Highend3d Artists Discussion Forums

Tank Track

Tags: #<Tag:0x00000008e5eb08>

sherman 2004-02-05 11:47:10 UTC #1

Hi at all,

What is the best method to model and animate a tank track in Maya?

In XSI i would use for example deform by curve, but I didn

joojaa 2004-02-05 12:01:26 UTC #2

You can deform by curve in maya too by using a wire deformer...

On the otherhand id go and do this totaly differently, id use path anim for this... because it would cause more correct behaivour (a vire deformaer would deform the track, a real track doesnt deform!!).

Or if id want it to be simple id make a strip that has a animated bump/displacement map that shifts along it...

goggle 2004-02-05 15:23:21 UTC #3

This is one of the more covered topics. There are quite a few scripts that will automatically make tracks for you if you give them a curve and a tread link. Go fishing in the Maya scripts section here on highend. Also use the handy search forum function to view the other posts on this topic.

Hope this helps

-James

sherman 2004-02-05 18:27:32 UTC #4

Thanks. But the hits that I found were mostly discussions about how often someone asked for Tank tracks.

joojaa 2004-02-05 18:54:45 UTC #5

Search longer in the past... certain things get overtalked so the advice you get form people who know and have been long on the board can seem OLD. See one can easily remeber something thats been discussed 1-3 years ago! Usualy the quality of answers get worse when you end up repeating over and over again. Find the source!

gwelch 2004-02-06 14:59:27 UTC #6

Look on highend under mel scripts/ animation
http://www.highend3d.com/maya/mel/?group=m...t\_modified+desc

This is an oldie but goody:
Create Chain v1.0

This one looks even better, but I have not tried it myself:
AS_TreadsCreation v2.0::

blank- 2004-02-14 19:51:38 UTC #7

HI,
This question had popped up few years back. You can use IK spline. create your tank treads in a straight line & use joints to skin it. Then create a curve for the path where it is supposed to travel & select this path as a curve in the IK spline option rather than the default one.
Once assigned use the manipulator icon to easily move the tank treads along the path. It should not take you more than five minutes using this procedure to animate.

Best of luck,
Redman

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