Hello, Im having difficulty with an animation Im trying to do, I dont get it, seems so simple but just not working.
I am creating a carbon atom, The Protons and Neutrons rotate and shift, and the Electrons (Little ones around the edge) rotate around the center like a planet around its sun, I have got the first electron rotating around the z axis in a non stop 360degree pattern, I now need to duplicate this electron 5 more times at random rotations around the center so that they all wizz around differently but perfectly circular to their own local Z axis… Thats the problem though, they will only rotate around on the global Z not the local Z of each one, so I have 6 electrons all following the exact same path.
My electron is using the same way of rotating as in this short tut (replace the wheel and tyre with an electron and you have it)
Any help will be really appreciated, im not new to modelling, but I am to animation, Thanks, Bizla.
HI Richard, That Is what I have, but when I click ALT-A the 6 electrons follow the same path as each other because they are all using the same Global Z axis
Make a Neutron Object… Make an Empty… Make an Electron object and move it out to where it’s orbit should be…
Partent the Empty to the Neutron… Parent the Electron to the Empty… Rotate and animate the Empty on ‘Z’ Axis… save a key frame on frame one at zero degrees all axis… then move to frame 30 Rotate Empty on ‘Z’ axis 360degrees… set a key frame… (set your animation to only play 29 frames)
Shift Select the Empty and the Electron… Shift+D to Duplicate them… you should still have your ‘Z’ rotation animation on the new Empty… Remove all Key frames from this Empty#2… now Rotate Empty#2 on say the ‘X’ axis something like say 40* on frame one… set a key frame… then go to frame 30 Rotate Empty#2 on ‘Z’ axis in Local or normal mode… 360* set a key frame…
that should do it… just repeat for each new Electron setting different starting angle for each new Empty on ‘X’ or ‘Y’ axis… also you may want to have some fo the ‘Z’ rotations move in the negitive 360 degree axis… to make it look better…
Oh and dont’ forget you will have to set the Animations to ‘Linear’ in the curves editor…
Worked like a dream, thank you very much, I really appreciate your help, it was the parenting of the empty to another object with its own local Z that I was missing
