Repeating with Biezer Curves

Hi, I’m not sure if this question has been asked before but is it possible to have a camera following a biezer curve that’s closed (as in the curve loops) keep following the curve indefinetly? I’ve searched all over blender and in the manual but I’m not finding any way to do this.
Help is apreciated.

You’ll have to use the IPO curve editor.

Select the biezer curve in the 3d window.
Split your window in half, open up the IPO curve editor. Select Path from the menu. You’ll be animating the “Speed” value

The IPO field will actaully be blank but it is by default setup to act the following way:
http://www.blenderprojects.com/calvin/path01.gif

A complete cycle is defined by going from 0.0 to 1.0, within a specific amount of frames. If no ipo curve is defined blender will follow the value input in the Curve and setting menu; the “PathLen.”

Now if you want blender to repeat the cycle, you’ll need to plot out an IPO curve going from 0.0 to 1.0 over and over. http://www.blenderprojects.com/calvin/path02.gif

To make points, simply Ctrl+LeftMouseButton on the screen, you can click TAB to go into edit mode, you can also click n to get a transformation window (after selecting point, you can enter in the XY values for percise placement)
You might also want to switch to linear mode so it doesn’t slow down. Click T and select Linear.

Update: Now if you are feeling lazy you can just create one curve pattern that you like:
http://blenderprojects.com/calvin/repeat01.gif
Click: Point(Curve) -> Extend Mode -> Cyclic
http://blenderprojects.com/calvin/repeat02.gif

This will make the pattern repeat for infinity:
http://blenderprojects.com/calvin/repeat03.gif

Ok that’s where the “speed ipo” i saw blender talking about is. Thanks for the help! :slight_smile:

When I plot that curve, the object following the curve doesn’t indefintely follow the path. It follows the path, then reverses direction and follows the path etc etc, i.e. clockwis / counter clockswise …

Mike

Mike, Based on your description It looks like you actually did something like this:
http://dominomf.com/smcfiles/kngcalvn_curveBF.gif

You have a slope going to 1.0 and a slope going back to 0.0.

What you would need for repeat is a slope from 0.0 to 1.0 (than instantly back to 0.0) and again slope from 0.0 to 1.0, Something like this:
http://www.blenderprojects.com/calvin/path02.gif