Hi there
I often have to setup traffic in architectural scenes.
Cars rides a path and this all works well. The problem arises when I need to add lorries/trucks to the same paths. This is due to length of the vehicles and link between the truck and the trailer it pulls.
There a several ways to solve this problem, the use of a look at constraint or the use of physics are two of them, But I have an Idea for a much more simple setup. but I dont know to script it.
In my example I have linked the trailer to the truck and made sure that it doesnt inherit rotations directly, because I what to control the rotation myself. The exact same link could be made with a position constrain.
Next I want the trailer to give the impression that its being pulled by the truck. And this is the core of problem: I need the trailer to inherit the trucks rotation but with a delay.
Put simple: the ability to link objects with a delay
Please see the max file (max2010) I have provided to demonstrate how this preferably should work. Max file
A manual delay input (in frames or time) is great and very much appreciated, but if the trailer could take the speed of the truck into the equation and there by determine the delay itself, then it would be awesome
Thank you very much for any help in advance
I’m not sure that a delay will get you want you want. It is hard to calculate it that way. I had to go far further with a trailer when I set it up for MX Driver. It stores the last position of the trailer and then moves the trailer to the desired distance from the car from that point. This is what a trailer is doing when it is getting pulled.
The cheat you are talking about would result in some very strange things to happen like when the car comes to a stop and the trailer slowly straightens up behind the car.
Your absolutly right, this solution is limited. Never the less see this thread over at the Area
You don’t even need to use the at time context as you could just use the Tick Offset that is built in. If this works for what you need then it is simple and fast to setup but not accurate. I’m guessing that since you have cars on paths they are not very accurate as well so it shouldn’t mater.
@Pen
Could you please show me the syntax for your surgestion? (using ticks)
Thanks
I did this some month ago for the studio im working.
The vehicle was always driving forward. We did no collision or physic calculations.
I solved it with LookAtConstrained, simple CustomAttribute and PositionScript.
Its not too hard vector calculation.