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View Full Version : Animation: Need a few pointers...

Ian Jones
08-17-2003, 10:09 AM
Hi,

My apologies if this seems a bit of a n00b question...

I just need a little nudge in the right direction about how to rig and animate this model. I want to animate this gun turret to pop down out of the ceiling.

http://users.tpg.com.au/adsl7k7r/ceiling_turret.jpg

A : Needs to be the main swivel point, where the guns weight is held.

B : This point is also a swivel point. I need to be able to move point C up and down to change the guns pitch.

C : As explained above.

D : This point just needs to control the z-height of the overall gun, so I can move it upwards and animate the gun collapsing back into the hole. (ignore the fact that rod intersects the circle atm)

Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated. I'm sure this would be quite simple, if only I knew how.

Cheers...
Ian Jones
08-18-2003, 06:02 AM
Nevermind... I solved the immediate problem.

What I would still like to know though, is how do you make an ik / bones system for rigid bodies?
youknowjack
08-18-2003, 06:29 AM
I don't know what you mean by giving them bones, but I want to know how you did it.

Care to share an insight or tip?

*took me a lot of time to experiment with this*

thanks
JayCMiller
08-18-2003, 06:47 AM
make an ik / bones system for rigid bodies?

I don't think that you can, I tried to do it with biped. I wanted to throw him down a hill but it didn't work. I would be intersted (now that I think about it) if it works with the native max bones.
coffeepenguin
08-18-2003, 06:51 AM
If your familiar with sliders or wireing parameters you could set it up so when c is moved up and down the gun rotates at point a.
Ian Jones
08-18-2003, 07:39 AM
I tried wiring parameters... but had no success.

I ended up doing it with a dodgy workaround using grouping and look at constraints. The main gun and the rods are included together in a group. Luckily objects within an open group can have motion controls assigned separately to the main groups position, rotation and scale. So I made the main shape 'look at' a dummy target for aiming the gun, then I made all four rods 'look at' a dummy way way up high above the model, almost vertical but not technically accurate method. :) Hey it works though.

I have a new question now.

How do I link / constrain seperate vertices of a spline to individual dummy points? so for example you can have a bezier spline with animatable points.
youknowjack
08-18-2003, 08:29 AM
Phew finally something I know how to do. :p

Select the vertex and use linkxform and select the dummy.

P.S. I was doing it with look at object too! easier to tract the object anyway.

Wire parament's cool though.
Ian Jones
08-18-2003, 09:51 AM
Hey, thx... I got a wire attached to it and going into the ceiling now. It bends and flexes... LinkedXform worked a treat!
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