United3dArtists Archive

Some of you guys may have catapulted a screwed up piece of paper with a steel ruler? Once done the ruler returns to its normal shape. Also a reed blowing in the wind bends over than returns to the upright position.

How would I make an object like that in TS? Does it have to made up of segments or could we use the cloth or hair function? If I made a long ruler shape from a cube and made it rubber would it bend?

I have made a ruler like object. I think I need to put fix points at the bottom to hold the ruler still (the ruler being vertical) and then apply a force to the top end?

I believe the only way to do what you want
is to animate it. Box model a ruler.. about 7 segments.
Using the subdivision surfaces tool.. Sub divide about 3 times.
Then create a string of bones 7 joints.
Center the bones in your ruler. Make sure the joint limitations
are all set to pitch on Yaw off. Atach the skeliten to your ruler.
Orient the ruler in the perpidicular.
Now you will have to keyframe animate the rulers motion.
Whith the ruler strait up and down Set key frame "0" then move ahead about 45 frames and bend the ruler
back as to its farthest point. set the key frame then move ahead about 30 frames move bend the ruler forward to its
farthest extent. Repeat this process in ever decreasing range of motion until you stop at the center point.
Then what I did was make a ball set its material atribute to styrsfoam and positioned it above and a bit behind the ruler.
At this point make sure your animation is at frame "0". Then I just ran a physical simulation.
One more thing make sure ground plain gravity is on and colision with all is on.

I made a little animation to demonstrait what I'm trying to explain. It is attached to this post.
I hope this helps.

Happy Modeling

Heres the animation.. I hope .. It didnt come accross the first timr...

One more time...

Thanks for your input. It seems that your sample didn't make it.

Anyway, I have come to the conclusion the only way to do flexing things in most programmes is to make them up of segments. Makes sense.

I had thought of doing a lot of subdividing. Doing animations with bones etc is all new to me. Thanks for your efforts.

Finaly... here is the file...
Probably a big let down after all this trouble..

Hey very impressive.

I'll experiment a bit.

Were you saying, more or less, that bending type of things can't be done in TS in real time and interactively (like in Activity)? In other words has to be like a scripted cartoon? If so this would mean I could not test a real world idea, right?

As far as I know... And I not a great authority..
The physics engine in TrueSpace can produce realistic gravity.
It can endow objects whith weight and density properties.
It can simulate air density.. It can simulate water density on a suface...
And thats about it..

What you are wanting would be an incredibly complex physical symulation engine
that would take crae supercomputer power.

I'm going to look deeper into this... You got me wunderen

I would be pleased to hear what you find out.

I've been looking around for physics or engineering simulators etc that would do this spring and reflex idea.

It looks like I might have to pay for something? Some are $1000s so I won't get those.

Just got my usual pc back after a motherboard problem, so I will experiment with TS more and keep looking around the web.

One thing about your ruler sample is can one apply a known force to the ruler or can you only just artificially animate like doing a Popeye cartoon in the 1950s?

I look forward to hearing from you.