In Rec Room, how can I make things appear in a specific place, or make it move from one place to another?

I want to move an object to a specific location.

Solution 1:

I will try to give an overview of the possibilities. Note that in general, you can divide object movement into two categories: instant movement (object disappears somewhere, and appears somewhere else instantly) and gradual movement (object moves from one point to another over some time).

Also note that to make an object seemingly appear out of thin air, you would have to have it to some location that is not visible to the player, and then move it to a place that is visible to the player.

Instant Movement

Instant movement methods will instantly move the object from one place to another.

Respawn Configuration Option

Configure the object, check the Respawn option and configure the time. The object will now respawn to the location where it was when you checked the the box after no one interacts with or is close to (and looking at) it.

Notes:

• Free.
• Can't be controlled by circuits.
• Only one location can be used.
• Has spawning clouds.
• Resets orientation and speed.

Animation Gizmo, Allow Holding

Add the object to an Animation Gizmo, animate it, then play the animation by setting the red input to 1. Configure the Animation Gizmo to Allow Holding. Now players can pick up the object, and it will instantly jump back to the place where it is being animated when they drop it.

Notes:

• Cheap.
• You can select between multiple locations by using and enabling different Animation Gizmos.
• A single Animation Gizmo can work with multiple objects at the same time.
• It is difficult, but possible to swap the hand you are holding the item in, if you aren't close to the animation location.
• No respawn clouds.
• Resets orientation and speed.

Animation Gizmo, Reset Only

Place the object where you want it to move to, create an Animation Gizmo, and add the object to it. The object will now instantly move back to that location whenever you trigger the Animation Gizmo's reset input.

Notes:

• Cheap.
• Easy.
• You can select between multiple locations by using and resetting different Animation Gizmos.
• A single Animation Gizmo can work with multiple objects at the same time.
• No respawn clouds.
• Resets orientation and speed.

Object Respawner, using Tags

You can use the configure tool to specify a tag on an object, and configure an Object Respawner to use that tag. When you send a signal to the green input of the Respawner, it will respawn the object in its center. If you have multiple objects with the same tag, the one furthest away from the Respawner will be chosen.

Notes:

• Has respawn clouds.
• You can configure, if the orientation and speed are reset.

Object Respawner, using Object ID

Using an Object Trigger Zone, you can get the Object ID of the object you want to respawn. When you send that ID to the red input of the Object Respawner, it will respawn the object in its center.

Notes:

• Has respawn clouds.
• You can configure, if the orientation and speed are reset.

Clamp Gizmo

Connect the object to the tip of the Clamp Gizmo. As long as you set the Clamp's input to a non-zero value, the object is free to be moved around the room. When you set the input to 0, the object will instantly be moved back to the position where it was when initially connected to the clamp. It will be locked in that position until you send a different value to the input.

Notes:

• Expensive for single objects.
• One clamp can manage multiple objects at the same time.
• An object can only be connected to one clamp.
• No respawn clouds.

Gradual Movement

Gradual movement methods will move the object from one place to another, over some time, creating a movement animation. All of these methods can also be used to create Instant Movement.

Animation Gizmo, with Animation

Of course, Animation Gizmos can also be used to animate the movement of the object: Have at least two key frames in the animation gizmo and set the object's position for each key frame to animate movement between them. The animation will start when you input a signal to the red input of the Animation Gizmo, and pause when you input a signal to the green input. It will instantly reset to the first defined frame when you signal the reset input. The animation will stop at one of it's ends, if you configure the Animation Gizmo to do so.

Notes:

• Cheap.
• Negative time key frames are possible. The animation will start there initially, and every time you reset it. Otherwise it will only handle the part of the animation that has positive timestamps.
• Having 2 key frames with the same timestamp is possible. The transition between the two frames will be instant. However, you have to make sure that you have Other key frames before and after this instant transition.
• You can select between multiple animations by using and resetting different Animation Gizmos.
• A single Animation Gizmo can work with multiple objects at the same time.

Piston Gizmo

A Piston moves an object connected to its tip along a straight line, within the piston's bounds. The object will move with a constant speed, specified at the speed input. (You can also configure an acceleration time.) If the speed is set to 0, the movement will be instant. If you configure the piston to have a target in put, the object will move to the position specified and then stop.

Notes:

• Expensive.
• The position input can be the result of a calculation.
• The movement speed can be the result of a calculation.
• You can stop the movement and change the speed and direction any time.

Rotator Gizmo

A Rotator moves an object connected to its tip in a circle round a the Rotator's body. The movement range is unbounded, apart from that, it works just like the Piston.

Notes:

• Expensive.
• The position input can be the result of a calculation.
• The movement speed can be the result of a calculation.
• You can stop the movement and change the speed and direction any time.