Subobject and subsystem properties

This page documents the properties that can be applied to subobjects and to subsystems in their respective properties data in the model file.

Important notes

• Subobject/subsystem properties data is not parsed in order.
• Occasionally an option may lack a trailing 'terminating character' like ':' or '=' from its description. In these cases any character can be used as the trailing 'terminating character'.
• Buffer size of 256 is reserved for the characters in properties data.

Subsystem Properties

• These can be applied to subsystems both with and without separate subobject.

Key strings and their order for setting subsystems
engine	Engine subsystem
radar	Radar dish subsystem
turret	Turret subsystem
navigation	Navigation subsystem
communication	Communication subsystem
weapon	Weapon control subsystem
sensor	Sensor subsystem
solar	Solar panel subsystem
gas	Gas collector subsystem
activator	unused

$name

• Defines the alternate name for the subsystem (string)
• Alternate subsystem names offer an alternative option for setting this via ships.tbl file or via mission data.

$fov

• Valid only if the true subobject name (not the alternate defined above) contains string "turret" but not strings "radar" or "engine"
• Defines the firing arc of the turret in degrees (integer)
• Defaults to 180 degrees if omitted.

$crewspot

• Valid only if the true subobject name (not the alternate defined above) contains string "turret" but not strings "radar" or "engine"
• Marks the turret as 'crewspot'
• Defines the name of the crewspot (string)
• No actual function

$triggered:

• Defines the subsystem as a rotating subsystem which can be triggered (animated) via Animation Code

$rotate

• Marks the subsystem as a rotating subsystem
• Defines the rotation time for the subsystem (float)

$pbank

• Marks the rotation as primary weapon rotation
• Defines the associated weapon bank (integer)

$stepped

• Defines the rotation as an stepped instead of continuous rotation

$steps

• Defines the number of steps in the animation (integer)
• Defaults to 8

$t_paused

• Defines the pause time between steps (float)
• Defaults to 2

$t_transit

• Defines the movement time between pauses (float)
• Defaults to 2

$fraction_accel

• Defines the fraction of the stepped rotation time used for acceleration (float)
• Is between 0 .. 0.5
• Defaults to 0.3

Subobject Properties

• These can be applied only to subsystem with their own separate subobject.

$dumb_rotate:

• Marks the subobject as 'dumb rotating object'
• Defines the rotation time (float)

$special

• Defines special attributes for the subobject
• String, either "subsystem" or "no_rotate"

"subsystem"

• subsystem marks the subobject as an subsystem

"no_rotate"

• Valid option if subsystem string was not used
• Marks subobject as an object that should not rotate

$no_collisions

• Prevents collision detection from occurring on this subobject and all of its children (recursively).

$nocollide_this_only

• Prevents collision detection from occurring on this subobject only (children collide normally).

$collide_invisible

• Allows full collision detection for things painted with the special "invisible" texture (normally ships collide but weapons do not)

$gun_rotation:

• Marks the submodel as using gun rotation

$detail_box:

• Marks the subsystem as one with detail box

$uvec:

• Defines the "up" direction (vector) of a multipart turret. Usually it stands perpendicular to the ship surface. Doesn't need to be specified for multiparts with a vertical rotation axis.
• Reads three comma separated floats
• Forces turret normal into the same as the $uvec:.

$fvec:

• Defines the direction of the front a multipart turret will be facing. Doesn't need to be specified for multiparts with a vertical rotation axis.
• Reads three comma separated floats

$lod0_name=

• Allows adding LODs to older models and changing from special points to modeled subsystems.
• Example $lod0_name=enginea used on a subobject named engine would allow engineb, engienc, and engined to be used while preserving backward compatibility.