Animating a worm

Hi guys

Was wondering if anyone could tell me the basic steps of the process used to create this.


I’m wanting to animate a single one of these to look like a worm moving through grass…
From the description sounds like you use paths?

Thanks in advance
A

Here a quick and flexible method to get that effect.

  1. model the worm, extra loops so it will deform well.
  2. Add a bezier circle, subdivide it once for more anchor/control points. Move them to make an interesting path.
  3. Add a curve modifier to the worm, use the bezier as the curve (duh)
  4. Keyframe x location of the worm to move it around the curve (I always do loc-rot out of habit) I have 1 keyframe at frame 1 at center and one more keyframe at frame 100, some ways down on x.
    This is the basic setup:
    worm.blend (564 KB)
    Scrub the timeline to see it worming.

Thank you so much blender all day, - the worm.blend though is a php file, was this intentional? I’m not sure how to open it if so!

I downloaded the file to my desktop it is not a php file. It’s the worm blend.??? Download it again, it’s legit.

i think you’re trying to download the blenderartist php page, just click on the link.
Here’s a screenshot of the blend.


Here is the blend on dropbox, although the original link works too:

Here is 4 seconds of what the blend renders to animation:

That’s quality and exactly what I wanted. Thanks hugely blenderallday!

You’re welcome. :yes:

Blender all day. Taking your blend, I’ve toggled cyclic on the bezier curve off as I want to create a different path for the worm. But as soon as I start moving the control points of the curve I start messing with the scale and position of the worm. I want the worm to follow exactly my path & only deform ‘appropriately’.

Do you have any tips for using the curve modifier to help me with this, ie certain dont dos…

Thanks
A

I’ve figured it out I think. Keyframe only the x under the object properties

Don’t scale the curve in object mode.
Don’t move the curve’s origin from center.
Only move and keyframe the the worm on x.
The curves can’t be extremely sharp relative to the size of the worm. I mean they can, but you will get some deformation.
If you want the worm to start somewhere besides center move a control point to the start postiion and keyframe the worm on frame 1 to be there. I think you need to leave the first control point where it is. Am I 100% on that, no.

And the last rule: Please break any of these rules whenever you feel like it. Sometimes you get a great effect.

Here is a version using a bezier curve, instead of a circle which is more of a ‘snake in the grass’ I had to spin the worm 180 on z, in edit mode ,as the bezier wanted to go that way. You can subdivide beziers by selecting two adjacent control points and pressing w subdivide to get a new one.
worm2.blend (553 KB)

Blenderallday just seen this, thanks again but the link is only downloadable as an attachment.php again? Any chance you can dropbox or email it me? Thanks!

I’m a bit puzzled as to why you can’t download these. What OS are you using? and what steps are you taking to download it?

Here she is on dropbox:

Bizarrely the original link now works, as happened previously. Don’t understand either. I’m on a windows 7 laptop. Tried left-clicking the link & also right clicking & ‘saving target as’.

Anyways, many thanks yet again