Why does an animation path stop at the end of the curve? For example if we create a nurbs circle and a locator make an motion path it will have a start and an end. Even if we delete the anim curve from the motion path and manipulate the U value by hand it goes from 0 to 1.
Is there a way to make it continuously loop? Pass the value of 1?
The motion path u value indirectly refers to the curves u parameter (its the curve length from min param to max param but normalized down to 0 -> 1) so if you set the motion path value above 1 it sticks at the curves maximum parameter. To animate an infinite loop you just would need to put the motion path u value back to 0 and start again.
For motion paths on periodic curves you could easily do this without much hassle if you open the animCurveTL AETemplate and set the option menu “Pre Inifinity” to “cycle”.
zaskar. That works if you chose to use the anim curves from the motion path, and have only one object on the path. And even then it jumps at the last frame. Lets say you add 2 more objects to the motion path and have them start at different time so they fallow each other like train carts. That does not work any more.
Tim at first I wanted to use it for tank tracks, and then was thinking of using it for a toy train that goes around a xmas tree. Nothing in particular just playing around. An entrusting problem to solve. A way to animate objects on a path, that fallow each other in a continues loop.
Any other way of doing this? Maybe a constraint of some sort that fallows a path?
For track treads, like a tank, I use a spline ik and just animate the offset attr. For animators you go and use the post infinity to loop it.
Here is a demo maya file
https://creative.adobe.com/share/0de4fc4f-3064-4a6b-8bcf-07cebcf7e93a
Ends? The circle is just a normal nurbs circle.
The joints are created in a spaced line on the origin. Like:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . normal joint chain.
SplineIk tool, uncheck everything in the settings, check the root on curve box.
Select first joint, shift select End joint, shift select curve.
The joints will all pop onto the curve, then just animate the splineik.offset(Or whatever it’s named haha).
You should be able to pick it apart in the scene I posted. This works for everything that I would use a motion path for, save facial setups.
Then motion paths come into play =]
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