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Gun mechanisms and tutorials

PostPosted: Wed Jan 29, 2014 7:41 am
by ngphil
In this tutorial, I will be discussing several crucial components to making a good simulated firearm in Algodoo. The mechanisms are fairly simple and do simple tasks, but they all play a role in making a good firearm, well, good. No quality firearm will omit any of these (unless certain conditions apply).

The mechanisms:

first, the extractor and ejector. These utilize the twisting force of leverage to fling a spent cartridge out of the gun. The extractor pulls back from the top of the case rim, and the ejector pushes forward on the bottom of the case rim. This creates an imbalance of forces, causing the twist and ejection.

Next comes the disconnector. If you ever look at some of the guns on algodoo that claim to be semi-auto, you may have noticed you have to "tap" the trigger instead of hold it. if you hold it, the guns slam fires continuously. That is not semi-auto. The disconnector prevents the hammer from dropping until the trigger is released again after firing, and then pulled. If you ever have fired a real firearm, you will notice you can hold the trigger and only receive one round per pull. That is semi auto. View the disconnector as a second sear. When disengaged from the hammer, the hammer may drop, but the disconnector lets it drop into the real sear, ready for firing.

After that, if you want full auto, you need an interruptor. The interruptor functions similarly to the disconnector in that it prevents the hammer from falling under certain conditions. The condition is: a bolt that is not at battery. If the bolt is not completely closed, the interruptor trips the firing mechanisms and prevents the hammer from dropping. Again, it functions kind of like a sear by holding the hammer and releasing it at the right time. The disconnector needs to be disabled for this to work as planned.

The gas piston is an alternative to the old-fashioned blow-back gun designs on Algodoo. Unlike real gas pistons in firearms, the ones in algodoo use the power of the bullet being fired to cock the spring-loaded gas mechanism down the barrel. once it reaches a certain point, the collision with the bullet ends, and the mechanism start heading towards the chamber again. As it does this, it unlocks the bolt and pushes back on the gas piston. the gas piston may be connected directly to the bolt, or it may be connected to a bolt carrier, a mechanism that holds the bolt and locks and unlocks it when it moves forwards or backwards over the bolt.

other mechanisms will be added later. For now, these are the fundamental mechanisms that are used in a good firearm.

links to example scenes:

Ejection mechanism

Disconnector

Interruptor

Gas mechanism