@ Alan

Hi Alan, I have been trying to create a moving chain which would rotate around some gears. I was trying to work out a way that I can do this which lead me to a tutorial  around using a nurb curve, which of course, I have come up with some problems. Here is the tuorial I have followed.

 It basically links a link to a nurb curve by using motion path which attaches it to the curve. It then duplicates around the curve by using, create animation snapshot. This part works fine.

I then placed joints around the curve by using a locator which is also attached to the curve using motion path. It then gets a little iffy from here.

 It then shows in the tutorial to select the IK Spine Handle and fiddles with the settings (shown in the second image). He resets and then deselects auto parent, snap curve and auto create curve. He then selects all the joints and connects the IK to the joints. It is here that my problem begins. When I tried this it does not allow me to selects the joints coming up with an error (bottom image). It pretty much just says that they are not seen as joints?  I tried using the IK spine just on a few joints in a separate file but still I could not get the Ik to work at all (even with all its settings reset it would come up with the same error). I have made this both on the uni computers and my own laptop but with ended up with the same out come.

Is there a solution to this or an easier way to animate a move chain around a couple of gears? 

Orrery Motion Pre_Viz

Maya Orrery Experiment

Diving into Maya I have tried to put my thoughts together about making a working orrery with the use of showing gears (Rather then hidden). Although it is very basic and blocky (all gears have the same number of teeth etc) this would  (in principle) work if the gears were the correct size (number of teeth). The rotation is made by a separate lot of gears which is connected by the chain (which I need to work out how I could animate).

Close ups

Beginning Silhouettes

While thinning of the use of gears and how the create my orrery, I have tried to do some silhouettes to try and get a feel for how I can display the machine.  From these I have learnt that maybe it is not such a good thing to have many big gears on display but have it more refined as otherwise it looks a little industrial (which may or may not be a bad thing) like no 1 or 3. I quite like 2 as the orrery looks more solid unlike 3 where its gears everywhere. I do like the stand up of no 4 but still does not feel quite right.  

Orrery Scribbles

I am trying to work out what I should have on top of my orrery that can relate to the meaning and message of the piece. I am also looking at how I could make my orrery spin on the top of my machine.

Here I have put a few of the things I am thinking of using for my orrery. Im not sure if there should be more like a cow or less.

Simple rotation around the middle pole and gear.

Gears based on the bottom which rotate the orrery.

Mechanics are inside the pole and thus rotate with out any seeable gears.

Going on the idea of the gears on the floor, the rings rotate in different two directions. This meanings the middle three all rotate the same way while the outer three rotate the other way.

Gear Basics

Here Im looking into gears and how I may use them. Although the design for them at this stage is not critical I believed it would help to get me in the mind set of the type of machine I am after ( smart looking or industrial ). I have also looked at the basics of how they can work and how I could use the gears, i.e. how to incorporate a handle. 

Gear Mesh

Some Math & Notes

Here are some note I took while watching so vids. These are more for refrence and also just In case I forget (as math just goes over my head)

The size of the gear can be related back to the number of teeth that the gear has. Two gears connected to one another must have retrospective teeth to match one another which can be worked out with the ratio of ?/1. For example 2/1, 3/1 and so on.

 For example using, but not limited to, the 12 X table you can work out the size of any gear to match.

Example

(1x12) Small gear with 12 teeth. 1/1 ratio

size up

(2x12) Mid gear with 24 teeth which is 2/1 ratio to the small gear. (2 times as big as small)

size up

(3x12) Big gear with 36 teeth which is 1.5/1 ration to the mid gear but 3/1 to the smaller gear. (1.5 times as big as the mid)

This can be related to any even number for example 10. 1/1 ratio is 10, 2/1 would be 20 and then 30 would be 3/1. So as long as it keeps to the ratio, the gears can connect.

The Best Gear Explanation

Very helpful for number of teeth in relation to size.

Cogs & Gears - Lot 5

Here I'm trying to look more closely at the gear on how they connect with the machine and work and mold together to keep everything turning rather than simple anesthetics. I am trying to work out  how different motions can be connected.

Cogs/Gears - Lot 4

I have a grate fascination with clocks with there mechanics and beautiful presentation. While looking at images of them I thought it would be good to save a few for reference on different styles and on how they do not always show all the gear as part of it is hidden behind something. This to me looks quite pretty and may be good for my machine to not show all of its mechanics but to indicate them.

Cogs/Gears & Stuff - Lot 3

Here are some quite nice formative videos that help show how gears react to one another. Also helped with understanding the teeth a little more and how fast they go due to there size.

Cogs & Stuff - Lot 2

Here I am still looking at different cogs and mechanisms, some small. some large, for reference and inspiration. 

Artistic Research

I could not help looking and W Heath Robinson work while thinking of creating my machine. Since Alan reminded me of Robinson my fondness for this work was reestablished. Although my invention will probberly not be as wacky his Robinson's, I thought it would be good to look at this drawings for inspiration on how things can work and interact out side the norm.