SpinnyWheels

SpinnyWheels is a lightweight procedural caster wheel animation add-on for Blender.
It automatically rotates and steers caster wheels based on object movement, making it useful for carts, robots, furniture, trolleys, sci-fi vehicles, and other wheeled rigs.

Tutorials

YouTube tutorial link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9Bx9UwLWlw

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Features

• Automatic caster steering
• Procedural wheel spinning
• Smooth directional interpolation
• Adjustable wheel radius
• Adjustable steering smoothing
• Minimum movement threshold
• Real-time viewport updates

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Requirements

• Blender 4.0+

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Installation

1. Download the SpinnyWheels.zip file

2. Open Blender

3. Go to:

   Edit → Preferences → Add-ons

4. Click Install

5. Select SpinnyWheels.zip

6. Enable SpinnyWheels - Procedural Caster Animation

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Setup Guide

Object Structure

Your rig should follow this hierarchy:

Main Object
├── Caster Pivot 1
│   └── Wheel 1
├── Caster Pivot 2
│   └── Wheel 2

TIP💡The name of the body or children do not matter. The system works based on hirarchy.

Important Notes

• The Main Object is assigned in the add-on panel
• Each caster pivot should rotate on the Z axis
• Each wheel should rotate on the X axis
• The add-on automatically detects movement and applies rotation

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Using SpinnyWheels

1. Open the 3D Viewport
2. Open the Sidebar (N key)
3. Go to the Casters tab
4. Enable the system
5. Assign your main object
6. Adjust settings as needed

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Settings

Setting	Description	Use	Tips
Enabled	Turns the system on/off	-	-
Main Object	Root object containing caster pivots	To change rig object	-
Wheel Radius	Controls wheel spin speed	-	Set to the half the height of your wheel object
Smoothing	Controls steering smoothness	To prevent jittering	Try 0.8-1.0 to start with
Min Distance	Minimum movement before updating	To prevent tiny movements from moving the wheels	Try setting same as or slightly less than Wheel Radius

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Best Use Cases

• Shopping carts
• Industrial robots
• Warehouse vehicles
• Office chairs
• Furniture with wheels

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Limitations/Known Bugs

• The main object can only have casters as children, any non-caster children will also be treated as casters.
• Multiple rigs cannot be made.

Please report any other bugs in the "Issues" page on GitHub.

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Version

v0.1.1-alpha

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License

Personal and educational use permitted unless otherwise specified by the author.