Loop Animation Constant Speed

Support Animation and Rigging
#1

Hi there.

I am trying to create a simple animation. I simply have a gun in front of the camera that spins through 360 degrees. I have two questions:

  1. How can I get this on a constant loop.
  2. How can I keep the speed the same

At the moment, the gun’s rotation speed will start at zero and increase for half a second. Then, it will spin at a constant speed for about 300 degrees, before slowing down again, and stopping. How can I just get it to keep spinning at the same speed?
I read something about using strips with the NLA editor but I don’t think I can do that as I’m not using armatures. I just did ‘LocRotScale’ on the timeline.

Thanks :slight_smile:

#2

Sheppy -
You need to learn a bit about the IPO curve editor window, I think.
Get that open, then select your animating objects, then select the properties you have animated (locXYZ, rotXYZ) in the list on the right. Then

  1. Select Curve / Extend Mode / Constant to keep your cycle looping
    (your moves should continue right off the chart)
  2. Select Curve / Interpolation Mode / Linear to keep your speed the same.
    (and verify that your curves now appear as straight lines point-to-point)

I think.
And it might help to do Step 2 before Step 1.

#3

I’m trying to loop a character animation.

Using 2.55. Do not see “Curve” or “Extend Mode” menu.

IPO is the older “Graph Editor” right?

Has this changed?

I thought it was Extrapolation > Constant. Didn’t work.

Any help?

#4

If you are using 2.5 then I’d suggest using the NLA editor… Oh wtf here is an example…

To set up i had cube (gun) at -180 degrees and put in 180 degrees at frame 100 (arbitrary)… go to the fcurve editor and make the extrapolation mode for the curve linear. The default is cubic so there will be an ease in ease out as you describe in your post. Add a key at frame 99 (or one less than the amount you want) and delete the last… then you will have a repeating loop.

Then i’d use the NLA editor as shown… there is a repeat slider.

#5

So does this mean that in 2.58 there is no cyclic extend mode?

#6

In 2.5 cycle is a modifier for f-curve. Select the F-curve and add the cycle modifier to it.