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758 Chapter 9 Using the Replicator
Very different looks can be achieved by changing only a few parameters.
As with any effect in Motion, replicator parameters can be keyframed in order to
change a pattern’s dynamics over time. For example, you can create a wave of dots that
follow one another across the screen by keyframing the replicator’s Offset parameter.
You can add behaviors to the replicator or its cells to create even more varied effects
(simulation behaviors can be especially effective). Behaviors applied to a replicator or a
cell can be applied to each element of the pattern. This lets you achieve almost
limitless variation and complexity that would take hours to animate using keyframes.
You can also apply a behavior, such as Vortex, to another object in your project (an
object that is not part of the replicator pattern), and have the pattern elements
circumnavigate that object.
Replicator Source Objects
Almost any layer in Motion can be replicated (used as a cell source), including shapes,
text, images, image sequences, and clips.
Note: Although you can replicate a layer used as the source for a particle emitter, you
cannot replicate a particle emitter itself. You also cannot replicate a replicator.
Transformations that you apply to the source are respected in the replicator cells. For
example, if you use a rectangle shape that is sheared and rotated as the replicator
object, the replicated elements are sheared and rotated. If the source layer has applied
filters, the effects of the filters are retained in the elements of the replicator pattern.