Arrow Animation

[Filip Vandueren]

Hi there,

try doing a search on “ribbon” or “arrow ribbon” in the archives.
You’ll find tons of tips and some tutorials.

[Mcvideo]

isaac

I came across a tutorial online about this same effect yesterday. I will look to see if i can find it. Very simple effect. Your might require more tweeking since you want to achieve the same effect as in the video link you posted. Effect/3d stroke is used to achieve.

I will post the link as soon as i find it.

[Chris Smith]

I would think it was done in true 3D like a lot of ribbons are (That aren’t a simple 3D stroke line). If you look at it, it has a small bit of depth and even a specular highlight on it at times.

In C4D for example, it’s extremely simple. You create the arrow using your spline tools (or just import one from Illustrator. Drop that in a loft nurbs object (for a flat plane) or into an extrude object (If you want depth) Then create your travel path throughout your world using a spline. Then use one of a few plug-ins that will attach the arrow to the path and deform it and move it along the spline.

The reason I feel it is NOT 3D stroke is because that arrow is moving in true 3D space. 3D stroke cannot move on 3 axis. It’s a mask drawn on a flat plane (2D) which can be moved in 3D space. This arrow was going all over the place. Furthermore 3D stroke will not allow you to add shapes like arrow heads to it.

It’s possible with maybe forge freeform or something to do it in AE, but the 3D solution is by far the easiest and most flexible solution in my book.

Chris Smith
https://www.sugarfilmproduction.com

[Mcvideo]

Chris

[quote}3D stroke will not allow you to add shapes like arrow heads to it.

Based on the tutorial it was a 3d stroke (path of the stroke)
How they added the arrow, was imported from photo shop and added to effect. I am still looking for the tutorial and will post as soon as i find it.

If anyone has seen this tutorial it was a video clip like the ipod commercial with a colorful background with pple in it dancing body shadowed with the white ipod in white. Arrows come in and out of the clip.. this is a small description of the clip. the tutorial follows it.

I know this is not what isaac want as his thought it to have it do all sorts of turns/in’s and out’s but the concept would be the same with extras added. My take on it..

[Steve Roberts]

Yep, I’d bet on 3D for the reasons Chris cited. I’d pass on Freeform though, since it is best for flags, banners, petals and such. It changes your layer into a NURBS patch with control points, so you can bend the cloth, sort of like with bezier warp, but in 3D. You can also use a grayscale map to displace it in 3D for ripples. I really can’t see anyone applying it to a long strip like that.

I’d use Cinema 4D. Contact them for their really cheap CE+ version at $99, if they still offer it.

There’s no reason to assume that all motion graphics is done in AE anymore. 🙂

Steve

[Chris Smith]

Yeah , I think the tutorial you are talking about was on see-em-eyevfx.com I have to spell it that way because Ron has a spam block on his company name because he’s been doing some spamming of the Cow.

But if you translate my words into the appropriate letters, he has a tutorial on doing the ipod Shuffle.

However, I still think that solution will not get you to copy the arrow described in this spot. You may be able to simulate parts here and there, but the reference spot has a 3D arrow flying and deforming in true 3D space.

Chris Smith
https://www.sugarfilmproduction.com

[Chris Smith]

Couldn’t agree more. In fact the cooler stuff I’ve seen I find out they did a lot of it in true 3D apps and only composite in AE. Some folks get thrown off when they see shapes still look ‘vector’ or simple lines that it has to be AE. Because it’s natural to think of 3D stuff as ‘looking like life’.

But my favorite thing is using C4D with very simple materials with only a solid color or grad in the luminance channel. That way my surfaces look like solids in AE and not 3D surfaces that depend on a light source. Last years Comedy Central bumpers were done that way. It looked like AE but with everything in true 3D.

Here’s a guy that does (almost) all his mograph in 3DSMax, text and everything. From what I understand he only uses AE for compositong, 2D effects, and occasional text overlays.

Check out his stuff it’s awesome. I’d like to especially point out the piece ‘Nike Verona’. He rendered it in wireframe mode so you can see how it was made. Notice his ribbons are like I described above. Simple 3D shapes travelling and deforming along predefined paths. Also notice the Nike swoosh at the end. Not a compositor overlay, but a simple piece of flat geometry in the 3D world.

https://www.renascent.nl/

Click on motion graphics.

Chris Smith
https://www.sugarfilmproduction.com

[Mcvideo]

chris

3dsmx is a totally diff world. Thanks, now you just opened up my wallet to another program i don

[Isaac]

man guys ya’ll are fast…. next question is this able to be accomplished in zaxwerks… or not

Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.

[Guy]

I have found a way to create this effect using trapcode particular.
basically, create a layer, fly it around in 3D space. Then apply particular to another layer and parent (expression) the emmitter’s x,y,z coordinates to the previous layers x,y,z.
Set particular to not disperse the particles, and emmit enough of them, so wherever the emmitter travles to, a line is drawn. You can set particluar to emmit any kind of layer, in this case a flat layer, giving a ribbon kind of look. works quite nice, but NEVER as good as a true 3D app would do.
Also, the ribbon will not wrap around other objects in 3D space.

I am still waiting ofr Adobe to implement some better 3D capability (like Discreet flame, smoke)