Could anyone explain what NumberSequence and NumberSequenceKeypoints are in a simple way?

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#1

Could anyone explain what NumberSequence and NumberSequenceKeypoints are in a simple way?

#2

Hey there.

As you may know, a few instances such as ParticleEmitters or Beams (for example) have a Transparency property that can be manipulated with a graph instead of just a single integer.
A NumberSequence lets you manipulate that through a script.

A NumberSequenceKeypoint allows for the creation of a new point in your graph. Let’s say you wanted to have a graph/sequence that goes from Transparency 1 - 0.5 - 1. Here’s how you would do that:

local Sequence = NumberSequence.new(
   NumberSequenceKeypoint.new(0, 1),
   NumberSequenceKeypoint.new(0.5, 0.5),
   NumberSequenceKeypoint.new(1, 1)
)

As you can see, a NumberSequenceKeypoint has two parameters, these being (time, value)
(They do have an optional third “envelope” parameter but for a simple explanation it’s not necessary)

In our example above we created our first point right at the start by setting the first parameter (time) as 0 and putting our value (the transparency in this case) to 1.
Then we set it to 0.5, 0.5 to make it half-transparent in the middle and then once again 1, 1 to make it transparent again at the end.

Now you could simply set (YourInstance).Transpareny = Sequence

TL;DR: They’re used to manipulate transparency graphs through scripts (like in ParticleEmitters or Beams)

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#3

Thank you for the explanation!

But why does it require a sequence instead of an integer? And why would I need to manipulate it?

I just want to set its transparency right away to 1.

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#4

I suppose its because it allows for additional functionality of these instances, and it sure would suck if I couldn’t achieve a desired particle effect because roblox wouldn’t allow me to do so in a script. Uses of this would be particles and beams, it allows for cooler and more specific effects. Think of a force field which pulsates with energy, a number sequence would be required to achieve that effect. So next time, when you find a feature inconvenient think about the reasoning behind said feature.

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#5

Thank you! Wish I could mark two posts as the solution.

#6

Thank you for the explanation. I didn’t know about it.

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#7

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