3ds Max® 2012 Bible

CHAPTER 22

Animating with Constraints and Simple Controllers

IN THIS CHAPTER

Using constraints

Attaching an object to the surface of an object

Making an object travel along a path with the Path constraint

Controlling the weighted position and orientation of objects

Shifting between two controlling objects using the Link constraint

Following objects with the LookAt constraint

Understanding the controller types

Assigning controllers using the Motion panel and the Track View

Setting default controllers

When you first begin animating and working with keys, having Max figure out all the frames between the start and end keys seems amazing, especially if you've ever animated in 2D by drawing every frame. But soon you realize that animating with keys can be time-consuming for complex realistic motions, and again, Max comes to the rescue. You can use animation constraints and controllers to automate the creation of keys for certain types of motions.

Constraints and controllers store and manage the key values for all animations in Max. When you animate an object using the Auto Key button, the default controller is automatically assigned. You can change the assigned controller or alter its parameters using the Motion panel or the Track View.

This chapter explains how to work with constraints and some simple controllers. For example, you can use the Noise controller to add random motion to a flag blowing in the wind or use the Surface constraint to keep a bumper car moving over the surface. ...