Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
5. Orbit the camera around to the other side, and you
can see the text on the path, as shown in Figure 8.36.
Notice the U Value attribute: this is the position of the
text along the curve from 0 to 1. Scrub the animation,
and the text should glide along the curve.
6. The text isn't bending along with the curve at all yet.
To accomplish this, you need to add a lattice that
bends the text to the curvature of the path. Select the
text object, and choose Animate
➔
Motion Paths
➔
Flow Path Object
r
.
7. In the option box for the Flow Path Object, shown in
Figure 8.37, set Divisions: Front to 120, Up to 2, and
Side to 2, and select Curve for Lattice Around. Make
sure the Local Effect box is unchecked. Doing so cre-
ates a lattice that follows the curve, giving it 120 seg-
ments along the path. This lattice deforms the text as it
travels along the path.
8. Scrub your animation, and you see a fairly strange
result: parts of the text explode out from the lattice,
as shown in Figure 8.38.
9. The geometry is going outside the inf luence of the
lattice, and this is causing the strange behavior. To
fix the situation, select the lattice and base node,
and scale up the lattice
and
its base node together to
create a larger size of inf luence around the path (see
Figure 8.39).
Scrub your animation to check the frame range and
how well the text flies through the lattice. When the lat-
tice and its base are large enough to handle the text along
all of the path's corners and turns,
voilà—Cheesy Flying
Logo! (See Figure 8.40.)
Figure 8.36
The text is on the path.
Figure 8.37
The Flow Path Object Options window
Figure 8.38
The geometry doesn't fit the lattice well.
