Hi. when trying to adjust the speed of an object {say a helicopter} travelling on a path - when I change the window in the IPO from Object to Path…I can see the Speed button but can’t select it. Anyone have experience with the speed on path question?
thnks
I’m using 2.48, and yeah it seems “non selectable”, but I am able to edit the (IPO) curve (press TAB), anyway.
Mike
hey there Mike…nice to see you are around these parts. The Bez Path doesn’t show with an IPO. Am I missing something? I’m not sure if the Speed button for Path worked before 2.48 or not - but it doesn’t respond for me.
thks for the reply.
I’m not sure if I’m doing what you’re talking about, but:
I opened up the default scene. Added a bezier curve. Opened up the Path IPO Window. There is no curve there (maybe this is what you’re getting tripped up on?),
I select the speed channel on the right and hold control and click on the IPO graph to get a point (did it at 0 at frame 1) then did a Ctrl+Click at 1.0 at frame 100.
I now have an IPO curve.
Selected the default Cube, pressed Ctrl+P and selected follow path and it followed the path just fine.
Let me know if you need more help.
Well I had added a “curve/path” object, which automatically creates the IPO, and turns on the “curvepath” button.
It looks like the bezier / nurbs curves don’t do that automatically.
I haven’t really compared the three types for path-following, so I don’t know what differences (if any) there are between them.
Mike
I don’t use the path, I just create curves and bind my MESH objects to the curves via the Curve modifier. Then I record LOC keyframes to follow the “path” (meaning curve).
This only works with mesh objects, so if you create a Font object, you have to convert it to mesh to use this technique.
thnks for the replies…blazer003…thnks - this creates the IPO…but how do you adjust the speed?
Mike…I haven’t worked with a curve/path “object” - hmmm …i thought a Bez.curve stayed that way until Alt-C to mesh? I haven’t used what i think you’re describing
Atom…i’ll give your method a try to see if there is an advantage…but can you adjust the “speed” with this method??
Maybe a “hover” action is not possible with path anim…you are along for the ride from frame 1 on
thnks for any response!
Control Click in the IPO window to add an IPO curve. Now tab into edit mode and create the animation you want. You’ll see the speed button become active once there’s a curve for it.
Attachments
hover.blend (169 KB)
Using my method, the speed is determined by the distance between the two keyframes of the LOC channel. Because the LOC keyframes show up in the NLA window, it is very easy to move them around and adjust the speed of your animation. You don’t even have to adjust the curves unless you are concerned with the easing.