Working on the steering made me realize that props are for squares! I changed out the kart steering props for physics based meshes, which makes is a lot easier to sync with the steering since I no longer have to do math to figure out the ratio between the wheel and the actual steering. This will also free up the steering wheel lock to be whatever you want it to be without causing the handlebars to spin around. Other than that, I've been working on stability for various parts and further simplifying some of the meshes. I still need to finish the tweaks to the steering and make the standard suspension steering more robust, but its coming along!
I have the new steering to the point that I want to release an update very soon. The changes have been challenging to implement on the non-welded suspension, so this update will be primarily focused on the welded front configurations. Even the big engine variants now handle significantly better! As far as changes to expect, that I can remember: Improved stability of most tires Improved stability of front suspensions Improved stability of independent rear suspension Changed steering geometry on all suspensions Welded Front Suspension: Added simplified steering to the welded front suspension Previously, I used a steering rack like those found in larger vehicles, which was stable, but about twice as heavy Adjusted all welded front configurations to perform well with the new steering Changed the handlebars from props to meshes so they are independent of the steeringWheelLock variable Added a slider for steeringWheelLock so that steering wheel users can change how sensitive the steering is for them I do not have a wheel to test this, so please let me know if it doesn't work as intended Changed the values of the front arm stiffness There is now a noticeable difference in handling with even a 10% change on this Updated all welded front meshes to match the new steering geometry Simplified a few of the engine meshes further Altogether probably around 50-75k faces taken off of the I4, I3, and 250cc engines, but primarily the I4 Also improved the exports so they look less like playdough Updated all thumbnails
With the welded front update finally released, I am getting to work on fixing the steering for the non-welded suspensions. Due to the way the frame reacts and deforms under caster adjustments, I will be using the same system I implemented with the welded front in that there will be 4 selectable caster settings (0, 5, 10 , 15). This will increase the front end's stability and end up being easier to run since it isn't using dozens of precompressed beams. The other significant change is that for the non-welded suspensions, the steering knuckle will be behind the hub. After reviewing more images of the front suspension in order to finally match the hub and tierod locations to real life, I discovered that the steering knuckle and tierod started out in front of the hub, but was swapped to the rear when tire sizes made ackerman steering impossible on the front while keeping the steering relatively light. The changes so far have significantly improved handling overall for the base configurations (150, 250, 350cc) and I have been able to better tune the race configs, although I am still very bad at this and longitudinal weight transfer is a huge problem with this setup. Here's a couple pictures of the steering setup before and after the change In Front: Spoiler In the rear: Spoiler
Over the past week, I got the desire to add the final version of the frame before it was discarded for a shortened truck frame. This meant a much more sturdy frame and a new component: the front loader bucket! The version I chose for the mod (so far) was the second bucket design, which was a modified bathtub. This was actuated vertically via a hand pumped engine hoist and tilted using a hand cranked winch that was mounted near the driving position. The bucket was only ever held in position using tension, so it can and will flop around if you go over bumps. So far I have the bucket, hoist, and most of the chains modelled and implemented as seen in the videos below. I have also finally made the effort to ensure that the tires on the rear match real life rather than a close approximation. On the independent rear setup, I have further refined the front steering geometry, but the vast majority of my time was spent adding the new frame. Here is the bucket and the way it moves: And here is a short-ish drive with it towing the 2100kg large box trailer:
