an SoDirectionalLight. Does not search the dragger, which is a hidden child.

    SoWriteAction
    Writes out just like an SoDirectionalLight. Does not write the dragger, which is a hidden child. If you really need to write valuable information about the dragger, such as customized geometry, you can retrieve the dragger with the getDragger() method and then write it out separately.

    See Also:
    SoDragger, SoDirectionalLight, SoDirectionalLightDragger, SoPointLightManip, SoSpotLightManip
    • Constructor Detail

      • SoDirectionalLightManip

        public SoDirectionalLightManip()
        Constructor.
    • Method Detail

      • replaceManip

        public boolean replaceManip​(SoPath p,
                                    SoDirectionalLight newOne)
        Replaces the tail of the path, which must be this manipulator, with the given SoDirectionalLight node. If the path has a nodekit, this will try to use setPart() to insert the new node. Otherwise, the manipulator requires that the next to last node in the path chain be a group.

        The field values from the manipulator will be copied to the directional light node, and the manipulator will be replaced.

        The manipulator will not make any changes to field connections. The calling process is thus responsible for keeping track of its own nodes and field connections.

      • replaceNode

        public boolean replaceNode​(SoPath p)
        Replaces the tail of the path with this manipulator. The tail of the path must be an SoDirectionalLight node (or subclass thereof). If the path has a nodekit, this will try to use setPart() to insert the manipulator. Otherwise, the manipulator requires that the next to last node in the path chain be a group.

        The field values from the directional light node will be copied to this manipulator, and the light node will be replaced.

        The old node will disappear if it has no references other than from the input path p and its parent, since this manipulator will be replacing it in both of those places. Nor will the manipulator make any changes to field connections of the old node. The calling process is thus responsible for keeping track of its own nodes and field connections.

      • getDragger

        public SoDragger getDragger()
        Returns the dragger being used by this manipulator. You can customize this dragger just like you would with any other dragger. You can change geometry using the setPart() method, or add callbacks using the methods found in the SoDragger reference page.