Using Triggers and Interactivity

Learn how to add interactivity to your animations using triggers in Bottango.

So far, you’ve created animations that play back on their own. But what if you want your servo to react to something — like a button press, sensor input, or keyboard event? That’s where triggers come in.

🔔 What Are Triggers?

Triggers let you start animations based on events.

You can trigger an animation using:

• A keyboard key
• A gamepad button
• A GPIO pin (e.g., button press on Arduino)
• Another animation finishing

Triggers are powerful for creating interactive props, puppets, and characters.

🛠️ Step 1: Add a Trigger

1. Go to the Triggers panel (usually on the right side).
2. Click Add Trigger.
3. Choose a trigger type (e.g., Keyboard, Gamepad, Digital Input).
4. Set the condition — e.g., key A is pressed.

🎬 Step 2: Assign an Action

1. Under Trigger Action, choose Play Animation.
2. Select the animation or servo motion you want to play.
3. Optional: Set the animation to play once or loop.

Now, when the trigger is activated, your animation will play instantly.

💡 Example: Press a Key to Wave

Let’s say you’ve created a servo animation called Wave.

• Add a Keyboard trigger
• Set it to key W
• Choose action: Play animation Wave

Now every time you press the W key, your servo will wave!

🎮 Gamepad Triggers

Bottango supports USB gamepads. You can:

• Trigger actions using buttons or joystick axes
• Combine triggers with servo control
• Use for remote-controlled puppetry or performances

🧪 Connect your gamepad before launching Bottango to ensure it’s recognized.

🔌 Digital Triggers (GPIO)

If your board supports it, you can trigger actions from a physical input like:

• A pushbutton
• A touch sensor
• A motion detector (PIR sensor)

In the Trigger Source, choose a pin (e.g., D7), and define it as HIGH or LOW.

🧠 Pro Tips

• You can chain triggers together for complex behaviors
• Triggers can also stop animations, switch scenes, or send signals to other boards
• Test your triggers in the editor before final performance

Now your project isn’t just moving — it’s responding!

Try it Yourself

Time to make your project interactive! Try these exercises:

1. Keyboard Control: Set up three different keyboard triggers:
   • Press 1 → Servo moves to 0°
   • Press 2 → Servo moves to 90°
   • Press 3 → Servo moves to 180°

   Test by pressing the keys in different sequences!

2. Button Animation: Create a simple animation (2-3 seconds) and trigger it with:
   • Keyboard key SPACE
   • The animation should play once and stop

   Try pressing the key multiple times - what happens?

3. Chained Triggers: Create two short animations:
   • Animation A: Servo moves from 0° to 90° (1 second)
   • Animation B: Servo moves from 90° to 180° (1 second)

   Set up triggers so:

   • Pressing A plays Animation A
   • When Animation A finishes, it automatically triggers Animation B

   This creates a “chain reaction” effect!

4. Physical Button (Advanced): If you have a pushbutton wired to your board:
   • Wire button to pin D7
   • Create a trigger that listens to D7 going HIGH
   • Make your servo “react” when you press the button

Challenge: Can you create a “puppet control panel” where:

• Keys Q, W, E control different servo positions
• Key R plays a “reset” animation that returns all servos to neutral
• Holding a key vs. pressing once creates different behaviors

Next up: Syncing Animations to Music

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