2009

reactor toolbar > Create Linear Dashpot button
Dashpots typically server to cushion impact. An example of a real-world linear
dashpot is the hydraulic cylinder in an automobile shock absorber. The Linear
Dashpot constraint lets you constrain two rigid bodies together in the
simulation, or to constrain one body to a position in world space. It behaves
like a heavily damped spring with zero rest length. You can specify the strength
and damping, and whether collisions between the attached bodies are disabled.
reactor lets you specify a dashpot attachment point in each body's local space.
During the simulation, the dashpot exerts impulses on the attached bodies
in an attempt to make these points match up in world space, thus keeping
the bodies in the same positions relative to each other. The bodies are still
free to rotate around the attachment point.
You do not need to add a Linear Dashpot explicitly to a simulation, as all valid
constraints in a scene are added to the simulation by default. A two-bodied
dashpot is valid if it has two rigid bodies attached, while a single-bodied
dashpot is valid if it has one rigid body attached. When not selected, invalid
dashpots are colored red in the viewport.
Procedures
To create a Linear Dashpot:
■ Choose one of the above options, and then click in any viewport to add
the dashpot.
NOTE The icon’s position has no effect on the constraint’s behavior.
To attach objects to the Linear Dashpot:
1 Create the Linear Dashpot and the objects to connect using it.
2 On the linear dashpot’s Properties rollout, click the Child pick button,
and then select the object to use as the child object in one of the
viewports. By default, this attaches the linear dashpot to the body at the
body’s pivot point.
3 If you do not want to assign a second body to the dashpot, turn off the
Parent check box, if necessary.
4 If the dashpot is two-bodied, repeat step 2, using the Parent pick button
to set Parent for the Linear Dashpot.
Constraints | 3935