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Simple Animation the Hard Way

Ok I see what's going on. We use the stock code for the ailerons which has units percent, scale -1 and bias 50 while the lever_stick_l_r has units percent, scale 0.5 and bias 50. There's the missing 50% either side. Or has this already been stated and I was to confused to see it? :confused:
 
Anthony,
I did a series of tests on my DH-89 Dragon Rapide, which has four ailerons. The upper wing uses AILERON LEFT DEFLECTION PCT and the lower wing uses AILERON LEFT DEFLECTION which as Bill said is in grads. The ailerons were animated to be at 30 degrees with full yoke deflection. The yoke used the standard animation and I multiplied the results by 100 so it would match the PCT aileron. The grads aileron readout peaked at 30.
I first checked that the aileron axis of the Stick was on full sensitivity and had zero null zone.

What I found out backs up what you have been saying about the issue with the PCT version.
Up to about 25% Yoke the PCT aileron deflection is double the yoke deflection, for example at 14.9 yoke, the PCT aileron was 30.3, at 23.8 yoke the PCT aileron was 50.0. At larger than 25% yoke deflections the PCT aileron stopped deflecting visually, but the readout of its deflection continued to rise. For example yoke 76.2 PCT aileron 89, yoke 95.4 PCT aileron 97.9, at full yoke the readings were both 100%.

By comparison the AILERON LEFT DEFLECTION visual animation was better because it did not stop early. However, like the PCT it indicated 15 (half) deflection with 24 % yoke. Above 25% yoke both the indication and visual movement continued but with a different scale, 23/30= roughly 75% with 50% yoke and 30 at 100% yoke.

The yoke rotation was linear throughout though only up to 27° whereas the animation was supposedly up to 30°

So both versions of the animation indicate 1/2 deflection with 1/4 yoke rotation. The PCT version has maxed out visually at that point, but the grad version continues visually though at a reduced rate. Perhaps you could give an explanation for the grad version non-linearity.

The relevant code for the PCT version is
<Sim>
<Variable>AILERON LEFT DEFLECTION PCT</Variable>
<Scale>-1</Scale>
<Units>percent</Units>
<Bias>50</Bias>
</Sim>

The relevant code for the grad version is
<Sim>
<Variable>AILERON LEFT DEFLECTION</Variable>
<Scale>-1</Scale>
<Units>grads</Units>
<Bias>50</Bias>
</Sim>

The relevant code for the yoke is
<Sim>
<Variable>YOKE X POSITION</Variable>
<Units>percent</Units>
<Scale>0.5</Scale>
<Bias>50</Bias>
</Sim>

I believe your conclusion that the scale should be -0.5 for the PCT version is correct and I will modify modeldef accordingly and continue the test.
Aileron Animation.jpg

The X axis is Yoke%

Although I did not include data for it, the right yoke deflection behaved identically to the left yoke deflection
Roy
PS
I changed modeldef to -0.5 scale for the PCT version and recompiled the Rapide. First P3D v2.5 compile!
It now moves throughout the yoke range like the grad version. 25% yoke gives an indicated 50% deflection with what looks like 50% visual deflection. 50% yoke gives 75% and 100% gives 100%. So now the PCT and Grad versions behave the same visually.
There was no change to the indicated deflection versus yoke deflection which is still non-linear. The only change is to the visual appearance/animation which now moves throughout the yoke range.
 
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Conclusion: ACES used some strange form of "new math" when scripting modeldef.xml

I've now edited my modeldef.xml file(s) accordingly.
 
I love how this post evolved! Thank you Anthony, and I'm also editing my modeldef.xml file. I hope this post gets saved to wherever new knowledge is kept.
 
On the basis that what happens with the AILERON PCT should in theory happen to the RUDDER PCT and ELEVATOR PCT animations also as Anthony mentioned, I continued the trial.
Yes. Both of those bad boys stop moving at 50% deflection. Deflection here means both control deflection and indicated control surface deflection.

I changed their modeldef code to include <Scale>0.5</Scale> and recompiled the Rapide.
Both surfaces now animate smoothly to the maximum deflection.

For the record here are the amended modeldef entries

Code: 
PartInfo>
        <Name>elevator_percent_key</Name>
        <AnimLength>100</AnimLength>
        <Animation>
            <Parameter>
                <Sim>
                    <Variable>ELEVATOR DEFLECTION PCT</Variable>
                    <Units>percent</Units>
                    <Scale>0.5</Scale>
                    <Bias>50</Bias>
                </Sim>
            </Parameter>
        </Animation>
    </PartInfo>


Code: 
<PartInfo>
        <Name>rudder_percent_key</Name>
        <AnimLength>100</AnimLength>
        <Animation>
            <Parameter>
                <Sim>
                    <Variable>RUDDER DEFLECTION PCT</Variable>
                    <Scale>0.5</Scale>
                    <Units>percent</Units>
                    <Bias>50</Bias>
                </Sim>
            </Parameter>
        </Animation>
    </PartInfo>

The only other stock animations using "percent_key" are flaps. Most of them have scale=1 and bias =0, but there are two oddballs:
l_flap_neg_percent_key and his right hand brother use
<Scale>0.5</Scale>
<Bias>50</Bias>

I'm assuming that whatever they do they are OK because they already have the scale and bias correct.

Amazing what can be found under flat stones.
Roy
 
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I think AILERON AVERAGE DEFLECTION would be good for a code that reads both left and right aileron angle. Seems to me this would be rare if ever needed.

I always use AILERON LEFT DEFLECTION PCT which is good for the actual aileron and YOKE X POSITION would be good for the control stick.

AILERON LEFT DEFLECTION = Angle deflection (If you use this code then in the aircraft cfg you would have to put 100 under aileron_up_limit for full animation. But this would tell the air file to use 100 degrees and would be pointless. Or you would have to animate 100 degrees in both directions to use a normal value of like 35.) DO NOT USE!!!
AILERON LEFT DEFLECTION PCT = Percent over 100 (Use this code so you can put a normal value like 35 in the aircraft cfg under aileron_up_limit and get your full animation. Always animate the precise angle you desire.)

When i build a bi-plane or an aircraft that uses a stick rather than a yoke i use a custom code using YOKE X POSITION that has -0.5 for scale rather than 0.5 so it's reversed.
 
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Another tip. I use percent for aileron rudder and elevator. The default code for "rudder_percent_key" and "elevator_percent_key" does not have scale. I have added scale using 0.5 so the yoke matches the animation. This way i can use the correct value in the cfg as i stated above.
 
I have used FSDS to successfully animate control surfaces and props for FS2004 aircraft, but am now trying same for FSX and struggling:
I have used the default prop0_blurred, but get a static prop (no visible animation)
I have created an elevator animation MyElevator using the revised modeldef code above in this thread, and it works fine
I have created a rudder animation MyRudder using the revised modeldef code above in this thread, but it does nothing ... I have tried replacing RUDDER DEFLECTION PCT with some of the other rudder variables, also with no success.

Can anyone give me any hints as to how to debug this situation for both props and rudders?

Is there a deluxe MODELDEF.XML file anywhere, which has all the enhanced and debugged animations in it?

Thanks.

Iain.
 
I don't want to appear patronising, but have you tagged the animaitions in the "animation manager"?
 
You could only be patronising if I knew what that meant, which I don't. FSDS has no "animation manager" - where is that?

Thanks,

Iain.
 
Hi,

FSX does not provide any "stock animations" - you have to keyframe every moving part. You will need to animate your blurred prop with 100 keyframes (using at least 5 spaced keyframes). This is described in the SDK/Environment Kit/Animations Tags.

Hope this helps,
 
Thanks for that - you don't get anything for free with FSX, eh? I have now successfully animated the prop.

Any idea why the elevator animation is successful, but the rudder animation produces nothing? Both animations are visible in ModelConverterX, so the animation code must not be connecting to the rudder position variable in FSX (RUDDER DEFLECTION PCT).

While I'm on, my blurred prop uses a partially solid, partially transparent, partially semi-transparent DXT3 BMP texture with greyscale alpha channel. However, although I click the "Uses transparent textures" box in FSX, the disk comes out solid. I can add an Alpha Test to the texture using ModelConverterX - that gives the transparency, but not the partial transparency ... how do I do that?

My SDK contains a JPG image of an "FSX Animation Manager" but not the program itself - where is that available from?

Thanks again for all the help!

Regards,

Iain.
 
The Animation Manager is an add-on to Gmax/3dsMax which the SDK provides, but you're using FSDS. I think you need FSDSxTweak to complete your toolset. See the Wiki under Tools.
 
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I think that FSDS gets that information from the part name (like in FS9)?

Here's how to specify FSX part names to animate (in this case an aileron):

"Once current, I’ll change the name of the part. I open the Edit | Part Properties menu or press F2 and then click the Browse button next to the Part Name box at the top. I’ll select FSX Keyframe Animation from the drop-down list, then select the l_aileron_percent_key for the part name and click OK."

From:
http://www.hovercontrol.com/artman/publish/article_168.shtml

Hope this helps,
 
You know, it's funny, but the habits are so deeply ingrained at this point for me that even new-build native FSX models get the old part names. It does help me find things in the selection list, mind, so it's not entirely pointless.
 
The great thing about FSX is no more specific names for parts. But as a warning it's best to make a custom name for any animated part. Because once you export your scene you need to always look for the warning that you have duplicate animation names. if you do have a duplicate name this will cause issues for those parts and can make parts grow in size and sit in another position. So keep an eye out for those warnings and they will appear from time to time.

All other parts that are not animated can have duplicate name so there is no need to check the box check for duplicate names when exporting your scene. This saves you a lot of time so your never renaming standard parts. And no matter what It will always warn you about duplicate animated names.
 
Yap! Discovered the default animation defect in my PD-808 where it is used for the elevator. The trim+relief tab is instead custom coded and while the elevator stops at about 50% yoke, the tab keeps moving... I decided not to release an update for this as it is a ridiculously minor issue... I believe subsequent models of mine use custom animations throughout, so the issue is not there!
 
delivery guy said:
The great thing about FSX is no more specific names for parts. But as a warning it's best to make a custom name for any animated part. Because once you export your scene you need to always look for the warning that you have duplicate animation names. if you do have a duplicate name this will cause issues for those parts and can make parts grow in size and sit in another position. So keep an eye out for those warnings and they will appear from time to time.

All other parts that are not animated can have duplicate name so there is no need to check the box check for duplicate names when exporting your scene. This saves you a lot of time so your never renaming standard parts. And no matter what It will always warn you about duplicate animated names.
Click to expand...
I think that this is a good enough rationale as-is to continue using the old part names. ;)
 
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