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View Full Version : Animating Pin Art Box using Reactor and collision?

KEVoLution
06-04-2009, 10:51 AM
Hello, I am new here to CGsociety and I'm working on a short animated film which came to me after doing Lee Johnson's (http://www.jtwo.com) Modelling a Pin Art Toy (http://www.jtwo.com/J2_Graphics/TUTORIALS/Entries/2008/11/14_Model_a_Pin_Art_toy_in_3ds_Max.html) for 3D Studio Max. I need some help in animating the pins of the pin art toy with regards the surface they are resting against. In the tutorial which follows the link I just posted. The author uses a Plane with an animated material, Volume Select and a Push modifier to animate the pins to make a picture.

However In my scene, a small character picks up the pin box as it rests at an angle by a wall and floor and lifts it onto his head. What I'd like to have happen is that as the character lifts this box the pins would fall into their initial place as they would be no longer be pushed out by the wall and floor as the box is being lifted. Also if the box was turned upside down, as it is in the animation, the pins would fall until they hit the glass top of the pin box.

In my own head I figure it would be achieved with reactor somehow, but I'm just not sure, I'm thinking maybe you constrain the movement of the pins so they only work on their local Z axis maybe would help if you can do it?
Also, in the tutorial, the author doesn't make holes for the pins themselves in the part of the box they pass through. I was considering making another solid shape which would be unrednered with holes for the pins to pass through. Would this be recommended?
If anybody could even point me in the right direction I would be greatful, and of course I would give credit in the short itself.

Thank you.
Karnageddon
06-05-2009, 02:00 AM
What i would suggest for accuracy is to create a tube (invisible) with concave properties that a pin can slide inside. Near the top and bottom of the tube, create a surface that will prevent the pin from falling out of the tube. Now position the tube so that the lowest a pin can go will be as far as the actual pin-hole board will allow the pin to fall and the top surface of the invisible tube will allow the pin to go as far as the glass cover.
At this point it would really simplify the animation and constraint it the way you want keeping simulation to a minimum as well.

Let me know if you don't understand any part of it, I'll make some quick mock ups.
Now as for the face deformation, i would use a similar technique to his. Link X_Form the bottom surface verticies of the invisible tubes to a plane and then follow the plane deformation technique Lee used.

I think this should pull it off really well without any intensive reactor calculations.
KEVoLution
06-05-2009, 02:59 AM
Thank you for the suggestions.

I have experimented with what you have suggested in a mock-up and I'm afraid I'm having trouble getting the pin to slide through the tube.
I'm not sure if you are aware of this, but the pins in these toys generally have a little ball or lip at the top of the pins which I had hoped in this mock-up would be stopped by the top edges of the invisible tube.
This way in theory the pins would sit in their respective tubes until the animation caused had the pin box, which the tubes would be attached to would be turned or moved about, and if the box was turned upside down, the top of the pins would hit the plane acting as the glass cover, or even just having the glass cover set as a bounding box

Sadly however what is happening is that, once the tube is smaller then the lip of the pin, the pin, if placed inside the tube somewhat is launched into the distance, or if placed over the tube merely bangs off the top of it and falls into oblivion.

Just to say in general. I do reckon a simulation would be the best option for my piece. I had set up the pins for a hand animated approach, and....well....let's just say that in figuring the reactor way out and then actually executing the simulation oh hundreds of these pins, I'd be about a quarter of the way through hand animating a lamer looking result.

Also, regarding putting pictures into the pinboxes. I do need to do it for a point later in this animation, and I may just follow Lee's method to the letter. Simply because I've messed around with it a bit and I like the results.

Thank you.
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