Gimbal Lock With Aircraft

[user_deleted]

So... getting into some new previs animation with aircraft here.
Fast moving aircraft covering large distances and turning/rolling in every possible axis.

I've been warned about Gimbal lock and I've read about it here.
I've read that to avoid it, I would need to

parent the aircraft to a Null that ONLY rotates in X
parent that to a Null that ONLY rotates in Y
parent that to a Null that ONLY rotates in Z

Is this really the way to go? Seems like suuuch an inelegant solution.
read about changing the rotation order but a) I don't know how to do that and I'm not sure I understand what that accomplishes.

If there is a brain implant for reading Quaternions lemme know...

[joojaa]

turn synchronized eulers on and put quat interpolation on.

[user_deleted]

Ok, got it.
But: Looks like it's either or. (M7)

From the maya docs, I can switch to synchronized Eulers or to synchronized quaternion. I don't see any way to do both.

Sorry for the lamer questions. I didn't know rotations were an art form unto themselves.

[craftanimations]

Or just use Craft Airplane Extended! It calculates all the physics for the flight and you can attach it to a spline. Done!

[joojaa]

Damn people seem to buy everything it seems.

Problem si that if he has a gimbal lock hes not Using path anim so that would defeat the point. Its not like he would have a gimbal lock problem with spline animation.

Wich by the way is BUILT INTO MAYA
QUOTE
e]From the maya docs, I can switch to synchronized Eulers or to synchronized quaternion. I don't see any way to do both.

They are the same thing with different names, and slight different maths about them.

[rwadams]

if you do get a gimbal there is always to euler filer. In the graph editor go to curve>euler filter. I've used it a bunch and it has yet to fail