Jerks at vertices - CoasterBuzz

Funny, they work just fine in Adobe After Effects and Illustrator.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"

And you've traversed those paths in a 1st person view with realistic physics?

Oh my god, can't you folks write a post with out resorting to stupid bickering!? Geez! Every thread inevitably has stupid whining and snotty attitudes. I'm particularly surprised to see one of the snottier attitudes is the webmaster for this site.

Not only am I positive it's not a code problem (I've smoothed nearly all vertices on an extrememly high speed coaster), I have determined what the problem is, which is basically, whenever you're in a 2-D view, and move the control points in those 2 dimensions, that means your also moving it in along the third dimension, unless your track happens to be normal to any of the three x,y,z planes at that vertice. The upshot of this is that, you will almost never get a perfectly smooth vertice by adjusting them in the 2-d views.

So, here's what to do, go into the 3-D On-Track mode and move til you're at the section you want to straighten. Click on the vertice, then while still in 3D mode, move the handle to make the straight Control Line parallel to the track at the vertice.

Ride-Op, if Ole's interested, I could explain to him a fairly simple mathmatical way to make it easier for users to make smooth curves in 2-D views. I just need a little time to think it through.

And yes, Jeff, bezier curves work in Illustrator. but that's 2- dimensional, and Coastergames.net has a good point.

Why the attitude?

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Can't this thing go any faster?

Ride-Op, if Ole's interested, I could explain to him a fairly simple mathmatical way to make it easier for users to make smooth curves in 2-D views. I just need a little time to think it through.

I'm sure he wouldn't mind hearing the suggestion. Give him an email at info@nolimitscoaster.de.

-Ride_Op

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NoLimits Tournament of Champions now underway at Ride_Op Coaster Productions! http://rideop.twistedrails.com

Why the attitude? Because I grow tired of people who refuse to understand what I'm getting at.

Yes, you are correct, when making the curve normal to two dimensions, the problem should go away. I've tried that, building an inverted coaster confined to one plane, eliminating that third dimension and the problem still occurs. Try it, you'll see what I mean.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"

ok, Jeff, I can appreciate that feeling. I think most everyone feels that. For instance, I'm sure I'm right, why can't you understand what I'm saying? You sure you're right, why can Ride_Op understand, , and Ride_Op may also, though I can't speak for him, wonder why you don 't acknowledge what he's saying.

I'm sure we all are hoping for the same thing, fun smooth coasters on NoLimits. I don't know this Ole fellow, but he obviously did an amazing job programming NoLimits. I think it's insulting to assume his code is to blame (though he is not error free, like everyone else) and basically place blame on his ability, when, even though it may seem so, is not necessarily the case.

And certainly, sarcastic bits like "Well aren't you just an all-star. " do nothing positive. Are you that certain, you're correct? And that everyone else is wrong? You're doing exactly what you don't like people to do to you.

Anyway, we digress from the actual topic. I understand your test, and I'm not at my computer with NoLimits to try it just yet, but my initial thought is this.... since there is no way to restrict movement of control points or vertices, there is no way to get a truly planar track (unless Ole reprograms for a future revision), therefore the control points will still move in three dimensions. It seems that the code is so literal that even a very minor shift in the control point is noticed in sim mode.

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Can't this thing go any faster?

Side note: you can limit your building to only 2 planes by turning on the Snap function and snapping all points to the same line on the grid. You have to be sure you snap both the vertex and the control points to that line (and you have to snap the vertex first).

-Ride_Op

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NoLimits Tournament of Champions now underway at Ride_Op Coaster Productions! http://rideop.twistedrails.com

Ride Op,

I can see that working if I want my control line to be parallel to an x,y, or z plane. Does it work if that's not the case?

Thanks for the tip, and thanks for holding the tournament. By the way, I'm confused about round 2. What constitiutes "passing by" the ring?

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Can't this thing go any faster?

Well if you're not on the X, Y, or Z plane (or a 45 plane which is still pretty easy) you're kinda stuck. The best bet is to build what you want on the X, Y, or Z plane, save it as a prefabbed element, then insert it where you need it.

As for Round 2, imagine that the ring is a hole in a gigantic wall, and the only way to pass by that wall is through that ring.

-Ride_Op

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NoLimits Tournament of Champions now underway at Ride_Op Coaster Productions! http://rideop.twistedrails.com

Jeff, please quit fighting. If i'm sure, you are breaking one of your own posting rules.
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I Survived Millennium Force!

1.) Millennium Force 2.) Steel Eel 3.) Raptor 4.) Mantis 5.) Magnum XL-200

I rode Montu in the back, the jerks are there, but you don't really notice them unless you are really paying attention for bumps. There are a few jerks that are noticable, but ver few. If you can barely notice the bumps, what's the difference if it is design flaw or programming flaw?

Aren't the forces supposed to be a bit more jerky and forceful in the back? Just a thought.

Jeff.... not sure if you have seen this already, but the "plans" for Talon are on Dorney Park's website. It shows a nice top-down view of the layout. Only mention it because I noticed a few things didn't seem the same on your track as I remembered them from riding it. Wasn't sure how accurate you were trying to be.

The link to the plans is http://www.dorneypark.com/talon/plans.htm

Kudos to everyone who has braved the editor in making tracks. I haven't had the cahones to try it yet :)

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