Swapping parts during an animation

[Gnome]

Can I do this?
I need to give the impression that a part (flaps) is changing shape but actually bending or morphing it is out of the question so can I simply remove the part during the animation, say at frame 80 and replace it with the alternate shape part at frame 81?

Does this make sense?  :-)

Thanks.


Kev

[Felix/FFDS]

It makes sense, but you can't - in the middle of an animation.

I will be corrected, but you *should* be able to tie parts visibility to an XML animation.

[SilverFox441]

If it's a keyframe you might be able to do the old trick of "hiding" the part until needed...

What you would do is build/animate both parts.

1. Part 1 moves until frame 80, at frame 81 it would then move to somehwere that it is hidden from view and it would remain still until the end of the cycle.

2. Part 2 would be still and hidden until frame 81. At frame 81 the part would move out of hiding and carry out the animation as per normal.

It's a lot more complex, and requires more work (not to mention a place to hide the parts).

If the XML idea works it would probably be the better choice. I know less than nothing about XML so won't comment on feasability.

[Felix/FFDS]

Sigh - that's one thing that was easy with Aircraft Animator for the FS98/CFS models.  If you had and animated part with a time formula, the part would disappear if there was no "time" associated.

very useful in rotating parts like P-40 type landing gear.

[Gnome]

Aw rats.  It was the FS98 thing I was hoping to do.  Nowhere to hide the part as it is actually the whole wing.  :-/

Oh well, model won't be as good as I'd hoped...  ;-)

Thanks folks.


Kev

[aceronzo]

Gnome,
Depending on how much you want it to change shape,you can make the Flap with multiple parts,and have them extend,rotate ect...It will change the shape some.Just a thought.

aceronzo

[SilverFox441]

Strange to think that some things could be accomplished with the old tools that we can't figure out with the new ones.

Gnome, perhaps if you explain exactly what you are trying to accomplish there might be another way of doing it?

[AuMaV]

Hi
If ya talking FSDS 2 make both parts(object1 and object2) a child of a hierarcy box which is called l_flaps with all the XYZ coords the same,
next give object 1 a precondition of
condition name Object1
variable ID l_flaps
operation FInRange
value1 0
value2 80

give Object 2 a precondition of
condition name Object2
variable ID l_flaps
operation FInRange
value1 80
value2 100

This will give a snap transition if you want smooth,then animate each object seperatly as lever_flaps(ie no hierarcy box or child parent) with one object a bit behind the other and overlap the value 2 and 1 in the preconditions above

Hope this helps
Wozza  

[Gnome]

Doh, I should have said.  I will be using GMAX to do the animation.

The part is really complicated as it is the entire wing and a snap switch from one shape to the other would be fine as it happens very quickly.

Seperating all the segments (between 12 and 44 depending upon how ambitious I get and the poly count!) will probably be too difficult but we'll see...


Thanks folks, looks like there is no easy way to do this.

Why do I do such wierd, off the wall aircraft?  :-)


Kev

[Felix/FFDS]

[quote]

Why do I do such wierd, off the wall aircraft?

[Gnome]

Mustard mitt, I am rather pleased with the last couple of designs.  I suppose the danger is my falling into the trap of "how can I top that?", completely forgetting that er, I don't have to...  s'only a hobby.  ;-)


Kev

[SilverFox441]

I'm with Felix, push the envelope! All sorts of great  finds have happened just because someone needed to do something unusual.

[Lionel_Goh]

hey kev,

Another possiblity is to use scale animation...

let's call the part that needs to be hidden part A and the part which needs to appear part B.

okay.. scale part B really small.. and hide it inside part A. Then as mentioned above.. at frame let's say 80.. create a scale key and another at 81 for both objects..

animate them so that part A will become very small and part B becomes big.

hope you get what i mean

[Felix/FFDS]

hey kev,

Another possiblity is to use scale animation...

let's call the part that needs to be hidden part A and the part which needs to appear part B.

okay.. scale part B really small.. and hide it inside part A. Then as mentioned above.. at frame let's say 80.. create a scale key and another at 81 for both objects..

animate them so that part A will become very small and part B becomes big.

hope you get what i mean

Although that would be nice, and would obviate the need for two separate parts, Flight Simulator does not support scaling animations.  You can only use translation and rotation animations (on the complete part)

[Lionel_Goh]

oh..  :o

i didn't know that

thanks for the info felix.