Cineversity

Hello, I’m currently making a paper origami project where a dollar bill folds into the shape of a house.  What I’m being told is that the house needs to be more square shaped. If you look at the file, I used joints - bind - skin - and joint hierarchy to create the folds. If I attempt to create an additional fold horizontally to make the dollar bill more square, it completely breaks apart the animation. It gets to a point where the weight tags begin to morph the dollar bill out of control.  Is there another feasible way to bend a plane surface into an origami shape that requires multiple folds that are both rectangular and triangular in shape?  Any help is appreciated.  Thanks.

Hi cnarvaez,

There is no file.

I will take a look into it, but so far I never had luck to solve complicated foldings in one pass.

Cheers

Hello Dr. Sassi, thank you for the reply, here are links to the file.  I’m also having a hard time uploading zip files.  I’m using R20 on a Mac.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Mz2uBrJ6deRzf-HUmv0B5bagQSpoVPPC/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MNT9mH8gHHfj8qNmLCqtkqEPJZufJ_5I/view?usp=sharing

Thank you

Cesar

Hi Cesar,

I assume that the three images filled the three uploads, but yes, this forum software has trouble with zip files. Great that you chose a well-known cloud, thank you!

Thanks for the files. I was greeted with an Alert. I found that the light sources had C.O.F.F.E.E. in it, which is no longer supported. This was easy to find, but typically, I appreciated scene files without any 3rd party. Especially if it is paid content, that shouldn’t be shared publicly. Not a problem, but it’s nice to focus on the core or the question.

When you take a look at the weigh manager, you will find that some joints have 200%. No joint should have more than 100%, but each point should be ruled by 100%.
However, I’m not sure what the idea was with the joints, I guess (?) some were there just a group-mover. Hard to get the idea. Some joints shared the same point even, I think that is leading to problems. Perhaps I miss something.

I would do it step by step, and with a single PoseMorph for every single step. A step means here to do something as long as no further animation builds upon it. If there is a step above one, a new PoseMorph can be used with a higher priority number. Perhaps add 10 per step as a priority. Name the PoseMorphs clearly. When one step is done, set it to animation and the sliders into the final position.

I guess (again, since I don’t know what shape you are after, even having worked 20 years in the Architecture business), a sketch would have helped of course. So, my best bet would be that the roof is built by a second element.

I hope that helps, and the PoseMorph Step by step takes the complexity out. But each change might cause quite some work, so be sure what you like to have.

Screen capture (one minute)
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/qjYFSLlNWxZ9P5s57bCU4xXgBDb2gzs8cbh6ITl1lUy

Since the priority and the stored state will assume the the base pose, enable each only when needed. (I will set up a file for you.)

All the best

Dr. Sassi,

Thank you for taking the time to create a video illustrating the root of my problem.  I am relatively new to Cinema 4D, and couldn’t find tutorials close enough to what I needed to do.  This is perfect and is exactly what I need pointed out.  Thanks again.  Have a great day!

Cesar

Thanks for the feedback, Cesar.

Here is a file, step by step, based on the step by step approach.

Please note that I have only the parts visible that are currently change something, and at the moment another step is approaching, they get invisible and the next is visible.

As I mentioned, to do all at once is nothing that has worked with paper folding at any time very comfortable.

Scene file
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/XHZa0GXLh0phLzMGkNWlWLMokpOa4AOLQwCwZHBi9ml

With some materials to make the transitions more clear
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/aMcRsNBQs5spoNIbDDSjWhaG19nD5lMmYoezaqB0TNk
If rendered with Physical Motion Blur, I would use the take system, as the Visible In Editor/Render will not work for this process.

Please let me know if there is any other question, I’m happy to look into it.

Cheers

Thank you very much Dr. Sassi

You’re the best!

You’re very welcome, Cesar!

Do you have a little sketch about the house?

Given how simple it is to fold a piece of paper (or how choreographed - going with the art-form Origami), to simulate this in an animation package will always be more complicated.

There are options in the PoseMorph to accumulate point positions, but I have never gotten a complex model with revolving points, while different axis orientations, to work. Hence the step by step suggestion, not easy to change on the end, though.

What I have tried above is the idea to chop it into small, simple steps with a lot of repetition. All in all, it is quite a task to die deeper into origami, whereby some actions, like pulling an edge out of a folded layer, etc., can be perhaps even impossible to really simulate. Often the idea is to use the magic that we can do in 3D: swap out an object, that allows for a different approach, while the exchange is not visible.

I know that there is a deep feeling of achievement while doing it in one continuous flow. However, in the end, we serve the audience a visual result, that has to make the viewer believe that it is just one stream of movements that lead to the final result. Since very long we know that the mind fills gaps that we create while cutting this flow (Kuleshov experiment), and by doing so, we shorten the time and keep the audience interested. The nice side effect is that anything that the audience believes in seeing and knowing, without us even presenting it at all leaves us time for the exciting parts of the animation. This is part of the animation skillset as well, from my point of view.

I don’t want to overload nor give you a to steep of a gradient to learn and enjoy Cinema 4D, hence my approach above. Is that the only way, indeed not. Anyway, if you have a question, please let me know.

Just to mention it, the Cluster Object has a similar function, but instead of a slider you need to add selections and objects each time. I prefer the PoseMorph, but give it a shot.

ENJOY

P.S.: Cesar, I like to do things each time I post a reply here. Things might have changed, and the memory of a previous project might be no applicable anymore.

This was done with four PoseMorph sessions. I rendered them separately, with a frame overlap. An alternative to that would be the Transparency as a blend from one to the next frame. A simple Visible in Render animation will not work with motion blur.

The design of the folding was found after wasting a few paper cards. As usual, after it was finished, I would do perhaps some steps before the other. Since it was only a proof of concept and workflow, I was okay with it.

Here is a rendering, I added a short sound-clip to it (Logic Pro), and I hope you enjoy it.
https://youtu.be/_SqlSGWKutg

Cheers

wow!!!
that was very clever!
didnt know that using more than one Posemorph tag is working.
Nice Feature.And sweet animation by the way!

Thanks Dr. Sassi

Thank you very much, FIFTYEIGHT.

Please note that the set up is working through the chain of many Pose Morphs, but for the final scene, each PoseMorph’s last set up is used to create a “Current State To Object”.
The final scene works with segments of the animation.

Scene file with materials to showcase the final set up
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/aMcRsNBQs5spoNIbDDSjWhaG19nD5lMmYoezaqB0TNk
With Physical Motion Blur, I would suggest the Takes system, as the Visible Editor/Render is not working with this approach.

I have used the Priority here to have that chain of actions and have it clearly labeled. It wouldn’t work later on with just one object. As the highest priority would overwrite the others. Which is helpful when you work through the animation, but it doesn’t work later on.

I hope that makes sense.

Cheers

Thanks again for all of your help Dr. Sassi, this information was very useful.

Do you know of any C4D training courses in California endorsed by Maxon?  My Employer (State of CA) can send me to these training courses, as long as they are within CA.

Thanks.

Cesar

Thanks a lot for your feedback, Cesar, very much appreciated.

There are several solutions for that:

The first one, as it is the most comfortable way to dive quickly very deep into Cinema 4D, would be:
https://www.maxonshop.com/us/ps/Cineversity-1on1/1/s1/CAT174-CAT182
You set the focus and time for your next exploration. When you feel good about it (what you have learned), set up the next step.

Perhaps you like more to learn in a group, find your certified instructor here:
https://www.maxon.net/en/training/partner-locator/

Besides, if you get in contact with Maxon US, you will be able to get training in-house (hands-on): If a team needs training, a specially scheduled training (time and theme wise) will be set up, and the training will happen as requested.

In any case, use the Contact please check with our Educational Representative in the US (California office), perhaps there are some better ideas.
https://www.maxon.net/en/header-meta-navigation/about-maxon/contact/

In any way, please never hesitate to ask here as well. I’m happy to dive in, and I will (hopefully) find an answer for you.

Let me know if there is something else!

Cheers