• Maxon Cinema 4D

  Mograph Random Effector w/time offset

  Posted by Mike Gottschalk on August 4, 2008 at 11:59 pm

  I need some help with offsetting (or delaying) my animation keyframes in time.

  I have a fast, localized animation with 3 cubes (about 12 frames) starting from a Visibility of 0%. These cubes are grouped into a null object. I placed the null into a Cloner Object set to Grid Array so that when the child group’s animation is finished, the Cloner Object looks like a flat stylized wall.

  If I apply a Random Effector with Position Scale and Rotation unchecked, and then adjust my Time Offest, I get an interesting effect where the individual nulls animate at different times but eventually achieve their end position of the flat stylized wall.

  I hoped that I could change my Effector’s Falloff shape to Box, then move it across my Cloner object, resulting in a ‘wake’-like effect – creating the wall from left to right then settling into the flat state. But this has proven difficult to control. Either too many shapes in the Falloff area change at once – negating a ‘wake’ effect, or my current time catches up with my null’s keyframes – and the entire shape is completed too soon.

  Is there a better way to solve this problem? Perhaps by ‘freezing’ the animation of my clones until touched by a Falloff shape?

  I’d appreciate any and all ideas.

  Thanks!
  Mike

  Adam Trachtenberg replied 17 years, 9 months ago 2 Members · 1 Reply
• 1 Reply

• 

  Adam Trachtenberg

  August 5, 2008 at 10:21 pm

  Here’s how I think you MAY be able to do this:

  * Create two clone groups — one animated and one not animated.

  * Set the cloner’s time offset to loop and set the appropriate period;

  * Place the unanimated clone group first under the cloner;

  * Now create a Plain Effector and turn off all parameters except “Modify Clone”, which should be set to 100%;

  * Give the Plain Effector the same falloff as your Random effector;

  * Put the Plain Effector in the same position as your Random effector;

  * Now animate the two effectors together.

  What the Plain Effector is doing is switching out the animated clone for the unanimated clone using the modify clone parameter.

  Hope that helps, or at least sets you on the right track.

Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up