Bible Animations

Hey all!

Over the recent week, there has been a ton of interest in a method that could deform a mesh based on speed. Think of it as a physical motion blur. So many people pitched in with various ideas and GOD was so gracious to give us the solution.

This is the post that started the search:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/BNPRandFreestyle/permalink/1194434010579700/

Here is more on the solution:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/BNPRandFreestyle/permalink/1197958023560632/

"Hey all! :D

Did a little bit of experimenting with the whole mesh deform with motion deal and the hook modifier is definitely the way to go on this. Using animation nodes makes a huge difference to the amount of control you have.

You also use a kind of parenting technique, but instead of using Blender's default parenting, you use the shape you follow's previous position by frame. This you can control to give you a stronger or weaker trail, depending on the scene. It also allows you to deform the entire shape based on motion, or only certain sections of a character, like say an arm or whatever.

Node setup is part of this post.

Note: On the Object Transforms Input node, go to the N panel and untick "Use Current Transforms" or you won't have the drop down (check the first source for screen shots).

Sources:
- http://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/42078/how-can-i-know-the-speed-of-an-object-inside-a-loop
- http://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/40771/access-to-object-location-from-previous-frame-in-cycles

Hope this helps!
GOD bless!"

Of course, it didn't stop there, because the method still needed some refinement, so HE gave me a way to control the effect based on speed, because it even distorted the mesh on low speeds, making it look awful. It was basically called a speed block or speed gate, but it was extremely harsh. It either had the effect or it didn't.

Soon after posting that, someone asked me if the effect can be made smoother. And the answer was yes on two fronts:
"Yes and yes, depending on what you're asking.
If you're talking about the speed control, so that the deform is more gradual, then yes, you can use a linear equation. If you do that, your node system has to change, so you can have the mesh deform based on rotation and scale as well.
This works pretty well for speed alone:
0.05*x+0.2
(in the context of the above node system, without having changed anything else yet).

If you mean that the change looks to rough, you can use less points on the hook or just add a subdivision modifier or both."

The way this came about was hysterical! After reading his comment, GOD showed me a few options for a formula to handle this issue.
1) Limits, because of the steep curve
2) Parabolic, also because of the curve, but it curves back down and then!
3) A straight line graph and I was like yes! That's it! It just fit.

So immediately, I got up and adjusted the expression to reflect this equation and it was initially only for speed (like in the quote), but HE also enabled me to test for rotation as well as scale (same equation) and it uses the largest of the three as the intensity setting for the distortion.

GOD is so wonderful to give such an answer and so quickly too! I am beyond thankful and humbled to have been used to bless people with this... I praise YOU for YOUR faithfulness!!!

After sharing this info, I also made sure to mention that there is a catch to this method:
"Just a word of caution about adding more and more info. This has to be applied per body part that you want to deform as well:
- 3x per arm (hand, forearm and upper arm)
- 3x per leg (foot, lower leg and upper leg)
- 1 for the head
- 1 for the torso
Keeping it as simple as possible is key. Grouping should still lessen the clutter.
Also, this method does not consider camera movement - only the mesh's motion."

If you see this as just another part of the rigging process, it should not be a problem.

Check out Blender:
http://www.blender.org/

Animation Nodes:
https://github.com/JacquesLucke/animation_nodes
Instructions:
http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?350296-Addon-Animation-Nodes

(As always, all software recommendations are used entirely at own risk)

Biggest thanx to GOD for helping me with this. Without HIM, none of this would be possible! :D

Know JESUS yet?
To find out more, you can check out this link:
http://www.crossallegiance.org/knowJesus.html
It gives you access to free Bible translations, free teaching videos and more. Remember, this is a decision with eternal consequence, choose life, choose JESUS. :D

Have a great one!!!

Thank YOU!!!!!!