Re: Any tips on how to animate this?

[Kalleheikki Kannisto]

The link you included requires a program to be installed to download.

[Max Hamworth]

Kalle there’s a link: download through your browser please. Thanks

[Kalleheikki Kannisto]

Hi Max,

Ok, got it now.

Seems pretty difficult a task. Do you know how the helixes have been generated?

[Kalleheikki Kannisto]

I have hard time envisioning how they would move. 3, 4 and 6 almost look like different stages of the same helixoid.

On close inspection you can see that they have been drawn with one line that has a beginning and an end.

Which gives me an idea for one option of how to animate it: Draw one complete helix shape as a mask and then use generate>stroke to draw it, animating the beginning and end values. To make it seamless, you will have to use two strokes, as you can only go from 0 to 100% on the completeness of the stroke.

AE project to demonstrate the idea at below link.

9042_helixdraw.aep.zip

I drew just one loop, but you get the idea.

[Max Hamworth]

Great insight Kalle, it also shined some light on 3/4/6..
by masking the edges out. I can animate them as an infinite elevator. (At least, thats the plan) 🙂 Will keep u posted.

Thank you!

PS. the original artwork was generated with code, in Processing.

[Kalleheikki Kannisto]

I suspected it was created programmatically. Likely it be easiest to do the animation the same way, moving the origin point up by a small amount for each frame.

I actually tested a “sliding” piece, but it didn’t look very good in my view, as it got cut off at the top and bottom in an unattractive fashion.

Not really that difficult to draw those shapes if you’re well versed in Illustrator.

[Kalleheikki Kannisto]

It almost worked 🙂

The problem was I didn’t draw it as one continuous shape, but as a sequence of separate shapes.

9043_helixoid0.aep.zip

[Max Hamworth]

Whoa, this is great! Im looking at it and I have no idea how you managed those lines.
Care to explain? :/

PS. I only got an artwork to work with, and i’ve got just a little bit knowledge with code.

[Kalleheikki Kannisto]

I drew the lines in Illustrator. I only had to draw four (closed) shapes based on your reference (those shapes that go to the corners and the ones that are centered between them) then blend between them with the blend tool. I expanded the blends (which makes them actual paths) and then copied and pasted the lot as masks on a solid in AE.

In AE, the stroke effect can draw all masks, but it needed some expressions for the moving beginning and end points of the stroke. They are drawn in two sections that are 1/4 of the full length of the path. The expressions move the beginning and end points in relation to time so that it circles around. The final trick was that I needed to draw the paths in four pieces to account for the crossover point at 0/100%.

The result would be improved if the shape was drawn with one continuous line, not as separate shapes.

If you like the basic look, it can be applied to any path using the same setup with strokes, slider and expressions, it is mostly a matter of how to draw the shapes you want (with one continuous line preferably). The expression for the slider controls the speed at which the line travels. You’ll note that one beginning value and one end value for a stroke don’t need an expression, as they are always either 0 or 100 respectively.

[Max Hamworth]

Thank you Kalle! This is very useful and helpful!