VV Building For Dummies
#1
Posted 04 March 2011 - 07:07 PM
VV track spines are mainly used when building tube-supported coasters, but they're also very useful for box-supported coasters too. There are 4 main types of track spines, which you can see in the pictures below.
Micro spines
1st spine
Credit to BBaller347
2nd spine
Credit to RCExtreme(me)
3rd spine
Credit to Tornado96
4th spine
Credit to Intamin Thrill Rides
The 4th track spine only works with supports made out of original sized pieces. Please note that you can also use flexi-rods in place of the gray rods.
#2
Posted 04 March 2011 - 11:27 PM
#3
Posted 16 March 2011 - 12:00 AM
#4
Posted 16 March 2011 - 03:46 AM
Sorry for bringing this back up after many days of no posts but, just curious stig, are you using the little tiny tan clips to hold those purple ladders to the track, or are they liitle black ones? I have never seen them in black before.
Those are from Vertical Vengeance. I don't own the set myself but half of it's pieces ONLY come in that set...
#5
Posted 16 March 2011 - 01:05 PM
#6
Posted 17 March 2011 - 05:25 AM
ok, so does VV also contain those blue micro rods shown in the 3rd spine setup? They dont use them in the loopin lightnin or the speed demon coasters.
Basically, If you don't find it in any other set, then it's from VV.
Really annoying if you ask me.
#7
Posted 18 March 2011 - 06:25 PM
Sorry for bringing this back up after many days of no posts but, just curious stig, are you using the little tiny tan clips to hold those purple ladders to the track, or are they liitle black ones? I have never seen them in black before.
VV gave me a bunch of tan ones. But now I have mostly black ones.
I think with Euphoria I used all black stubbies on the track.
#8
Posted 25 April 2011 - 10:44 PM
TRACK TO TUBE CONNECTIONS
Track to tube connections are the base for building any tube-supported coaster. This is the method that I use:
The "hinge" makes the connection adjustable. This is important for getting the right angle for your track when it connects to the support. The top can also rotate to allow the connection to work with a variety of different positions. You can also rotate the base of the connection by moving the green one-way connectors on different rods of the tube. This comes in handy when you want to eliminate roll or pitch. The "hinge" will only swivel perpendicular to the position of the yellow rod.
CONNECTING TUBES
Connecting tubes are important for making more complex tube structures. Although there is a great number of ways to do this, let's take a look at the basics:
There are two ways to set it up:
Keep in mind that no matter which option you choose, one of your tubes will always be free to rotate. The trick is to have the tube that doesn't rotate to act as your main support for your track.
^ Here you can see that I've chosen the lateral, blue tube to be able to rotate. Why? Because even if the tube rotates, it wouldn't affect structural stability. And it still provides excellent strength.
However, there is a way to eliminate tube-rotation altogether. You can do this by using cross-braces.
In this picture, I've attached two tubes to one by using a 3-D half-moon connector in place of a regular half-moon. Again, this structure was created by starting with the same tube connections.
This picture shows the track connections and tube connections working together in one tube-structure.
FOOTERS
Footers are just as important (maybe even more) than track and supports. Your footers are what keeps your tubes firmly on the ground and keeps them from shaking. Without them, the entire structure of the coaster would be too weak no matter how strong your tubes were.
Although footers, like tubes, vary in size or shape depending on the situation, here is the basic footer that I use:
At the base is a circle of small black rods, this keeps the other rods from slipping. No, this isn't absolutely necessary for every tube, but it is essential for large tubes. I will usually use these for tubes that are 3 orange rods or longer, or at the bottom of a pull-out.
For vertical tubes, it's important to connect them to an upper-base. If this were a real coaster, it would be where the tube meets the ground. Everything under it is considered below ground-level. Here is the method that I use to connect vertical tubes at ground-level:
This is what keeps your tubes upright when trying to place track. It also adds strength to your support structures.
So, what if your tubes meet the ground at an angle?
It's a common problem that will happen a lot.
The footers for tubes are always the same. However, just like with tube-connections, the support will always "hinge" in one direction. The trick here is to connect the footer to a rod so it stays flat on the ground. Sometimes this will require you to change your base, or move your green one-ways to other rods of your tube.
In any tube structure, I will generally have at least one vertical support.
STRUCTURE
Your coaster is a machine. It runs on gravity, and produces energy.
The key to making an effective structure is to distribute that energy into the ground. For every action, there is a complete and opposite reaction.
This is a picture of a structure for a large helix. Notice that two red rods have been replaced by four yellow rods with a ladder connector. This set-up enables the tube to intersect the base. And if you're reading this soon after I've posted it, surprise! The blue arrows represent the direction the energy will be traveling, and how it is dispersed into the structure.
The train puts energy into your track, which is absorbed by your supports, and distributed into your base.
CONCLUSION
So we've covered the basic techniques and disciplines of making a tube-supported VV coaster. Please remember that this guideline isn't a complete manual for coaster building. A great coaster can only come from great ideas and effort. This guide was created as a 'basic strategy tutorial' that I have developed from experience. Credit goes out to Bballer247 for his amazing track spine. And to Gump & MP thrill rides for their tutorial and perfection of tube supports.
#9
Posted 26 April 2011 - 01:43 AM
#10
Posted 26 April 2011 - 06:31 PM
Track Spines
Strengthened version of Stig's track spine.
And some track spines with original K'nex pieces.
Yellow
Red
Orange
They're all basically the same, but you can use different types or colors of pieces to get any color combination that you want.
Support track connections
Here are some great support to track connections that I use for turns.
90* banking
135* banking (for overbanked turns)
180* banking (this is very useful on inverted coasters)
These are some of the strongest support to track connections that you can make. They can also be used on coasters that are made completely out of micro pieces.
Footers
Here's one of the footers that Bballer347 used on his coasters, and I use it a lot.
You can also strengthen it like this.
That's all for now.
#11
Posted 11 May 2011 - 02:42 PM
It's for the curved track, first I tried BBaller style, but my rods where bending to hard.
so i did this:
and for the inverted:
NOTE!
i changed the orange rods into blue's, it's much cleaner!
Click > Spirit Bomb/Blue Fire!/Double O/Kirnu < Click
SSC award 2014: Best SlimTrack Coaster
Eruption
#12
Posted 15 June 2011 - 02:11 PM
For straight sections
~picture deleted because of embarrassing nooby-ness~
90 degree
~picture deleted because of embarrassing nooby-ness~
I haven't figured out how to curve the spine. If you do please tell me how.
I didn't choose the band life, the band life chose me.
#13
Posted 15 June 2011 - 02:14 PM
Official Builders of Faith Member
#14
Posted 15 June 2011 - 02:19 PM
Try replacing the red rods on the spine with green (VV) or purple (Micro) rods.
#15 Guest_321_*
Posted 15 June 2011 - 02:26 PM
#16
Posted 17 June 2011 - 09:49 PM
Bend the sticks
NEVER BEND MICRO RODS!!!!!!!! This makes them even more brittle than they already are, plus the fact that they are made to break so people buy more of them doesn't help. Once bent micro rods are extremely hard to get straight again.
I didn't choose the band life, the band life chose me.
#17 Guest_321_*
Posted 30 June 2011 - 08:23 PM
#18
Posted 30 June 2011 - 11:47 PM
^ Those are curved sections of track. They are available in the Looping Lightning sets.
#19
Posted 01 July 2011 - 06:59 AM
^^ Micro rods are supposed to be bent. That's why they're flexible. Just don't bend them in half or step on them. That's when they get ruined.
O, because whenever I bend them they almost always break when I try to unbend them.
I didn't choose the band life, the band life chose me.
#20
Posted 01 July 2011 - 06:11 PM
Don't bend your rods, flex them.
Maxwell, you were right the first time.
321, don't break your sticks.