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  • Particular Birds

    Posted by Adam Young on August 30, 2011 at 12:32 pm

    Hello…

    I am looking for some help with animating birds…

    Im struggling to find anything online that fits my requirements… I need the birds to be able to follow a path… not just fly from left to right… but to be able to turn there backs to the camera and fly away, then move back and fly towards the camera and generally swoop around…

    How can I get birds to do this either in particular or something else… to follow something, but also move in all directions… and also maintain the slight randomness of a flock of birds…

    many thanks in advance…

    Adam.

    Walter Soyka replied 14 years, 11 months ago 3 Members · 4 Replies
  • 4 Replies
  • Walter Soyka

    August 30, 2011 at 12:52 pm

    Create a light in your comp, name it Motion Path 1, and animate it in the general direction you’d like your birds to follow. In Particular, set Phyics > Air > Motion Path to 1, and the particles will travel along the motion path defined by the light’s movement.

    Walter Soyka
    Principal & Designer at Keen Live
    Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
    RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
    Creative Cow Forum Host: Live & Stage Events

  • Adam Young

    August 30, 2011 at 1:32 pm

    I can do this part of it fine… what Im struggling with is making them get smaller as they move further away and swoop around getting bigger as they get closer again…

    Adam.

  • Brian Charles

    August 30, 2011 at 1:33 pm

    [Adam Young] “not just fly from left to right… but to be able to turn there (sic) backs to the camera and fly away, then move back and fly towards the camera and generally swoop around..”

    If you need to see the birds from several angle (side, front, back etc) you won’t be able to do this with Particular, it will require a true 3D program.

    Look at Maya or Cinema 4D.

  • Walter Soyka

    August 30, 2011 at 1:47 pm

    [Adam Young] “I can do this part of it fine… what Im struggling with is making them get smaller as they move further away and swoop around getting bigger as they get closer again… “

    The motion path has to run in 3D away from the camera, then come back towards it. If the birds aren’t getting small enough, push the far point of the motion path further back, or adjust the camera’s focal length.

    Walter Soyka
    Principal & Designer at Keen Live
    Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
    RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
    Creative Cow Forum Host: Live & Stage Events

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