Vehicle Suspension Rigging.

Is there a way in an Animation Blueprint that I can make a rear axle mesh of a Wheeled Vehicle, follow both of the rear wheels?

I’m having a terrible time with trying to figure this out. Obviously, the rear axle is a single mesh and the Wheeled Vehicle Blueprint manages the wheels. I just want each side of the rear axle to follow each of the rear wheels.

I can do this perfectly in 3DS Max with constraints, but apparently that rig cannot be imported into UE4.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Assuming you have a single, rigid rear axle connecting the two wheels, you could set it up (in 3DSMax) so that the axle is skinned to a bone that is rooted at one of the wheel hubs (let’s say the left one), the tip/end joint of which is located at the hub of the opposite wheel (the right one). I guess this is what you’ve already done in Max with constraints.

You can build a similar constraint in UE, in the animation BP, by using a LookAt node to make the bone constantly update its orientation correctly as the wheels move up and down.

If I did it in UE, in the animation BP, how would that work? I would have a left wheel bone, a right wheel bone and a single bone for the axle. Of course, I could set up a LookAt node on the axle bone to look at, let’s say, the left wheel. What would I do for the right side, given there is only a single bone for the axle to look at, in which it’s pivot is located on the left side, at the left wheel?

Man, I’m so lost on this! :slight_smile:

This is kinda where I am…

I’m sure it’s my lack of rigging experience, but i can get one side of the axle to work right, I just can’t get the other.

Did you figure out how to rig?