CGTalk - Vue 5 and Scripting - animating Train wheels

Solomon

07-07-2006, 02:53 PM

Hi guys,

I have a quesion about an animation I did in maya, I wasn't too happy with the terrain renders and I would like to redo the animation using Vue Infinite.

Also will Vue 6 have particle effects for me to use for the train smoke? I know there is wind that I can use for the sign swinging.

The main stickler right now is I don't have Xstream to bring in the terrain from Vue.

So my question is, if I recreated the animation in Maya, is it possible to script the rotation of the wheels while I am moving the train on a given axis - for example I was able to use an expression in Maya, that made the wheels rotate when I dragged the train along the X axis - the faster the train moved the faster the wheels rotated.

Here is the animation and the the expression I used.

Animation: www.sowl.com/train.htm (www.sowl.com/train.htm)

Here is the MEL script/ Expression

float $fRot=Train.translateX*-360;
float $fFreq= frame;

smallWheelRighta.rotateZ=$fRot;
smallWheelRightb.rotateZ=$fRot;
largewheelRightpis.rotateZ=$fRot;
largewheelRightdriver.rotateZ=$fRot;
largeWheelRightcoal.rotateZ=$fRot;

smallWheelLefta.rotateZ=$fRot;
smallWheelLeftb.rotateZ=$fRot;
largewheelLeftpis.rotateZ=$fRot;
largewheelLeftdriver.rotateZ=$fRot;
largeWheelLeftcoal.rotateZ=$fRot;

smallWheelRightb1.rotateZ=$fRot;
smallWheelLeftb2.rotateZ=$fRot;
smallWheelRighta1.rotateZ=$fRot;
smallWheelLefta2.rotateZ=$fRot;

smallWheelRightb3.rotateZ=$fRot;
smallWheelLeftb4.rotateZ=$fRot;
smallWheelRighta3.rotateZ=$fRot;
smallWheelLefta4.rotateZ=$fRot;

smallWheelRightb5.rotateZ=$fRot;
smallWheelLeftb6.rotateZ=$fRot;
smallWheelRighta5.rotateZ=$fRot;
smallWheelLefta6.rotateZ=$fRot;

smallWheelRightb7.rotateZ=$fRot;
smallWheelLeftb8.rotateZ=$fRot;
smallWheelRighta7.rotateZ=$fRot;
smallWheelLefta8.rotateZ=$fRot;

http://www.sowl.com/images/atrain.jpg