OUAN405 - Process & Production: Motion Tween VS The Pen Tool

OUAN405 - Process & Production:

After struggling for many days to get the first scene of my animation working, we finally fixed the problem and got my scene working smoothly at last! The struggle to find the equilibrium between a smooth motion path yet keeping the reliability and easiness of a motion tween was a little bothersome. At first, I had planned on using a motion tween in order o get my spaceship from A to B. However, this method made my spaceship move in a jerky and uneasy fashion. I needed to find a way that allowed me to have smooth movement.

Mat suggested I use a motion path using the pen tool, though this was tough to master as the pen tool required a whole new level of skill and as time was running out, I decided to give it a go anyway. Albeit a fun method to use, the pen tool just wasn't doing it for me as the motion path made my spaceship run backwards! Instead of moving into God's ear, the ship flew out! Not exactly the result I was looking for...

After scouring Google for some quick tutorials on motion paths, I discovered that I was indeed doing the correct thing and still couldn't work out why it was running backwards. After talking once again to Mat, he showed me that the pencil tool was a much quicker and simpler way of creating a path. Indeed it was and only by chance he notice that it was possible to reverse the keyframes of my animation so that my ship would finally move in the right direction! Huzzah!

Now, my ship is fixed and I can finally move on with my animation. Motion paths are indeed a smoother and easier way of getting nice arcs, precise curves and a good way of saving time when I needed it most!