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.. _compass-effects:

Compass Effects
===============

``A CompassEffect causes a node to inherit its rotation  (or pos or scale, if specified) from some other reference node in the graph, or more often from the root. ``

In its purest form, a CompassEffect is used to keep the node's rotation fixed
relative to the top of the scene graph, despite other transforms that may
exist above the node. Hence the name: the node behaves like a magnetic
compass, always pointing in the same direction. As an couple of generalizing
extensions, the CompassEffect may also be set up to always orient its node
according to some other reference node than the root of the scene graph.
Furthermore, it may optionally adjust any of pos, rotation, or scale, instead
of necessarily rotation; and it may adjust individual pos and scale
components. (Rotation may not be adjusted on an individual component basis,
that's just asking for trouble.) Be careful when using the pos and scale
modes. In these modes, it's possible for the CompassEffect to move its node
far from its normal bounding volume, causing culling to fail. If this is an
issue, you may need to explicitly set a large (or infinite) bounding volume on
the effect node. 

.. only:: python

    
    
    .. code-block:: python
        
        nodePath.setCompass()
    
    



.. only:: cxx

    
    
    .. code-block:: cpp
        
        nodePath.set_compass();
    
    


If a NodePath is supplied to the
``setCompass`` call, it indicates the
node to which the rotation will be kept relative (which is
``render`` by default).