Start Position

The kite's Start Position is where the Kite "string" is anchored and the kite will face this spot and it's position will always be relative to this point,

If a Kite Post is used, the position of the post is the Start Position, and a particle "string" will be connected to it.

If you don't use a Kite Post, your position, (when the script is reset), be used as the Start Position.

When the kite script resets (which happens anytime you change it's contents), it will look for a rezzed Kite post. If one is found (within 96 meters), a particle string will connect the two automatically and the post position will be used as the Start Position.

If you have more than one kite, and want them connected to different posts, an additional step is required.

1. Rez the additional kite post and look at it's object description.
   Use the description text (something like: POST the post's uuid string ) as the name of a notecard and place it in the kite's contents.

You can also use this method if you want to connect the kite to something other than the kite post provided. (But there will not be a particle string generated).

Boundaries and Limits

The default behavior of the kite is to move about as the Second Life wind changes direction. It is not uncommon for the wind to slowly rotate and make a full circle. But you can force kite to stay in one area by configuring a default wind direction.

You can define a distance limit for the kite to move from its Start Position. Regardless of this distance, the kite will stay within it's current region; and if you want, it will stay within a specific smaller area.

Kite Strings

While the Start Position lets the kit know what direction it should face, the Kite Post needs to identify the kites it is to connect with a string. When the post is rezzed it will search for kites and automatically connect to them.

But if you want a kite post for each of several kites, you will need to add notecards to each kite post with the names of the kite.

1. Look in the Contents of each kite and find the NAME notecard. (You can edit this to create unique names for each kite).
2. Then create a notecard for the Kite Post named: "KITE_NAME kite name". That kite post will only connect a string to the named kite. You can have more than on KITE_NAME notecard.

Three kite posts are included in the package.

• dE Kite Post for 1 string will connect to a single kite and has L.I. of 1
• dE Kite Post for 3 strings will connect to up to three kites and has L.I. of 2
• dE Kite Post for 5 strings will connect to up to five kites and has L.I. of 3

Configuration information is provided in the name of a few notecards in the Kite's Contents.

The Kite Script will reset when any of these notecards are changed.

PARCEL

"PARCEL xxx yyy    xxx yyy" defines the coordinates of the ground footprint in which the kite will move.

1. Rez the included Kite Box Corner Coordinate Finder object and position/stretch it on the ground to define the limits of the kite's movement. (This will usually be your parcel boundaries).
2. When you touch the box it will print the name of the notecard that you should put into the kite's Contents.

POST

The "POST uuid" notecard lets the kite get the position of the Kite Post so it knows which direction to face. The Kite Post Object Description has the UUID needed for the notecard's name. If you only have one Kite Post (and it is within 96 meters of where you rezz the kite), the kite will find the post automatically and this POST notecard is not required. But if you intend to fly the kite very high or far away from the post, or you have multiple kite posts rezzed, you should use this notecard.

DISTANCE

The "DISTANCE nnn" notecard controls how far the kite will go from the Start Position in the direction of the SL Wind, (limited by either its current region or PARCEL notecard boundaries). If you don't specify DISTANCE, a default of 20 meters will be used.

HEIGHT

The "HEIGHT min max" notecard sets the minimum and maximum height in meters above Start Position. The defaults values are 20 and 40 meters. If the upper limit is not specified, it be twice the minimum height.

TIP: If you want more than one kite connected to the same post, use different heights for each kite. Sometimes the SL Wind will change with altitude and setting different heights will prevent them from bunching up.

TIMER

The "TIMER seconds" notecard sets the time interval for the kite to recheck the SL Wind and reposition itself. Values can range from 2 to 10 seconds, and 10 is the default.

For higher values the kite will stay in one place longer after repositioning. Shorter times will make the kite more responsive to changes in the SL Wind. But the SL Wind is highly variable. It may change direction quickly, or stay at the same direction for a long time; or it can even rotate 360 degrees over 10 minutes or so.

WIND

The "WIND heading variation: notecard ignores the SL Wind and fixes the direction. The first number is the degrees the wind is set to be blowing toward. The second number is the number of degrees (+/-) that the kite will move left or right about the specified heading so that it is not just a fixed object in the sky.

This lets you fly the kite always over one side or a corner of your parcel. Or to use the kite as an advertisement that stays over your store.

RANDOM degrees

The "RANDOM degrees" notecard adds some variation to the normal SL Wind direction. Using this notecard will produce some amount of random movement even when the SL wind blows in the same direction for a long time. When you combine this with a short TIMER value, you get a energetic kite in constant motion.

NAME

The "NAME some_name" notecard will append a string to end of the object name so you can distinguish kites with different textures or shapes in your inventory.

WIND

The "WIND degrees variation" notecard will set an artificial wind direction to keep the kite in one general area. You can also include a +/- degree variation. If a variation is not specified, a default of +/- 5 degrees will be used to produce some movement. This is the direction the wind is blowing toward (e.g. the direction you want the kite to fly).

For example: "WIND 90 10" will fly the kite to the east of the Starting Position and will shift between 80 and 100 degrees.

NOTE: Tail streamers are flexible objects that respond to the actual SL wind and so may not stream in the same direction as a kite using the WIND notecard. If you fly the kite fairly high, this may not be noticeable. You can also edit the kite object and remove the streamers.

LOOKAT

The "LOOKAT xxx yyy zzz" notecard defines the position you want the face of the kit to point toward.

Normally you will let the kite automatically find and use the Kite Post for this. But if you are using an artificial WIND notecard, you may want the kite facing somewhere other than a post.

If this position is in the same region as your kite, just go to that spot and use your region coordinates with the LOOKAT notecard.

But if the LOOKAT spot is not in the same region as the kite, there is an additional step:

1. Find the "dE Kite LOOKAT Tool - Say world position. (add me)" object in your inventory.
2. Add it - It will appear above your head
3. Go to the spot in the next region where you want to kite to face, touch the cylinder object above your head. The world coordinations to be used for the name of the LOOKAT notecard will be printed in local chat

Kites start as a thin single prim oriented with the Z axis pointed toward the ground, X axis to the right, and Y axis up.

1. Rez the Generic Kite object.
   It will stay on the ground so you can make all the changes and adjustments.
2. Add your texture (Prefix the name with "KITE ").
3. If you need to change the aspect ratio to match your texture, select Edit Linked to change just the main kite prim. You may need to adjust the position of the tails to align with the main body.
4. If you want additional tails or streamers, attach them as child prims. Because the kite will be viewed from some distance away, exact placement is not usually necessary.
5. Choose the values for the Configuration Notecards. If you do not own the entire region, be sure to use the PARCEL notecard so the kite stays over your land. (Some land owners do not allow entry of objects from neighboring parcels.)
6. Give your new kite a name by changing the NAME notecard. The kite will reset and fly.

Using Your Own Textures

1. You will need some image editing software so you can remove any background and have the borders of the image texture transparent.
2. Prefix the name of the texture with "KITE ", and copy the texture into the Kite Object's Contents.
3. The script will automatically turn all faces of the main prim transparent, and then apply your texture to the front and back.
4. Add the texture for the tails to the Contents. Make your texture in a vertical aspect ratio like the ones included in the folder.

   The name of the Tail Texture must start with "TAIL "
   "TAIL RGB blended".

Making streamers and stabilizers react to the wind.

Streamers or tails can be any shape. I've chosen elongated cylinders so the texture appears on all wides.

Configured them for Flexible Path. You can experiment with the settings to get the desired amount of flexibility and responsiveness to the wind.

To add more, just link them to the kit object. Remember to touch the kite prim last when adding child prims.

Multi-prim kites

You can make more complicated kites by linking additional parts as child prims to the main kite object. You will probably want some degree of flexible path configured for them, so they appear loosely connected -- but not as much flexibility as for tails.

Using a mesh object

Mesh objects usually will not usually meet the requirement that the Z axis points toward the post location on the ground.

If this is the case, you can't just add the kite script to it, you will need to create a small cube that you can use as the root prim of the kite and link to mesh object to it. Add the kite script and notecard to the cube and then shrink the cube so that you can hide it inside the mesh object.

Here is an example of mesh eagle (that I've made partially transparent), where I've hidden the root kite object inside with the Z axis pointed down.