My next task is connecting together these individual layers in a way to…make animation easier.…For example, if I rotate this medium arm piece, I'd like this little arm piece…to follow along with it.…So I should probably parent the small arm to the medium arm.…Likewise, if I move the big arm and rotate it, I would want these other smaller…arm pieces to follow it.…So at a minimum, I want the medium arm to be parented to the big arm.…However, I would not parent the small arm directly to the big arm. I am going to…leave it as a child to the medium arm.…
By creating a parenting hierarchy like this, moving one piece will move children…of children, kind of like the leg bone is connected to the hipbone.…It's the same thing is connecting together your own limbs and that's why it…sometimes is referred to as an anthropomorphic type of animation.…Finally, I like to have all the arm pieces connected to the frame, so if I…pick it up to move it around, all the arm pieces go along with the rest of the mechanism.…
Updated
11/9/2016Released
5/25/2011The After Effects Apprentice series was created by Trish and Chris Meyer. These tutorials are designed for After Effects CS4 through CC, and can be used on their own or as a companion to the Meyer's book, After Effects Apprentice.
- Preparing files
- Making parenting connections
- Arranging the frame and arm
- Using null objects
- Crafting anthropomorphic-style animations
- Avoiding problems with non-uniform scaling
- Animating Fractal Noise
Skill Level Intermediate
Duration
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Q: This course was updated on 11/20/2012. What changed?
A: We added new movies on using the exercise files that come with this course, and added an additional set of exercise files designed for After Effects CS6.
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Video: Building the parenting chain