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The Wayward Arrow
I created a short video to illustrate what I’m trying to do. If it shows up, please ignore the message that I sent last night without the video. It’s the one suggesting that you imagine the St. Louis Arch. I used a term that was not naughty but it got caught in the naughty filter for this group anyway.
I’m trying to get an arrow to follow a path on its flat side and I just cant figure it out. Here’s the short video explaining what I’m trying to do:
https://newsvideo.com/arrow.mp4
The video is iPad friendly.
I want an arrow that is similar to the photo on this website where the arrow is circling the globe and bending on its flat side:
Eventually, I want to animate the length of the arrow and have it curve around on its flat side.
Thanks for any help you can offer.
Don Smith
NewsVideo.com -
16 Replies
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Your problem has to do with a limitation with shapes and with the align with motion behaviors.
Despite being able to arrange shapes in 3D space, they are only 2D elements. Trying to make them behave as a 3D element as in 3D motion paths and such can be an incredible headache.
Also, the snap alignment to motion, and the align to motion behaviors are limited in that changing the axis of rotation and the axis will change the default orientation of the layer it’s applied to. They work great in a 2D animation, but fall apart in a 3D one as you are noticing.
However, there is a simple way to approach your animation. It involves simply moving the anchor point of your arrow.
Once you have your arrow, adjust the Z position of your anchor point. Then apply a spin behavior with an X axis. The arrow will now orbit in a circle around whatever you want. If you want an elipse, then all you need to add is an oscilate behavior to the Y position of your arrow and adjust the speed so that the top of the oscillation coincides with the arrow’s apex.
It’s a lot simpler than dealing with the Motion path behavior and alignment behaviors.
Andy
https://www.timesavertutorials.com
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Thank you Andy…
You mean, I can’t do this?
https://newsvideo.com/arrow2.mp4
Don Smith
NewsVideo.comNewsVideo.com
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I don’t understand your last post. If you created a video of it, then it seems as if you CAN do that.
Plus, my post was showing how that particular animation might be accomplished by moving the arrow’s anchor point and applying the spin and oscillate behaviors.
Andy
https://www.timesavertutorials.com
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Sorry, I was relishing in accomplishing something in a way I was told it couldn’t be done. I did the animation without moving the anchor point. Still, you were right about how it couldn’t be done as far as I had gone, but then I created and added a secret sauce.
The video shows the arrow following the path that’s perpendicular to the flat side of the arrow and the arrow tilts over the top of the curved path, thus doing what I wanted it to do when I started this thread.
I started the project the same way as before, creating the path and attaching the arrow and applying Motion Path and Snap Alignment to Motion behaviors and set the Snap Alignment to Motion behavior to Vertical and the Z-axis. That, of course, gave me an arrow that turned on its edge instead of on its flat side.
I sent the note of help to this forum and was told why it couldn’t be done this way and you, Andy, offered a method that included setting the Center away from the arrow.
I thought on this a while and came up with an idea to create another arrow and LINK it’s position parameters with the first, moving, arrow, then link the Z axis of the first arrow to the X axis of the new arrow. That gave me an arrow that followed the path except that at the peak of the curbved path it moved like a diver doing a backward summersault. I solved that by setting the Y position to 270 degrees.
It may be overkill since you could simply take the arrow and keyframe it to go up, over on its flat side, then down, but by developing this method I think I can get the arrow to follow more complicated paths turning on its flat side.
Don Smith
NewsVideo.comNewsVideo.com
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Quite a creative solution, Don! I’m sure Andy will agree…
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Mark Spencer
Freelance Producer/Editor/Motion Graphics Artist
Apple-certified Master Trainer
Author, Motion 4 from Peachpit Press
https://www.applemotion.net -
PROGRESS!
I figured out how to have my arrow moving and EXTENDING (curving) into 3D space!
I have one final problem as explained in this short video:
https://newsvideo.com/arrow.mp4
If interested, you can download my project at:
https://newsvideo.com/arrow.zip
Don Smith
NewsVideo.comNewsVideo.com
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Paint strokes that use an image as their source don’t have to be colored by the paint stroke – they can use “original” to take the source image as the color. So your idea of two rectangles of different colors as a source *may* work – put them in a group and use the group as a source.
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Mark Spencer
Freelance Producer/Editor/Motion Graphics Artist
Apple-certified Master Trainer
Author, Motion 4 from Peachpit Press
https://www.applemotion.net -
Clever solution. Linking layers is often overlooked (even by myself). This definitely deserves more attention.
Andy
https://www.timesavertutorials.com
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Thank you Mark and Andy. I appreciate it.
My final touch would be to find a way for the ‘back’ color to reveal as the direction of the arrow reverses.
In the video I posted (link above) I commented that I didn’t think I could put two colors back-to-back in a group and use that as the rectangle image source because I thought I was locked in to having the image source adopt the single color chosen for the path outline. Mark says I could use ‘original’ but doggone if I can find where I can do that.
Before you ask, yes, the two differently colored rectangles are in a 3D group and slightly separated in Z-space. I can spin the camera around the group and see red on one side and green on the other.
I really appreciate all this help.
Don Smith
NewsVideo.comNewsVideo.com
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In the Stroke section of the Shape Inspector, set the Stroke Color Mode to Use Brush Color.
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Mark Spencer
Freelance Producer/Editor/Motion Graphics Artist
Apple-certified Master Trainer
Author, Motion 4 from Peachpit Press
https://www.applemotion.net
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