Thanks for the very fast replay S68. Much appreciated!
I put the scripts in the .blender/scripts/ directory like you said in the pdf. The BMGm script isnt in the mesh menu, and there is nothing in the anim menu. I even tried pressing update menu’s but still, they didn’t show up. But that’s not much of a problem. I can load them in the text window.
Onto the missing part of the interface. I just noticed now, that the top part WAS “missing” in both scripts. I didn’t notice before because I just used the default settings.
I just tried making the buttons window smaller (vertically) and the top of your scripts interface appeared! I usually make my buttons window bigger when I’m setting blenders default interface, so that is what caused it to be hidden. I can now get to animating.
You must have missed a post. Marf helped me alot and I finally got two of my gear setups to animate. It’s when I tried to append a material from a material library that problems began. I’ll reset the scriptlink and see if I can recover the animation without re-running the script.
Thanks for all your hard work on the script. I envy your ability to create something like this
DYeater: your very welcome. glad i could be of help. as for your new problem i’ve been able to recreate your error. i just typed DriverSL back into the framechanged link and it was back working. so i suggest you do all your setup with the gears working, then append, the when your happy with materials and lighting etc, retype in the DriverSL and test it and you’ll be done. not that big a deal
S68: great script! i love it. cant wait for more, like those long strips of teeth so a cog can move things in straight lines(sorry for description) big metal doors opening by huge cogged machines will be cool or that spiral twisted one in one of your vids…your first example vid. great work
thanks! i got that animation in just a few minutes of playing with it…over at my forum we’ll be starting a Monthly Animation Contest that will start December 1st and Pocket Watch is the topic … i’ll be using your script! hopefully - oh please! let it be - you’ll have all the bugs fixed by then! keep up the good work!
works again…sorry i had 4MM change the link…wrong file and hadn’t gotten to uploading the link again! sorry! (it isn’t that great anyway…it was just a quick test)
Cool anim, glad to see the first application of the script
You have a problem based on theory… I might add a warning dialog on the script, the two meshing gears have a too high addendum and dedendum for their number of teeth, you can see it in the animation because the teeth have a ‘hourglass’ like shape. If you zoom on them in your .blend you’ll notice that the mesh is badly warped.
right…like i said quick test! i did note however that the gears, whenever placed, are off set to where that when you animate them they never touch! this isn’t that big of a deal but theoretically (sp!?) that would have to be an extremely stronge magnetic force to push them on their own! maybe a revision?
also, i don’t think that i am understanding this driversl link…when i press generate is the anim script creating driversl.py and then i am linking to it!? the readme (nice readme!) was alittle vague on this…
just finished the crown gear anim and it is nice…can this apply to a conical gear with two conical gears set at 90* to the previous and then freely rotating around shafts connected to bracket with it’s shaft inline but not connected to the first gears? complicated question…let me see if i can get a render to explain…
You need to have a tooth smaller than the empty space between teeth… or they won’t turn! That’s why it does not touch. Since where it touches depends on spinning direction and who drives who I believe it is easier to leave to the user this part. If you parent the gears to an empy (1 gear 1 empty) just carefully adjust the rotation of the father empty to have contact.
DriverSL (Capitals do count!) Is generated as a text buffer, not as a python file, so no extension. You can check it in text window. YOu only need to type its name (Capital counts!) in the Scene Scriptlink on FrameChange Event.
i did the empty rotate part…that is the easiest fix i found… i understand the theory of the tooth and space thing…
DriverSL (Capitals do count!) Is generated as a text buffer, not as a python file, so no extension. You can check it in text window. YOu only need to type its name (Capital counts!) in the Scene Scriptlink on FrameChange Event.
oh a text file! yes i just typed it lower case…sorry i new what that it only works capital!
I don’t follow you here…
alright let me try this again (sorry don’t have python installed on this pc…have to get back to mine!) add a conical gear in top like normal then take the smaller and rotate that 90* to the bigger one and align the teeth then copy it and put it mirrored at the opposite side. A shaft connects the smaller gears and allows them to “spin freely” and since the gears are attatched it turns around the larger gear. So recap:
conical gear in top view -> rotate the smaller 90* and align to larger -> copy and mirror the smaller
now with this setup turning the large gear will turn the smaller ones which will cause them to turn around the larger and if they are connected then the center of rotation is at the center of the larger gear.
i’ll still try to get a screen or maybe an anim to explain better…hope that helps though!
yay! Thanks. I got it but haven’t had time to play with it yet (version .02) but I already love the first version. I’ve been enjoying your demos of the gears.
Paradox
maybe a revision?