ANIMATING PROPS,GUN TURETS AND TURBINES

[+Veltro2k 6,317]

Any Tutorials around ?

Edited June 26, 2007 by Veltro2k

[Guest capun]

I am not sure about the tutorials but you don't need to animate them, the game engine takes care of it. But you need to be sure that the following is taken care of:

 

- Motion Controllers set to TCB

- All moving meshes Pivot set to World-Aligned

- Proper Hierarchy set. I normally use the Spinner at the top with the Prop, Slow and Fast Prop discs as its children

- Slow and Fast Prop mesh are normally a disc or plane with a texture applied to them

 

 

In your Prop engine section of the Data ini you have the following variables (example from the A-26C)

 

SpinnerNodeName=Spinner_L // Your spinner mesh

StaticPropNodeName=Prop_L // The Prop mesh

SlowPropNodeName=SlowProp01 // Prop Disc

FastPropNodeName=FastProp01

SlowPropRPM=200 // You can tune the spped of the prop, slow and fast discs

FastPropRPM=625

MaxPropRPM=2550

IdlePropRPM=75

 

A turbine uses a fake prop engine with low power to drive the "Prop" which is your turbine blades. I think I may have used that technique in the Banshee series and I think Wpnssgt uses it too.

 

Gun Turrets are also driven by the game engine but again you have to set them up correctly

 

- Motion Controllers set to TCB

- All moving meshes Pivot set to the proper rotation point

- All turrets and guns must point forward for correct gun muzzle flash alignment

- Proper Hierarchy set. Normally the guns are slaved to the main turret.

- You need a mesh for Yaw movement (turret) and one for pitch (guns). But in some cases you can use the same as for single guns.

 

Here's an example from the A-26C Data ini

 

[Fuselage]

ModelNodeName=Fuselage

.

.

SystemName[004]=TopGunner // This will drive the turret and gun movement

SystemName[005]=TopGun01 // The actual guns

SystemName[006]=TopGun02

.

.

.

[TopGunner]

SystemType=GUNNER_STATION

PilotModelName=

SeatID=3

GunnerID=1 // GunnerID, matches actual guns

SetCockpitPosition=FALSE

Position=

PitchModelNodeName=TurretT_Guns // This are the gun tubes with the correct pivot point set

YawModelNodeName=TurretT // This is the turret mesh

GunRange=2000

PitchAngleRate=65 // Gun movement variables

MaxPitch=60

MinPitch=5

DefaultPitchAngle=10

YawLimited=TRUE // Turret movement variables

YawAngleRate=65

MaxYaw=270

MinYaw=90

DefaultYawAngle=180

.

.

[TopGun01]

SystemType=FLEXIBLE_GUN

GunTypeName=50CAL_M2

MuzzlePosition=-0.1754,-1.1561,1.1519

TracerLoading=5

BurstAmount=25

GunnerID=1 // Tied to the turret/gun movement gunner

MaxAmmo=400

 

[TopGun02]

SystemType=FLEXIBLE_GUN

GunTypeName=50CAL_M2

MuzzlePosition=0.1071,-1.1561,1.1519

TracerLoading=5

BurstAmount=25

GunnerID=1

MaxAmmo=400

 

Hope it helps

 

PS. Get rid of the caps, it means shouting for us old timers :)

[+Veltro2k 6,317]

would it be possible for some Screen shots of the meshes, Prop ,Spinner etc..... ????

[Guest capun]

Do you still have my email at yahoo? Contact me over there and I should be able to send you more information.

 

Also just download one of our prop planes from here to take a look at some of the textures and how they look in-game.

[+Veltro2k 6,317]

Do you still have my email at yahoo? Contact me over there and I should be able to send you more information.

 

Also just download one of our prop planes from here to take a look at some of the textures and how they look in-game.

 

sent :yes: