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Creating a Seamless Looping Flag Animation
Posted: 16 September 2015 03:36 PM   [ Ignore ]  
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Why do I need an extra permission to see this being a premium member?

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Posted: 16 September 2015 03:49 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 1 ]  
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Hi Balero,

I have no access either, so I hope the “trouble” with this will be history ASAP!

Sorry about the inconvenience.


All the best

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Dr. Sassi V. Sassmannshausen Ph.D.
Cinema 4D Mentor since 2004
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Posted: 16 September 2015 04:32 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 2 ]  
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Thank you for reporting this. We were able to fix the error. You shouldn’t have any more problems watching the tutorials.

Best,
Michelle

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Posted: 17 April 2020 09:06 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 3 ]  
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Hi, I’m stuck on minute 10:52. I’m using Cinema r 21 and I can’t find the “Point Cache Deformer.” Is that tool still in r21? If not how would I do this step?

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Posted: 17 April 2020 09:53 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 4 ]  
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Hi pbjostrand,

Hold down the shift key and the c key. Type: “point cache”, and it will show up

Main Menu> Create> Deformer> Point Cache

Main Menu> Window > Customize> Customize Commands…

Let me know if that works.

Cheers, stay safe, stay healthy.

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Dr. Sassi V. Sassmannshausen Ph.D.
Cinema 4D Mentor since 2004
Maxon Master Trainer, VES, DCS

Photography For C4D Artists: 200 Free Tutorials.
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Posted: 18 June 2020 05:59 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 5 ]  
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Hello,

This tutorial is not working on R21 I’ve been trying to get it to work for hours and I can’t, I’m trying to make a loop out of a swimming fish and I’ve followed the instructions but can’t use two Point Cache deformers because one overrides the other.
Maybe in R16 it worked but in r21 it definitely doesn’t work,

Please, you should warn it in the tutorial: not working on R21

Thank you
Diego

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Posted: 18 June 2020 06:08 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 6 ]  
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Hi Diego,

Please check your Private Messages here on Cineversity (Top middle in the interface here)

I get an email when the file is uploaded, no further actions needed.

Cheers

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Dr. Sassi V. Sassmannshausen Ph.D.
Cinema 4D Mentor since 2004
Maxon Master Trainer, VES, DCS

Photography For C4D Artists: 200 Free Tutorials.
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Posted: 18 June 2020 08:11 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 7 ]  
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Thanks for the file, Diego, always better to have something to work with.

I have sent your file back to you, looped.

This tutorial is an approach to loop a certain type of given animation that is by itself, not loop-able, in other words, where one has to blend parts of the “end” with the “start” to force it into a loop-able situation.
This can be done with the blending of Point caches, or using the Falloff-Fields of the Point Cache Deformer, and blend it based on animated values. (Using a Solid, for example.)

An alternative that I like to use is via Animation Clips. A copy of the clip is placed over the end of the first one and then both trimmed at the same clip time, one of course a frame shorter.


=========

The file that I got from you has no need to do that. It is a 71 frame loop already. So set the Auto-Time to off, set the time range to 0-71, and cache it. One Cache Tag only.
Then set the time range to the total time you need and the Loop number that fits the desired duration. That is all you need. No deformer needed. If you like to work with the Deformer, just one is required.

Enjoy your animation.

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Dr. Sassi V. Sassmannshausen Ph.D.
Cinema 4D Mentor since 2004
Maxon Master Trainer, VES, DCS

Photography For C4D Artists: 200 Free Tutorials.
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Posted: 19 June 2020 05:01 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 8 ]  
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Hallo Dr. Sassi, Thank you very much for taking your time to look at my fish loop.


There is indeed a loop in frame 71 but as the available animation lasts 200 frames I was trying to make a longer loop as there is a movement in the eye that is very noticeable and repetitive I was trying to make a slightly more varied loop of 140 frames and with only 60 frames of overlapping, this is what I can’t do with the technique you describe in the tutorial.

I tried to do it with the solid field and it doesn’t work either because the Point Cache B deformer seems to completely override the Point Cache A deformer.

Could you please show a simple R21 project where the technique explained in the tutorial works?

I’ve tried every way I can think of and I can’t get it to work,

Thank you in advance,
Diego

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Posted: 19 June 2020 06:08 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 9 ]  
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Hi Diego,

The Solid in the Falloff, needs to be animated, to lower the influence. If it stays at 100%, it will not work.
The idea of the tutorial is simple, have two deformers working on the flag in a way that the same point in time works one time on the start and then hits the other time on the end.

Somewhere between the start and the end, the blend between the two must happen. Note that the blend is always linear with those methods.

If you have a fish with a fin, bend left, and in the other cache to the right, the between state will be a short flat one, as all points go from one side to the other. With a long enough blend, this might be invisible or shows up even more with a chaotic flag that is kind of hard to see, With a fish, that might show up.

Your file was set to 0-140, as you have sent it to me. I had no idea nor any information that is extended to 200+.

Anyway, here is your requested simple file, but I have no idea why it needs to be so difficult. The Point Cache tag has since long the option to do all of that by itself.
Record a motion that could blend well, which means start and end are relatively close. I showcase that with a static copy of the start. This copy makes it simple to find that endpoint.

The cache duration is then set and calculated.

To create the blend, the time is set for the full time, while the Blend value needs to be acknowledged. In other words, the full time needs to be longer. (… as the Blend shortens it of course). THis is pretty much what the tutorial suggest, but much easier to do.

In the clip, you can see all these steps.

I have included the cache file.

If there is a need to do that with the Point Cache Deformer, I have a second Project file included. With the initial cache, the looped as well as with the Deformer version.

The cache is saved to the folder, and you can use a Plane 10*10 Z orientation to use it.

Files and clip:
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/y6rBbEAgl2hPCkXRRX4x3S8Kba8mfkagR0wNTqHoqis

Please know that Maxon’s offices are closed on Friday: Juneteenth.
Here it is past midnight, so I hope all works out.

All the best

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Dr. Sassi V. Sassmannshausen Ph.D.
Cinema 4D Mentor since 2004
Maxon Master Trainer, VES, DCS

Photography For C4D Artists: 200 Free Tutorials.
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Posted: 19 June 2020 04:40 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 10 ]  
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P.S.: Diego, as you wanted to see a working set up based on the tutorial’s idea, have a look here:

Project file
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/OUBLurtVvT6SeDEYEct7szqeQ2Al7JYzAByGmtYJkr3

As you can see, the Solid in the falloff is the key to blend.
I have set this up in R21, but it works in S22 in the same way.

Cheers


About the fish animation and the one cycle that the eye moves:

Loopable Formula.

If an object has a clear prime motion, like bending to the left than to the right, the time it gets back to the left is one cycle.
If one of these main cycles has a distinct and noticeable derivation from the typical cycle, it is either that cycle alone is the loop or needs a standard cycle before and after that matches to be made loopable.
So, if we got a standard, a special, and a standard again, while all cycles are equally long, then the resulting loop is two-thirds of the previous animation.
The two animations that will be blended needs to be moves -1/3 and +1/3 in time.
The 2/3 resulting loop is the overlap, and the blend between both at one point. Minus one frame, as that should be the first of the next loop.

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Dr. Sassi V. Sassmannshausen Ph.D.
Cinema 4D Mentor since 2004
Maxon Master Trainer, VES, DCS

Photography For C4D Artists: 200 Free Tutorials.
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Posted: 20 June 2020 07:36 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 11 ]  
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Hi Dr. Sassi,

I really thank you very much for the examples you sent me and for explaining me how it works and the idea for the loop to work.

Now I have managed to make a perfect seamless loop.

Really this technique is very interesting because later you can repeat many times the loop varying the speed in the Point Cache tag (scale) and this produces a much more varied motion.

Really the only difference with “Creating a Seamless Looping Flag Animation” by Kevin Aguirre tutorial is that now we have to use a solid falloff field to do the animation. This confused me and I couldn’t find a way to make it work.
Maybe you could put a little explanatory note written at the bottom of the tutorial saying that from R20 onwards have to use a Solid field in the Falloff tab and do the Key frame in it.

Thanks for the example files that helped me to finally understand it.

Kind regards,
Diego

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Posted: 20 June 2020 03:20 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 12 ]  
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You’re very welcome, Diego, thanks for the reply.

Yes, a good idea to update the text. Thank you. However, I have no access to it, but I can suggest it to the admin team.
With a few thousand tutorials and constant change, it would take several people to manage after each update the evaluation of each tutorial. So, thanks for your patience.

BTW, the Point Cache Tag could also be limited or changed with the Restriction Tag. Whereby objects with a lot of points will add to the information load of a scene, as each Selection tag contains a lot of information as well.

Have a great weekend

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Dr. Sassi V. Sassmannshausen Ph.D.
Cinema 4D Mentor since 2004
Maxon Master Trainer, VES, DCS

Photography For C4D Artists: 200 Free Tutorials.
https://www.youtube.com/user/DrSassiLA/playlists

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Posted: 22 June 2020 11:44 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 13 ]  
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Point Cache tag is a good addition to my workflow better than bake PLA since playback repetitions and speed can be controlled very easy with Keyframes adding more variation to the loop. Also the Restriction tag tip is super cool.

Thanks again for your help, I hope the administrators will add that little note preventing the novice users of R20 onwards from getting lost, I understand that having thousands of tutorials this isn’t easy.

Cheers
Diego

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Posted: 22 June 2020 03:42 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 14 ]  
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You’re very welcome, Diego, thanks for taking the time.

If you have some time, you might explore the Animation System/Clips, which allows for even more options. (But that needs to be discussed in the Q&A forum, to keep things organized)

Have a great day.

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Dr. Sassi V. Sassmannshausen Ph.D.
Cinema 4D Mentor since 2004
Maxon Master Trainer, VES, DCS

Photography For C4D Artists: 200 Free Tutorials.
https://www.youtube.com/user/DrSassiLA/playlists

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