Trains and Roller Coasters in Engine

superdenny707

So I have a few cool ideas about putting a train (or other moving vehicle with multiple trailing parts) into a game as part of a level. unfortunately I have no idea how to actually do this.

My idea right now is that I could use physics, and set up the the train to somehow stay on a set of 'rails.' I can see now that there would be a problem with the way it would actually look. I could animate the train, but then I would have to animate everything the train would have to do, and it would be far less robust and reusable. I'm hoping that there's a way to combine the two ideas somehow (hopefully in a way that someone has some experience with)


Does anyone have experience with this or anything similar and can point me in the right direction?

James Ordner

Send an email to Atari asking how they did it in RCT3 :poly121:

BARDLER

I would imagine a good rig would be your best bet. The wheels and piston move based off the speed going forward, and then just set up controls to keep the wheels on the track and to bend as it does.

ZacD

Well wheels on trains don't bend around corners, they are tappered like this
\/
|
|
|
/\
so that if there is a curve the wheels by themselves will have a larger circumference when they start to go off the track and will then recenter themselves. Trains do not have differentials like cars.