How to create complex looping animation
Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2017 8:36 pm
Hi, this is something I wanted to share here for a long time and maybe can help you:
For having complex scenes with different duration cycles and make them all coincide in the loop, I always use relative cycles and this simple rule:
2x+1
Where x is the previous smaller cycle.
So, for instance, if your smaller cycle goes back only 1 frame, the next cycle will need to go back 2*1+1, which is 3 frames.
Since this new cycle goes back 3 frames, the next one should go back 2*3+1 frames, which is 7.
The next one should be 2*7+1=15, and so on.
If you continue applying this method, you will get this:
1
3
7
15
31
63
127
255
etc.
All that numbers are the cycles you can use. Any other number you use, will break the cycle.
Now, to render the animation with the cycle working, you need to have an animation as long as your longer cycle and add two more frames to it.
So, if my longer cycle goes back to 255, then my final animation needs to be 257 frames.
When my animation is 257, then I'm sure that every single cycle will loop seamlessly.
And finally. With the current setup, all cycles will coincide at certain point and sometimes that can look unnatural. That's why I prefer to use relative cycles. Once I know the numbers I can use for my cycles, I can move the relative cycles in the timeline, making them loop at totally different moments.
If you move the cycles in timeline, then your animation will need to start at a frame different than zero (to be sure all the cycles have started) or group everything and move the group to the left in the Sequencer.
Ok, I know this is very technical, but I prefer to post it, because -at least for me- it's extremely useful.
For having complex scenes with different duration cycles and make them all coincide in the loop, I always use relative cycles and this simple rule:
2x+1
Where x is the previous smaller cycle.
So, for instance, if your smaller cycle goes back only 1 frame, the next cycle will need to go back 2*1+1, which is 3 frames.
Since this new cycle goes back 3 frames, the next one should go back 2*3+1 frames, which is 7.
The next one should be 2*7+1=15, and so on.
If you continue applying this method, you will get this:
1
3
7
15
31
63
127
255
etc.
All that numbers are the cycles you can use. Any other number you use, will break the cycle.
Now, to render the animation with the cycle working, you need to have an animation as long as your longer cycle and add two more frames to it.
So, if my longer cycle goes back to 255, then my final animation needs to be 257 frames.
When my animation is 257, then I'm sure that every single cycle will loop seamlessly.
And finally. With the current setup, all cycles will coincide at certain point and sometimes that can look unnatural. That's why I prefer to use relative cycles. Once I know the numbers I can use for my cycles, I can move the relative cycles in the timeline, making them loop at totally different moments.
If you move the cycles in timeline, then your animation will need to start at a frame different than zero (to be sure all the cycles have started) or group everything and move the group to the left in the Sequencer.
Ok, I know this is very technical, but I prefer to post it, because -at least for me- it's extremely useful.