A Beginners Guide

Okay, let's get down to business. RigidChips was created by a Japanese man named Takeya Yasuhiko, who is sometimes referred to as "the Student." Think of a rigid body or physics simulator that calculates air and water resistance. Now add the ability to create models using various components, called chips, which you command to perform actions (virtually anything) using a scripting language; the result is RigidChips. Using a text editor, such as Notepad, you can create or edit models. Using the RigidChips Designer software, you can see a model as you design it. Go to this link to download it: http://hp.vector.co.jp/authors/VA013928/soft.html . This software makes designing models much easier. In this post, I'm not going to go into too much detail; I don't want to confuse you.
There are several types of chips in RigidChips:

1. Chip: Is affected by gravity, as well as air and water resistance. The standard component.
2. Frame: Similar to a chip, except it is not affected by air resistance. Also lighter, since it is a frame.
3. Weight: Essentially a heavier chip.
4. Trim: A chip that can rotate; hold your hand out flat, imagining that your hand is the trim, and your forearm is the chip it is connected to. Now rotate your hand so that your thumb (or pinky finger, it doesn't matter) is facing up. That's how the trim rotates.
5. Trim Frame: The name says it all.
6. Rudder: Another chip that can rotate; hold your hand out flat, and turn your hand so that it is no longer pointing in the same direction as your forearm. That's how the rudder rotates.
7. Rudder Frame: Again, the name says it all.
8. Wheel: Can be scripted to turn to move the model.
9. RLW: Like a wheel, but is usually used for the rotors on helicopters or the propellers on planes.
10. Jet: Just a circle with a black circle in the middle; provides thrust.
11. Arm: A gun; can be scripted to fire.
12. Cowl: Has no weight, and is not affected by air or water resistance. Can also be made more or less transparent, reflective, etc. Once a cowl is down, the only thing that can branch off of it is another cowl, so use with some caution.

That's all for this post; I don't want to make it too long! Next, we'll be covering basic model making.