Gmax, Tick18 and FS

[Travis]

I have been constructing a space elevator, modeled after the design in the recent Popular Science magazine's Space 2100 issue.

A space elevator is basically a satellite of some sort positioned in geostationary (geosynchronous) orbit around the Earth or other celestial body that has a tether extending to the surface.  Along this surface, there are several elevators that can move personel or materiel up to the satellite, thereby bypassing the need for rockets or aircraft/spacecraft to transport objects beyond the atmosphere.

I have been making one that will extend beyond the visible limit in FS (100,000 ft) but I want to know if I can make moving elevators by way of the Tick18 animation name.  It would involve an elevator moving 5000 ft through 1024 frames (the limit of the Tick18 sequence) along with several other elevators moving from different points along the tether and on multiple sides.

Does anyone have any experience using this animation command?  If so, I would like to know what your experience was with it . . .

[Hellhound]

hmm, don't know about that. sounds neat though. exept you would need the satelite to be pulled down if someone hit the tether hard enough

[Firestriker]

I think your going to find that animations over 250-300 frames get pretty jerky. BusyObjects MIGHT work to over come this if you can get thru the process. For a smooth animation I would suggest going the dynamic scenery route which since you are basically not changing longitude and latitude, but only altitude and velocity should be fairly simple.

Lou