I get the digest version of this list, so if there have been any responses, I haven't read them. That said, I have (sort of) finally figured out a solution. It's not entirely elegant, but it works well enough.
I have the prop_phys floating in the air. I stick a hinge in the middle of it, matching the origins, with the hinge line oriented the way I want. The hinge is just passive to prevent the phys_object from rotating laterally. I've found that while it isn't necessary to have the hinge, it does make the movement a bit smoother, and the prop doesn't get stuck in the air as it does without it. There is also a motor attached to the prop which is set for 90 degree rotation speed with a 0.1 second spin up time. Instead of two motors set to push/pull, I have one motor set to rotate the prop just under 90 degrees, but then shut off, and the prop re-rights itself. There is a logic timer set to turn the motor on and off, as well as add a delay to allow the object to re-right itself. The result is that the bucket swings back and forth on the hinge a little bit like old 20's cartoons (when every damn object seemed to sway and dance) but it works well enough. Plus, with the logic timer, I think that I can set the water particle effect off, and set off the next logic timer which controls the bucket underneath and so on and so on. So, again, I am open to suggestions for a better way to do this (if you have replied already, please feel free to e-mail me directly- this daily digest can be a nuisance at times), but at least I have found a solution. I won't go through the other stuff that I tried but didn't work, with the exception of a zero-g volume area and phys_torque, which is useless from what I can tell. On Thu, Dec 8, 2011 at 10:06 AM, Andrew Byro <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi all, I'm working on a project and am stuck and need some help. > > The best way describe what I'm doing is haunted buckets. Some buckets are > floating in the air. The first one rotates 90 degrees and sets off a > particle effect to pour water "into" the second one. It doesn't have to > hold the water, it just needs to look like water has been poured into it. > The second bucket rotates 90 degrees and pours water into a third bucket, > and so on, while the first bucket returns up its upright position and is > filled again. So, you end up with a sort-of bucket bridgade effect. The > buckets don't actually displace XYZ, only rotate. > > Right now, I'm not worried about the models and such, I'm really focusing > on getting the mechanic to work properly. Some things I've tried: > > 1. making a series of three path_track and func_tracktrain which go in a > curve, with the third one set to return back to the first. Result: the > model floats between points 1 and 3 at and angle, without rotating. > 2. Setting the model on a phys_hinge. Result: The hinge turns out to be a > freely-rotatable axis. That means that as near as I can tell, there is no > way to stop it at any point. Moreover, it is purely passive, so there is no > way to return the buckiet back to an upright position. It apparently will > only with with prop_phys and not prop_dynamic as far as I can determine. > 3. Setting the model on a phys_hinge, then having either one or two > path_track/func_tracktrain nodraw blocks push the top and bottom in order > to force the bucket to rotate, stop rotating, go back upright. Result: The > darned things wouldn't run at all, and this is awkward as hell anyway, > askiing for glitches. > 4. phys_motor/phys_torque embedded in the model. Result: While phys_hinge > allows the item to float in the air, phys_motor apparently requires the > item to be independantly held in place. I think so anyway, as the prop just > kept dropping to the floor. > > Last idea I'm going to try: embed two phys_keepupright in the model. Hvae > one set 90 degrees from the other. See if I can set it so that one sets > off, rotates the bucket, triggers the other one while turning itself off, > the bucket oscillates between the two. > > These all seem like such really dumb workarounds for something as simple > as "rotate 90 degrees, set off particle effect, rotate -90 degrees, wait 2 > seconds, repeat" Does anyone know of a solution? > _______________________________________________ L4Dmapper mailing list [email protected] https://list.valvesoftware.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/l4dmapper
