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Jerridb
02-27-2003, 04:12 PM
Hey guys. I modeled a dirtbike a little while ago and I'm wanting to do some animations for it. I am having trouble rigging the bike though... here is my question.

I want to rig both the back forks (and wheel) so that they will move up and down like a real dirtbike, but how do I make it so the joint only rotates to a certain point upwards or downwards? I want it so that it is easy to put back into the default position, but so it also can only go 5-10 degrees upwards so it can't go through the seat. I also want to do the same with the front forks and wheel, but I don't know how to make them rotate at an angle (the chassis makes it so the handle bars have to rotate at about a 10 degree angle, not just vertically rotating them). If anyone could help me out and explain to me how to do these I would be so grateful. Thank you.

Jerrid

Oh yes, and here is a picture of the dirtbike, might give you a better idea of what im tring to do.
http://members.shaw.ca/mattbrown/dirtbike.jpg
Houkah
02-27-2003, 04:24 PM
Sounds like you want to do rotate limits. Select your object/joint then go to the attribute editor. There should be a section called limit information. You can choose which vector to limit x, y, z. it's pretty self explanatory. Left side is minimum rotate limit, right side is max rotate limit.

BTW for motorcycle it might be easier for you to parent everything hierachicaly (sp?) rather than use joints. ie. handlebars at the root, then the forks under it, then the wheel under the forks, etc, etc. Then if u want to turn the wheel just rotate the handlebars.
Jerridb
02-27-2003, 04:57 PM
That really helped, thank you so much...
But about my other question.. How do I get the handle bars so that they will rotate on an angle, and not just on the x,y,z axis'?
Houkah
02-27-2003, 06:02 PM
Do you mean that due to how the chasis and handlebars are constructed the rotation axis is a little skewed? Or that if u rotate on x,y,z the diff. objects start to come apart from eachother? Think i can see a screenshot w/ the rotation axis?
Jerridb
02-27-2003, 06:17 PM
Yes, the first one. Because the chassis is constructed so that the handlebars rotate a little skewed. The rotation axis is just at the top of the joint near the handle bars...
Houkah
02-27-2003, 06:23 PM
a simple fix would be to just group that to itself, move the rotation axis using insert key and use the new groups rotation axis. Or you could change your rotate tools property to rotate on global axis. just double click the rotate tool in the toolbar.
Jerridb
02-27-2003, 08:32 PM
Alright, i got the front wheel and back wheel complete, but now when I import it into my terrain to animate, whenever i move or scale it, all the pieces scale/move separately. I do I make it so I can move the model with the joints attached and not have that happen?
Jerridb
02-27-2003, 10:41 PM
anyone?
MikeRhone
02-27-2003, 11:03 PM
It sounds like you have some double transforms going on coupled with some bad parenting.

On a rigged model like this you need to make sure you do a "Freeze Transformations" To every piece of the model before you parent it in. It looks like you will have to ungroup/unparent the model, Freeze all the transforms, then RE-parent it all together.

Thats should do ya.

Mike R
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