Animation and Constraint Puzzles

The puzzles from this category are used to perform operations with animation clips, do procedural animations, as well as restrict the movement of the objects.

Animation visual programming blocks

Contents

Animation Puzzles Reference

play animation

Plays an animation clip. Animation clip names correspond to objects to which animation is assigned in Blender, 3ds Max, or Maya (only one animation clip can be assigned per object). Use the animation selector puzzle to provide an animation clip for this puzzle.

Use the from and to fields to specify the frame range. Use the speed field to specify the playback speed. The reversed checkbox enables reversed playback. The drop-down can be used to change the animation mode — "auto" allows for using the animation mode specified in the modelling suite, while the other modes override the settings specified in Blender, 3ds Max, or Maya.

Puzzles in the when finished: do slot are processed once the animation is finished (this only is valid for the once animation mode).

Visual programming block to play animation

This puzzle also works for a list of animation clips.

stop animation

Stops playing back an animation clip. Also works for a list of animation clips.

Visual programming block to stop animation

pause animation

Pauses an animation clip playback so that it can be resumed later starting from the frame it was paused on. Also works for a list of animation clips.

Visual coding block to pause animation

resume animation

Resumes a previously paused animation clip. Also works for a list of animation clips.

Visual programming block to resume animation

set animation frame

Sets an animation clip to a specified frame. Also works for a list of animation clips.

Visual programming block to set animation frame

get animation frame

Get current frame of an animation clip.

Visual programming block to obtain animation frame

is animation playing

Checks if an animation clip (or any of animations in a list) is currently being played back.

Is animation playing visual logic block

set animation speed

Changes the animation playback speed. Animation doesn't restart on speed changing. The reversed checkbox reverses the animation speed (i.e the speed is multiplied by -1). Also works for a list of animation clips.

Visual programming block to set animation speed

get animation speed

Get the animation playback speed.

Visual logic block to obtain animation speed

on animation frame do

Execute puzzles specified in the do slot upon animation frame.

On animation frame do visual programming block

get animation of

Retrieves a specified object's animation clip. Also works for a list of objects, a group (or a list of groups) or with the all objects puzzle. The return value is always a list of animation clips (even if there is only one of them).

Get object animation visual programming block

clone animation

Clones an animation clip (or a list of animations) in the specified range (both inclusive).

Visual programming block to clone animations

animate param

Animates a numeric parameter (or all parameters in a list or a dictionary) in between from and to, during a period specified with duration (in seconds). The easing dropdown allows you to specify the animation mode (see below).

The repeat field specifies the number of repetitions after the first animation is complete. The yoyo checkbox enables backtrack movement (works for repeat > 1).

Puzzles in the on update do slot are triggered every rendering frame while the parameter is animated. Puzzles in the when finished do slot are triggered once the animation is finished.

Animate param visual programming block

This puzzle wraps the Tween.js library, exposing its all 31 easing modes (pictured), duration, repeat and yoyo settings, and the update and complete callbacks.

Various animation easing modes

The in-between value may be retrieved with an updated value puzzle usually placed inside the on update do slot.

updated value

Returns the in-between value produced by the animate param puzzle. Depending on the type of the animated parameter, can be a number, a list or a dictionary.

Updated value visual programming block

This puzzle may be placed anywhere in a scenario, but naturally works in the on update do slot of the animate param puzzle where it is updated every frame.

stop animate param

Stops the animation produced by the animate param puzzle.

Visual programming block to stop procedural animation

Constraints Puzzles Reference

If an object is not parented to another object, the constraints will work in world space. Otherwise they will work in the parent object's space - you can select the parent object in Blender, 3ds Max, or Maya to show up the coordinate axes.

limit transform

Creates a constraint to limit object position, rotation or scale along a selected axis. Constraint id should be unique, otherwise an existing constraint with the same id will be replaced. The min and max slots specify the range between which the movement is allowed. The constraint can limit distance between two objects, thus distance slot specifies the distance limit, i.e. the radius of the constraining sphere, equal, max, min modes constrain on surface, inside, outside the sphere.

Visual logic block to assign limit transform constraint

copy transform

Creates a constraint to copy object position, rotation, scale or all transforms from another object. Constraint id should be unique, otherwise an existing constraint with the same id will be replaced.

Visual logic block to assign copy transform constraint

remove / mute / unmute constraint

Removes, mutes or unmutes a constraint assigned to a specified object. Other constraints assigned to this object (if any) will remain intact.

Visual logic block to mute/unmute constraints

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