Placing a composition and world grid alignment problem

[Weezle 17]

Greetings all,

I've built a treehouse (on one of StoutCrusher's MP servers).  He sent me the save file for the map and I was able to extract my treehouse and created a composition from it.  I've tested placing it a few times just to make sure it's ready for sharing and the problem I am running into is that it never aligns perfectly to the world grid of the map I am adding it to.  It is always a bit off and that means you can't add to it.  In one instance, I was able to bring the composition into my editor, remove the tree from the group and snap the remaining blocks and bits to an 'anchor' of sorts.  I then moved the tree back into the center of the build and tried creating a new composition in hopes that the next time would snap to the world coords of the map.  It didn't.

What I'd like to know, do all compositions sit slightly askew from the grid of a new map or is my treehouse a special case?  I really want to upload this to the workshop but I want everyone to be able to make it their own by adding bits where they like.  Let me know if any of you have the same issue or some ideas on how to get the alignment right.

 

Thanks!

[TheSparkPlug 128]

Try adding four temporary corner blocks which would make the furthest extents of your build align with the grid.

[Weezle 17]

I'll give it a shot but I'm already trying to snap the dock to an 'anchor' in the world (a stack of blocks or panels, usually).  None of the items on a world grid seem to affect the incoming parts so I don't know if corner blocks would behave differently than the ones already attached to the main build.  Fingers crossed.

[TheSparkPlug 128]

In case it wasn’t clear, I meant add the blocks to your composition... so that it’s overall size is an exact number of whole blocks rather than a random size caused by freeplaced items.

i think the issue with compositions (and maybe even the in-game POIs) is that their centre is calculated and aligned to the grid. So, if any edge of a composition is off the grid because of a freeplaced item, then it’s centre will be also.

i don’t know if the offending item has to be physically placed on the edge (eg: a lamp on an outer wall) or if the same issue can be caused by, say, placing a really large tree in the centre, with leaves that stick out past the edges.

Edited April 22, 2018 by TheSparkPlug

[Spyler.X 625]

 

Weezle currently, I should be able to solve in a simple way.

1º - open your editor and put your composition.
2º: if it is grouped, delete the group.
3º- select all the elements, selecting one of the blocks from the bottom last.
4º- with the option of global coordinates and the activated grid move its composition in the 3 axes so that it is aligned with the grid and create the group again.
5º - recreate the composition and it must already be aligned.

When placing it in a new world, move it on its axes with the grid activated, to make sure it is in place.

keep this in mind, for future compositions, it can be very useful

PD: if you do not get the result you want, upload the collage to the workshop and I'll make a small video that shows you how to do it, then you should only update your workshop model

 

Edited April 22, 2018 by spyler.1989

[TheSparkPlug 128]

Okay, I did some testing. In each case I started with a stone 5x5 square, added something to it, saved it as a composition, then placed that composition back in to the world to see how it aligned.

Firstly some steel rods sticking 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 blocks out from the edge. All placed normally (originals on left, pastes on right)

 

Next I tried with unattached rods then stone blocks (originals in centre, pastes left/right). You can see only the top left pasted off the grid, which was a stone block sticking halfway out.

 

So, using the half stone block model, I tested to see if it was linked to orientation (originals near the centre, pastes on outer edge). It is - only blocks sticking out to the north/south cause the composition to not align with the grid...

 

Now to the flora - a shrub inside the square caused it not to align. Sadly, no attempts to add [temporary] blocks managed to put the composition back on the grid. The right hand one is the original, and the only one actually aligned to the grid. All the others are about half a block off.

hrubh

 

In fact, the only success I had was to drag the shrub about half a block north/south before creating the composition, but even that wasn't perfect!

[TheSparkPlug 128]

Just seen Spyler's post - will try that with my test pieces when I get a chance 

[Spyler.X 625]

9 minutes ago, TheSparkPlug said:

Just seen Spyler's post - will try that with my test pieces when I get a chance 

all you need to keep in mind is that the reference point of your compositions will always be the last selected object 

For example, in the test you are doing, select a corner block, if you want to have a center, simply place some object hidden as a bullet and select it in the last place, keep in mind that the bullet should be aligned to the grid if you want it to be aligned.

Edited April 22, 2018 by spyler.1989

[TheSparkPlug 128]

In all my tests, I created the composition by dragging across the entire area. Do you know how it chooses the last/reference block when doing that?

It is interesting to note that, on the NSEW tests above, I always dragged top left to bottom right. So you would think that either north or south would have been off the grid, but not both.

[TheSparkPlug 128]

So, in all of the examples above - including the shrub - I created a composition by dragging over the area then held down shift to deselect and re-select one block. In every case the resultant composition aligned to the grid.

Spyler... if only I could give your post more than one thumbs up 

[Weezle 17]

Thank you for the responses and information!  As for the added corner blocks, SparkPlug, you were clear.  I just wasn't sure that anything added would behave any differently then the components already in the composition. 

As to the method of my construction of the treehouse, I always build in a 'real world' scenario, not the editor.  I laid down the foundation of the spiral staircase (which is naturally aligned to the grid) and then planted a tall rain forest tree seed at the base (in case anyone else wants to try to build their own).  The tree is only free placed by way of natural seed planting and not added to the building by way of the creator cube or editor.  I don't really know how seeds react to the world grid but it may be the main object throwing the composition off.  The biggest reason that I want to bring this particular tree along with the composition is that the organic nature of the tree's orientation, affected how I built the floors and roof around the branches and canopy.  If I were to leave it out and then plant a different seed under the staircase, it may not grow to fit the treehouse.

Between the two of you, I think the problem may be solved.  I will be testing it today.  With luck, there'll be a treehouse in the Workshop, finally!

[Spyler.X 625]

it is a beautiful house we hope to see you soon in the workshop 

[TheSparkPlug 128]

1 hour ago, Weezle said:

I always build in a 'real world' scenario, not the editor...

I watch Stout Crusher so I know it’s built in explore mode, and I am familiar with your trademark treehouse 

[Weezle 17]

It was a success!  The treehouse works perfectly now and I've got it on the Workshop.  Thank you all for the help!

[Spyler.X 625]

Weezle you are a wonderful architect is an amazing house 

[Weezle 17]

Thank you Spyler!