Monday, December 9, 2019

GEMC Semi-trailer system manual

This article will cover the installation and setup process for GEMC semi-trailer system, as well as the functions of included semi-trailer.

Our semi-trailer system comes in two parts: the hitch, and the semi-trailer.

 To install the hitch, simply link it to one of compatible vehicles, which includes
Lusch Motors - Hermes-series trucks,
Lusch Motors - Ajax-series trucks, as well as
Lusch Motors - Hermes with installed Buck Municipal addon by GEMC.
Make sure you're using a clean unmodded version of the vehicle. You can perform all the modifications later.
 Once you've linked the hitch, it will adjust itself automatically, and you will be presented with a configuration menu. You will be able to configure the chassis to a 4x2 preset, or leave it as it is. If you want to add more wheels, you'll have to do that manually.
 When the setup is completed, you will notice HUD layout changing to the one of semi-truck.

Now it's time to rez the trailer.
 To attach the trailer to the truck, back up the truck under the trailer's pin area, exit the truck, and then click the "semi-trailer" button on the HUD. If there's more occupants inside the cab, they will have to exit, otherwise the system won't work(it's a safety measure). Once the trailer detects the truck, you will be asked for a linking permission. Grant it, and the trailer will attach.
 To detach the trailer, do exactly the same - exit the truck, and click the "semi-trailer" button on the HUD, then grant linking permission.
Alternatively, you can click the handle on 5th wheel coupling instead of the button on the HUD.

If you have trouble with following these instructions, you can refer to the following illustrations: Installing the hitch, Attaching the trailer.

The trailer in this package is a standard 40ft US box trailer with a regular tail gate.
 When the trailer is not attached to a tractor, you can click the trailer to access its menu. When it's attached, navigate to "Customize..." - "Back Addon" to access trailer menu. It features a number of simple liveries, as well as an option to add a custom one, two types of wheels(new and worn), an option to toggle the cargo, and an option to lock or unlock the tail gate.
 You can paint the semi trailer using GEMC Paint Spray can. When it's attached to the cab, it's getting painted as a whole(Main livery for the truck itself, Livery Aux 1 for the trailer body, and Livery Aux 2 for the tailgate). When it's not attached, it will use main livery for the trailer body and Livery Aux 1 for the tailgate.
The tail gate operates only when the speed is lower than 1 mph. When the truck is moving, clicking the tail gate will bring up the truck menu.

Driving with a semi-trailer is fairly simple. Truck's speed is limited to approximately 35 mph, and acceleration is slower to reflect the presence of a semi-trailer. However, you may like to practice driving with the trailer in some open space before departing.
Since the trailer is not a physical object and uses math for rotation, it doesn't account for any sort of surrounding geometry. So in a rare case of it getting stuck in some other objects like buildings or walls, you can click the trailer for approx 1.5 seconds, and  it will become phantom, so it can pass through geometry. When you're out of trouble, you can perform a long click on it again to make it solid.
When driving in a laggy environments, you may notice that trailer is moving a bit choppy. This is done on purpose to negate the timer stretching effect from the sim lag, and so the trailer's overall rotation speed stays the same.

The trailer is GTFO!-enabled, so you can perform your cargo runs with it like with any other OEM back addon for Lusch Motors trucks(more about GTFO!).

Technical limitations: the whole trailer is a single prim so you can't link stuff to your vehicle in order to make it move with the trailer.

Livery template for the trailer body(click)
Livery template for the tail gate(click). Please inspect the original tail gate texture inworld to see how it's done.


GEMC, 2019