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You got mail BD

Great work, both you guys. But excuse me a second while I say this. ROFL @ truck makers making track props. Okay, I've regained my composure. We'll turn yooz into track makers yet.

BigDogge,

For a complete rotating blade, five frames are sufficient to get it going smoothly. Rotate each 72 degrees. Then use OP's binanimator.

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For a ceiling fan, it's probably not important if it's centered along the y-axis because it'll have to be raised to get proper height. But for normal props, best to have them centered on all axes. It's rare when you don't want that.

An interesting tidbit for you guys. 'One' of the main modelers on ZK1 was also a truck maker :-)

Lastly, I wasn't thinking to use a fan, but now that it's here, maybe I'll give it a go... It won't go in the pool, that's fersure, but we'll see. (I still have rep fan's garage to think about too, lol)

It's all model-making to me....I'm having fun.....


Bin-Animator:
That's the animation program I used, but where does the control BIN go?

I assume that I have to take up track-making to view my animated Bins...correct?

Now that would be a nice utility......a program that lets one watch an animated track prop in motion without having to place it on a track......probably too difficult to write, since the software would have to create the extra frames of animation.

I'm in the process of punching holes in R.F.'s floor fan (with his permission of course)....it should be ready today.....

NOTE: It currently has transparent textures for the fan....is that sufficient, or should an animated BIN verion of the blades be attempted (I don't know which is laggier).

FINALLY....ok...I'll make the ceiling fan models with 72 degrees of rotation in the blades.....I need to angle the blades anyway. It will be ready later today.



I could only assume Alpine......

> It's all model-making to me....I'm having fun....

Ah c'mon, I was just teasin'


> where does the control BIN go?

Animation name (eg BigFan0.bin). Usually you use a zero or a "c" to designate the control bin. Also, you have to include the .bin extension for all file names. The saved bin is usually stored in the same directory the program is in.

> I assume that I have to take up track-making to view my animated Bins...correct?

Ideally, yes, but not necessarily. I think I can do something to reduce the number of steps for you. I'll work on it and get back to you later.


> NOTE: It currently has transparent textures for the fan....is that sufficient, or should an animated BIN verion of the blades be attempted (I don't know which is laggier).

It depends on the model. In this case, the trade offs should be pretty even.


> I could only assume Alpine.....

Alpine had some input, but I was thinking Toxin.

TOXIN....I forget more names than I remember....

Thx for the Bin_Animate info.....I still have to re-do the ceiling fan later today....

Here's the finished floor-sitting box-fan by Replica_Fan.....I "broke" the grill to create a path for the trucks to drive through, and added the avocado-green paint as he mentioned....it can be changed back to white or any other shade desired (color-matched appliances?...how chic!).



CLICK the link below to download Replica_Fan's Boxfan track model:
http://mtm2.com/~bigdogge/download/boxfan_green.ZIP
PLEASE do not use it in a track until after ZOON's new track is released later this year.....

All the fans (box & ceiling) will have to be resized larger to suit the track they are being placed upon.....easy enough to do with Binedit.

The grill is a little vertix/face heavy, so if lag needs to be reduced on the beta track, we could always make a much-less-laggier grill using transparent textures (but it won't look as good, and the animated-texture blades will have to be replaced with animated bins....I don't think one can place a transparent face in front of another transparent face...not sure).


If you want a quick look at the boxfan animation in action, pod this truck....I placed a copy of the fan model on the truck-bed of Bigfoot (now called BIGFAAN), just for a visual test.

.... great job on your first animated truck, R-F...(wink wink).

http://mtm2.com/~bigdogge/download/BigFaan_truck.ZIP

OK...here's my first attempt at making an animated BIN for a track...please let me know if it works properly.....I wasn't sure if the stationary motor could be a part of it, or if the rotating blades have to be a separate bin.....I made it all one animated bin model.

http://mtm2.com/~bigdogge/download/ceil ... _model.ZIP

(This zip replaces the previous ceiling fan ZIP that did not have the animation control BIN within).

[quote="ZooN]For example, a living room [/quote]
how bout a sota crushable La-Z-boy? using it asa moving jump. every time its hit(to a certain point) it will move back. i can give it a try if wanted.

Wowoo, lot of news since my last visit

I'm writting from my job place, using the office computer, so ... I couldn't check the models since I haven't any MTM program there ... but I would like to thank again all of you for ZK2 help, I will do all possible things I can to release this track for sure !

BigDOGGe :
When I was at home, I've checked your first version of your great ceiling fan :)
The original size you gave to it was "smaller than a bug", under the ground, tee hee so, I've try to resize them with BINEdit to a giant model and saw the different BIN files hasn't use the same width and height... oops, harder to resize several models who haven't the same sizes but I have resized them to 10X the original size, was easy, but not big enough. ( For example if the width was "1.2564857", I have wrote "12.564857" ... you know ...
Since you've made another version with the Control BIN, I will check this new version at home, I hope tonight and let you know what happens.
( I never tried to resize an animated bin ... is it possible to resize only the control bin ? Or do we need to resize all BIN models ? I guess the second possibility is the only one ... Right Phineus ? )

Rep Fan :
Same than BD model, I need to check the latest version of your creation at home. Anyway, great work you've done too !
I can't wait to see those new objects in action !

Phineus :
'One' of the main modelers on ZK1 was also a truck maker
Yep, here is the readme file of ZK1 :
http://www.interordi.com/zoon/txt/ZooNKitchen.txt


About the idea of a transparent models, any news ?
I've done a little screencapture I shot on a funny track ( using the same theme than ZK )
Like you can see below, there's a transparent 3D glass (not just a texture, but a real 3D model) just before the JAM model. Cool



Legwon :
how bout a sota crushable La-Z-boy? using it asa moving jump. every time its hit(to a certain point) it will move back. i can give it a try if wanted.
Oops, sorry guy, I'm not sure to understand your idea ...... ( ooops .... ) Could you, please, use more simple word ? I'm speaking french everyday, it's sometime hard for me to understand every english words, you know Thanx in advance !

See you

> I never tried to resize an animated bin. only the control bin ? Or do we need to resize all BIN models ? I guess the second possibility is the only one ... Right Phineus ?

Correct. You can't resize a control bin. But here's a short cut, that will work for most thing. Resize the first frame, then rotate that one only, then save each rotation and over-write the old bin. This will make sure everything is the correct size and shape and you won't get "key frame mismatch" errors. But before you do anything, check out the downloads here. They're looking much better.

http://forum.mtm2.com/viewtopic.php?t=1954

I think Rep Fan and I made our models to real world size....oops...sorry.... 1.25 meters wide is about the size of the ceiling fan spining above my head at home right now....LOL!


CEILING FAN

Phin's method won't work on the ceiling fan model.....normally only the blades rotate, while the motor is stationary....I think his method would rotate the whole model, including motor...unless I'm mis-reading this.

What I did to resize the animated model was find a dimension on the 5 ceiling fan BIN models that doesn't change from bin to bin.......the height!

I resides the height of all five models from 1.4 feet tall to 15.375 feet tall (no change to the control bin). I checked the MAINTAIN PROPORTIONS box first, of course. This gives me a diameter of 20 meters (60 feet).

The length or width of my ceiling fan cannot be used to resize, as the length and width of the five models change as the blades rotate. The height remained the same on all five BINs, so that particular dimension is stable enough to use for resizing the models and retain the same size of scale.

I posted the resized fan today. It too will is placed on a sample track for animation and size inspection and comparison with the size of the trucks. Extracting it from the sample track is easy for you, yes/no? If no, then I will make the ceiling fan model available in a ZIP again.

You say that 10x larger size was not big enough for the ceiling fan, so I made the ceiling fan the same width as the BOX FAN I had resized already last night . The ceiling fan should be large enough now.

SAMPLE TRACK WITH CEILING FAN
http://mtm2.com/~bigdogge/download/test ... ng-fan.ZIP


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BOX FAN

ZOON, I resized Replica-fan's box-fan (floor fan) to a much larger size (20 meters wide and tall), so the trucks can pass through it......I placed it on a sample test track (thanks to Phineus) for you to drive through and examine........after you review it and if you accept it, then just extract the BINS and ACT/RAWs for your track from the sample track (or I can send you the models if you request them.

....I used 3 collision boxes for the proper contact effect, plus added the helicopter sound effect and collision sounds.....

TRACK WITH Replica_fan's BOX FAN
http://mtm2.com/~bigdogge/download/test ... th_Fan.ZIP

If you think the box fan has too many vertices, then it can be rebuilt by me or Replica_fan to reduce the number of vertices and faces.....It looks great as it sits now.

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LAY-Z-BOY

LEGWON was speaking of a LAY-Z-BOY recliner chair.....like the one pictures below.....



They lean backwards (recline), so that they may resemble a ramp, and may be used as one, as Legwon suggested.

You can see a large sample of these chairs at the following website...some are in the recline mode for you to see:
http://www.deeceeupholstery.co.uk/LAY-Z ... z-boy.html

I think such a chair would be great, though I'm not sure as a ramp....perhaps, if built correctly....

I made a sketch of what such a chair ramp might look like:



Perhaps pizza boxes or similar can help the trucks get up on the foot-rest of the chair....

Animation is not needed, as the chair would always be in the reclined position.

Looks great to me, except that color....

I was thinking more along the lines life a tan or a yellow color, that green is just ugly, lol.

Doesn't matter though, that's the way those things look. Don't change a thing.

Thx R.F.....I happen to be an owner of one of those "puke-green" box fans...heh heh.....it was the last one in the store on a hot summer day....honest! I had to buy it! (his fingers crossed behind his back)


I just re-uploaded the track with the ceiling fan, for those who already tried it...the fan is now 60 feet wide......the finished box fan is already available for viewing.

After the expo closes and finishes....I imagine the models will be made available at MTMG as track props.

P.S>......I wonder if we should stop revealing these models in public, until the tracks are released....? are we spoiling a suprise?

> Phin's method won't work on the ceiling fan model.....

In that case, you'd do well to separate the hub from the blade parts, resize and rotate the blades, then insert the hub. But your method works too, so the end is just as fine.

yes and no BigDOGGe. yes a Lay-Z-Boy recliner used as a ramp. but no, not always sitting as a layed out ramp.


sorry bout the bad art i suck at drawing.. lol.
everytime a truck hits it it'll move back, as in the picture.
this is what i ment.

Man...this is a very interesting thread, it really is. I'm amazed at all the creative input that's been directed at this idea of ZooN's next version of "Kitchen".

Ok I'm done. I'll step back onto the sidewalk and watch this thing unfold some more lol. Great stuff, guys!!

That would be a killer idea there Legwon, but... on the other hand, I think such a device may slow the truck down.

I mean that ZK is a great fast race track, and I'd like to think that ZK2 is going to be too. That is a cool idea if we could come up with a way to make it work, without slowing the pace of a lap time, ya know?

you can animate the chair to do that but the collidable, moving portion will not be what you'd expect, or in other words the ramp angle will not change in game as it moves back and forth... the moving portion would need to be set to non collide then a stationary invisible ramp placed inside it... or you could make the chair in two pieces, set some weight to the back rest... the trucks would hit it, knock it down, but it wouldn't come back up.

I played with the idea quite a bit in construction zone, I wanted the bridge portion that moves up and down to be more realistic, but the game just wouldn't allow it.

yes malibu. thats what im getting at. sorry if the picture animation threw anyone off.

wouldnt it work if it were a crushable bin?

ahhh, I keep forgetting about those and haven't played with them much... at all even lol, but it has possibilities that could produce some interesting effects that's forsure.