| Category | Farming Simulator 15 |
| Created | 15.11.2015 17:38 |
| Kenneth Lehmann Hansen (Unknown) | 15.11.2015 17:40 |
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| Hi all, I'm working on this trailer, but am getting more and more stuck in regards to creating a tip animation in Maya, that I can get exported and working in Giants editor! I have rigged all parts as the motions are a little complex to do free hand (I think) and have also created an animations I'm happy with, but I can't export the model without removing all the joints and constraints, but then of course the animations doesn't work any more. Can some of the knowledgeable people here help me with some pointers / tips / tutorials? :) Is it even possibly to do what I'm trying to do with blend shape springs etc.? /Kenneth |
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| Emil Drefers (Unknown) | 16.11.2015 09:27 |
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| Hi, please have a look at the video tutorials to get some information on how to handle animations in regard to maya and GIANTS Editor. You can use skinned meshes in animations - no problem. But you have to stick to certain rules. Again the video tutorials come in handy ;) You can use "normal" (maya made) animations for tipping. But I would recommend to use "xml animations", because they are more flexible. Cheers, Emil |
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| Kenneth Lehmann Hansen (Unknown) | 18.11.2015 18:38 |
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| Hi Emil, Thank you for your reply :o) I do have a couple of questions though - I have watched the video tutorials on animations and skinning, but can't see they really touch very much on my questions? - Instead of using a blend shape to make a spring expand and subtract, I should be skinning the spring/helix instead, correct? - These springs I have on my trailer model, are attached between the chassis and body, so they expand/subtract when the trailer is tipping - can this be rigged as an animation that works in-game? - Can I use key frames to control my tipping animation - there are several parts that has to move in sequence and the animation has to be different when unloading than when returning to the starting position? - The way the model is rigged right now, I have used a lot of point/aim/parent constraints to get the effect I need on both springs and tipping cylinders, as the trailer is quite different than your average back tipping trailer (I wish I could attach a picture in this forum!) so I'm quite baffled about getting this to work in the game ;o) Hope you can answer some of my questions to keep me going on the right track with my model :o) /Kenneth |
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| Emil Drefers (Unknown) | 19.11.2015 08:27 |
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| Hi, - not sure what a "blend shape" is, but you don't need any skinning for a spring. THis is typically done with the "movingParts" - you could rig it, but again aligning a spring or cylinders is best done with the "movingParts" - yes you can use keyframes, but the animation will play from start to end during the start of the tipping process and it will play backwards after the trailer is empty (or when the tipping has been stopped) - sound sgood to me :) You could upload a picture on an image hoster website .. .you'll find plenty of them in the net. Just post the link to that image here. I'm actually quite interested to see what trailer you are working on :) Cheers, Emil |
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| Kenneth Lehmann Hansen (Unknown) | 19.11.2015 10:01 |
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| Hi Emil, Thank you for your quick reply - if you have a log-in for FS-UK, I also have started a thread on that site with some pictures :o) http://fs-uk.com/forum/index.php?topic=178555.0 In the pictures you can see what I mean about the springs between the chassis and body and also the spring attached to a support wheel. This is and old Danish trailer, where the springs help to pull the cylinders back after tipping (before double working hydraulics were the norm on tractors). :o) So I can't make an animation for tipping and one for "un-tipping"? Because in real life it's different - the support wheel will move in to position and then the body will tip and as soon as the body starts to "un-tip" the support wheel will return to it's starting position long before the body is back to it's starting position, so the animation is different :o) If you don't have acces to FS-UK just let me know and I will upload some pictures on a hosting site when I get home from work later today. /Kenneth |
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| Emil Drefers (Unknown) | 19.11.2015 16:34 |
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| Hi, nope, I'm sorry but you can only use one animation for tipping and for "un-tipping". It would be hard to blend between these two animations. Imagine that the tipping animation does not play until its end. How/Where to start the "un-tipping" animation? ;) But, have a look at the flieglTML266Bull.xml in the default game directory and search for the following term: doorAnimationName="tipAnimationBackDoor" Maybe you can use that ;) It's a second animation for the tipping process ... so that the door opens immediately on discharge and also closes immediatels after discharge has been finished. Good luck! Cheers, Emil |
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| Kenneth Lehmann Hansen (Unknown) | 20.11.2015 09:07 |
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| Hi Emil, Thanks for all the tips - I didn't know about the flieglTML266Bull.xml, so that is definitely worth looking in too! :) One last newbie question (for now!) ;) - I understand how you can use the "movingParts" for a cylinder that is made up of two individual parts, but how can you take a polygon helix (spring) in Maya and make that expand/retract without stretching/distorting it in-game as it is only one polygon part? - Did you see the pictures of the trailer, so you know what I mean? Thanks /Kenneth |
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| Emil Drefers (Unknown) | 20.11.2015 14:07 |
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| Hi, if you open the file "newHollandBB1290.xml" you will find the following entry: <movingPart index="0>5|4|0" referencePoint="0>10|0" referenceFrame="0>" scaleZ="true" /> (line 123) I guess you understand what it does? Cheers, Emil |
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| Kenneth Lehmann Hansen (Unknown) | 22.11.2015 17:50 |
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| Hi Emil, Ahh! So that makes the chain that lifts the pick-up of the baler stretch which should also work for my springs :) One question though - on both ends of my springs (as you can see in the picture) there are hooks that attach the spring to the body and chassis (they are separate parts), but they will also stretch or is there a way to only stretch the spring and still keep the hooks aligned when everything else is moving/stretching? Thanks for your patience :o) /Kenneth |
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| Emil Drefers (Unknown) | 23.11.2015 09:00 |
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| Hi, surely ther's a way to do that. First cut it into seperate parts ;) For the movingParts you would have to use the "base node" (hooks) as "aligning nodes". The spring itself can be a child node of the hook and can still be scaled. The hook on the other side of the spring can point into the direction of the first hook. Should be straightforward. Excet that you eventually want to add a "dependingPart" entry to define which element has to be moved first. Cheers, Emil |
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| Kenneth Lehmann Hansen (Unknown) | 12.12.2015 21:15 |
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| Hi Emil, All your advise has really helped me along with a lot of questions, I do although have a litte issue I can't figure out in regards to the movement and scaling of the springs? https://www.dropbox.com/s/bxoznj61r5kw5ba/fsScreen_2015_12_12_16_09_27.png?dl=0 As you can see in the picture the springs rotate and scale, but the springs doesn't scale enough to keep up with the top hook, so there is a gap - any idea what could be wrong? :o) /Kenneth |
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| Kenneth Lehmann Hansen (Unknown) | 13.12.2015 11:30 |
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| Couple of extra pictures added showing my problem :) https://www.dropbox.com/sh/upbizjms6uiv3fk/AAD_t7wey8LdbOM3gqGZHYN5a?dl=0 |
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| Emil Drefers (Unknown) | 14.12.2015 16:19 |
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| Hi, hard to say what's wrong just by locking at the images. But i would guess that the referencePoint is somewhat incorrect. Please double check it. Cheers, Emil |
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