Don Smith
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Here’s the completed arrow movie:
https://newsvideo.com/arrow.mp4
Here’s the project:
https://newsvideo.com/arrow.zip
Don Smith
NewsVideo.comNewsVideo.com
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Thank you Andy! My project is complete!
Color over Stroke solved the front/back color of the tail nicely Andy!
You are correct, of course about the arrowhead appearing in front of the tail, but I solved that simply by looking at it from the opposite direction. The arrow now loops closer instead of looping away. therefore when it’s in front, it’s supposed to be in front.
If I had to illustrate, say, the flow of electricity in a circuit in the opposite direction, then I could apply the template in Final Cut and flip it vertically, horizontally, make it go left or right, or with the Mirror effect (Effects>Perspective) to make it originate in the middle and TWO arrows move out in opposite directions from the center!
The purist, of course, would go after the Replicator or Particle emitter route to solve the arrow problem, but this gives me the effect without hurting my brain any further. I’m at work or I would upload a short, silent movie showing the final results. I’ll do that tonight and many thanks to you both for helping me across the finish line.
Don Smith
NewsVideo.comNewsVideo.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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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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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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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 have no idea if Sequence Paint is the ONLY way to extend a paint stroke into 3D space but I suspect that it is. If you look at the Aton Strand template you’ll notice how versatile Sequence Paint is. It’s also used to send those pulses of color through the strand of pearls.
Don Smith
NewsVideo.comNewsVideo.com
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OK. Got it. Once I had my Bezier line converted to a shape, which enabled the Stroke tab, then I was able to put the behavior “Sequence Paint Position Offset” from the other Shape layer onto my new shape and I got the effect of moving one end of the (new) pearls into 3D space. It also threw me for a moment that there’s no behavior named “Sequence Paint Position Offset” but I realize that’s the Sequence Paint” behavior renamed for what it’s set to do.
Thanks very much,
Don Smith
NewsVideo.comNewsVideo.com
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Thank you Stephen. I know the pearls aren’t moving. If you select the Paint Stroke group, go to Perspective view, then F to frame the group, you can then tumble the the string of pears and see that it spirals through 3D space. I can (now) create the string, make the “Stroke” box active, click ‘Local 3D’ and ‘Face Camera’ and duplicate the 3D-looking perals in the Atom Strand template, but (so far) I’m unable to ‘stretch’ the string in 3D space to make it spiral through. It’s like pulling one end of a Slinky.
I sure appreciate that you and the others are around. I’ve got your DVD tutorial set and I re-watch the tutorials all the time. More sinks in with each viewing.
Don Smith
NewsVideo.comNewsVideo.com
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Figured out the 3D part.. I’m getting a Paint Stroke when I need to getting a Shape. The Shape has a “Local 3D” check box.
NewsVideo.com