Hi everyone, for personal and medical reasons, I had to take an indefinite break from the world of 3D modeling. Even before that, I was at best an occasional hobbyist in Poser. Now that I'm getting back into it, I'm hoping someone can help me. I've created a car in a modeling program, hoping to use it in Poser. Once it's imported, and saved as a prop, I want to make it a character... I've made characters before and rigged doors to open and such but now I need to make the car's front wheels turn, as if it's being steered. Making a single component of a model open, close, etc is simple... It's a single component, with a single axis of rotation. Easy. But how do I make two components (the front wheels) each turn on their individual axes, using a single erc dial? I'm clueless on this and I'm hoping someone can help me understand how to do this. As always, any help is appreciated. Thanks,

Steve

I hope someone has an answer soon ... I have never rigged a vehicle myself either. By the way ... Love your blues club model!! Had it in my runtime forever!!!

Thanks, Boni! Very kind of you. Before long I have plans to make an updated version of the blues club

Hi, Since poser 10/PP2014, the dependencey editor will do what you want. It allows you to train a dial to control several items at once Bill

Dependency editor? Can you explain a little more Please?

I have done it a lot, it is not that hard, first thing is it has to be it’s own group but also has to be a parent. Also you have to make sure that the bend is off of all groups, you can do all this in joint editor by setting the right dials with the right axis. Like rotate is simple, joint is in the center and I think it is the z dial that controls that then the x dial is for left and right if I remember correctly. Does that help.

Possibly... I'm at work now but I'll get into Poser and take a look at it this afternoon

If you want the front wheels working realistic you need 3 parts with 2 axis, 1. the car chassis, 2. left and right one part turning on the y-axis for steering and 3. on that each one part on which the wheel is turning forward/backward (x or z axis both possible depending of the given direction of the chassis). But instead trying a big tutorial I suggest you download either SHADO-Falcon or SHADO-Hawk from my shareCG-library. Both having fully working wheels via ERC and on top even turning the steering wheel correctly. You will find that in the cr2-coding ad can adopt it to your model. But I suggest if possible to have all the parts splitted by modeling and then boned in the setup room. Possibly you can use one of my riggs as a donor. I add the links and hope rendo-stuff is leting them alive (by TOS such is not real beloved ;-) ) : https://www.sharecg.com/v/48408/gallery/11/Poser/SteveKitts-SHADO-Falcon-from-U.F.O.-show https://www.sharecg.com/v/53143/gallery/11/Poser/SteveKitts-SHADO-Hawk-from-U.F.O.-show All not very complicated though sometimes a bit tricky to place the bones correct ... especially if the wheehouses are a bit small ... big, big turn radius of the car ...

The section in the manual on Dependent Parameters is worth reading as there is a lot more to it than the limited stuff I've used it for, but this is what I’d do (nb. I have the Hierarchy window open for easier selection of body parts; also I’m using Poser 11).

In the Body of the figure, click on the small white triangle beside the Parameters/Properties tab and select Create New Master Parameter. This will open a dialog box. Select the Keyed Dependencies tab. Click the Start Teaching button and set the dial next to the button to 1. Now select the first wheel which should be a separate body part, make sure that Bend is unchecked in the Properties tab, and dial this to full lock in whichever direction. Now select the other front wheel and dial that to full lock in the same direction. Then in the Keyed Dependencies dialog set the dial next to the Teaching button to -1. Now select each wheel in turn and dial them to full lock in the opposite direction. Finally click Stop Teaching and test the dial you've made (you could add the steering wheel in as well if you wanted). To change the name, sensitivity, force limits etc click the white triangle next to the dial in the Parameters tab and select Settings from the menu. Then re-save the figure to the library.

Hello @arrowhead42

For anything mechanical I recommend to NEVER use a FIGURE. As a figure it is cumbersome to rig, harder to handle than a prop, and also comes with much overhead which only clutters up the hierarchy without any actual benefit (IK Chains, CenterOfMass, GoalCenterOfMass).

What I use is something which I call a "Prop Figure": Actually it is the same as a figure (less the unnecessary overhead).

But with the difference that there are no "body parts", but only individual props parented to a "master" prop. If the "master prop" is large enough (like, the chassis), it's dead easy to grab it with the mouse and move it where ever you need it (unlike like a figure where you must carefully pick either "BODY" or the "hip" equivalent to avoid actor offsets, with all the unpleasant consequences!) And it's even more light-weight (RAM-wise).

Have a look at my "URAL" lorry: Fully working undercarriage:

• all wheels turn (synchronised by a master dial, if you wish)
• all axles bank individually
• tilting rear truck
• Option to bank or tilt whole car chassis with a single dial while the wheels stay on the ground.

PLUS:

• Working steering (incl. steering wheel)
• Cabin doors and engine hood open/close
• Detachable wheels (in case of a breakdown ;D )
• Optional canvas hood included, with adjustable height

Consumption is only 40 to 100 ltr of gasoline or diesel per 100 km, depending on terrain :)

The BMP-1 works the same way:

• all doors and hatches are fully functional
• working "wading shield"
• rotating turret with elevating gun (which, as an extra, also will raise avtomatically if it traverses the opened commandant's hatch
• The "Matyulka" missile is a separate prop and can be "fired" with a single master dial

If you are interested in this technique °1, just say so and I'll write more detailed information about it! You can also contact me here: http://sasha-16.forumprofi.de ** See you, and good luck with your project!**

Karina

Footnote °1:

Setting up such a "Figure Prop" is very easy:

Just load all the props needed, parent them to the "master prop" (e.g. the chassis) and LOCK them into place, only allowing them rotations in the desired directions. E.g., dooors and hatches only rotate along their hinges, wheels only rotate as if spinnig but still can be "steered", axles can bank following the terrain, and so on.

I've written a simple Python script that will lock each individual prop into place and only allow movements along permitted axes.!

Good to read you, arrowhead42. Been a while.

Take a look at some of my Dalek models for an idea on using ERC. Granted, they don't have wheels but they have several moving parts, some of which can move together and/or independently of each other. It may give you some pointers, at least.

Jo - I really like the sound of this, but I literally have stepped away from Poser for several years. Now that I'm back, and with a newer version of Poser than I had before (I used to use version 7, but now I have Poser 11) it's like learning a lot of the more advanced stuff all over again. When you talk about boning things in the setup room and using your model as a donor, I feel totally lost. I hate to ask, but can you perhaps give me some very basic guidance, or tell me where I can find it? I feel like such a newbie!

Arrowhead, in this case it might be really easier to go with CarinaKiev's propped figures, so no real ERC and indeed no trouble with placing bones for the CR2-parts. With Posers a bit unsensible mouse movement it can be a lot of stress to have the bone exactly in the middle of a wheel for not running like a eight ...

With the depending parameters dialog in Poser I have not come to a big friendship. And also to use the dependencies you need well positioned bones for the parts. If ERC doing I prefer the good old handworking in the CR2 with a simple editor. But if you are interested in more information about ERC this link is a good short explanation http://www.rbtwhiz.com/rbtwhiz_ERC.html or in newer form here http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/artzone/wiki/user/rbtwhiz/technotes/content/erc/start

Sadly meanwhile gone there was a much better tutorial on ERC with a lot of very good examples. Internet is somewhat very nice ... if you download information as long as they are available ...

So all together for most simple mechanical things to use props parented to a master prop or in a chain of props is a more easy way. But all those props are best splitted in the modeller and if all those single props are right in place in the modeller and exported together they should stay in correct position while loading into Poser as obj import.

Hello Arrowhead, If you are not familiar with Poser Dependant parameter to link various motions, I wrote a four parts tutorial.. See my free stuff at:

Tutorials on Poser dependant parameters . Part 3 about Synchronous dependencies is the more relevant to you.

Allstereo

KarinaKiev posted at 11:27PM Thu, 21 March 2019 - #4347770

The BMP-1 works the same way:

Not to threadjack, but: Are the tank treads on that rigged to actually move, or are they static? I've been trying to figure out how to rig tank style treads in Poser for years without success.

I've also made countless attempts to "rig " tank tracks, without success. All that I found during my searches was basically the same : Mission Impossible!

SO NO, they aren't spinning for animations.

The only alternative I ever saw was a kind of "blurred" morph for the tracks to simulate movement (kind of the aircraft "propeller spin" you see in many aircraft props).

Thus this BMP isn't suited for animation. For stills you could at least add a magnet to each track and wheels assembly to simulate movement up/down when moving over rough terrain (Left/ right tracks and wheels are separate props).

I think if you ever find a way to animate track movement on tanks you'll be the hero of the day...

K

Tank treads are just erc props. Take a look at the M1Abrams in Poser's props folder for a working example. It's been in Poser since forever. Somewhere here is a thread on ERC that deals with tank treads specifically.

Hello Arrowhead, In part 4 of my tutorial on Poser Dependent Parameter, I explain how to animate tank track. It is a little bit complex. The basic method used by many artists is to repeat a morphing deformation of the track with the help of ERC control. So we have two states 1) The original track model and 2) the deformed model (In fact, the tract that is advanced by one unit or one tooth of the wheel propeller). By ERC coding, the track is moving from state 1 to state 2 at normal speed, then is returned to state 1 very, very fast and so fast that the user is not seeing the motion, then the cycle is repeated: 1 slow to 2 fast to 1 slow to 2 fast to 1 ….. The basic ERC coding is simple, but the method to repeat the process for large number of cycles is complex. If your track is a figure with multiple segments, you can used the "Cable and pulley design" but the ERC coding
will be a long process.

With the tutorial, there are working models of the track morphing approach (Tank track morph.pz3) and cable and pulley design (Pulley model.pz3)

The link to Part 4 of the tutorial is: Part 4 ot Tutorial

Allstereo

Allstereo posted at 11:46PM Sat, 30 March 2019 - #4349109

The basic ERC coding is simple, but the method to repeat the process for large number of cycles is complex.

One of the suggestions I made to the poser team years ago, was that animation layers should have a toggle on them, to set them as being repeating loops. Something like that would definitely come in handy here. Fingers crossed they actually read the email.

These might help...

https://www.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/?thread_id=2907135

https://www.renderosity.com/mod/freestuff/?item_id=71819

https://www.renderosity.com/mod/bcs/scifi-steam-tank/112419?AID=4987