Antenna Animation Test

[DigiLusionist]

I got bored one night and started playing around with some animation techniques.

I wanted to come up with a way of using LW only tools to create a whipping antenna effect. I figured it out by using contraints, follower, bend deformer, parenting, and nulls to do this.

In the past, I was only able to do this with Worley Labs plug-ins like Whip.

I don't have a way to post the animation of the effect. If anyone can host it for me, I'll e-mail you the .avi file, and you can post the web link to it in a reply post.

Thanks.

[DigiLusionist]

An .avi of the antenna test.

[mrunion]

Me likes!

Maybe you wouldn't mind posting a bit less brief "explaination" of how you did it?

[DigiLusionist]

Here's a tute on what I did...

[wizlon]

Great tut but....

Everything seemed to be going great but when I try to move the cylinder to 75m on the Z axis nothing moves, the object apears to be locked, I can't move or rotate it in any direction.

Any ideas where I went wrong?

Is Point Constraint n Antenna NULL
the problem as I only found Simple Point Constraint, added it to the Handle NULL, opened it clicked the add button, and under Select target(s) and set weights - set XYZ to Antenna NULL, left weight at 100% and did not check NULL constraint - disables constraint from current to end.

Thanks.

Lee.

[DigiLusionist]

In your scene file, there are a number of things missing or not set up correctly.

First, there isn't a Handle NULL present in the scene. Because there is no Handle NULL present, the antenna object layer isn't being bent by the Deform:Bend plug-in. Create the Handle NULL, position it.

Then select the antenna object layer and in the Properties Panel>Deform Tab, double-click on the Deform:Bend name to set the proper effect influnces.

Second, you didn't parent the Antenna NULL to the Cylinder NULL.

Third, you applied the Point Constraint to the Antenna NULL in the Motion Options Panel (without turning it On).

Instead, the constraint should be applied to the Handle NULL. In the Simple Point Constraint's interface, you will need to designate that the Handle NULL is to be constrained to the Antenna NULL.

If the bending effect is too subtle, change the weight to 300% for each channel.

[wizlon]

Something weird going on here, I have a handle null, and the items are correctly parented, it's only the point constraint bit that wrong. I'am on MacOSX and 7.5c, wonder if that's causing the problem?

Anyway thanks for your time. I'll have another look tonight.

[DigiLusionist]

You're welcome, Wiz. Let me know if there's anything else you need...

[DigiLusionist]

The .gif version of the anim zipped above:

[wizlon]

Any chance you could send me the scene file?, even though I now understand the process I've still had real problems getting it to work.

Thanks for your help.

Lee.

[DigiLusionist]

Here are the files for a scene using my technique...

[wizlon]

Thanks, I really appreciate the help.