Problem with parented objects deforming when I hit [Play]

Support Modeling
#1

Thank you in advance for any help with this issue. :sunglasses:

Please search youtube for “Blender 2.6 Simple - ironmanreply_0001.wmv”

I’m trying to make a Tank Game on Blender. I’ve managed to make it once already.

However when I tried to make it again for some reason it keeps distorting my Tank when I hit the play button. You see at the end of the video how the end of the cannon stretches back & gets squashed.

The problem doesn’t happen if I don’t parent them BUT I need them parented so I can move the turret around and fire shells out of the end.
The same thing happens to my shells - they get squashed from icospheres into pancakes!

Thank you so so much for any help - Ive obviously misunderstood the concept of parenting.

#2

Search Youtube for
“Blender 2.62 - Distort Caused by Parenting”
2min video of the problem Im having. 8-/

#3

if you don’t want the child object to inherit the transform of the parent object, use either vertex parenting or a copy location constraint.

#4

Try applying the scale and rotation of your models.

#5

what crunch said ( ctrl A ) except that that might screw things up if you don’t unparent first.

#6

Modron / Crunch,

Thank you SO much for helping me.
Is there a setting that Im missing that Ive accidentally clicked.
Ive made a (better) version of this tank before & it never suffered from this issue.
Also have I misunderstood the notion of parenting then…? My understanding was that parenting merely forced the child to follow the subsequent transformations (in this case the movement) of the parent. Whereas the child is free to be manipulated without a knock on effect. I feel as if Ive missed a point somewhere along the line.
My intention (when parenting) isnt to copy and paste the attributes of the parent object onto the child - which is what it seems like you are suggesting.

Rather than replying I am happy to go and read up and learn myself if you can point me in the direction of the resources you used to learn the concept. I dont want to be that guy that wants/expects a 1to1 lesson without doing any of the groundwork himself.

Thank you for your help so far.

BTW another board suggested “if you hold Ctrl + N then ‘invert shapes’ or something then it should be fine”
I haven’t tried this yet but in case anyone else is suffering from the same problem I thought it good to keep any advice in the same thread.