P3D v5 How to use data to drive an airplane's animation？

[WesleyLu]

Hello, I am new to aircraft design.
I would like to know how to drive the animation of the plane with data.

Specifically, I need to control the speed of many propellers,
I added new prop_slow in Modeldef.xml file,
These animations work just fine in ModelConverterX.

I edited the Modeldef.xml in MCX to make the animation connect to the PROP ROTATION ANGLE data.

Next I want to modify the speed of the propeller in P3D through the SimConnect interface,
But it seems to have failed,
The animation also doesn't work as expected with the data.

Can someone tell me why?
How did you animate the airplane?

Attached is my edited Modeldef.xml file,
But I think my problem is that I can't set data into P3D.
（The aircraft's latitude, longitude, high speed and other data are OK, but the propeller rotation angle seems to be impossible to set.）

 

[=rk=]

Hi! There are three animation states to work with; prop_still, prop_slow and prop_blurred. For each state, you can use any animation you like, so long as the prop_slow animation is a single rotation of the propellers, prop_still is a fixed version of prop_slow and prop_blurred has not propellers at all, but is a transparent disk, with the appearance of a blurred propeller, that rotates about the same speed as prop_slow. There is no propeller pitch angle at all and there is no way, with the default render engine, to apply _more_ fidelity to propellers.

To do so using SimConnect, you would have to make a distinct module, that is controlled more like a navigation display, than like the default propeller animation system, so that when speed increases, propeller pitch goes flatter, kind of thing. Except in cases of engine startup, these subtle differences are unlikely to be visible in the sim.

So, while it is true that one cannot "feather a prop," one can configure prop_slow to appear feathered, which would not matter as a representation of prop_still and still be relatively undetectable in prop_slow, therefore stopping an engine in flight, would show the propeller still and feathered.

 

[WesleyLu]

Hi! There are three animation states to work with; prop_still, prop_slow and prop_blurred. For each state, you can use any animation you like, so long as the prop_slow animation is a single rotation of the propellers, prop_still is a fixed version of prop_slow and prop_blurred has not propellers at all, but is a transparent disk, with the appearance of a blurred propeller, that rotates about the same speed as prop_slow. There is no propeller pitch angle at all and there is no way, with the default render engine, to apply _more_ fidelity to propellers.

To do so using SimConnect, you would have to make a distinct module, that is controlled more like a navigation display, than like the default propeller animation system, so that when speed increases, propeller pitch goes flatter, kind of thing. Except in cases of engine startup, these subtle differences are unlikely to be visible in the sim.

So, while it is true that one cannot "feather a prop," one can configure prop_slow to appear feathered, which would not matter as a representation of prop_still and still be relatively undetectable in prop_slow, therefore stopping an engine in flight, would show the propeller still and feathered.

Thanks! I do have a host software to simulate the aircraft.
I just don't know how to use simulation data to control animations through the program.

Sorry, I should have asked more clearly, can I drive animations by SimConnect_SetDataOnSimObject setting the PROP ROTATION ANGLE: index?

 

[=rk=]

Have you already seen the SimConnect documentation?

SimConnect API Overview

https://www.prepar3d.com/SDKv5/LearningCenter.php

If it helps.

 

[WesleyLu]

Have you already seen the SimConnect documentation?

SimConnect API Overview

https://www.prepar3d.com/SDKv5/LearningCenter.php

If it helps.

Miscellaneous Variables:​

Simulation Variable	Description	Units	Settable	Multiplayer
PROP ROTATION ANGLE	Prop rotation angle	Radians	Y	-

Yes, I have seen it. I successfully set the latitude and longitude of the aircraft via SimConnect_SetDataOnSimObject.
But I use the same method to set PROP ROTATION ANGLE: index, it failed.
It seems like no matter how I set it, the data is always 0.

 

[=rk=]

I am pretty sure the variable affects performance, not graphic representation, on the basis that the render engine lacks the fidelity to display that detail. Have you already created the animation sequence that represents blade pitch changes? The simulator will not do this.

 

[WesleyLu]

I am pretty sure the variable affects performance, not graphic representation, on the basis that the render engine lacks the fidelity to display that detail. Have you already created the animation sequence that represents blade pitch changes? The simulator will not do this.

I created a 100 frame animation for each propeller in 3DsMax.
There are five keyframes:
0: 0 degrees,
25: 90 degrees,
50: 180 degrees,
75: 270 degrees,
100: 360 degrees.

Do you mean this?

 

[=rk=]

That looks like a spin rotation, for prop_still and prop_slow animations, is that correct? If so, then blade pitch would be a rotation from zero degrees to 90 degrees, or thereabouts, on an axis perpendicular to the spin.

 

[WesleyLu]

That looks like a spin rotation, for prop_still and prop_slow animations, is that correct? If so, then blade pitch would be a rotation from zero degrees to 90 degrees, or thereabouts, on an axis perpendicular to the spin.

This confuses me a bit.
Should I add another invisible blade pitch animation in 3DsMax?

Or should I use PROP_PITCH_SET in Event ID to set the propeller pitch?

If so, how can I write Lua script to map the data and animation?

 

[=rk=]

You can point the pitch trigger to existing animations, for testing.

 

[WesleyLu]

You can point the pitch trigger to existing animations, for testing.

Thanks! I will try that.