Path animations

BuZZarD · Post by **BuZZarD** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 1:47 am

Hey ppl. I've not used 3dps for a few months as what I completed my original project and didn't need it after that.
However, I lost my pc due to a fire including all my backups and to recover the hard drive was around £2500!

So I'm starting from scratch

Anyhow, I've decided to improve my work and add a few extras, but I'm kinda stuck.

I have a 3d object in the centre, coordinates 0,0,0.
I want my logo to scroll form off screen right, and then wrap around the spherical based object.
Now using one of the path animations, I can get the circleing (is that spelt correctly?) circling... ROTATATING! effect (or maybe that suggests it spins on it's axis... hmmmm.)
However, it begins to rotate as it scrolls onscreen but I need it to do so once it passes the object, so it doesn't pass through it.

I wish to trigger it at that said point, yet I can't change the start point of the path animation on the timeline.

I may be missing something blindingly obvious but I'm a sound and video editor, so it's expected

Ron - if you aren't the first to reply, I'll be deeply hurt

BuZZarD · Post by **BuZZarD** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 2:00 am

OK. That WAS a dumb question.
I remember that an animation is a predetermined sequence of events in one application.
I need to create it from scratch using many different parameters.

I wish I hadn't started this... £3k sounded an easier option

BuZZarD · Post by **BuZZarD** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 2:19 am

Genius!
I've done it.
Just using the position and bend tools. Easier than I thought once I had the right direction.

One thing I have noticed, these forums are awesome for thinking out loud!

I come here, talk it over, then BAM! Problem solved!
All in a half hour..........

Now where's that medication..........

snoops · Post by **snoops** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 12:09 am

these forums are awesome for thinking out loud!

Yeah, and compared to the folks that talk to themselves on the street you can be heard all over the world.

But seriously, someone will probably look for the same thing and pick up your post. And there's nothing wrong or silly with sharing tips... in fact it would be helpful if more people did just that.

BuZZarD · Post by **BuZZarD** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 10:01 pm

Ok, I've created the animation I want, however......

I want the text to continue to rotate around the object, which I've achieved previously by changing the 'y' axis orientation.

But because the object centre is elswhere on the screen, it rotates around that axis and not around the object it's now wrapped around.
I've tried using other animations but can't get any to work.

Can I change the centre of the object and set the screen coordinates myself?

klowther · Post by **klowther** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 10:42 pm

I'm not sure I understand your question, but here goes. The pivot point of an object is relative to its position from the red crosshairs in the editor window. If you center the object in the editor window and the red crosshairs are in the center of your object, it will rotate on that axis.

I hope that helps.

- Ken

BuZZarD · Post by **BuZZarD** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 11:07 pm

I've created the animation where the text scrolls in from left to right, passes in front of the object and then wraps around it using bend from the left at varying degrees until it becomes a circle, similar to that with the globe in the movies section of easy pallette.

I cant get it to rotate around the object (such as productions around the globe) as when I adjust the 'y' coordinates, it moves the whole word elswhere on the screen.

I need the text to rotate around a fixed point (centre of the object) but can't achieve this. If I make the bend on the text symmetrical, it's fine, but I need it to bend from left and then once it creates a full circle, I need it set to symmetrical to rotate the circle from it's centre, but I cant change this without it affecting the earlier part of the animation.

here's a link to the project - it's only small as I have removed all the textures etc.

http://www.re-volutionmedia.com/logo1.c3d

BuZZarD · Post by **BuZZarD** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 11:32 pm

Do I need to create a group?
By doing so, can I apply the same animation in different ways in the one animation?

Post by **VikingAnimations** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 3:27 am

Group the objects, pick the 3rd option.

Add a key frame at frame 90 for the group for orientation...

Go to frame 1, copy and paste just the grenade. Click the eye to hide the copy.

Go to frame 90, hide the original grenade and show the copy. Now, using pad frames, add another 70 or so frames. Go to the last frame and change the y value on the group's orientation to 90.

It works!

logo1-a.zip

klowther · Post by **klowther** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 6:42 am

Here is an example of another way. To do it I did the following:

1. padded the animation after the last frame with 60 frames.
2. copied the text object and removed the bend attribute
3. hid the original text object at frame 90.
4. hid the copied text object at frame 0 up to frame 90.
5. added surface animation to the copied text object.
6. adjusted the position of the copied text object and tweaked the surface animation parameters to match a close as possible the original text object as it appears in frame 90.
7. adjusted the level in the surface animation attribute to do the horizontal rotation.

You can get the finished example here:

http://www.videographics.info/uleadboard/logo1.zip

It isn't perfect but it should give you an idea. I didn't have the font that you used on my system, so you will probably have to reset it in the example.

Hope that helps.

- Ken

BuZZarD · Post by **BuZZarD** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 7:40 pm

I love you guys!
No.... Really I do!

I love Ulead and everyone assosciated with it and these forums.
I feel that much love right now, I almost love my wife (as opposed to just letting her put up with me

)

Awesome job...
Thanks.

klowther · Post by **klowther** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 8:35 pm

After looking at Vikings solution I have to say that it is superior to the solution I came up with. It is easier to do and results in a better animation.

Nice job Viking!

- Ken

BuZZarD · Post by **BuZZarD** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 9:10 pm

I've been deconstructing yours, so haven't tried Vikings yet.

I've seen yours in action and I have all the settings there thx to the file u linked to and I can better understand how you did it which helps a great deal, as I learn more from reverse engineering than I do from anything else.

I can then look at Vikings solution and apply that.
Using both methods, I'll learn lots I didn't know and whether I use either method in the finished product, I'll be armed with knowledge for future projects and will be better prepared.

I thank you both very much.

Post by **VikingAnimations** » Sat Mar 10, 2007 2:47 am

Thanks! And you're welcome...

I did post a link to the completed animation... maybe you missed it?
logo1-a.zip
There it is again.

BuZZarD · Post by **BuZZarD** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 12:33 pm

I did miss the link, so thanks for sending it me, I am using that method and it's working sweet.

On another subject, I previously did a similar animation on my old pc:

athlon 4600, 2gb ddr, 7950gx2 sata 150 raid 0.

I recently built on around a core duo e6600 tith 2 gb ddr2 and an 8800gtx with sataII raid 0.
I've always been an AMD man, but had to listen to my PC bible (custom pc magazine) when they reviewed the new core duo chips from intel.

The rendering times on my new rig are amazing.
Using the same project settings as before, it took me 27 minutes as opposed to over an hour previously.... Staggering!