I'd prefer to avoid referring to the current single-hinge system as trailing arm. Well, it's very
similar to trailing arm suspension, provided it's in the right direction to be trailing arm. The model itself could be better described as "swing axle with physically improbable perfect camber retention."
Ideally I'm treating it as a last resort for where the desired system isn't in place yet, and the one thing I can think of that it accurately simulates is those 100% parallel guide arms you find on some beach buggies (I have no idea what that's called). It's pretty close to the results of some multi-link systems, also â how it arrives at those results, of course, is completely different by about six thousand degrees of complexity.
My next trick, when I have time for it, was going to be putting together the generic structure for codependent suspension, for which the basic linkage is, of course, a trailing arm and coil on either side. This would involve a "slight" refactoring of the order in which the suspension simulation does things (Break interface to a stricter set/get model, update all suspension positions before retrieving them, and then of course fixing everything the change breaks, which is the time consuming part).
I'm not sure how to avoid referring to sections by name in the config without making great assumptions about which wheels are liable to be linked together (I mean, such assumptions should be safe, but what if someone wants to try drifting a prototype mars rover with vertically paired isolateral suspension? Those
need directly corresponding camber dynamics to even function). So I'd end up with something like:
Code:
[wheel.blah.trailing-arm]
hinge = x, y, z
hub = x, y, z
link = live-axle.rear
[live-axle.rear]
lateral-center = x, y, z
lateral-stiffness = k
#et cetera
