Restricting movement to a certain space within an object

[MetalUrge]

Please refer to an image of my setup which I have attached.

 

My query is with respect to the animation of the crank-pin on the disk which would be moving circularly along with disk which inturn guides the slot of the elbow-lever to act respectively. This elbow-lever will propel the rod thus achieving a rectilinear motion.

 

I could achieve all this with simple animation which are not directly attached to each other. But I would like to make it more like a setup that when I rotate the disk, the elbow-lever must be guided automatically within the slot by the crank-pin. This is so that I could understand the actual trajectories and calculations of the movements to maintain accuracy.

 

I can use bones to give movement but how do I restrict the crank-pin to move within the slot-guide OR in other words how do we make the slot be guided along the circular path of the crank-pin?

 

Thank you for any little help I may get.

[DanGrover]

Please refer to an image of my setup which I have attached.

 

My query is with respect to the animation of the crank-pin on the disk which would be moving circularly along with disk which inturn guides the slot of the elbow-lever to act respectively. This elbow-lever will propel the rod thus achieving a rectilinear motion.

 

I could achieve all this with simple animation which are not directly attached to each other. But I would like to make it more like a setup that when I rotate the disk, the elbow-lever must be guided automatically within the slot by the crank-pin. This is so that I could understand the actual trajectories and calculations of the movements to maintain accuracy.

 

I can use bones to give movement but how do I restrict the crank-pin to move within the slot-guide OR in other words how do we make the slot be guided along the circular path of the crank-pin?

 

Thank you for any little help I may get.

 

Isn't it simply a case of parenting them all down the chain, then putting an IK link from the pin to the base of the arm. If then you make the pin follow a circular path (by constraining it to a circular spline), the arm should move automatically as the pin moves round the circle.

 

Unless I've totally misunderstood your question?

 

Edit: Nope, I have totally misunderstood. You want the arm to automatically move with the pin being inside the slot, I see! Hmm, I have no immediate solution, sorry!

[MetalUrge]

I did try it but never seemed to find the principle working. The slot (with the IK and link) is not measured by the pin to take it along its circular path. Only the position of the slot is fixed to the pin and is dragged along.

 

Or have I seemed to have done it wrongly?

[MetalUrge]

I seemed to get it working in a non-technical aspect by using the LookAt Constraint. I made the perspective look from the end of the slot towards the pin and thus achieving it.

 

But does someone know of how to achieve the same thing without the use of the LookAt Constraint?

[MetalUrge]

Any ideas anyone?

[Neil Woodhouse]

You might get some ideas from this tutorial

 

http://www.evermotion.org/tutorials/show/7872/animate-gears

[MetalUrge]

@ Neil Woodhouse: Thanks a lot for that wonderful link to the tutorial. I really am extremely pleased. Although it wasn't related much to this particular query it sure is a way forward. Do you know of any more tutorials which are of the same fashion?

[Neil Woodhouse]

Always a pleasure to help someone. There is a tutorial which more or less does what you describe. I'm trying to find the link, when i do i'll let you have it.

 

Neil

[MetalUrge]

Sure Neil, will eagerly wait for that link. Thank you!