0
rwtrainer

New free Windows application for sequential RW skydivers

Recommended Posts

Hello, I know that belly flight is not as popular as it was years ago. Even so I would like to present RW Trainer, a Windows application that allows skydivers to design, optimize, play animations and print sequential relative work jumps.

A "must have" for serious Formation Skydiving competitors, very useful also for judges, FAI rules designers or just beginner relative workers.

A demo video is available at https://youtu.be/lZR_XdmqMB4

The application can be downloaded at no cost from http://rwtrainer.sourceforge.net

Features:
· Optimizes free inters in sequential relative work jumps while ensuring that all jumpers complete the jump cycle in the same positions
· Optimizes all blocks in a rules set such that each jumper always flies each block in the same position
· Animates optimized jumps in the screen
· Several animation options
· Prints rule sets and jumps
· Full editing capabilities for blocks and random formations
· Allows customization of optimization parameters
· Multithreading to optimize use of computer resources during intensive computation processes
· Saves all data for future use
· Extensive help
· Bilingual (English and Spanish)

I hope it will be useful for some of you.
Oscar Contreras

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
StreetScooby

This looks really good. Can I change orientation of build axes? What about the mid-point of the build?



Hi, nice to see that someone is interested in this. Whole formations can be turned or moved in the EDIT tab, as well as individual jumpers or subgroups. The help indicates how to do it in the "Defining and editing blocks and random formations" section. Midpoint of formations are always automatically placed in the center of the window once the program processes them. Is this what you mean?
Oscar Contreras

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
StreetScooby

So, the mid-point is stationary for all formations/builds in the dive?



Yes, it makes sense. The energy of a mechanical system is minimum when measured with respect to its center of gravity, that is, its mid-point. So if the mid-point is not stationary then there is a waste of energy. Let me know if you disagree.

Just to make sure, as English is not my native language, I understand by mid-point the center point or center of gravity of the formation. Is this right?
Oscar Contreras

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Your English is great, though I'm not sure I quite grasp the physics.

For example in 4-way block 4, the whole formation's midpoint changes during the block move - the piece rotates around its own centre (somewhere behind OC's knees) while the solo flyer translates and rotates.

Current technique on block 12 is in a state of flux, but previous iterations had the pieces shearing and ending up translated; the centre of the overall formation moved. Some methods of doing 2 likewise... and so on and so on.

I don't have Windows at home so I can't play with the app and really see what you're doing. But the demo video looks really cool, for what it's worth B|

--
"I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan

"You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Joellercoaster

For example in 4-way block 4, the whole formation's midpoint changes during the block move - the piece rotates around its own centre (somewhere behind OC's knees) while the solo flyer translates and rotates.



Well, for blocks maybe, but I'm not quite sure that the pieces rotate exactly around its centre. I think they move a bit toward the solo flyer, who in fact is moving in the opposite direction and both moves compensate. At the end the mid-point doesn't move or moves very little.

See for instance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L2oBAI8O3s. Round 1 has block 12, round 8 has block 3 - which I think is included in the kind of blocks that you refer - and round 10 has blocks 2 and 4. If you put a finger in the mid-point you will see that it doesn't moves or moves very little from initial to final formation. Maybe the camera compensates, but in any case I think the displacement is minimal.

For free inters I am quite sure that the mid-point should not move if correctly executed.

In any case I think that the main contribution of RW Trainer is the design of the jump topology, that is, the correspondence between jumpers from one formation to the next completing the cycle with everybody in the same positions while optimizing the inters.

Also, although the midpoint doesn't move in RW Trainer, the blocks can be set such that the piece rotates while the solo flyer translates and rotates. The final effect is quite similar to what is seen in top teams videos.

Anyway I will think about this for future releases.
Oscar Contreras

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Hello, just to say that RW Trainer version 1.1 is now available. It can be downloaded at no cost from http://rwtrainer.sourceforge.net as usual.

A demo video is still available at https://youtu.be/lZR_XdmqMB4.

Changes from version 1.0 to version 1.1

· Improved optimization for more than 8 jumpers.
· Improved and more versatile checkpoint settings.
· Improved free inters cost evaluation.
· Improved block definition in sample files.
· Corrected bug affecting projects with 5 or 6 jumpers.
· Other minor changes.
Oscar Contreras

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

0