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ISSUE — Track Axis Trips Mid-Move Due to Velocity Spike (Tripcode 3)

CONFIRMED RESOLVED BOTH CINEBOT MINI

Summary

Track axis trips at a consistent point through the move (Tripcode 3), caused by a velocity spike or singularity in the move curve — often originating from a CGI/FBX import or curve generation glitch. Flair's velocity checker samples speed every few frames and can miss a brief spike peak between samples. Check the velocity graph for sudden discontinuities and delete or re-smooth the offending keyframes.

Symptoms

  • Track axis trips at a specific percentage through the move (56% in reported case)
  • Tripcode 3 in output log
  • Occurs even on simple 2-point moves created in Flair
  • Retightening rack joint and testing without joint crossing did not resolve it
  • The trip occurs even when the rack joint is not in the equation

Systems Affected

  • Cinebot Mini (Ben Myers — confirmed)
  • Applicable to any rig, particularly with imported or complex moves

Software Environment

BOTH

Possible Causes

  • Velocity spike / singularity in the move curve
  • Flair's velocity checker tests speed every couple of frames — a sudden spike can exceed the threshold even if the peak is between checks
  • Singularity can originate from a CGI/FBX import or from a glitch in curve generation

Solutions

Solution A — Check the velocity graph for spikes

CONFIRMED BOTH

Contributor(s): ~ Simon Wakley — 2024-10-29

Steps

  1. Open the velocity/graph view for the track axis in the move editor.
  2. Look for a sudden spike or discontinuity in the velocity curve.
  3. If a spike is found:
  4. Delete the offending keyframe(s) near the spike.
  5. Re-smooth the curve and test.
  6. If the move was imported from CGI/FBX, re-examine the source data for singularities.
  7. Submit a bug report to MRMC with the import file if the spike appears to be from import.

Notes

"Check the graph. The velocity checking does a speed check every couple of frames and if you have a sudden spike, then it could miss the peak. If you have a sudden spike then there is a singularity or a glitch on the curves possibly from import. Send a bug report to MRMC with the import file as applicable." — Simon Wakley

Tripcode 3 in the output log confirms a velocity/control system fault, not a mechanical or sensor issue.

Solution B — Reduce granularity of the move

CONFIRMED BOTH

Contributor(s): ~ Heiko Matting, ~ Ante — 2024-10-27

Steps

  1. Open the move in the move editor / graphical edit view, then reduce the Granularity setting for the imported curve or move (e.g., from 1 to 2).
  2. Check if this smooths out the velocity spike.
  3. Be aware that reducing granularity may alter the shape of the move slightly.

Notes

"I did that also, but then I got something weird at the beginning so I found best was to use granularity 2 without those end frames." — Ante

Deleting the specific offending keyframes (if the bump is in a known location) is often cleaner than changing granularity globally.

Timeline

Event Date Contributor
Reported 2024-10-28 Ben Myers
Velocity spike diagnosis 2024-10-29 ~ Simon Wakley
Granularity workaround noted 2024-10-27 ~ Heiko Matting, ~ Ante

Official Documentation

Document Section Notes
(No specific manual reference identified) — —

Flair Classic Manual — Ch.5 Setups: Axis Setup — p.33

Flair Classic Manual — Ch.9 Move Entry: Programming a Move — p.177

Flair 7 Manual — Ch.5 Setups: Axis Setup — p.19

Flair 7 Manual — Ch.7 Move Entry: Programming a Move — p.143

Flair display showing track axis trip at 56% through the move - Tripcode 3 error in output log. Follow-up screenshot of the same repeatable track trip condition 2 minutes after the first.

Media Text / Description

  • Media 1: Flair display showing the track axis tripping around 56% through the move. Visible/searchable error text: Tripcode 3. The trip persisted after retightening the track joint and testing a move that did not cross the joint.
  • Media 2: Follow-up screenshot of the same repeatable track-axis trip. Later diagnosis points to velocity spike, singularity, or curve glitch from import.

WhatsApp Excerpts

[28/10/2024, 1:13:26 am] Ben Myers: Has anyone dealt with this? Move is at 56% but track keeps tripping [28/10/2024, 1:43:43 am] Ben Myers: Thought it might be the joint so I retightened the racking with the joiner spacer block and also tried just running a move that doesn't cross the joint. It still trips even when the joint isn't in the equation. [29/10/2024, 2:55:59 am] ~ Simon Wakley: Check the graph. The velocity checking does a speed check every couple of frames and if you have a sudden spike, then it could miss the peak. If you have a sudden spike then there is a singularity or a glitch on the curves possibly from import. Send a bug report to MRMC with the import file as applicable. Is it saying why the axis tripped (sometime you have to look on the backscreen for the message) [29/10/2024, 3:21:34 am] Ben Myers: tripcode 3 if that's at all helpful.

Revision History

Date Change Editor
2026-05-24 Initial extraction Tom D / Claude Code
2026-05-24 Reformatted to CSS-tag template Tom D / Claude Code