karting circuit animation

[flipside]

Hi all,

I need to do a virtual lap on a new layout for a karting circuit. I know how to animate a camera over a path, but I also want to create the effect as if the camera is really the eye of the pilot. So before going into a turn, the pilot looks at the inside of the corner. With normal path constraint, the camera turns as if the pilot would keep his head straight in relation to the kart, which gives a weird effect while turning.

Here's an image to make it a bit more clear. Basically I want to control the Z-rotation of the camera while it moves along the path. I first thought of making a second path for the target of the camera, but I don't succeed in controlling the synchronisation bewteen the two path movements. The target position always runs too fast or too slow compared to the camera itsself. The green arrows indicate more or less the viewing angle.




What do you think is the easiest way to accomplish this task? Is the path constraint any good for this or are there better ways to do it? I only know very basic stuff about anims in max, probabely this is an easy question...

I tried by simply animating the rotation manually, which works ok. But when I afterwards want to change the position of the camera relatively to the path (for example to make the kart accelerate faster), all my rotations get messed up because their position doesn't match the karts position anymore.



Thanks a lot,

flipside

[Trapezium]

On first thought I'd try using a path constraint on the camera target also and just set the %Along path value a little higher thatn the camera is set to.

--Jon

[flipside]

It looks like that works ok at first sight. I will post some previews soon!

regards,

flipside

[marco]

Flipside,

to create the animation you should best recreate the real-live situation.
So first create a dummy object with a path constraint wich follows the path of the kart.(enable "follow")

To simulate the head of the driver, create a free-camera, align this camera to the dummy object (the kart) and link it.

Now you have a setup wich gives you complete control of your drivers-head independant of the go-cart animation

regards,
Marco

[tom schuelke]

Flipside

you also could link the look at, at secound path like said, and then use a list controler with xyz euler as secoundary path this also would allow you a secoundary motion to your target. also possible a slight nose over it. ?

Tom

[flipside]

Flipside

you also could link the look at, at secound path like said, and then use a list controler with xyz euler as secoundary path this also would allow you a secoundary motion to your target. also possible a slight nose over it. ?

Tom

Wow dude, that's chinese for me (especially the last sentence)

I like the dummy approach. But still then the rotation of the head is relative to the timeline. So when I change the karts acceleration somewhere, the head will start to rotate too early etc... The head rotation should be relative to the position of the kart on the track.

Another thing I want to create is the shaking of the helmet because of bums on the track. I would like to make a 2sec shaking which loops through the whole animation. But I have no clue how to make a small anim that loops inside the main anim (like a movie clip in flash, a movie in a movie).

thanks for all the replies!

flipside

[Gijs]

If it should be relative to the kart path a all times, wouldn't it be possible to link the camera path to a line with fixed length and the target to the other end of that line, with the endpoints of that line moving along the same path?
Hope this makes sense

[flipside]

It makes sense, but that fixed length line shouldn't be the same length at all times, so I should animate it's length also.

Are there no standard functions to link the head rotation not to the frame count but to the motion of some other object?

[tom schuelke]

Ooops

i doubled half of the sentence. ( its chines for me too now)

well what i meant:

when you put your look at target as you have told to a secoundary path, you´ve got a path follow constraint on it to define its way.

now you only could put a list controler on top of this.

something like this

----list controler
.
.
---------------path constraint
.
---------------xyz euler controler (when you switch to it, you can animate
your target relative to your path constr )

----------------a noise controler (to get some more realistic head shake)



after the path constraint under the list controler you may throw in other controlers to make head movement more realistic and not so computer like.

Tom

[percydaman]

you could use a motion capture controller along with the list controller. animate the head turning and the jerky motion all in one go.

[flipside]

Hi tom,

with "look at target" you just mean the target point of a target camera right? (or are you talking about a lookat constraint thing?)

I will read some stuff about controllers in the max help as I never used it and don't know what it's good for.

[guest]

Hi all, having problems with my primary computer, this is --Jon (J_Bug/ Trapezium)

Tom:
I thought the same but then wouldn't this only work if he were making all right or left turns. Seams like the lookat path could cause problems when it overlaps the primary path.

Marco:
No need to do this when he can just animate the rotation of the camera anyway.

flipside: If you really want it to work like a driver would, automatically, then you might try writing a script that would prejudge the tension or angle of the turn and animate the rotation to fit. Not sure about the math but it seams like two dummies along the path could be evaluated for an angle. It could be fun to learn if you have the time. Why don't you want to animate it by hand? Are there multiple tracks that you have to animate this for? For the head shake you could try a noise controller but in adding additional layers of animation you might want to start by pre visualizing everything you want to happen and then linking the camera to the appropriate number of dummies. I guess the amplitude of the noise could also be handled by the same script that checked for an upcoming turn.

--Jon

[flipside]

The main reason is more control. Now I have to make the karts motion first, and then manually animate the head rotation. If then I want to change the karts motion even slightly, I need to reanimate the head all over again.

[flipside]

When using a path constraint on a target camera, the bank value has no effect at all. Why is that? I liked the effect of the banking in a turn.

thanks,

flipside

[guest]

Just as a general concept for you. Controllers are always on objects

The defaults for the current versions of MAX are "XYZ" for Pos/ Rot and "Bezier" for Scale. These provide for all the basic animations you can do by turning on Auto Key and Transforming at a new point in time. Any other Controllers you choose will replace the XYZ or Bezier with another way of controlling the animation for that particular Transform.

--Jon