22. Morphing a balloon

Here, we will suppose we are starting from an already completed scene, that is, all the objects are modeled, they have their own textures, and the lights are set.

Action 1

Þ Step 1: Create a morphing q Open the model file: Ballon01 q Do it: Open the Ballon01 file. The balloon is the current object. Use the “Render & Animation” Palette. Open the Keyframer: the balloon is set to the first frame (picture 0). Close the Keyframer. Use the “Modeling” Palette. Select the Model tool, Freeform deformation box Mold the balloon to squash it. Use the “Render & Animation” Palette. Open the Keyframer and save the balloon position in frame 5. Close the Keyframer. Use the “Modeling” Palette. Select the Model tool, Free form deformation box. Mold the balloon again. Use the “Render & Animation” Palette. Open the Keyframer and save the balloon position in frame 10. Close the Keyframer. Repeat these operations until you have made the balloon deform in interesting ways. To see an example, open the Ballon02 file, then open the Keyframer (in the “Render & Animation” Palette): You will see the different key frames saved inside. q See the detailed explanations in the chapter: User Manual/Animation

Þ Step 2: Visualize the balloon morphing q Open the model file: Ballon01 q Do it: Use the “Render & Animation” Palette. In the Keyframer, after recording at least two key frames, press the Enter key to play the animation between the first and the last picture. You can also see the entire animation step by step by pressing the + and – keys. q See the detailed explanations in the chapter: User Manual/Animation

Record the animation

Þ Step 1: q Open the model file: Ballon02 q Do it: You can save the animated file in the catalog or through the menu, like any other Amapi 3D file. q See the detailed explanations in the chapter: User Manual/Animation

Record a movie

Þ Step 1: Movie parameters setting q Open the model file: Ballon02 q Do it: Select the Animation/Setup Animation menu. Set the image size (pixels): 320x240. The frame rate (frame/seconds) value: 12. The Compression factor: 100. Validate. q See the detailed explanations in the chapter: User Manual/Animation

Þ Step 2: Create the movie file q Open the model file: Ballon02 q Do it: Select the Animation/Play on file menu. The file manager will ask for the movie name. Enter the name you want (i.e. Balloon). Validate. A rendering window will appear and will display the pictures while calculating. The animated file will be recorded as an .AVI file (for Windows) or a QuickTime movie file (for Macintosh). q See the detailed explanations in the chapter: User Manual/Animation