Layer in Anark Studio 2.5

Represents a layer in the scene.

The Layer object is a special type of group that can only be attached to the Scene. The scene is composed of a number of layers, each layer representing a collection of elements that are grouped together for exclusive display purposes.

Each time the scene is drawn, the layers are drawn in order from back to front, allowing for complex image composition capabilities. When a layer is created, it contains a default camera and a default light. The settings for the default camera and light can be changed, and new cameras and lights (and any other node type) can be created and attached; however, there can only be one active camera for a layer at a given time.

The layer is rendered as a full 3D scene from the viewpoint of its active camera. Layers are independent of other layers, such that the elements on successively ordered layers can never be obscured by elements on previous layers. This behavior allows robust functionality such as complex overlaid menuing systems and elegantly encapsulated media organization.

There are two types of object constructors for layers. The Library asset constructor creates a new instance of the object from a resource in the Anark Studio Library. The scripting object constructor creates an empty Layer object. Objects created via scripting are not available to the Anark Studio interface, but they do appear in the finished project.

Library asset constructor syntax

var theLayer = new Layer( "library://libraryAssetName" [, addToScene] );

libraryAssetName

required — A String with the name of the asset in the Anark Studio Library from which to create this object.

addToScene

optional — This Boolean flag specifies whether this layer will be added to the scene. Currently, true is the only valid setting. Omit this parameter to prevent the scene from being automatically added to the scene.

Scripting object constructor syntax

var theLayer = new Layer( [sceneGraphName] [, addToScene] );

sceneGraphName

optional — A String with the name for the new group in the scene graph.

addToScene

optional — This Boolean flag specifies whether this layer will be added to the scene. Currently, true is the only valid setting. Omit this parameter to prevent the scene from being automatically added to the scene.

Layer Examples

// Create a new layer.  
theLayer = new Layer( "BackgroundLayer");  

//Attach the layer to the scene.  
scene.attach( theLayer );  

// Add an existing model to a layer.  
theLayer.attach( theModel );