UNITY: Creating a Driveable Vehicle in Unity 3D (youtube)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21zuMIsy2GM&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Notes:

MAYA:

• make sure units are set to METERS so that units are 1:1 with Unity.
• Length and Width: 5.0 units
• Grid Lines every: 1.0 units
• 
  
• Average car is about 4m long, 1.5m wide.
• label your body and wheels.

• Delete History and Freeze Transformations.
• Move model to properly sit on ground plane in Maya (keep transform)

• export FBX (to Unity folder if you'd like)

• mesh
• units: meters, scale factor of 1.0

UNITY:

• import FBX model into "ASSETS" folder.
• enter scale factor of 1.0 under model's inspector panel.
• turn off keyframe reduction.
• hit APPLY to save information (important!)
• drag icon into Unity scene.

• FBX Export automatically creates group node, but in this case we don't need it so pull the assets out of the group node.
• directly parent wheels under CHASSIS of car
• chassis >
• wheel_frontLeft
• wheel_frontRight
• wheel_rearLeft
• wheel_rearRight
• insert ground plane
• zero out ground plane transforms (0,0,0)
• (optional) add texture to ground plane

• download Car Script
• download Wheel Align Script
• download Camera Switching Script

• create empty GameObject and name it "WheelColliders"
• zero out node to (0,0,0)
• duplicate and name "FL_WheelCollider", which will be a template for the rest of the wheels.
• Add GameObject>WheelCollider to "FL_WheelCollider"
• Duplicate to the following structure:
• WheelColliders>
• FL_WheelCollider
• FR_WheelCollider
• RL_WheelCollider
• RR_WheelCollider
• line up all WheelColliders with actual wheel art assets
• move CENTER xyz via INSPECTOR, not through the Scene View.[ !! ]
• size using RADIUS
• rinse + repeat for other wheels, with given information (size, position)
• Add Rigidbody to CHASSIS of car object (top group)
• change mass to 2000 (Unity units are metric, mass in KG)
• interpolate set to "interpolate" (smooths out collisions)
• Add BoxCollider to CHASSIS
• (from different tutorial)
• rough out the collision shape of your vehicle
• Add CarScript to CHASSIS
• configure front Left and Right wheels for steering (script dependent)
• configure GEARS
• number of gears
• gear ratios
• 4.31, 2.71, 1.80, 1.41, 1.13, 0.93 (basic 6 speed)
• engine torque: 90
• Add WheelAlignment Script to each of the wheel geometry
• input corresponding Wheel Collider per wheel
• Add Audio source (Car script calls for it)

BAM. Car.