NextPreviousHomeAdding to a container

MrGruntHunter | 6 years ago | 10 comments | 1,422 views

When you add a layer to a container, like maybe a png image, isn't that layer supposed to take on the same characteristics as the container it was placed in (position, size and any movement)? The only way I've been able to do it by copying ALL of the keyframes of the container over to the new layer I created, which seems like a ton of frustrating work. AM I missing something?




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That's strange. Maybe you have not attached the picture layers to the container layer.

Here's how to attach 2 picture layers to the same container:
-choose LAYER > ADD LAYER > ADD CONTAINER LAYER
-choose LAYER ADD LAYER > ADD PICTURE LAYER... and answer YES to the question if you want to attach it to the container layer
-choose LAYER ADD LAYER > ADD PICTURE LAYER... and answer YES to the question if you want to attach it to the container layer

Now when you move the container layer (with its POSITION property) you will see that both picture layers move with the container.

I hope this helps.

michiel, 6 years ago


Thanks for the reply Michiel. That's exactly what I've been doing but I'm not getting those results. In my little HillBilly show I tried as Vincent suggested and created a new container for the vehicle and added the smoke to it at the position of the exhaust thinking then that the smoke trail would follow the motion of the vehicle but that didn't happen. I had to go back and play with duplicating the keyframes of the vehicle then doing some math to +/- the position of the smoke stream to coincide with the vehicle movement at each keyframe. I know the smoke stream that Vincent created had EPS files in it. Would that have any impact on things in a container?

MrGruntHunter, 6 years ago


Maybe the vehicle and the smoke are not attached to the same container.

As a test you could temporarily unmark the visible checkbox of the container. This should make the vehicle and the smoke invisible.

The visible checkbox can be found it the upper right of the tool window.

michiel, 6 years ago


Is this not a cumulative position issue?
Container at 0,0,500 + existing layer 0,0,500 = 1000

The fast solution:
Set container position to 0,0,0
And container Pivot point to 0,0,500

Michiel there was ones talk about setting camera layer at 0,0,-500 and all other layers to 0,0,0 that would nullify these accumulations.

komies, 6 years ago


Yes, positions are added. That's not an issue, that's what the container layer does.

The discussion was about default values. A default value is only a default value: at any time it can be adjusted to any other value.

michiel, 6 years ago


I also don't mind that the container does that.

It's the difference between a new layer added directly to an container and sets this new layer at default position 0,0,0

AND

When you attach an existing layer to an container and that brief shock that that layer is now not at the same place where it was before the attachment, and realize that container value accumulated with the attached value.

WHEN

Several EXISTING layers need to be added to a container, the fastest solution would be to adjust the container layer position to 0 and if you want to rotate also adjust the pivot value to the attached layer distance position.

I believe this shock of "what happed" is common among users when they attach an existing layer to a container, they are then on their own to figure it out, but it is very obvious ones you know why.

That's all

komies, 6 years ago


In my case after I created a container for my vehicle, added the GIF file of the vehicle as a picture layer attached to the container and then added another Picture Layer (the smoke stream) to the same container. Because my vehicle comes from off screen and then disappears off screen on the opposite side I had to move the sliding cursor so the vehicle was in the middle of the page where I could see it. I then played around with the smoke layer until I had it positioned at the exhaust. I don't remember if I did now but should I have checked the box 'ALL KEYS' or 'ALL LAYERS' when I did that to make it coincide with all of the container movements?

MrGruntHunter, 6 years ago




Mike, i'm not sure about your problem but it's important to verify the position of the different layers inside the container to prevent offset problems when you move/rotate the container.
In the case of smoke it is important that rond.eps and vehicle have the same value for z position (3rd slider of the parameter value, generaly the value must me 0 )
Imagine container is solar system, sun have z value 0 (rotation radius=0) when you rotate the solar system (the container) sun rotates but doesn't move because it is the center (pos 0,0,0) of the container, but planets move, more they are far from the center more they move, depends on the rotation radius lengh.
(see pic)

vincent, 6 years ago


Thank you Vincent. I'll have to go back and try this again. What caught me by surprise was after I got everything in the container and played the show the vehicle moved but the smoke didn't and I was only moving in a straight line from right to left.

MrGruntHunter, 6 years ago




have you the 2nd rond.eps (target layer) to attract the particles in the direction you want. Verify the value of target layer in particles properties
The value 5 for target layer property may be different in your show if you have inserted or deleted layers

vincent, 6 years ago


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