Devlog 01 - Dykstraflex Simulation - Current State

This project is an early-stage software simulation of the Dykstraflex motion-control camera rig, built to explore the physical and mechanical constraints behind the original Star Wars visual effects work.

At this point, the focus is not visual fidelity but behavior. The rig is modeled as a set of constrained linear and rotary axes, each with explicit limits and control semantics that reflect how the real machine was operated. The goal is to understand what kinds of camera moves were possible, what was difficult, and what was simply impossible due to physical limitations.

The simulation currently supports two control modes commonly found in real motion-control systems:

• Jog mode: direct, incremental positioning for setup and fine adjustment.

• Drive mode: velocity-based control, where input sets motion rate rather than displacement.

This distinction is important, as it mirrors how operators actually worked with hardware rather than how modern digital cameras behave.

Input is centralized and routed through a simple controller abstraction, allowing the rig to be driven via keyboard or game controller. A DRO-style on-screen readout shows live axis positions, active control mode, and view state, similar to what an operator would expect on a real system.

Visually, the rig is still represented by simple geometry at approximate scale. That is intentional for now. Before refining models or presentation, the priority is validating axis hierarchy, limits, and control behavior.

Next steps include:

• Refining the mechanical layout based on reference material

• Improving UI clarity around modes and limits

• Adding simple recording and playback of motion

• Gradually replacing placeholder geometry with more accurate components

This is very much a work in progress, but the core control model is now in place.