At 10:01 PM 12/12/99, Ali Chamas wrote:
>Hi Andreas!
>
>--- "Raab, Andreas" <Andreas.Raab at disney.com> wrote:
>> Hi,
>> 
>> Just briefly:
>> 
>> > * There was a special type of 3D object called a
>> Point
>> > Model. Instead of defining points and faces, the
>> model
>> > used single points to represent it's form. For
>> each
>> > point, an image was used. When this type of model
>> > rendered, each image would render front on, and
>> only
>> > it's scale would be relative to it's distance from
>> the
>> > camera.
>> 
>> This is possible (though a bit complicated). You can
>> create a plane, map a
>> texture on it and have it oriented towards the
>> camera at each frame.
>
>That sounds like the one. My Alice isn't that strong
>(yet) but i assume that this could be done by <simply>
>sub-classing the appropriate alice class, and
>over-writing the methods relating to shape and
>rendering (maybe a few more)? Can it be done for the
>next version? ;})

You don't even need to work that hard.  You can simply doing the following:

w makeActorFrom: 'square.mdl'
square setTexture: 'image.bmp'
square doEachFrame: [ square pointAt: camera ]

Now you've got an image that always faces the camera (commonly referred to
as a "billboard").

Jeff