mustangsRbtr

I don't know if I'm the only one to experience this but, I got a new Macbook Pro. After following the instructions to get the information off the computer so I could get a new .lic file for my new computer I sent it to support. When I got the subsequent file back (BTW: hope things went well at Comic Con) I downloaded it through G-Mail and dropped it into my AM folder. Having done this before I new it should have worked. So here is what I found out - Safari apparently analyzed the file and added a .txt extension to the file. Once I removed that and made it a .lic again everything worked.

Not sure if this will help... I'm still a newb myself but in creating my first model i had some similar results. I found that if I wasn't careful sometimes there were two or even three splines occupying the same space. Once I found and eliminated the additional splines and sometimes CPs I was able to reach my desired result. Note the weird rendering and the center of the asterisk.

This looks really close. Now I just have to figure out how to do it with a bunch more balls and smooth the orbits.

My original attempt was with a particle effect but I was unable to achieve the orbital interaction I want. Yes 2 minutes is a long time. I don't anticipate it being more than 30 - 40 seconds with the final product. I simply replied with the current time length. in looking at my current sequence it is definatly taking way to long. I have to speed it up. I don't know what I did wrong but every time I try to render a preview A:M "Halted Unexpectedly" I have been unable to get a new example to upload.

This is very close. I want to make the orbits more consistent and planetary in the way they move. So even after they bounce off of each other they still orbit around the y axis in the same direction. It may be just optical but a few times the orbit seems to revers.

I don't know why the flock elements would be getting further and further away, but I believe "flocks" was designed specifically so that the elements would not collide. Flocks are tricky to work with in terms of controlling precise movement. Springs is also something that I believe currently isn't quite working (fully implemented or supported) in current versions of A:M. Or more precisely, I've never been successful in recent versions of A:M of getting springs to work. What acts similar to "flocks" and what you are describing might be done with applying "translate to" and "orient like" constraints with lag (of 1-3 frames). This animation test (done in 2009) uses constraints with lag. Not quite what you are describing, but parts of each model are constrained with lag to follow other parts of its model. Or even perhaps what you need is something using a dynamic constraint? Or perhaps some sort of Newton simulation? Without seeing an example, it sounds like you are describing something that is done with Flash, where elements follow the cursor? or links/nodes presented graphically look like they are held together with "strings" What is a Newton Simulation? On another note you got me thinking in a new direction. Would it be possible to create a model with a center main bone and lots of other spheres (20-60) with child bones that could be positioned by expressions that are related to the parent bones rate of rotations?

This is what I've come up with so far. The flock is orbiting the center sphere. But, they appear to be stuck together not bouncing off of each other and they are not attracted to the center sphere it looks more like they are getting farther away. I don't know of a real world example. The only thing that I could relate it to would be an overcrowded solar system where the planets are trying to find their orbits. For some reason I am unable to upload the Animation Preview I just rendered. I will try again later. In the mean time I just remembered reading something about "Springs" is there a way to attach a spring between models that would allow the main model to stay on a path while dragging the attached model and it be slung around like it had an invisible rubber band holding them together?

Did this in Motion but it wasn't the effect I was looking for. Like the bubbles but orbiting and interaction between spheres is nonexistent. move2.mov

About 2 minutes It will be a looping background that enters and leaves the camera view. I have the flock "birds" rotating on the Y axis and they apear to orbit the central sphere but they just get farther away from the center point and never appear to collide or bounce off of each other. I have experimented with anti gravity but that just made them float or fall away. Thanks for the welcome. This is my first post as well.

I am working on a project where I want to have several orbiting balls bounce off each other while orbiting a central gravitational object. While I've played around with A:M for a while this is my first real project. I just haven't been able to find anything that seams to address this particular subject.