Animating a curve

I couldn’t find quite the correct title for this but what I actually mean is that I have problems animating an object that’s bevel’d along a curve.
Here’s the .blend file I have: Link

The animation I want it to have is that the curve grows along itself. So it starts out behind the camera and grows along that curve (itself). I hope you know what I mean.
If you don’t, take a look at this video: YouTube I’m trying to recreate exactly the effect I made there with 3ds max. (well, maybe a little different, but the animation works the same)

Worst case scenerio would be that I’d have to model the vine differently, but that way (a long extruded circle curve shape along a curve -> works) the vine doesn’t look that smotth and has way too many faces.

Thanks in advance,
Koeltzsch

To make a curve “Grow”, you may want to simply add a Build modifier to it. Unfortunately you have to convert it to a mesh in order to add the build modifier to it. This is a serious flaw, IMHO, blender needs the 3DSMax equivalent modifer of “Convert To Mesh”. Then you could apply all mesh modifiers to curves or fonts. I have not seen anyone else complain about this, so my guess is it is not getting done.

To simply animate a curve, you can apply “Hooks” to the verticies. These are links to empties. Then you can animate the empties and the curve will redifine it’s shape based upon the location of the empty.

Thanks. I think I can work with that. Once I get it into its final shape it’s ok if I convert it to a mesh. Although that increases my number of vertices by a lot…

I’ve heard about that hook method. Unfortunately I don’t think it can be used in this case.

Thanks for the first tip though!

The build modifier seems to build it strand by strand and the wrong way around. Any idea how I can fix that?

Could someone please help me on this?
I can’t figure out a way to adjust the build modifier…

to get randomness, try pressing the ‘hash’ button in edit buttons. this randomizes the numerical designations of the vertices, and i think the build modifier bases the build order on those designations.

I’d make a long subsurfed and smoothed mesh cylinder, give it a lattice modifier, and push it through the lattice to animate the growing vine. Here is the set up


and this is how it looks in a playblast render.

Hi,

I’m not sure if this is what you mean but take a look at this:

I hope it helps,

gr, Twan

Thanks for the link, Kathman!

Thanks for that idea, that fixes two of my problems! Thanks a lot

@Kathman: Thanks for the link as well. How do I get the panel which gives me the option of switching the direction though?

@Orinoco: How would I get my vine to follow the lattice deform nicely though? Can it also be applied to a curve? I don’t want to subdivide my vine a hundred times for a smooth result.

Thanks for your reply

I just have to plug this great little app.

http://graphics.uni-konstanz.de/~luft/ivy_generator/

It does not do animated growth, but it can be used in concert with other elements to add a nice level of realism to a scene.

Add the tube and the lattice in the same place. Use scale to make the tube long and skinny (keeps the center in the same place.) Then when you edit the lattice to put the curves in, the tube will follow it exactly.

I don’t know if it works on a curve, I make a lot of loop cuts in the “vine” and set smooth and subsurf to level 2.

@Orinoco: What do you mean by this: “edit the lattice to put the curves in”? Parenting the tube to the lattice (lattice deform)?

A lot of loop cuts? That slows my PC down by quite a bit, isn’t there a simpler solution?

In the Editing buttons, Lattice panel, there are UVW settings, one of these will add more control points to the lattice (which one depends on the orientation of the lattice.) With more control points on the lattice, you can go into edit mode for the lattice and shape it into the curve you want the tube to follow. Proportional editing also works, to get nice smooth curves.

Without the verts in the length of the tube, it won’t bend, so I don’t have a solution to not using a lot of loop cuts.

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Oh ok, now I understand what you mean. Thanks…