HELP NEEDED: Hot to animate hydraulic hoists!!

[Gitch]

The way I have done is have everything facing down the Z, have the pistons target one another..Have the arms in seperate layers parented to one another so you have seperate pivot points centered where you want them to pivot and you do not need nulls to do this either. There are several tutorials on how to do this as well.. http://www.flexomizer.com/post/Rigging-Hydraulic-Pistons-in-Lightwave.aspx

http://www.newtek.com/forums/showthread.php?t=90089



Here is and example of what I have done and I have multiple pistons facing the Z and X.. http://www.vimeo.com/9843964

[bansheewoj]

Thanks a lot. That was it. You hit a jackpot. Here is a effect of it. Actually I`v search all over video tutorials and find it too.Efect isjust wonderfull to me. In this crane I got few set of hydroulic pistons: In legs, in arms and in a grapple. This crane is a part of my Peterbilt 388 truck model

Short animation of this crane.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROrxvN_u100

and few shots of it.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc335/bansheewoj/th_Pete388logger01.jpg (http://s525.photobucket.com/albums/cc335/bansheewoj/?action=view&current=Pete388logger01.jpg)http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc335/bansheewoj/th_Pete388logger04.jpg (http://s525.photobucket.com/albums/cc335/bansheewoj/?action=view&current=Pete388logger04.jpg)http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc335/bansheewoj/th_Pete388logger05.jpg (http://s525.photobucket.com/albums/cc335/bansheewoj/?action=view&current=Pete388logger05.jpg)

[bansheewoj]

Thanks a lot for it. Now I know how and effect of my work can be seen under

video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROrxvN_u100

and pics of ready log loader truck.

http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc335/bansheewoj/th_Pete388logger04.jpg (http://s525.photobucket.com/albums/cc335/bansheewoj/?action=view&current=Pete388logger04.jpg)http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc335/bansheewoj/th_Pete388logger01.jpg (http://s525.photobucket.com/albums/cc335/bansheewoj/?action=view&current=Pete388logger01.jpg)http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc335/bansheewoj/th_Pete388logger05.jpg (http://s525.photobucket.com/albums/cc335/bansheewoj/?action=view&current=Pete388logger05.jpg)

[Gitch]

Glad you were able to get it to work.. Nice truck!!

[bansheewoj]

Hey guys, need help again.

I got this crane, got there arms movin, got there hydrulic cylinders working fine and now have this. Grapple jaws. How to automate there rotation. Lets consider that I`m too lazy to animte both jaws seperatly, and wish to make it automaticly with one null obj. I have found this tutorial ftp://ftp.newtek.com/multimedia/movies/w3dw/blinds.mov and it hepls just in a half way. Grapple jaws are rotating but both in a same direction. What to do to make them open corectly?? One jaw in a one and second in a other direction. Same thing got with a crane outriggers ( legs). All with single controller null object rotation. Can I setup these expression in some kind way "negative" to make them work just right?

P.s. To bend a hydraulic cables, I need to use bones, right?

[3dee]

What to do to make them open corectly?? One jaw in a one and second in a other direction.

If your expression looks like this:
[Null.Rotation.P]
change it to:
[Null.Rotation.P]*-1
so that the values become negative.

Also take a look at Follower: ftp://ftp.newtek.com/multimedia/movies/w3dw/dl_link.html?EyeRig.mov

[Gitch]

P.s. To bend a hydraulic cables, I need to use bones, right?

You can also use Cyclist which works very well for jaws that is what I used and you only have one control.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mldxQlnawxA
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mldxQlnawxA)
You could use clothFX or Ikbooster for the cables depending on your situation probably IKbooster is your best bet..

[bansheewoj]

Thank you somuch for all help. But I must say that Expression even Cyclist won`t work correctly in this. What i use is a Follower. This finally works perfect in my opinion and it`s simple. Single null controls everything.

Now for the wheels, I can rotate them with truck moving, but turning is another problem hard to solv. Hope you don`t mind, but again your help is necessary.

Wojtek.
(http://s525.photobucket.com/albums/cc335/bansheewoj/?action=view&current=T6004axleDoepkergrainb-double.jpg)

[Gitch]

What i use is a Follower.
Now for the wheels, I can rotate them with truck moving, but turning is another problem hard to solv. Hope you don`t mind, but again your help is necessary.

Wojtek.


Relativity might help..

http://www.spinquad.com/forums/showthread.php?22387-Dr.-Wheel-Rotater

That is what I used was follower not cyclist, I did the same thing and used a null to control all the movement.. Glad you were able to get it..

Send me your email and I will send you a scene file which may help.. I could not attach it here because it was to large a file..

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