Changing material from a model load in the editor

[Rick]

In my training today we were attempting to change the material on a surface of a model that was loaded in the scene at design time. The model was a child of a csg box which was what was being checked for picking. The problem is that we were able to get the child (the actual model) and call Entity functions on it, but not Model functions, which is how you get surfaces.

 

What am I missing on how to get the surface of a model loaded at design time?

 

 

For example, this works because SetColor() is an Entity function and GetChild() returns an Entity

self.entity:GetChild(0):SetColor()

 

 

This blows up with the function being nil because GetSurface() exists for Models not Entities

self.entity:GetChild(0):GetSurface(2)

 

 

Was looking through the docs and couldn't see any sort of conversion function. Any ideas?

[shadmar]

You might need to cast it first, something like this to get its methods :

 

local model=self.entity:GetChild(0)

tolua.cast(model,"Model")

local surf=model:GetSurface(2)

[macklebee]

i believe you are looking for 'tolua.cast(entity,"Model")'

 

edit- shadmar sweeps in with the answer at the buzzer!

[Rick]

Interesting. Don't recall ever seeing that before. Thank you.

[macklebee]

look at the FPSWeapons.lua script - is being used to cast an instance of an emitter to the emitter class