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CINEMA 4D R11 Quickstart – Non-Linear Animation
Save the Photoshop file, and return to CINEMA 4D. Again a new material has been created, this time with the
name, “PMat Camera right”. Double-click the material’s icon and reload the image in the Luminance channel.
The texture will be updated in the Viewport immediately and the windows are projected correctly onto the
objects. Play the animation.
You now know how easy it is to texture a scene using Projection Man, even without prior knowledge of 3D
texturing. If needed, more cameras can be added and used for projection in order to create longer and more
complex camera animations or to compensate for areas that may not have been mapped by another camera.
As you saw in our example, all you need for a simple zoom animation is a single view and a single “painting”. If
the camera were to move from left to right you would most likely have to create a matte painting for the start
and end positions of the animated camera. In any event, Projection Man saves you from having to texture all
15,876 buildings in a single city!
Welcome to Non-Linear Animation in
the Timeline
Non-linear animation lets you combine recorded data using motion clips or MoCap animation layers, or
manually. The motion layer method displays animation data as individual “motion clips” and requires the
animation data to be mixed horizontally. These motion clips can be placed successively or be superimposed
(lain on top of each other) in order to create a transitional morph from one animation to the next. The originally
recorded keys will be removed and saved in the corresponding “motion source” file.
The Animation Layer System is different. Individual layers are ordered vertically and animations are recorded
one after the other on individual layers. The layer that was active while a particular key was being recorded will
contain that key’s animation. This lets you activate or deactivate animation layers, similarly to sound tracks in
an audio editing program. The active layers will be mixed, which offers a myriad of possibilities and can save a
great deal of time. You can, for example, duplicate a layer and modify the animation contained on it without
affecting the original animation. You can keep both layers and later decide which animation stays and which
one goes. If this sounds a little complicated for you, you can either refer to the beginning of the Quickstart
Manual where all new features are described in detail or you can get started with our tutorial.