physics and prims

ok,so I'm trying to make a link of chains that will react to gravity. I'm using a torus for each link of the chain and then attaching it to a cylinder attatched to the wrist. But I want the links to fall towards the ground without becoming attached to each other. If I link them together with ctrl-c then the become completely static, remaining in the same angle as my arm when it moves. But if I don't link them then they fall through each other and hit the ground. Now, if they are solid objects, which they are, then they should not be able to go through each other and would remain attached to one another, which they don't. Am I doing something wrong, or is there no way to fix this. Or maybe can I write a script?

Then there is also the fact that objects like jewelry don't always appear attached to the avatar. Once again, the avatar should be 'solid' and the jewelry shouldn't be able to go through it. After all, avatars can't go through walls and floors, why should these objects act differently? So it there a way to fix this problem?

I don't know of a way to do this, but if there is one I bet it involves joints

Hmm, as for the last part, you can adjust the attached prims once they are attached, through the edit window. There are too many av shapes for SL to try and place or torque a prim to match the contours of an av.

As for the chain, not sure. Sounds like they are being turned phantom. I'm not sure what you are doing is possible when attached to an avatar. When not attached to an av, it it worked for me long ago (I assume it still does). One warning though, I built a chain of linked (intersecting, not linked really) torri, maybe about 10 links (but large). Once I turned it physical the sim I was in (alone) became VERY unhappy.

yes, until we have a new physics engine that is high-performance, physical chains of prims will basically kill the performance of a sim... or can even crash em

For chain, a good texture and a particle script are probably the best way to get the desired effect with the current physics system here in SL.

That sounds very interesting. Is there a sample script available for this. Thanks.

I had my go around with chains long ago.

I wanted to make a swing set. I did accomplish making the chain and the chair and it actually worked (some of the time) but,... when it did not work, the chain would distintigrate and fragments of the chain would go off world, others would wind up far away, it was a disaster.

I don't think I ever crashed the sim, but I know that one time when things got really bad, the seat disloged and I wound up two sims away ( lol )

The current physics in SL does not support many things I, and others would like to do.

I hope this helps.

wizzie

Leena Khan makes a really excellent leash/collar system that does this. She uses particles, as someone else here already suggested.

-Ghoti