understanding* I'm working on a supercar mod and I intend to add active aerodynamics, where two flaps on the front fenders of the car open up when cornering, a la Pagani Huayra. I want these flaps to affect the aerodynamics of the car rather than just being a visual effect, so making them props isn't an option. From what I've read in the documentation, there are two beams that may be capable of doing that: hydros and rotators. I'm a little confused on how rotators work exactly. Can you add a limit how many degrees they can rotate to, like the hinges on a door?
Why not just use hydros for this like the active spoilers on vanilla cars? Using rotators would be way too overcomplicated for simple flaps imo
How would I go about doing that? Should I create a separate .jbeam file containing the flaps and its hydros? Is it possible to connect nodes together from two different meshes given the right node IDs?
Yes to all the questions. This is very basic information that you are normally expected to know before making a whole car, but I'm not blaming you for not knowing this if it's your first proper mod. Seeing how you have only done Automation mods before, are you sure going for a supercar mod now is a good idea? These are some of the hardest mods possible to make due to the weight ballance and very high stiffness requirement, if you want to make one properly.
I am absolutely positive about making this mod so I am seeking all the assistance that I can get. That's the idea of the BeamNG modding community, after all Anyway, thank you for the information. I will keep this in mind. Is there anything else I should know about regarding hydros? I've already read the documentation, but what are some things I should look out for to avoid instabilities?
To avoid instabilities specifically with hydros, I think the most important thing is a good balance between their beamSpring and the in and out rates. Both of these factors affect the speed of the hydro and both can also contribute to instabilities. You also need to set them up between nodes that have enough weight to handle the forces. You should look at the vanilla active spoilers for reference.
