2009

Follow/Bank Utility
Utilities panel > Utilities rollout > More button > Utilities dialog > Follow/Bank
The Follow/Bank utility applies rotation keys to an object that already has a
motion trajectory. The settings are similar to those found in the Path
constraint. Use this when you have an object for which you've already assigned
motion and want it to follow or bank along its trajectory, but don’t want to
use a Path constraint.
The utility aligns the object's X axis to the direction of motion. To change the
orientation, change the pivot orientation in the Hierarchy > Pivot panel before
using this utility.
Although many of the settings are the same as in the Path constraint, this
utility is not dynamic; you have to click the Apply Follow button each time
you change an object's animation or the utility settings. When adjusting
banking settings, move to the point at which the object is at the sharpest turn,
then alternately click Apply Follow and adjust the banking settings to get the
right affect at the extreme corner.
TIP You can also use an Orientation Constraint to manually control the rotation
of the object as it moves through space. While this is not automatic, it allows more
fine control on individual frames than other methods.
Procedures
1 On the Utilities panel, click the More button, and choose Follow/Bank
from the list.
2 Adjust the options in the Follow/Bank Parameters rollout.
3 Select the objects you want to follow/bank.
4 Click the Apply Follow button.
The objects orient themselves at the start frame, and follow or bank along
their trajectories.
3796 | Chapter 15 Animation