Forum - Craft Animations - 3d animation tools

Dear Craft Animations...

I am using your Cinema 4D Free Tools for a while and i have discovered that there isn't any way to Simulate a Cars Manual Transmition Gear Box. I have tryed by using State Machine to simulate Gear's Position, ex. 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc. like a European Normal Car Gear Setup.

I have set up State01Position=1st Gear etc, by adjusting the angle of state01Position (sorry about the naming). The problem is that offen, you need to jump from 2nd to 3rd gear (From LeftBack Position -> to Middle Forward Position), the StateMachine Just jumps from one state to another following the sortest path. But in Real Life to Jump from 2nd to 3rd Gear you have to make something like (Z) cornering the Gear Stick. I cannot be more accurate on my description. (Sorry).

So, i have listen that you are going to Create an Updated CDT Version. And my suggestions are:

1. There is any plans to Intergrate the CDT with Cinema 4D's expresso system ( So, by mapping a Condition "speed", for example, automaticaly send a button press command to StateMachine01, all done by expresso)?

2. Assuming you are not intend to follow my suggestion at the moment, are you going to create a GearBox_Mesh to link to it a gear box stick?

3. Taking into account number 2nd question, it should be designed a system to calculate the CurrentGear in Cars GearBox Calculating the CurrentCarSpeed (time and distance covered) with setups for different types of cars.

4. By creating CurrentGearCalculationNode i suggest you to create a visual representation of a speedometer, by linking CurrentSpeedScale to 1DRotator's Node Angle, so final user car link then a mesh, and Parent to the current camera these indicators and render when needed.

If you want and extendend talk, i am full of ideas for you Dear Craft animations....


P.S Some names eg. "CurrentSpeedScale" are used as variable holders for reference.

Thanks in advance...
Vangelis P. Evangelos (Greets to Ms. D. Ligonis from Greece)

To do it with a State Machine (left) you would need states at each corner of the "Z", you would also need 10 buttons assigned and would need to press them in the right order at the appropriate timing.

An alternative would be to use a spline speed controller (right) with "gyro mode only" checked on and waypoints set to "stop mode" at each gear position. Then assign a forward and backward button and you'll be able to shift gears up and down with just 2 buttons. You could also set the shift up button to trigger the external force on the 4 wheeler to make the vehicle "dip" when shifting gears.