Is there any more elegant way to make fowler flaps for an aircraft using FSDS or is placing the Part axis way below it so the flap travels along an arc (kind of linear) using the stock flap animation about the best bet?Hope this question makes sense. I think that if you know what I am asking, the question is clear enough.

Hi Use the l_flap_key r_flap_key keyframe anmation tags then you can animate them however you like,they use keyframe0 to 100:)Wozza

Yes, in gmax and FSDS, you set the specific keyframes and the in-between frames are interpolated.Caveat.... the motion you get, may not be the one you WANT, so there is some experimentation to be done.Especially in fowler flaps, you may want to add a key frame 50 , etc., just to make sure your flaps flap correctly.

I would also point out that you are not restricted to a single axis when setting up key-frame animations*... You can just as easily combine X, Y & Z coordinate translations at the same time... ;)However, as Felix pointed out, you will most likely need to add some additional keys to the animation track or the "interpolation" may well not be quite what you expect.*Note: at least this is true with GMax. Someone with FSDS3 will have to independently confirm this feature!

>I would also point out that you are not restricted to a>single axis when setting up key-frame animations*... You can>just as easily combine X, Y & Z coordinate translations at the>same time... ;)>>However, as Felix pointed out, you will most likely need to>add some additional keys to the animation track or the>"interpolation" may well not be quite what you expect.>>*Note: at least this is true with GMax. Someone with FSDS3>will have to independently confirm this feature!Keyframing has not changed in FSDS3 from FSDS2. What Fr. Bill says applies to FSDS2/3 as well.In key-framing, gmax users can "see" the animation progress as a fluid motion, instead of the "frame snapshot" that you get in FSDS. Ingmax, so to speak, you "see" the interpolation that occurs, whereas in FSDS you just see where you've moved your part at a given keyframe.

>My fowler flaps are flapping finely finally. If this project>ever sees the light of day I will be amazed. I have what>seems to be an eternity of work just in a wing.... and I have>not even gotten to ailerons and trib tabs on my final model.Fr. Bill - we gotta watch this guy, he's plainly past the polygon pummeling plane....>>I have made a "hack job" mockup of all my controls to learn>animation and assigned parent/child relationships and>everything works like a charm. The only hitch I have>encountered is aileron trim. What line in the .CFG controls>the limits of the trim tab travel? As they stand now, they>spin infineitely around the part axis in rather large>increments.Aileron limits are in the [airplane_geometry] section of the aircraft.cfg section. THis is from the default C.182:aileron_up_limit = 20.0 //Degreesaileron_down_limit = 15.0 //Degrees

>That I know... the TRIM TAB is the problem. What sets it's>limits?You know - if you named the part "trimtab_l_aileron" or "trimtab_r_aileron" per the drop down list, I'm thinking that it will move on the x axis based on the ELEVATOR trim... since I can't see in the makemdl SDK the tags trimtab_elevator, trimtab_l_aileron and trimtab_r_aileron.There is "Lever_Trimtab_Aileron" which is keyframed, so YOU would set the limits.I cannot see in the makemdl and aircraft container SDKs where aileron TRIM limits are set...Felix/FFDSPegasus Aviation Design