Instruction Manual

Chapter 15 Replicator 591
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Random Seed: Although the result of adjusting the Angle Randomness, Scale Randomness,
Pick From Color Range, Random Start Frame, or Hold Frame Randomness parameters seems
random, it’s deterministic. This means that the random variation in the pattern is created
based on the number shown in the Random Seed eld. Unless this seed number is changed,
a replicator with the same parameter settings appears the same. If you don’t like the current
random scale or angle, change the seed number by typing a new number the eld or by
clicking Generate.
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Object Source: This image well displays a thumbnail of the replicator. To swap out a cell, drag a
replacement cell from the Layers list to the Object Source well.
In a replicator with multiple cells, each cell appears in a separate image well listed at the
bottom of the Replicator Inspector. A checkbox lets you enable or disable that cell.
Adjust a replicator in the Properties Inspector
As with any other layer in Motion, you can modify a replicator’s position, scale, blend mode, drop
shadow, and other attributes in the Properties Inspector. These properties are separate from the
replicator parameters in the Replicator and Replicator Cell Inspectors, which control the shape
and size of the replicator, as well as all aspects of its pattern and cells. For more information on
the Properties Inspector, see Parameters in the Properties Inspector on page 223.
Note: When a replicator cell is selected (as opposed to the replicator, itself), only the Timing
controls appear in the Properties Inspector. The Timing controls allow you to adjust the In and
Out points of the replicator cell.
Important: Some operations performed in the Properties Inspector, as well as the application
of certain lters or a mask, cause a group to be rasterized. Because replicators live in groups,
rasterization aects how replicators interact with other objects in your project. For more
information, see Particles, replicators, and rasterization on page 1049.
Replicator Timing controls
After you create a replicator, its duration can be as long or short as necessary, regardless of
the duration of the original sources used for the pattern cells. The duration of a replicator is
dened by the duration of the replicator track in the Timeline. Changing the In or Out points
of a replicator in the Properties Inspector, Timeline, or mini-Timeline changes the duration of
the replicator.
Although the duration of source layers has no aect on the replicator, the duration of each cell
aects how long the elements created from that cell are visible in the project. You can change
a cell’s duration by dragging its In and Out points in the Timeline. In this way, you can adjust
the timing that denes when each cell type appears. For example, to create a pattern in which
three types of elements appear at dierent times in the animation, you can oset the cells in the
Timeline. In the following image, the crosshair cells appear rst. One second later, the drop cells
appear. One second after that, the soft circle cells appear.
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