Hi folks,

I just downloaded purchased and downloaded the iCar Body Kit and I'm a bit confused (not surprising) about a couple of things:

- when I use the 'perform' command in the right menu on a car, the vehicle goes in one circle and then stops. I also can't seem to get an individual tire to rotate per the advertisement page or the car animation tutorial.

- I then notice that iCar kit was made for Version 3 but the sales page implies its for V 3 AND higher. The video tutorial refers to a prop helper which doesn't seem to be in 4.x

- I do have a prop folder on my machine that says UV iProp base which includes some kind of component named 'rotate' - I haven't been able to find any info on if this is applicable or for some other content exclusively.

Thanks for any insight you can provide.

Hi Digimati. Firstly I have not seen the car animation tutorial but I cannot see why they (or you), would want to make just one wheel go around. The whole point of the kit is to make the assembly of a vehicle easy(ish), sycronise the wheels and include an automated steering look to the front wheels. The kit works in iClone v3 and 4.
But anyway, when you right click do so in preview camera mode and its best to pan out from the car so that you can see the point where you want it to go. If you don't the vehicle does tend to move in circles sometimes, for whatever reason. If you want just a three, two or one wheeled vehicle, right click on the 'spring' and import the relevant DramaScript from your folders. The prop 'helper' or a 'rotate' prop was originally used to rotate car wheels, but since the free release of the Mechanic Tool Kit, they are only usually used to turn say, the sails on a windmill or whatever.

gizmo

Thanks much for the reply, but I must be missing something. Focusing on your second paragraph in your response, trying to get an icar to move with spinning wheels:

Using the preview camera and zoomed out, I select the move forward command from the right click menu, the car still moves in a circle. If I use the time line to set my start and end points, I can move the car, but the wheels won't spin. I don't understand how I can control direction using the 'move' command and get the wheels to spin at the same time.

Thanks again.

Update on car rotation'

I got the car to follow a path, I got the right click 'move forward' to work but the weird thing is that the spinning wheels don't align with the movement direction. They continue to turn left (as if going in a circle as originally described. Any ideas?

Hi. Maybe 'Commands' are overlapping or interfering with each other in the 'Timeline'. Go to '0' on the Timeline (hit the Stop button on your playbar), then hit the 'Reset' button next to your Time Clock at the bottom to clear all movement. (Note: this will clear any/all animation on ALL props or characters in your scene). Then try another forward move and see what happens.

gizmo

Thanks for the suggestion, but no such luck. I started with a fresh flat terrain, one car, one simple figure 8 path. As soon as the car is activated, the front wheels jerk hard right and stay in that position while spinning, no matter what direction the car is heading. There doesn't seem to be any parameters one can adjust for direction. And this is all using a 'stock' iCar as provided in the package.

I appreciate our help!

Hi. Don't use a path. Just click on a target of where you want the vehicle to go. These models really leave you free from such restrictions. I tried a couple of my 'home made' vehicles and found the wheels do indeed 'twitch' a little on start up (turn to left or right), but almost immediately after, as soon as the car is moving along its course they straighten up and stay in that position until you add another target for it to travel too. I think maybe thats something we'll have to live with and keep the front wheels out of shot of the cameras on startup. Just keep playing to learn and most of all, have fun. Cheers.

Edit: OK there is a workaround. Apply your command. Open Timeline, click Command and you'll see the grey command strip alongside 'Move Tab'. Move the Timeline Bar along a little, where you see the wheels strightening up, right click on the Command and click break. Delete the FRONT part of the Command. This will also break and delete the associated wheel dummy commands. Click on and move the Command along the Timeline (to the left or right), if you want/need too. Straight wheels on take off. I'm out for the rest of the day, but let us know how you get on.

gizmo

Finally! the little light goes on (in my head that is,)- got it!

Thank you again!