After trying out other GC software I became aware it was possible to get very realistic and smooth motion by using the motion modifiers provided. When I went back to AM I found AM had similar types of plugin or constraints that aid with Animation. Without these aids the example gif animation I made in AM would have been impossible to make. After looking @ the thorn Sim_prj by Steffen Gross I realized it was possible to cut down Render time significantly using this plugging. The problem with most new people to animation including myself is we tend to do things the hard way for a long time and find it hard to change. Most people fear the maths that is sometimes involved or they give up if some thing does not appear to give them the right results.
I have found it rewarding @ to push myself when I try something new that does not work.
My rule is if it does not work the 1st and 2nd time then delete the whole thing, reboot your system and start again. If your tired then go to sleep and try again the very next day. It is far easy to get things right if you don't know how to do things the wrong way.
So if anyone out there can speak German then I would be grateful if the could translate any information on setting up the plugin for the Newton Dynamics projects. I am still on AM v12.
The Thorn project also uses Simo Cloth in combination with the Newton Dynamics. That is why I am puzzled as to how to get the set up project to simulate like the example.

I don't know Yardie, that animation makes me think you understand it pretty well.
I know I haven't been able to get Newton Dynamics to do that.

What are you trying to simulate beyond that?

Also, I don't follow you on the thought of cutting render time.
I can see where animation time might be saved though.

I guess I'm not really sure where the benefit of Newton Dynamics can be gained in your example.
What is (or would be) simulated in the example?

Well Rod is you get a chance download thorm Sim_prj. When you 1st run simulation it generates all the key frames required for the animation. Then if you select all the cp's of the action in the time line-
1) Right click and from the pop up menus choose Curve then Post-Extrapolation Method
2) then Repeat or Ping Pong the action is repeated indefinitely without any new cp's being Generated.

If you go to simple walk cycle you know it can be pretty hard to keep the feet from slipping if you don't set the stride length properly. And if you constraint your character to a path you can use the ease channel to get the cycle you fit the length of the choreography. The walk cycle can be a bit jerky on it's own but if you add a repeat curve it smooths it out some what.
If you don't animate regular cause you don't get the results you want it could be because you are not aware of the AM "helper and solver tools"
I figured out how to use the reaper and ping pong functions ( or curves) from the Fire and Smoke Tutorial in the Manuel.
One of the hardest things for me to animate was having a character hold and play a guitar or violin.
I had been trying such a feat from the 1st time I got AM. Then I solved the problem when I found the Aim at and Aim like two constraints work beautifully when set up properly.
setting up constraints can be a real pain if the order of the set up is not right.
Example: if I need to have a camera aim at an object while the camera is constraint to a path then I make sure the camera is constraint to the path 1st before I apply the Aim at constraint.
When I 1st tried use constraints I was not sure what I was doing and I would often give up and go back to manually doing things and then giving up( LOL).
I used to work as a CNC machine operator and I learnt that spending some time with setting up the machines made made them run smoothly and correct. If the set up was not right then one would have a lot of rework and blame the machine or someone else.
Just like Scottie from Star Trek I found my self on many occasions telling the boss, " need more time, if we rush this job the drills will over heat and cut every thing to the wrong size". The were times that I or the boss would scream @ each other but when the job was done and out of the way we were still friends and very often laugh at our past arguments. Why laugh? simple because most Angry people are just simply funny.

Thanks for the info Yardie.

As I said it looks like you've already got a pretty good handle on this.
It may just be a matter of using different words in some cases.
For instance, you said:



"Helper and Solver Tools" is a term that sounds intriguing. It's a bit too vague though to narrow in on anything specific. If you find the time perhaps you could share your thoughts on that.

Explore that aspect, especially with relation to what you are trying to accomplish here with Newton Dynamics, and I think everyone will benefit.

Rodney

"Helper and Solver Tools" are the terms used in 3ds Max to label the tools that act like some of the plug ins and constraint systems used in AM. bones are used to in Max but they call there null objects, "dummies".
It's possible to get a free trail download of 3ds Max 8 and 9 that you can use for 30 days.

I think I've discovered the origin of your frustration Yardie.

Umm.... that gif shows some pretty basic animation - why do you think it would have been impossible to achieve without some 'technical' help? (Hair aside)

Reliance on these "modifiers" will only limit your options when you happen upon an instance that the available modifiers will not cater for. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against them, lets just not deify them at the expense of expanding ones own skillset!

Edit: Just noted English is not your primary language - so 'impossible' may just have been lost in the interpretation

Cheers