Cineversity

The last part of tutorial #3 at 4:16 I am trying to get the conver belt to move. I’ve worked with keyframes before but I just can’t get my belt to move. I have redone over 15 times, to make sure I am doing the exact sequence. When Ross says to set a key at zero, set a key, increase offset to 20 and the belt moves as he goes back and forth with the keyframe.

I cannot get this to work! I am so frustrated. When he clicks on the the offset, the button turns red. Mine does not. I have to right click, click animation, right click again to add key frame. Is this the right sequence?

Thank you for your help,

Mary

Hi Mary,

If things doesn’t work as described it is frustrating, you’re right.

Lets check the steps you have done. The time slider is at frame zero and the the Off-Set of the Spline Wrap is as well at zero. A click with a command key or control key (preferences might differ) one or the other should create a red do.
Then move the time slider forward to frame 30 and set a offset value in the Spline Wrap. If these steps are done, it should work. What to do if not?

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Create a new scene, call up a circle spline and a cube. Place the Spline Wrap under the cube and drag the Circle Spline into the Spline field of the Spline Wrap. Set the “To” slider in the Spline Warp to 10.

Now set a keyframe in the offset at zero (time-slider at zero), then move the time slider to 30 and the offset to 100. Set a keyframe. Now move the time slider. Is it moving as in the attached scene?

If not , please share your scene.
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I showed you just what I do when something looks weird or isn’t working. I go out of the scene, and create a new one. this scene contains then only the parts in question. If it works in the new scene I have created more information/knowledge about my set up. I can go then go back to the more complex scene and explore it again.

I will check his file as well. If I find something I let you know.

All the best

Sassi

P.S.:

I have attached a stripped version of the scene. In the editor menu I used the “Display” to switch to a mode that has “Lines” in its name. In that way you might see the change better. I also lowered the subdivision in the ExtrudeNURBS, to have a faster redraw and more visibility of the movement.

I animated the offset in the Spline Wrap. Please check how that differs from your scene. I might have used different values, but the way the animation should work is the same.

Please let me know if you need anything else. I would like you to have success with your effort, so please do not hesitate to ask.

Hi Sassi,

Now you will see how much I don’t know about this program.

I am trying to have open the reference you sent me along with a new document so I can follow along. I can’t do it. It reverts to the one that is open, not allowing me to have 2 open at the same time.

Ug! Very embarrasing. Can you help?

Thank you for taking time to recreate the conver scene. It will be very helpful, as soon as I figure out keeping it open!

Thanks,

Mary

Hey Mary,

You can’t have both open at the same time in one C4D installment.

You can switch among scenes that are open: Main Menu->Window and then on the bottom of the list you find all open scenes.

You could also select all (or what you like to have) in one scene and copy copy, go to the other scene file and paste them. (To combine scenes, just use the Main Menu>File>Merge.

Not embarrassing at all, and please never have that feeling that someone could think that, not in the forum here. Everyone has started at one point and no-one knows really everything. Just ask, you might notice after a while that it becomes more clear. Just endure these first moments.

Again, let me know if anything will not work.

All the best

Sassi

Great suggestion. Thank you Sassi. I’m working on it right now.

You’re welcome, Mary. I think of VFX/CG in general—that problem solving strategies are an important part of it. ;o)

WORKING!!

Great! Congratulations, to went through this tutorial scene, which is certainly not classified as “simple”.

Well done :o)

Oh boy Sassi,

I have a real problem now. I have worked all day on this tutorial and have gotten as far as video 6. This is a challenging video for a beginner but I’m finding if I rewind enough times I can figure it out if something isn’t working. 

Now I am ready to quit for the night and C4D won’t let me save my work!! If I lose all that I’ve done today I am giong to be very disappointed. The message I get when I try to save is this:

Unable to write file. File may be write protected.

I have saved earlier in the day with no problems. Do you think you might know why this is happening?

Thanks,

Mary

Hey Mary,

No idea what that is, but is it possible to use a USB flash drive instead of the hard disk?  Another test, open any other application that you know works fine for you and save a file/document to the same hard drive, is that working. OR: Open a new C4D document and save that, is that working? BTW, can you use “Save as…”? Besides that, File> Incremental Save might help.

Other than that, is it possible to put your computer in “Sleep-Mode” instead of shutting it down? Then giving the support a message in the morning (no idea about your timezone thought (I’m in L.A., CA).

Let me know what is possible. Is perhaps your hard drive not waking up? Check if you can click on any file there and if that opens. Then try again.

(Not helping right now, but please set up Autosave in C4D, so you might lose (IF!) only a few minutes. Besides that, Incremental Save might help. )

Let me know.

Good luck
Sassi

Just a little overview.