Pedal power

[Gnome]

I have an unusual project in mind but it means animating a pilot so that he is pedalling...

How?

GMAX, FS2002.

Thanks.

Kev

[Felix/FFDS]

First reaction - do a search for the rocker arms animation solutions, that would solve the legs pumping up and down.

For the chains and sprockets, I believe that the makemdl doc should have something on the way the chain animations were done on the WRight flyer?

I'm not at home so I can't really research that now.

[Katahu]

Modeling something that requires pedals is a tough one. From the looks of it, you seem to be planning on a bike. If so, good luck.

[Gnome]

No chains involved as my design uses gears, shafts and a flexi-drive.

I know I was asking about Tick18 animations before and that there is no way to stop-start them but...

What if my non-pedalling pilot is a light, my pedalling pilot another light and I use an XML gauge to switch one off and the other on as soon as the engine starts?  Can a Tick18 object be a light?

I'm also assuming that he only has to be named as a light and doesn't have to glow or anything.  I'm sure there have been a few designs that have pilots appear only when you turn the lights on.

20 frames would be enough for a smooth animation of the pedalling legs, I think and it would be fast enough.


No, it's not a bike, althoug I do have a very silly (but impossible) flying bicycle design...

This design is possible (has been done a few times) and surprisingly practical if ultimately pointless.

If you believe that flying only for fun is pointless.  :-)


Kev

[Moach]

i have a thought... it may be BS but here it goes:

have a pedal assembly named as prop1_still/blurred (whatever) and attach the feet and legs through an IK chain to it...

that would make the pedals turn but the pilot would be pedalling cartoonishly fast

unless there is a way to reduce the prop speed (maybe through the cfg? )

c ya

Moach

[Milton]

You can use prop gear reduction to keep prop speeds less than 300 RPMs.  This will give you a very slow running prop_still and prop_slow and should be suitable for the pedal speeds.

If based on ground speed rather than engine speeds, animating the pedals should not be an issue using standard l_tire animation (with a very large diameter wheel in the contact points) to keep the pedals slow.

[Gnome]

It's not the sychronisation that's bothering me.   :-)
The pedal crank (and the pedals themselves) are both nice an' easy 360 degree rotations that could be done as part of the prop animation.
But, the relative speeds would be all wrong as the prop animation speed, although tweakable, is still global and blurred legs would be silly.  :-)

The leg animation is the problem.  The thigh, shin and ankle rotations are all oscillations and FS doesn't cover a repeating oscillatiary animation in one diretion AFAICT.

What I'm hoping to do is create a Tick18 animation for the pilot's legs and pedal crank and tie it to a light_ object.  Have another light_ object for the non-pedaling legs and crank and use a simple XML gauge to toggle 'em.

...But the model isn't finished and a day from porting into GMAX so I can't test this yet.


On the subject of making a pilot appear depending upon the condition of a light.  Any gotchas?  If my pilot is a 'light', will he glow in the dark?


Kev

[Milton]

He won;t glow at all if you do not use the self-illumination texture.  Just do a standard texture setup for him.

[Gnome]

That sounds promising.  Thanks Milton.


Kev