# WingFlex<no value>
Spoilers, like flaps and slats will also need to flex with the wing, and again this will be done using helpers and skinning.

 

 

### Inner Spoilers

Like with the [flaps](wingflex-flaps/) and [slats](wingflex-slats/), the spoilers nearest the aircraft fuselage won't need skinning and can be animated normally. For this we'll create a helper and call it `SPOILER_1_Left`. This would then be placed on the rotational axis of the spoiler node, which would then be animated.

 

As with the other parts of the aircraft wings, we need to divide the left side and right side of the plane for the [Animation Groups](../../../../modeling-technical-information/#animation_groups), and so we use the following names:

-   `l_spoiler_key` (with all left Spoiler helpers)
-   `r_spoiler_key` (with all right Spoiler helpers)

 

The animation itself only requires two frames:

<table><thead><tr class="header"><th>Frame</th><th>Position</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr class="odd"><td>0</td><td>Neutral Position  

(DOWN, retracted)</td></tr><tr class="even"><td>1</td><td>Extended Position  

(UP, fully extended)</td></tr></tbody></table>

 

{{< image-center
    src="images/3_Models_And_Textures/Aircraft/animations/wingflex/flaps_8.gif"
    alt="The Inner Spoilers Animated" >}}

 

 

### Main Spoilers

The main spoilers on the wing will be deform by the wingflex like the slats and the flaps, and as with those mechanisms, we'll be using [Skinning](animations-overview/#skinning) to animate them. For that we'll create new helpers for the spoilers, then link them to their corresponding wingflex bones. We would name the helpers using the format `SPOILER_(number of the spoiler)_Bone_(number of the bone helper)_(Side)`, for example: `SPOILER_2_Bone_1_Left`.

 

You would then proceed to skin the spoilers:

{{< image-center
    src="images/3_Models_And_Textures/Aircraft/animations/wingflex/flaps_9.gif"
    alt="Skinning The Spoilers" >}}

 

And then animate them:

{{< image-center
    src="images/3_Models_And_Textures/Aircraft/animations/wingflex/flaps_10.gif"
    alt="Animating The Spoilers" >}}

 eading edge of the wing, and as such the slat will have to follow the deformation of the wing as it flexes. To skin this slat, we will need several helpers specific to its skin, and for better deformation, we will place a helper in front of each deformation bone of the wing on the axis of rotation of the slat. Each helper placed will be linked to the corresponding wing flex bone.

 

So, we'll create one helper right at the start of the slat for the part that is not going to be moving so much (as it's closest to the airframe) and we'll name it `SLAT_Bone_0_Left`. This is the "zero" helper as it won't move at all with the wing flex, but it needs to be there for the skin and for animation to be correct. It should be linked to the `WING_Bone_Start_Left`.

{{< image-center
    src="images/3_Models_And_Textures/Aircraft/animations/wingflex/slats_3.png"
    alt="The &quot;Zero&quot; Helper" >}}

 

We would then create 4 more helpers, each one placed on the rotational axis of the slats. The image below shows how these would be named and positioned on the aircraft:

{{< image-center
    src="images/3_Models_And_Textures/Aircraft/animations/wingflex/slats_4.png"
    alt="Positioning All The Slats Helpers" >}}

  
Each slat bone would then be linked to it's parent, and if you play the animation these slats helpers should follow the parents and look like this:

{{< image-center
    src="images/3_Models_And_Textures/Aircraft/animations/wingflex/slats_5.png"
    alt="Slats Bones Linked To Their Parents" >}}

 

 

### Skinning

The final step is [Skinning](animations-overview/#skinning) the vertices, first doing a rough pass with the maximum influence for each bone:

{{< image-center
    src="images/3_Models_And_Textures/Aircraft/animations/wingflex/slats_6.gif"
    alt="Skinning With Maximum Influence" >}}

 

Then doing a final polish:  

{{< image-center
    src="images/3_Models_And_Textures/Aircraft/animations/wingflex/slats_7.gif"
    alt="Final Polish For Slats Skinning" >}}

 

If necessary, you can adjust the WingFlex skin or the Slat skin to get a better result if the deformation of the Slat is not as as you require.

 

### Animating

This slat can now be animated, which we do by simply selecting all the bones and then animating them like we did for the inner slat:

 

<table><thead><tr class="header"><th>Frame</th><th>Position</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr class="odd"><td>0</td><td>Neutral Position  

(UP, retracted)</td></tr><tr class="even"><td>1</td><td>Extended Position  

(DOWN, fully extended)</td></tr></tbody></table>

 

{{< image-center
    src="images/3_Models_And_Textures/Aircraft/animations/wingflex/slats_8.gif"
    alt="Slats Animation" >}}