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Intriguing rigging challenges


NancyGormezano

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I've only seen TV footage rather than the play itself but, have you seen the stage play of "War Horse" ?

 

http://www.warhorseonstage.com/videos

 

I have been aware of this play, but haven't seen it. Yes, wonderful artistry & puppetry!

 

I was fascinated by these strandbeest lifeforms because of their different mechanism of joint movement and that they were powered by the wind.

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Now that is entirely too cool.

You always amaze Mark.

 

Are you planning to drive it via a force?

 

I could see how a force might push it initially but not sure how it'd reset unless the direction of the force's direction and/or intesity was animated as well.

 

Too bad we didn't have that idea for TWO. That contraption would have been great for Ku Klip's workshop. :P

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FAH-BUH-LUSCIOUS, Mark! Wonderful!

 

I was so hoping it would peak your interest (and David's and anyone else) as a fun challenge.

 

I started (failed) and was still fumbling when I gave up. I approached it sooooo wrongly.

 

As I look at your rigging solution, one can see (perhaps?) how that sort of rigging might be used to actually simulate muscle deformations of a skinned creature?

 

But I think your solution is most wonderful for it's simplicity and delightful using it for a mechanical looking creature.

 

I'm still smiling when I watch your 2 movies.

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I think it needs to be 6 feet for balance.

 

The real life kinetic creatures built using the same structure as the strandbeest do not require 6 legs to balance. View video here. They only have 4 legs.

 

Perhaps if the body (of the A:M model) was swayed side to side (as in the video with the card board models) it might look more balanced as it walks.

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I've made more progress. For the most part, I have it setup to autowalk when the model bone is translated in the Z axis in any direction or constrained to a path. There are a couple glitches in the expressions, but it's minor.

 

Now that I got the expressions working, for the most part, I'll be able to update the suspension rig to work the same way (have a crazy workaround for it to work right now). I wasn't able to do this before, til Steffen added the boolean operator functions.

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I'm not sure what was powering the real contraptions. Was it the wind somehow? Was gravity pulling them downhill?

here is one mechanism (see uploaded image): looks like the cloth catches the wind, which then drives the crank shaft, which drives the legs

 

image taken from here

 

I thought? I also saw another mechanism such that the wind gets channeled/funnelled into an upside down plastic pop-bottle, and that it then gets amplified when it re-emerges from narrower opening, to drive the cloth? or something like that - but I am unable to find that example.

 

Start watching at around 44 minutes

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlZ1ZAghqJY

 

Yes, serg, thanks for the link. Another clever mechanism for the legs - that example in the youtube looks simpler (for me widdle brain) to perhaps rig in A:M. As for simulating the dynamics automatically in A:M? uh....

clothcatcheswind.jpg

clothcatcheswind2.jpg

Edited by NancyGormezano
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Well, lt's not wind power.

 

oh that is FUN! fun fun funnnneee!

 

As for "wind" - perhaps if he was made out of cloth, he might flatten to look like a human shaped sail?...and then if a force were applied, from behind? er...no..then that would be his exhaust system (oh, come'on...someone had to say it)...with little puffs of smoke... :rolleyes:

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