Animating Radome

aerogator · Post by **aerogator** » 22 Jul 2008, 20:21

I am trying to animate the radome on the P-3 AEW using tick18 but I can't get it to go all the way around without stopping 3/4's of the way before starting again. I've used several different combinations of keyframes but it still always stops before continuing the rotation. What am I doing wrong?

Thanks

Post by **Firebird** » 22 Jul 2008, 20:28

Jake, does it stop in the same place every time, or rotate 270 degs and stop?

Now taking into account that I am a dunce when it comes to actually using FSDS, if it stopping at the same place in every rotation it sounds like there is a time lag before restarting the anim, try reducing the delay to 0.

Hope I am helping here and not adding confusion.

MACC · Post by **MACC** » 22 Jul 2008, 20:55

perhaps you're setting it from 1-90, 91-180, 181-270, 271-0 in which it just restarts(because it goes backwads because 271 i more than 0), try it from 271-359 degrees, maybe?

nickblack423 · Post by **nickblack423** » 22 Jul 2008, 21:03

Jake,

OK Mate here it is Set your Keyframes as follows

0 - Forward
100 - Rotate 90 degrees
200 - Rotated through another 90 degrees
300 - Rotated through another 90 degrees
400 - Back to original position.

Thats it. The joy of Tick18 is that you dont need to go to the full 1024 frames if you stop at 400 it will still repeat itself over and over again. So you should be ok with going to 400. If that spins too fast or too slow then you can always adjust it, just as long as your last keyframe is the same as your first one.

You will also need to have your Tick18 radome part conditionally appear at a certain time, and be replaced by a static version. Something like I have here for my Apache parts. The part "apache_flir" here is a static part and the part "tick18_apache_flir" is animated. With this the animation starts when the nav lights come on, but you could make yours come on when the Strobes come on for a better effect.

<part>
<name>apache_flir</name>
<visible_in_range>
<parameter>
<code>
(A:LIGHT NAV,number)
</code>
</parameter>
<minvalue>-1</minvalue>
<maxvalue>0</maxvalue>
</visible_in_range>
</part>

<part>
<name>apache_flir</name>
<visible_in_range>
<parameter>
<code>
(A:LIGHT NAV,number)
</code>
</parameter>
<minvalue>1</minvalue>
<maxvalue>1</maxvalue>
</visible_in_range>
</part>

<part>
<name>tick18_apache_flir</name>
<visible_in_range>
<parameter>
<code>
(A:LIGHT NAV,number)
</code>
</parameter>
<minvalue>1</minvalue>
<maxvalue>1</maxvalue>
</visible_in_range>
</part>

<part>
<name>tick18_apache_flir</name>
<visible_in_range>
<parameter>
<code>
(A:LIGHT NAV,number)
</code>
</parameter>
<minvalue>-1</minvalue>
<maxvalue>0</maxvalue>
</visible_in_range>
</part>

Hope it helps

Nick

aerogator · Post by **aerogator** » 22 Jul 2008, 21:09

Thanks for the answers but I'm not sure that's the deal. According to the Help tutorials with FSDS, you set keyframes at 0 (0 degrees), 256 (90 degrees), 512 (180 degrees), 768 (270 degrees) and 1024 back at 360 degrees. (or at least thats the way I understand it)

The rotation stops after turning 3/4's of a circle: so in a different place each time.

OK Nick! You posted just as I did. I'll take a look. Thanks!

MIKE JG · Post by **MIKE JG** » 22 Jul 2008, 21:27

Jake everything I've ever used Tick18 animaiton for is just 5 keyframes to complete a cycle, just as Nick has illustrated.

I know in the past when I had results like you are describing, I just ended up clearing out all of the keyframes and starting them over. Usually does the trick.

MACC · Post by **MACC** » 22 Jul 2008, 21:28

my knowledge was limited as it was just an educational guess.

aerogator · Post by **aerogator** » 22 Jul 2008, 21:37

Thanks MACC, I've gone back and changed everything to go like Nick suggests. I'll let you know tomorrow how it works.

aerogator · Post by **aerogator** » 23 Jul 2008, 19:10

well guys, no joy

I set the keyframes like Nick suggested but its still stopping after a 3/4 turn. Except for the farthest LOD: it continues to turn. In fact, looking from the tower view, at one point in the zoom process, the middle LOD part (I am using 3 different parts of decreasing complexity) is showing on the airplane, but the shadow is of the lowest LOD and the shadow continues to turn even when the part stops. I'm using the same naming convention as I would with like parts: tick18.radome, tick18.radome_1, tick18.radome_2. Its tick18.radome_2 that continues through a complete turn.

Also Nick, I tried using your xml coding but the radome is turning even an hour before departure time. I just copied the radomes and renamed them radome instead of tick18.radome and substituted the new names for the names you used. The P-3 is a turboprop of course; would that make a difference with the trigger used? Is the Apache using a jet FDE?

Thanks,

MACC · Post by **MACC** » 23 Jul 2008, 19:14

aerogator wrote: Also Nick, I tried using your xml coding but the radome is turning even an hour before departure time.

British E3's are like that, maybe increase the reality?

nickblack423 · Post by **nickblack423** » 23 Jul 2008, 19:35

Jake,

Can you email me your source files from FSDS for this project, and also the makemdl.xml you're using I'll see if I can figure out whats wrong for you.

Nick

aerogator · Post by **aerogator** » 23 Jul 2008, 19:44

Thanks Nick. On the way

nickblack423 · Post by **nickblack423** » 24 Jul 2008, 11:16

OK Jake,

Ive had a look at the model..your animation was correct, and what I did was to rename your parts to tick18_radome instead of tick18.radome

I also made them linked to LIGHT STROBE instead of LIGHT NAV, this way the radome should start spinning just before take-off.

The other thing I noticed was that your LODs on this particular model you sent me where not set up correctly. Your LOD names in the Manage models section were named JAI_P3_400 whereas they needed to be named JAI_P3_LOD_400 etc. As they stood they were not showing up in MakeMDL and thus not being created.

Make these changes mate and it will work...I compiled the model myself and it worked fine in FS, no stopping of the radome at all.

Nick

aerogator · Post by **aerogator** » 24 Jul 2008, 15:04

Nick, thanks. You are the king!

The LOD's were showing up OK for me, but I'll rename them anyway.

Thanks again,