Ryan Ellis

Ok this is a fun one… Again it uses the wonderful Xbox360ControllerServer that Dave Moore wrote.

This script will create a rocket engine that is controllable with the right trigger of an Xbox 360 controller. Since the script utilizes Maya physics you can do all sorts of fun stuff. You can make rocket powered cars or tow things around or whatever you can imagine with physics. Here is how it works…

It takes the Input from the Right Trigger and maps it to an expression that controls the impulse of an active rigid body. So whatever way the rocket is pointed is the direction the rocket will go. Also I hooked up a particle emitter to it so that when you are applying thrust particles will shoot out. To get started just download the following and follow these easy steps. Also I have included a quicktime of the rocket in action in a few different scenarios. Don’t worry about the frame rate in the video. Fraps causes the frame rate to drop dramatically when you are capturing. I was consistently getting well over 60 fps.

Quicktime of the Rocket in action

Daves Xbox 360 Controller Server

xboxRocket.mel

1) To use first make sure the xbox 360 controller is installed and plugged in…

2) Install the Controller Server

3) Start the Controller Server. (This must always be running before you run the .mel script)

4) Open Maya and run xboxRocket.mel

5) At any time just hit the play button on the maya timeline and start hitting the right trigger on the controller!

Happy Boosting!

Now because its using maya physics you can add all sorts of jumps and whatnot to make a fun rocket playground. Make maya passive and active physics objects and watch them interact with the rocket.

To make a passive physics object (such as the ground or a jump)

1) Place a piece of polygon geometry in the world.

2) Select it and go to the maya Physics module

4) Click on the Soft/Rigid Bodies menu and then select Create Passive Rigid Body

Nebs Maya / .mel, games