Using Artificer
Now Artificer is installed we shall run through the simple process of using it on a game object.
When you add the Artificer component to your game object you will see its custom Inspector, this is where you change all the values that will effect the splitting, building and dismantling of your object. There are a lot of options so to help out nearly every param will have a tool tip show if you hover the mouse over it.
And if you right click the over the label for the param a context menu will open with a Help option. If you click that you will be taken to the section of the docs that explains the use of that param and what it will do. There might also be a video option in the menu or a video icon to the right of the inspector, if you click either of those then a video will popup in a window showing an example use of that feature.
You can also get the Artificer Docs page by either right clicking the Artificer Inspector bar to get the context menu and selecting the Artifcer Help option. Or you can go to the Tools/Artificer menu in the top menu bar and select Artificer Help from there. You can also access the Artificer Video playlist on Youtube from the same menus.
Artificing Your First Object
Select the object or root of a group of objects that you wish to have assemble and dismantle in your scene. Then add the Artificer component to that object by either clicking the Add Component button in the inspector or dragging and dropping the Artificer script onto that object or going to the Component/Artificer menu and selecting the Artificer option there.
You will now see the Inspector shows the Artificer component. The Object to Build will be filled with the GameObject the script is applied to. The Green build Button may show as a grey button saying meshes are not readable. You can just click the button and Artificer will make the required meshes readable, or you can select the object in the Project folder and in the Import Settings for it check the Read/Write options then click apply.
Once the meshes are readable the button will show Build Data. This indicates that either no animation data is present or that it requires rebuilding. Click the button to build the data and if all went well the button will turn Green showing the animation data is created.
And that is all there is to it to get the system working on your object. If you play the scene and click the Dismantle or Assemble button at the top of the inspector you will see the mesh build or dismantle in the scene. It wont be a very exciting animation but we will improve on that later.
You can also test the animations without having to enter Play Mode by using the Artificer Control Window.
Well done you should now have an object that will build and dismantle.
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