Need help with damper on Aircraft

[Meatball0311 79]

First question is:

1. What exactly will damper do to an aircraft?

2. As I understand it only works with "translationY" so that means that the animation only goes up and down?

Mankyle was kind enough to point me in the right direction, but my model (F/A-18F) has different suspension than the recommended example model A10.

I just need some further explanation. Thanks

[mankyle 420]

Sorry because yesterday I hadn't much time to explain

1. What exactly will damper do to an aircraft?

Adding dampers will make that the landing gear of you plane will behave much more realistic, animating when landing as if the dampers were "under the weight of the plane".

2. As I understand it only works with "translationY" so that means that the animation only goes up and down?

Yes and no.

There are a couple of ways for setting the dampers. You don't have to use the dampers source. Use, as in many of BIS planes, the "altradar" source.

That means that when the "height over the floor of the plane" value is between a certain values the damper animation is triggered and with some other values it is not.

One example using rotation

class dampers: Rotation
		{
			source="altRadar";
			selection="dampers";
			axis="dampers_axis";
			maxValue=0.400000;
			angle0=-0.087266;
			angle1=-0.296706;
		};

And one using translation

class FrontGearDamper
		{
			type="translation";
			source="altRadar";
			selection="gear_1_1_damper";
			axis="gear_1_1_steering_axis";
			memory=1;
			minValue=2.700000;
			maxValue=2.850000;
			angle0=1;
			angle1=0;
			offset0=1;
			offset1=0;
		};

Very important, you must include the land contact points in the damper selection, so the land contact point are also animated.

Take a look at the SU34 in the Air3 PBO. There it is very clear.

[Meatball0311 79]

Thanks a lot that really helped and got it working to a degree. I need help with maybe the values, because when the gear retracts it now sticks out of the fuselage.

                    class lgearsus
		{
			type="rotation";
			source="altRadar";
			selection="osa_lgearsus";
			axis="osa_lgearsus";
			animPeriod=0;
			memory=1;
			minValue=0.1;
			//maxValue=0.5;
			//angle0="rad -64";
			//angle1="rad 0";
			maxValue=0.400000;
			angle0=-0.087266;
			angle1=-0.296706;
		};
		class rgearsus
		{
			type="rotation";
			source="altRadar";
			selection="osa_rgearsus";
			axis="osa_rgearsus";
			animPeriod=0;
			memory=1;
			minValue=0.1;
			//maxValue=0.5;
			//angle0="rad +64";
			//angle1="rad 0";
			maxValue=0.400000;
			angle0=-0.087266;
			angle1=-0.296706;
		};
		class n_sus
		{
			type="translation";
			source="altRadar";
			selection="osa_n_sus2";
			axis="gear_1_1_steering_axis";
			animPeriod=0;
			memory=1;
			minValue=2.700000;
			maxValue=2.850000;
			angle0=1;
			angle1=0;
			offset0=1;
			offset1=0;
			//minValue=0.1;
			//maxValue=0.5;
			//offset0=0.75;
			//offset1=0.25;
		};

Here are some photos:

Rear wheels sticking out of fuselage on retract

Also, landing is very hard now and it seems like there is always some sort of damage to the plane on landing. Could this be because of the damper?

Thank you,

Meatball0311

Edited August 19, 2011 by Meatball0311

[Meatball0311 79]

I may have fixed the landing issue, but the animation still needs help. I need help on the values.

Do they change depending on the type of aircraft?

[[aps]gnat 28]

Dampers and Carrier aircraft have never mixed very well before in ArmA ...... I always avoided dampers .....

More so because they never looked realistic, they always moved BEFORE you touched the ground.

Meatball

On the damage, did you animate the LANDCONTACT and the GEO LOD bits as well as the Resolution LODs?

[Meatball0311 79]

Gnat;2007395']Dampers and Carrier aircraft have never mixed very well before in ArmA ...... I always avoided dampers .....

More so because they never looked realistic' date=' they always moved BEFORE you touched the ground.

Meatball

On the damage, did you animate the LANDCONTACT and the GEO LOD bits as well as the Resolution LODs?[/quote']

Please explain a little more on the "animate" Landcontact and Geo LOD bits please.

[[aps]gnat 28]

?

What you have above is animation.

You are animating named sections like "osa_lgearsus"

No doubt theres a few points in LandContact that contains the "wheel" point. Its probably named.

The Geo lod may contain some representation of the landing gear struts and the wheels

If these have different names to the bits you are animating, then they may cause issues.

i.e. the wheel in the Resolution lod is moving, but the one in the Geo lod is not

[Meatball0311 79]

I got the dampers to work (the rear gears look as if they have weight on them). However when I take off they are still in that position. What do I have to do so they will animate when there is no weight on them?

Do I need to do anything with the pistons?