tricycle chain
 

Hi
I have been modelling a tricycle - just the ones small kids run around on. I have a problem with the chain. Can anyone help with the process? I have a few sites giving me the scripts but I want to do it self.

Thanks.
GP

Here is a quick tutorial if you want to animate it

http://www.alloypictures.com/HTML/ChainTutorial.htm

tricycle chain
 

Hi
Thanks for the tutorial. I have tried this with good result. However, , one problem. I am left with a bunch of curves and locators at the end of the scene. Plus, duplicating the links and deleting the keys manually is time consuming.

Any suggestions on improvements on this? Thanks

GP

OH i see you want the instant chain button on the keyboard..lol

Modelling IS time consuming, you can find ways to save little bits of time but ultimately you have to put the time in to achieve what you want.

You could create one link and duplicate it along a curve which you have drawn.
Another way wold be just to duplicate a single link and move it over to the correct position for the second link and then use duplicate with transform or duplicate special to get the rest, but you will still have to work the corners.

I have seen MEL creation scripts for Tank tracks but not for chains that do not have dynamics attatched.

I am not too worried on the process as much on the bunch of curves and locators lying around. Just not too comfy with so many of these in the outliner. I plan to have a chain with over 100 links and that would have about 100 curves and locators all over the place. Very crowded!!!.

Wondering if I can use only one curve and one locator to achive this. I wrote a mel script earlier for motion path for an escalator with about 40 steps, so could use a similar one to duplicate the links.

One other problem with the above process is that after a couple of rotations of the locator (more than 360), the links start to drift apart ??

Not sure why this is happening.

Rgds,

GP

i dunno about you guys, but the only tricycles i can think of that little kids ride don't have a chain at all... the pedals were actually attached to the axis of the front wheel... this applies to not only the trikes that were made of metal with actual tires and spokes and chrome handlebars, but also to the tonka/hot wheels trikes made almost entirely out of plastic...


now you don't even need a chain! =D

(if you do still want one though, do a google search for tank tread animation cause it's the same premise)

Thats a good one. Come to think of it, I dont see any tricycles with chains. Wonder where I got this image with a chain.

Anyways, I still have the problem with the chain - tricycle or bicycle!!.

The tank tread I saw on google is for motion path animation which I have alread done for a previous model of mine .. an escalator. This is linked to the frames with a start and end time and is animated when you play. What I am looking for is to have the chain linked to the cycle so that when I move the cycle, the chain starts rotating. Just like the ones we see.


Cheers

GP