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CHAPTER

Animating with

Constraints and Simple

Controllers

hen you first begin animating and working with keys, having Max fig-
ure out all the frames between the start and end keys seems amazing, IN THIS CHAPTER
Wespecially if you’ve ever animated in 2D by drawing every frame. But
soon you realize that animating with keys can be time-consuming for complex Using constraints
realistic motions, and again, Max comes to the rescue. You can use animation Attaching an object to the
constraints and controllers to automate the creation of keys for certain types of surface of an object
motions.
Making an object travel along a
Constraints and controllers store and manage the key values for all animations in path with the Path constraint
Max. When you animate an object using the Auto Key button, the default con-
troller is automatically assigned. You can change the assigned controller or alter Controlling the weighted
its parameters using the Motion panel or the Track View. position and orientation
This chapter explains how to work with constraints and some simple controllers. of objects
For example, you can use the Noise controller to add random motion to a flag Shifting between two
blowing in the wind or use the Surface constraint to keep a bumper car moving controlling objects using
over the surface.
the Link constraint
Following objects with the
Restricting Movement LookAt constraint

with Constraints Understanding the
controller types
The trick of animating an object is to make it go where you want it to go. Assigning controllers using
Animating objects deals not only with controlling the motion of the object but the Motion panel and the
also with controlling its lack of motion. Constraints are a type of animation con- Track View
troller that you can use to restrict the motion of an object.
Using these constraints, you can force objects to stay attached to another object Setting default controllers
or follow a path. For example, the Attachment constraint can be used to make a
robot’s feet stay connected to a ground plane as it moves. The purpose of these
constraints is to make animating your objects easier.

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