The tyVehicleTread helper creates a simulated tread/track chain (as used by tanks and other tracked vehicles) wrapped around a list of wheels, using its own physics-based (PBD) solver to keep the tread taut and correctly draped over the wheels as they move.
tyVehicleTread helpers are created from a tyVehicleChassis helper’s “Create chassis part…” menu, not from the Create panel.
Track: the mesh object used for the tread band’s visual appearance.
Alignment: controls how the track mesh is oriented to match the tread’s procedurally-computed path.
Mirror: mirrors the track mesh alignment, flipping the mesh around the secondary alignment axis.
Substeps: the number of PBD solver substeps run per simulation step. Higher values improve the stability and accuracy of the tread chain at the cost of performance.
Count: the number of segments used internally by the tread solver, independent of the Display chain’s own piece count.
Stiffness: the stiffness of the tread chain’s internal distance constraints (how rigidly it resists stretching).
Length mult: a multiplier on the tread chain’s rest length relative to the wheels’ actual geometric spacing, allowing the tread to be simulated slightly looser or tighter than an exact fit.
Damping: damping applied to the tread solver, reducing oscillation/jitter in the chain.
Lock threshold: tread pieces that are touching a wheel and are within this angle threshold to the chain tangent will be locked to the wheel - can help stabilize the tread shape around wheels, but may introduce snapping artifacts if the threshold value is too large and chain stiffness is too low. Set to 0 in order to disable all tread locking and allow the tread to drape/wrap freely around the wheels using only the PBD solver.
Jitter adds a small amount of controlled randomized motion to the tread chain, simulating the natural clanking/vibration of a real tread rather than a perfectly smooth chain.
Threshold: the minimum tread motion required before jitter is applied, preventing jitter from appearing on an otherwise stationary vehicle.
Strength: the strength of the jitter effect.
Frequency: how rapidly the jitter pattern changes over time.
Scale: the spatial scale of the jitter noise pattern.
The values in this section control the tread’s final, visible appearance (how many pieces make up the tread band, and their size/spacing) and are independent from the Solver chain settings below, which control the underlying physics simulation resolution used to drape the tread over the wheels.
Count: the number of visual tread pieces used to display the tread band.
Pivot offset %: the pivot point position within each tread piece, as a percentage of its length - affects how each piece rotates relative to its neighbors as the tread bends around wheels.
Overlap %: how much consecutive tread pieces overlap each other, to avoid visible gaps as the tread bends.
Width/width offset: the width of each visual tread piece, and an offset adjustment.
Height/height offset: the height (thickness) of each visual tread piece, and an offset adjustment.
Slip correction: when enabled, corrects for any long-term drift between the tread’s visual placement and the wheels’ actual rolled distance, keeping the tread visually synced with wheel motion over time.