The scene files in this folder demonstrate a variety of Infini-D’s features. As you examine these scenes, you'll observe how to create surfaces, set physical restraints, and define object hierarchies to make models that behave like real objects.
• Animated Book
Since this is an animation, be sure to open the Sequencer (command-6) while examining this model. Notice how many more event marks were needed to animate the curling pages than were needed to animate of the stiff covers. The curl of the pages is a subtle form of object morphing (the shape of an object changing over time.)
• Ball and Glass
This animation, by Link Lydick, Specular's esteemed Collage engineer, shows the power of morphing SplineForm objects. The wineglass has a Jello™-like feel to it as it bends and wiggles. Motion paths help to create a natural movement for the ball.
• Camera w/ Lights
This is a simple camera with two lights linked to it. It is powerful for doing fly-throughs of intricate, dimly lighted areas since the lights will illuminate whatever area the camera is seeing.
• Chair
Every object in the chair is hierarchically linked. For example, if you pull up on the back-rest, the entire seat rises. This model also demonstrates how to set minimum and maximum boundaries for the parameters of objects in the model. The seat moves up and down and spins in a circle, but it cannot be pulled off of the base of the chair. Open the Object Floater (command-2) and click on the arrow button to see the Object Parameters Panel. Then try rotating and dragging various parts of the chair and notice how the parameters have been constrained to make the model mimic an actual chair.
• Depth Cue Shading
This is a simple file demonstrating the use of Infini-D's fog feature. In this instance, the fog is colored black (by setting the Background color) thereby giving the appearance that the objects are fading out as they get farther away.
• Desk & Drawers
This model also demonstrates parameter boundaries. Try pulling the drawers out. Notice how far they can be pulled out, and that they cannot be pushed through the back of the desk.
• Lawnmower
This model shows some an easy way to get a sophisticated looking object without tons of work. Each blades is simply a twisted object, which looks pretty cool when animated.
• Obstacle Course
This file s a conglomeration of objects in a scene, with a camera. It is designed as a starting ground for experimentation with the Animation Assistants feature. Particularly useful are Align Direction to Motion, Auto-banking, and Smooth Velocity.
• Rotating Camera
You will notice that the camera object has it's world centerpoint offset, so when it is rotated it revolves around the cone it is facing rather than geometric centerpoint.
• Rotating Camera 2
The camera is, again, revolving around an object at which it is pointing, but this time it employs an "Invisible Parent Object" technique described above. The camera is linked (with a full lock) to an invisible object which is at the same position as the cone. When you rotate the camera, you will see that the camera itself does not rotate at all. Rather, the invisible sphere to which it is linked is doing all the rotation.
• Spiral Staircase
This staircase was created with the DUPLICATE AS CHILD (command-F) command in the MODEL menu. The staircase's first step, an extruded object, as well as its railing pole were positioned and locked together using the LOCK tool. The step was then duplicated by option-dragging it with a rotation tool. Once this new step was rotated and lifted far enough away from the first, the two steps were locked together. (Since objects rotate around their center points, the object centerpoint of the step’s outline in the workshop was repositioned, causing the step to rotate in a spiral.) The second step was selected and DUPLICATED AS CHILD. This created another step, the same distance (in both position and orientation) from the second step as the second is from the first. By repeating the DUPLICATE AS CHILD command, the steps were created in a matter of seconds. The railing was created by using the Spiral dialog box in the workshop. It was scaled in all three dimensions too fit the staircase.
• Sub-event Animation
This file demonstrates the power of Infini-D's Object Attribute Timelines. Notice that the object is both moving and rotating. The movement requires only 2 events: beginning and end. However, the rotation requires 4 events: each at 90° increments. Double-click on the object name in the sequencer to see the sub-event timelines. The position timeline is responsible for moving the object from the left of the view to the right. The rotation timeline makes the object roll as it moves.
Models and explanations by Chris Johnston, Adam Lavine, Daniel Sroka, Brian Wyser, Brendan Donohoe, Dave Stokes, and Tina Lindsey.
