Cineversity

Wondering if there’s a quicker method to the way I have animated the basketballs in this animation:
https://youtu.be/-KDP9G7OhAo?t=20

It’s been a while since I’ve animated these, but I’m pretty sure I manually keyframed them. I hadn’t grouped them under any nulls or anything like that to move them around. Just moved each one to each position and set some keyframes.

I need to extend the animation, but when I go in and select two basketballs and rotate them around, I get some wacky rotations. I assume it has something to do with gimbal lock or quaternion.

Just wondering if there’s some kind of rig I could set up to make it easier?

Thanks!

Hi Matt,

It is practically a set of three loops. The left pair (while the other one is still each time), the right pair and the outside pair. Each loops one time time, needs to be rendered as such and then you just take these three clips (loops) and edit them to the final game. In your clip there is no camera move, so that would be the fastest way to set them up, to render them and have the footage for any combination of motion available.

Which reminds me, that those clips, could be done as animation clips, yet, then you have to render the whole thing each time.
https://www.cineversity.com/vidplaylist/animation_techniques_for_teams/animation_techniques_for_teams_part_01_course

In the same way you could animated them with three spline path objects. Rotate from the left to the middle, rotate from the left to the right, or from the middle to the right. These three splines go the into the Align to Spline>Spline Path. Each round/rotation, and a new set needs to be set.

A way with three rotating Nulls and Parent switching would be possible as well, the null sit each time in the middle of the pairs, between left and middle, in the middle, between middle and right. Then after each round get swapped out.
https://www.cineversity.com/vidplaytut/pick_up_and_set_down_objects_with_the_parent_constraint

As these are all loops, and if the motion should be without stop, the animation goes always from the first frame of the loop the the last negative one loop, as the last frame would be the same as the first. Example for the standard 0-90 frames, to loop this would be 91/90*360, so the last frame is not 360º. You might know that, but in a forum I like to mention it.

All the best

P.S.: Three clips for showing where it is, or six if the end clip is different.

P.S.: here is an example with Motion Clips.

The only problem that I have here is that the clips set the 123 sequence each time a clips starts. If the clips would move the ball from an initial 321, for example, perhaps they would not land where they should be.
So, the shuffle’s secret reveal must be established manually.

Please note, the hierarch that is established before the clip recording starts, must be the same, no exception. It is better to have a few placeholder there, than no option at all.

Have a look at the clips in the middle, the pretend to move not forward, but they do, just click on one and see how the spline curve creates this effect, which will be individual for each clip, once they are in the time line.

Scene file and screen capture (download both)
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/pWPpUzoUBry58hdMAXGmI0TBjLEgdlDfXpLJ8daht2k

If you render three clips out, the “editing” would be the same, except the spline curve in C4D will create the proper motion blur if MB is enabled.

ENJOY

Wow thank you so much Dr. Sassi! I would have never been able to figure this out on my own haha. Quite a clever solution you have. And thank you so much for the video too, this definitely helps to understand the concept!

Matt

You’re very welcome, Matt, thanks for the reply!

Enjoy your project.