Date post: | 06-Sep-2014 |
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Education |
Upload: | samuel-edsall |
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Animation VIKeyframing in Lightwave
Keyframing Do this, do that…
In order to items to change over time, you need to set down reference points (keyframes) to tell the item what to do at a given point in time
Keyframing Start here, end here
Once you have two or more keyframes, Lightwave will figure out how to change the item from its starting point to its end point
Called tweaning or tweens
Keyframing Good/bad keyframing
Usually the fewer the keyframes, the smoother the effect
Don’t try to overthink the action – let Lightwave get you where you want to go
Too many keyframes can cause jittery action
Keyframing Everybody has one
Everything in your scene must have at least one keyframe
Some things don’t need to change so they only have a keyframe on the very first frame (0)
Keyframing Frames and Time
Depends what you are doing NTSC = 30 fps PAL = 25 fps Film = 24 fps Stills = single frame
We operate at 30 fps Think in frames 300 = 10 seconds
Let’s Get Started Start up Lightwave
3D
Clear the scene if you need to
Select Load Object (+)
In the Landscape folder, select Canyon.lwo
Let’s Get Started Select Load
Object (+) again
In the Vehicles folder select MonsterTruck.lwo
This object lost a surface image, so we have to fix…
Let’s Get Started Several surface
images got ‘lost’ and have to be reconnected.
Click Yes, then select FractalReflections.tga
Repeat this process a couple more times until all the surfaces load and you can see your truck
Let’s Get Started Let’s fix the Truck
While the MonsterTruck is still selected choose: File > Save > Save
Current Object Choose Replace
That should fix the problem
Scaling Things in Porportion
That canyon is mighty small!
Select the Top view (2)
Zoom out so there’s lots of room
Select the Canyon as the current object
Scaling Things in Porportion
Select the Modify tab
Under Transform, select Stretch We want to change the
width and depth, but not the height (at least for now)
In the Numerics section change the X and Z axis to 35
Keyframing See the big picture
The best way to create a motion is to set the starting point and end point first
Then tweak parameters in-between these two points to what you need This help set a
consistent pace
Set One Keyframe Choose Camera view
(6) Truck looks like it’s
stuck in the mud
In the Modify tab select Translate and Move
Drag the Green arrow and drag the truck up so it sits on the ground
Set a Start and End Point
Make sure the MonsterTruck is selected
Choose the top view
Zoom out so you can see the whole canyon You can see that some
parts of the canyon are above the grid while other parts are below
Set a Start and End Point
While at frame 0, move the truck to the upper left corner
In the Timeline, change the last frame to 300 frames
Drag the slider to frame 300 and move the truck to the lower right corner
Making a Keyframe What do you want to
do? Make a keyframe for
what? Selected item All items Selected item and
any other items it controls
Making a Keyframe What should get a
keyframe You decide if its
position, rotation and/or scale gets locked down or not
If the item should not get a keyframe for the selected frame, just turn that parameter off
Set a Start and End Point
Click on Create Frame or press Return
Make sure Create Key At is set to 300
For: Selected item (your truck)
Position, rotation, scale are on (blue)
Press OK
Action Without Keyframes
Target Causes the camera to
always see an item in the middle of its frame of view
If the item moves, the camera pans or tilts to keep that item in view
Camera will not MOVE unless you set keyframes for its location Targeting and moving the
camera can make very interesting animations
Have the Camera Keep an Eye on the
Truck Select the Camera
as the current item
Press M to bring up Motion Options
In the Target Item pop-up menu, select Monster truck NOT Parent
Have the Camera Keep an Eye on the
Truck Switch to Camera
view and scrub through your animation Now the camera
follows the truck from beginning to end
Truck faces the wrong way – that’s OK for now
Action Without Keyframes
Aligning to Path Once you set up a motion
path for an item, it can automatically follow in the direction of that path Left and right Up and down
Action Without Keyframes
Make sure the truck is the current item
Press M to select motion options
Select the Controllers and Limits tab
Action Without Keyframes
We need the rotation of the truck to follow the path
Select the Rotation tab
Under Heading & Pitch, set the Heading Controller to ‘Align to Path’
Action Without Keyframes
In Camera view scrub through your animation
Your truck should now follow the path from beginning to end That was easy! Lighting is not so
great though…
Action Without Keyframes
Parenting An item that mimics
what another item does What one airplane
does, all the other airplanes do
The controlling item is called a parent
The controlled items are called descendants
Action Without Keyframes
Give the truck a little light
Switch back to the top view & zoom in a little
Drag the slider to frame 0
With the Modify tab, move the light so it is in front and to the right of the truck
Action Without Keyframes
While the light is still selected, press M to bring up the Motion options
In the Parent Item pop-up menu choose MonsterTruck
Action Without Keyframes
While still in the top view scrub though your timeline and notice how the light now follows the truck along its animation
Finessing Motion Adding keyframes in-
between the start and finish Now that the pacing is
set, you can adjust the item in-between start and end points without causing the motion to jitter Still remember though –
the fewer keyframes, the better
Add Some Character to the Truck Motion
Select the top view (2)
Select the truck as the current item
Move the slider to frame 75
With the Modify tab, select Move
Add Some Character to the Truck Motion
Using the arrows, drag the truck down and to the left to the top of the hill on the left side of the canyon
Make a keyframe for the truck at frame 75
Add Some Character to the Truck Motion
Move the slider to 185
Using the arrows, drag the truck to the right so its on top of the hill on the right of the canyon
Make another keyframe for the truck at frame 185
Animate the Camera Switch to the top
view (2)
Make sure the slider is at frame 0
Move the camera so it’s in the middle of the canyon, but in front of the truck
Animate the Camera Give the camera a
better view
While still at frame 0, in the numerics window, change the Y value to 6 meters
Switch to the camera view to see your new look at the truck
Animate the Camera Switch back to the top
view
Move the slider to frame 300
Move the camera so its further down the canyon, but behind the truck
Make a new keyframe for the camera at frame 300
Add Some Character to the Canyon
Select the back view (1)
Move the slider to frame 0
Select the Canyon as the current item
With the Modify tab, select the Stretch tool
In the numerics box, change the Y value to 10
Aligning to Motion Not just left and right,
but up and down Like the Mustang,
when an item along the motion path goes up or down, it can also point in that direction with the ‘Align to path’ feature
Unbury the Truck Getting things in place
Using different views we can get the truck out of the canyon
Make sure the truck is the selected item
Using the transport controls, click to the next keyframe (frame 75)
Unbury the Truck Select the back view
With the move tool, drag the green arrow to pull the truck up out of the hill
Toggle different views to get the height correct
Update the keyframe by pressing Enter, Enter
Un-levitate the Truck
Oh, oh – the truck is following the smoothest path from the start to the top of the hill, but the hill hasn’t started yet
Move the slider to frame 36
Move around in perspective view so you have a good look at the truck above the ground
Un-levitate the Truck
Drag the green arrow to set the truck back on the ground
Create a new keyframe at frame 36
Scrub though the motion to see the truck now climb the hill
Un-levitate the Truck
Switch to the back view and zoom in
Drag the slider to frame 144
Drag the green arrow and move the truck back down to the ground
Make a new keyframe for the truck at frame 144
Un-levitate the Truck
Select the camera view and scrub though your scene
If the truck is levitating or buried, try modifying existing keyframes Can also try creating new
keyframes, just make sure they are not too close to each other
If the motion gets jerky, you need to delete a keyframe to smooth out the motion
Save Your Scene Save your scene to
the My Scenes folder in the Lightwave content folder
Save another copy to the desktop
Email the .lws file to me as an attachment.
Animation VIKeyframing in Lightwave