[ODE] Tank Tracks

[John D. Gwinner]

In working on this a bit more, I think I can do the track as ODE
objects, basically flat highed blocks, with the sprocket being a wheel
with 'very' high friction.  However, I'm not sure about starting
parameters .. Maybe if I put the track a little bit 'outside' the idler
wheel, and let a piston joint (1D joint) push the idler out to maintain
tension ... 

I'm worried about the track jumping off, but I could put some low
friction invisible 'blocks' on the top of the outside of the track to
keep it from going side to side.

Thoughts?

               == John ==


> -----Original Message-----
> From: John D. Gwinner 
> Sent: Thursday, January 03, 2002 1:54 PM
> To: ode@q12.org
> Subject: [ODE] Tank Tracks
> 
> 
> Folks:
> 
>   What would be the best way to simulate tank tracks?
> 
>   I could do the bogey's as a series of wheels on simple 
> hinge joints (could even be non-rotating, and do the 
> rotations programmatically), but there would be a constraint 
> on the overall 'shape' of all the torsion bars to be no 
> greater than the track circumference.  I'm not sure how to 
> set this up. 
> 
>   Or - I could model the entire track as a series of hinge 
> joints, and model all the collisions / friction, etc.  This 
> could make for a really impressive video of a link breaking, 
> but it would be a large number of collisions.
> 
>   Would ODE be capable of handing this many objects, say 140 
> separate track links (at least), 10-20 wheels, and a ground 
> (height field)?
> 
>   Before I start the programming I thought I'd check to see 
> what was practical.
> 
>                == John == 
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