2017

Action 3D Paths
A 3D path is an animatable 3D spline that you attach to other Action objects, such as surfaces, geometries,
3d text, cameras, or lights. The attached objects then follow the spline based on the path normals, allowing
you to create effects, such as a 3D roller coaster.
Adding a 3D Path Node
When you add a 3D Path node to your Action schematic, the node is added with an axis.
To add a 3D Path node to the scene:
1 Do one of the following:
■ Drag the 3D Path node from the node bin and place it in the schematic.
■ Drag the 3D Path node from the node bin and place it in Result view.
■ Double-click the 3D Path node. You do not need to be in Schematic view to add a node in this
manner.
A Path object (called path1, by default), with its parent axis, appears in the schematic.
2 Create mode is automatically selected in the Tools box so you can create your spline. See
Creating 3D
Path Splines
(page 613).
3 Parent the 3D Path node to another object in your schematic, such as a Light node or a 3D Text node.
The 3D path becomes part of the transformation hierarchy of the attached object.
3D Path node parented to a 3D Text node
4 To open the 3D Path menu, double-click the 3D Path node in the schematic, or follow the tab population
rules for the Object menu.
See
Populating Menu Tabs of Selected Objects (page 459).
612 | Chapter 15 Compositing in 3D Space with Action