That's something else I learned from Milton: illustrating things with screenshots direct from GMax, suitably annotated. :salute:
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Animation (Gmax) Tutorials?
- Thread starter OleBoy
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That's something else I learned from Milton: illustrating things with screenshots direct from GMax, suitably annotated. :salute:
It works great. I've always been one to ask a lot of questions when learning. So instead of making different threads, everything pertaining to (animations) stay within.
Here's a situation that has me a little bit stumped. I had a look at Miltons landing gear (animations) tutorial, and my situation seems in ways similar.
The blue is currently animated with rudder deflection and works fine in-sim.
I want to animate the green tube to slide up/down (spring compression)
I want the red tube to pivot at the forward (left side of image) knuckle.
I can animate everything with a little trial and error. That's no problem. BUT, considering the tail wheel fork and springs are already linked to the rudder fork animation, how do I link (key) the animation for up/down compression without having a conflict between the two? Is this action controlled via XML possibly?
I've yet to try setting it up. You could say I'm questionable of scenarios that can/will happen and cause conflicts.
I hope what I'm asking makes sense.
So things need to also be linked something like this.
Here's a situation that has me a little bit stumped. I had a look at Miltons landing gear (animations) tutorial, and my situation seems in ways similar.
The blue is currently animated with rudder deflection and works fine in-sim.
I want to animate the green tube to slide up/down (spring compression)
I want the red tube to pivot at the forward (left side of image) knuckle.
I can animate everything with a little trial and error. That's no problem. BUT, considering the tail wheel fork and springs are already linked to the rudder fork animation, how do I link (key) the animation for up/down compression without having a conflict between the two? Is this action controlled via XML possibly?
I've yet to try setting it up. You could say I'm questionable of scenarios that can/will happen and cause conflicts.
I hope what I'm asking makes sense.
So things need to also be linked something like this.
Ohhhohohoho!
Welcome, m'sieu, to the Salon des Modelistes: complex animations are the specialité de la maison...
You have to decide what moves and how, and to decide which part will govern the animation of the whole.
From what I can see of the mechanism, the green sliding joint 1 does not rotate, just slides up and down, and will be the oleo section. Since the grey piece 2 at the bottom is bolted to the red arm, the two must move together and can only pivot back and forward a bit. The rudder-linked blue gear 3a pivots horizontally on the grey piece and the fork 3b pivots with it, possibly on the same axis. At the forward end of the red arm, the linking pieces must pivot forward and back a bit or the sliding oleo 1 would jam or buckle. And that's not considering how the fork springs will also move as the gear moves up and down and the tailwheel gear pivots...
How complex do you want it to be? Will it all be seen?
A preliminary hierarchy might be:-
You're going to learn a few new things if you go the whole hog: Look-At animation constraints will be needed building this. Muhahahahaaaa! (but I'll help if you do...)
Welcome, m'sieu, to the Salon des Modelistes: complex animations are the specialité de la maison...
You have to decide what moves and how, and to decide which part will govern the animation of the whole.
From what I can see of the mechanism, the green sliding joint 1 does not rotate, just slides up and down, and will be the oleo section. Since the grey piece 2 at the bottom is bolted to the red arm, the two must move together and can only pivot back and forward a bit. The rudder-linked blue gear 3a pivots horizontally on the grey piece and the fork 3b pivots with it, possibly on the same axis. At the forward end of the red arm, the linking pieces must pivot forward and back a bit or the sliding oleo 1 would jam or buckle. And that's not considering how the fork springs will also move as the gear moves up and down and the tailwheel gear pivots...
How complex do you want it to be? Will it all be seen?
A preliminary hierarchy might be:-
grey oleo top
green sliding oleo
grey bottom piece
red arm
blue wheel fork
tailwheel
blue spring 1
blue spring 2
blue spring 1
blue spring 2
blue fork
linking pieces
linking pieces
You're going to learn a few new things if you go the whole hog: Look-At animation constraints will be needed building this. Muhahahahaaaa! (but I'll help if you do...)
I'd like to learn this stuff. So complex was already in the making.
Thanks for taking the time to do up what you have. Even tutorials can be laborious as you've showed above.
I've been fiddling with constraints. I can't seem to figure them out (yet) so, I've been moving things manually and get the same effect. Tedious I know
, but it seems to be working in-sim nicely!I'm in for learning new things. I knew I was in for a good ride modeling this particular model when I started.
I went through everything and reset xForm and then got everything (I think) linked accordingly.
Here's a run-down of what I did after my post above. I can change it if needed.
The two upright tabs (front) are solid to the frame. The red knuckle is the (up/down) pivot for everything behind.
As the red rotates, the green will also rotate slightly as the rose oleo tube slides inside the grey receiver tube.
The blue T-Bar is also a pivot point for the TW and tire/wheel parts.
I also have pivot points ready for the springs.
Here's a link to a short video of the panel animations I've done so far.
The whiskey needs re-done.
http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/3897/pvhcinvdlkzmzkkjfqegng.mp4
The whiskey needs re-done.
http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/3897/pvhcinvdlkzmzkkjfqegng.mp4
Panel animations look good, Don! Funny how one go at the whiskey is never enough? 
That's important, and changes how the hierarchy goes. I'd now suggest:-
red knuckle pivot
I'm also glad you've Reset Xform on all the geometry before animating! And you have PM.
That's important, and changes how the hierarchy goes. I'd now suggest:-
red knuckle pivot
grey rod
grey object connected to wheel fork
grey object connected to wheel fork
tailwheel fork
springs
green pivot jointgrey links to oleo tube
rose oleo tube
grey receiver tube
grey rudder fork
grey rudder fork
I'm also glad you've Reset Xform on all the geometry before animating! And you have PM.
Thanks Tom. This stuff (all relative) can be tedious.
I'll see what happens with the array of order you have there. :salute:
I've been working (trying) with animations of the main gear (100 (full extension) - (full compression) 200 ) to get them to work correctly. I've made numerous gauge sets for 0, 25, 50, 75, 100. I finally got THAT sorted out so my animation is transitional. Left strut tagged to l_gear, right strut tagged to r_gear. I read that the compression points need to be adjusted in the aircraft.cfg. Sounds like fun getting things dialed in.
Here's a video of the animation. Let's see if it shows. http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/8274/25qhladzztwunyrryjsyxy.mp4
I'll see what happens with the array of order you have there. :salute:
I've been working (trying) with animations of the main gear (100 (full extension) - (full compression) 200 ) to get them to work correctly. I've made numerous gauge sets for 0, 25, 50, 75, 100. I finally got THAT sorted out so my animation is transitional. Left strut tagged to l_gear, right strut tagged to r_gear. I read that the compression points need to be adjusted in the aircraft.cfg. Sounds like fun getting things dialed in.
Here's a video of the animation. Let's see if it shows. http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/8274/25qhladzztwunyrryjsyxy.mp4