|
|
|
|
Creating Geometric Paths
A geometric path is an object that acts as a motion path for other objects. Geometric Paths do not render as objects.
You can think of these paths as railroad tracks. Objects can move along the track but they can't move off of it.
Objects attached to a geometric path can move to any point along the path, but they can't move off it. So their trajectory is controlled by the shape of the path.
You can control how an object is constrained to the path using the options in the Object Attributes dialog.
Geometric paths can be edited just as you would any other object. You rotate, position, or scale the path using the tools in the Edit palette. You can also edit a path by dragging its control points. This way you can change the geometry of the paths as well as the trajectory of any object attached to it.
Geometric paths are especially useful when you are creating motion animations, as they can help you create predictable and repeatable motion.
The other great thing about geometric paths is that you can have more than one object attached to it. This can be very useful if you want a number of objects to move along the same trajectory.
You can attach multiple objects to the same path. The motion of each object on the path is constrained by the shape of the path.
Objects that are attached to the same path can be animated at different rates. So, if you can think of the objects as different trains on the same track, some trains are at the beginning of the track, others are in the middle, and some are at the end. All the object attached to the path will have the same trajectory.
You can also align objects differently to the same path. So object may appear to tilt differently as they follow the same trajectory.
Since geometric paths are objects, they can also be attached to other paths. Some very complex types of motion can be created using this technique.
For example, you can simulate the motion of the solar system by attaching an object on a circular path to a circular geometric path. The object on the circular path would act like a moon orbiting a planet which is also orbiting the Sun.
To create a geometric path:
A default-shaped path object appears in your scene.
To convert a motion path into a geometric path object:
1 Select an object with a motion path.
2 Choose Objects menu> Create Path.
A path object with the same shape as the path you selected is created.
To link an object to a path:
1 Select the object you want to attach to the path.
2 Move the cursor over the Link icon that appears next to its bounding box.
3 Drag the linking control handle from the object to the path object.
 Corel Corporation http://www.corel.com Voice: (800) 772-6735 Fax: (716) 447-7366 www.corel.com/support |
