Make Vehicle animations with iclone 7
Discover an easy method for creating four-wheel vehicle animations using iclone 7
A step-by-step guide from Adolf Navarro on how to animate four-wheel vehicles moving over terrain
c reating animations involving vehicles with wheels can present some complications, as the motion of the model has to be synchronised with the rotation of its wheels. Depending on the speed of the vehicle, the wheels have to spin faster or slower in order to create a convincing effect.
Other factors like friction and inertia have to be considered, as occasionally the wheels can drift over the terrain when the vehicle accelerates or suddenly brakes. In the first example, the wheels start spinning fast but the car’s body motion is more gradual, gaining speed and inertia until it’s fully synchronised with the wheel’s rotation. In the second case it happens just the opposite, as the wheels stop spinning but the car keeps moving while drifting over the terrain until it gradually stops.
In addition, if the models are moving over uneven terrains, then they have to follow the slopes and also react to obstacles like bumps or cliffs. For example, if the vehicle goes fast through a significant level difference then it should jump and fly over the terrain, varying the length and duration of the jump depending on the speed of the vehicle.
A while back, developer Reallusion provided an iclone content pack called Physics Toolbox, which offers multiple solutions for adding forces and structures to iclone animations. In this tutorial, I will focus on a ‘four-wheel base’ structure, which will serve to solve all the scenarios mentioned previously in a very easy way.