HI all,
I've run into an issue lately where I want to have a sub prop that rotates along the x axis but not on the y axis. This particular issue relates to a potential marketplace product so the solution needs to be suited for other users and not for a particular project.
Consider a bike pedal. The pedal is attached to the tire or the crank arm. I turn off the rotation attribute (under the attach menu) so that the pedal remains in the correct position (ie. parallel to the foot. Im guessing this is the Y axis). Works great as long as the bike goes straight. However, when the main bike prop turns on the x axis the pedal incorrectly stays in the same x rotation position. This is much more problematic with reach objects attached to the pedal as they get very twisted up as the bike turns.
I've discussed this issue with Rampa and he suggested two possible alternatives.
- Use a physics hinge on the pedal allowing the foot to maintain the pedal y axis stability. I've tried this and not had any good success. Its too unstable getting the foot in place using the reach object and not going through the pedal which causes chaos. Had a good time learning about constraints though.
- Use the look-at functionality to keep the pedals aligned with the bike. This solution works very well (and is very clever). However, the look-at functionality does not save with the prop. Therefore the user would have to set it up themselves every time the prop is loaded.
So, might anyone have any other potential ideas?
Could Reallusion consider adding specific axis selection to the attach-rotation submenu?
Could Reallusion consider adding the ability to save the look-at functionality for sub props to look at other subprops within a prop?