User Manual

For instance, let’s say you have a bumblebee that bobs up and down as it moves across the
screen. To have the bee accelerate as it moves up and down but slow down as it reaches its
peaks and valleys you use the Displacement curve.
An curvy path defined by a spline shape.
The curved shape path does not define how fast the bee moves. The speed of the bee at any
point along the path is a function of the Displacement parameter. You can control the
Displacement parameter either in the Modifiers tab or in the Spline Editor.
To use the Displacement parameter to control the speed of an object on a path,
do the following.
1 Position the playhead at the start of the animation.
2 In the Modifiers tab, drag the Displacement parameter to 0.0. This positions the object
at the start of the path.
3 Click the Keyframe button to the right of the Displacement parameter.
4 Position the playhead somewhere further into the comp and drag the Displacement
parameter until the object is where you want it to be based on the current frame.
5 Continue updating the playhead and the Displacement parameters at key points in the
comp until you have reached the end of the path.
After the initial animation is set, you can use the Displacement curve in the Spline Editor to
adjust the timing.
To adjust the timing of an object along a path:
1 Open the Spline Editor and enable the Displacement spline in the header.
2 Move control points horizontally closer together to increase the speed between the
two points while maintaining the location of the object along the path.
A longer, flatter curve between two points indicates a slower rate of change.
3 Drag a control point up or down to change its location on the path while maintaining
the timing between two points.
Chapter – 62 Animating with Motion Paths 1251