Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ncar!asuvax!mcdphx!teroach.UUCP!stan
From: stan@teroach.UUCP (Stan Fisher)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: sa4d
Message-ID: <11736@mcdphx.phx.mcd.mot.com>
Date: 25 Sep 89 16:14:30 GMT
References: <0160.AA0160@sosaria>
Sender: listen@mcdphx.phx.mcd.mot.com
Reply-To: stan@teroach.UUCP (Stan Fisher)
Organization: Motorola Microcomputer Division, Tempe, Az.
Lines: 33

In article <0160.AA0160@sosaria> wizard@sosaria.ccs.imp.com writes:
>
>What is the easiest way to produce a proper looking free fall with keyframe
>animation in Sculpt Animate 4D (or 3D)?
>----------------------------------------
>Chris Brand - wizard@sosaria.ccs.imp.com
>"Justice is the possession and doing 
>of what one is entitled to"  -  Platon
>----------------------------------------

If the falling object is be the 'key framed' object you're gonna have to
save many key frames with the position set appropriately in each, even then
the motion will 'step' in speed as each key frame is reached.  If you can
use a combination of key frame and 'global' methods to achieve your effect
and use the global for the falling objects path, the fall can accelerate
smoothly.  What I've done is to select 'add circle' and specify 4 times as
many divisions as you want for path positions. Then select only 3/4 of the
circle, leaving the verticies from 9:00 to 12:00 deselected.  Erase the
selected verticies.  Now you have a 90 degree arc containing the number of
verticies that you want positions for.  Now do 'expand/contract' and turn
off the height direction (probably Up/Down) and click contract several
times. This will leave you with a vertical line made up of verticies that
have separations ranging from very close together at the top to far apart
(relatively) at the bottom.  Make that a Path and select the direction.  If
you want 'bounce' then do the same as above, but make a half-circle and
only twice as many divisions in the circle as you want path positions for.
Delete only vertices from just after 3:00 to just before 9:00, and then do
the contract.  


  Stan Fisher -  stan@teroach.phx.mcd.mot.com -  asuvax!mcdphx!teroach!stan
  Motorola Microcomputer Division, Tempe, Arizona   -  Voice (602) 438-3228
  Call our User Group BBS "M.E.C.C.A." running Atredes 1.1 @ (602) 893-0804