| 3d Max 8..... animation problem, just about beaten me... |
 nigelg |
This is the challenge, that's just about beaten me...
The animation is to be as follows:
I have a glowing star following a path round the earth, starting off very small and finishing at a much larger size, stopping by the side of the planet.
As the star travels it leaves its trail behind forming a kind of glowing white swirl.
Where I have got to:
I've animated the star along the desired path
I cant seem to get the loft to match the star, 1 because the shapes don't seem to work with the loft, cant get the scale right (the shape is from a illustrator import) so its got something to do with the scaling up I did to start off with. 2. I cant figure out how to animate, morph the loft to follow the star.
The file is herehttp://evolveforyou.co.uk/3d/nigel.zip
if im not making ant sense at all..
Seriously any help would be so so so appreciated I've been trying to do this all ways for about 4 days now, reading tutorials trying to sort it, maybe its me but its been impossible to do.
please, please help, any even if tiny advice may just get me to the point where I can run with it and get some sort of animation.
Nice1..
Nigel G
read 1285 times
12/7/2006 10:33:02 AM (last edit: 12/7/2006 10:33:02 AM)
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| HANZZ |
Okay, I'm reading through your explanation, and out of nowhere a loft is mentioned. Why don't you give us a picture of your max scene so we can see what you've got currently, and perhaps then we can give more direction. From the sounds of it, you are overcomplicating what you are doing. Post a pic, and we might be able to help you find other approaches.
read 1281 times
12/7/2006 10:40:44 AM (last edit: 12/7/2006 10:40:44 AM)
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| nigelg |
good idea, doohhh, heres the links to exp, nice 1.
Nige
read 1240 times
12/8/2006 4:22:00 AM (last edit: 12/8/2006 4:23:03 AM)
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| mrgrotey |
Im not too sure what the loft is for, are you using a loft object to simulate the trail the star leaves? if so why are you doing it that way? using the star as a particle emitter would be so much better
[edit] whoops just saw the pic below it, i'll check it out
read 1235 times
12/8/2006 4:40:11 AM (last edit: 12/8/2006 4:41:02 AM)
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| nigelg |
yeah so I need the trail to look 95% solid if possible. so the lofts have to grow along the path, i cant find any info to find out how to do this.eeekk
read 1226 times
12/8/2006 7:44:08 AM (last edit: 12/8/2006 7:44:39 AM)
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| mrgrotey |
Here's what i got...
I created the large star shape, extruded along a straight spline and added taper
create the curved spline
applied a path deform modifier to the star extrusion
and then animated both the percentage and stretch values
its not perfect but i aint got any more time
hope this helps
[edit] oh and after the path deform modifier I capped the holed in the end, inset the new end face and applied crappy materials, but you may be able to do that before the defoming
[edit edit] heres the max 7 file if it helps (forgive me if the link doesnt work, first time using a file sharing site)http://www.filelodge.com/files/room53/1521937/Star.max
read 1200 times
12/8/2006 12:11:34 PM (last edit: 12/8/2006 12:25:39 PM)
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| nigelg |
I must be doing something wrong, this is what i got.
read 1163 times
12/9/2006 8:59:38 AM (last edit: 12/9/2006 8:59:38 AM)
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| mrgrotey |
Your almost there, from the look of the modify panel you havent yet picked your path, click that button and click on the curved line,
you can then adjust the percentage spinner to make it travel round the curve, and adjust the stretch to make the trail longer/shorter
read 1153 times
12/9/2006 12:31:53 PM (last edit: 12/9/2006 12:34:26 PM)
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| nigelg |
I tried and followed what you said, () thanks for all your help all, but cant get it to wok.
Do you know of any tutorials or info that may suggest other solutions.
:-(
The star shape is tiny, that's got to do with the illustrator import, I don't know how to short that out.
Have to give up on that one and try something else, win some...
read 1101 times
12/11/2006 9:38:50 AM (last edit: 12/11/2006 9:38:50 AM)
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| mrgrotey |
Aha! i think I know your problem, when you extruded the star you didnt add any divisions/segments to the length of it so it cant bend, go back to the extrude modifier and add some.
[edit] as far as the size goes, just sclae the face up and increase the taper afterwards
[edit edit] if the extrude modifier doesnt have an option for segments (though i think it does) add an edit poly modifier above it, select all the edges travellnig the length of the extrusion and click on the small square next to the 'connect' button (not the button itself) in the modify panel and you can add divisions there (add quite a few as you want a smooth curve)
read 1096 times
12/11/2006 9:47:44 AM (last edit: 12/11/2006 9:59:43 AM)
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| mrgrotey |
okey doke heres a lil tut..
1. Create your star
2. Extrude it and give it lots of segments (i used 30, its irrelevant how long you make it as you are going to stretch it with the path deform later)
3.Taper it (a value of 1 tapers it to a single point)
4.Add material in what ever way (I added an edit poly modifier, in set the end face and applied self illuminated material)
5.Create your spline.
6. Add a path deform modifier to the star shape and rotate into place (dont rotate the gizmo, this will mess it up, just rotate the star object, you will see the trajectory to line it up)
7.You are now ready to animate it.
I did my over 40 frames just as an example and gave it the following figures...
frame 0, percentage=100, stretch = 0
frame 20, percentage = 50, stretch = enough to take the tail back to the start of the line
frame 40, percentage = 0, stretch = leave same frame 20
8. as the default animation handles are bezier controls you will need to go into the track editor and find the pathdeform in the list and change the handles for the percentage and stretch variables to linear. if you dont do this the tail wont stay at the start while it goes round
hope this helps, let me of anything you dont understand
read 1062 times
12/11/2006 12:41:12 PM (last edit: 12/11/2006 12:43:42 PM)
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| nigelg |
havin a go now
read 1016 times
12/12/2006 8:26:27 AM (last edit: 12/12/2006 8:55:52 AM)
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| mrgrotey |
when you add the pathdeform it will (annoyingly) add the path to the object in a completely different orientation to the spline so you need to rotate and move the whole thing to match it back up
read 1010 times
12/12/2006 8:36:29 AM (last edit: 12/12/2006 8:36:29 AM)
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| nigelg |
trying all sorts of ways now.
I think prolems have been caused because its a imported shape from Illustrator. so big probs with scaling.
think im getting there, you have help big time, thanks, mrgrotey, I wll continue
read 1007 times
12/12/2006 8:59:13 AM (last edit: 12/12/2006 9:03:34 AM)
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| mrgrotey |
if its just a star outline cant you just draw a new spline over the top of the illustrator shape, and delete the original?
read 1002 times
12/12/2006 9:09:24 AM (last edit: 12/12/2006 9:09:54 AM)
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