Misc and Book Displays

Book Displays 

Book displays are used to display specific books (as opposed to the Bookcases). They require a filter item, and are the method to use to have books in the Collection System.  

Note: Book displays use the activator called ODOSDisplayBook, not ODOSDisplayBookcaseMarker. That second one is used in the Bookcases.

 

 Book Displays work differently than other displays, because the item displayed keep their havoc state, as each book has a different size, and has to sit on shelves correctly. However, they do warp back to their spot if they move too far. As such, you do not have to use the  advanced positioning method, since they basically place themselves properly. 

 Note: If the book displays you place are a little too close to each other, the displayed items might wiggle for a bit, but they do settle and stop moving after a few seconds. 

To create book displays, place the activator called ODOSDisplayBook in your cell, make it a Persistent Reference, and parent it to a Room Marker. Then place the item you want to filter for into the cell, and parent it to the display activator. 

Note: There are some books, like the Biography of Barenziah, that have two versions of the same book (in this case, volume 3 and 4 are actually the same volume). However, all you have to do is treat those books as leveled items, and parent both books to the same display. 

All the item filters get sent to a reference holding cell the first time the player enters the cell, so you don't have to worry about extra clutter reducing performance. 

Misc Displays

Misc Displays basically are used for anything that isn't weapons, armors, clothing, or books. You could use them for simple decoration, but I would recommend you use Dynamic Static Objects for that. Misc displays are more for unique objects from quests, or interesting curios found around the world, and will probably mostly be used with the Collection System. 

Misc displays, like armor ground models, have very different sizes, so because of this, they have to be filtered and use the Advanced Positioning method. Furthermore, we have to delve into some simple 3d model basics to place them properly. 

Model Root

The root of a 3d model is the point of origin of the 3d model. It is where the object gets its XYZ position. With the Expanded Construction Set, you can see the position of the root model as a yellow cross on the selected object. 

Some models have their root at different places on the model, especially misc items. Take Llathasa's Bust, for example, where for some reason, the root is at the top of the model. 

 

And again, some models have it at the bottom, some in the center. So to get item to place properly, the Misc Displays must have the model root to match as closely as possible.

This is why ODOS provides different sized misc item activators, with 3 variations with the root of the model at different places: bottom, center, and top. This is so that you can chose the display activator that best matches the item you are trying to filter for. 

To create a Misc Display, place in the cell the item you want to filter for, as well as the activator that best matches the root of the model. If you need to, you can scale the activator to best match the size of the filter item, it won't affect the placed item in game. 

Mark the activator as a Persistent Reference, and parent it to a Room Marker. Then, position the filter item exactly where you want it to appear, make it a Persistent Reference, and parent it to the activator. The script will recognize the persistent item as the position for the activator, before the filter item gets sent to a reference holding cell for performance.