Animating a growing plant - Ideas?

I am making a fantasy Carrara plant (custom leaves and fruit).  I want to animate the plant growing from a sapling with no leaves and green stem to a mid-life taller trunk with more leaves and finally to a full grown tree with ripe fruit.  The shader animates fine (changing trunk from green to brown), but the tree modeler settings don't seem to be animatable (trunk length, weight given to leaves/fruit,...).

a - what can be animated for Carrara plants, and what cannot?  Is there a guide somewhere?

b - if you were going to animate a growing plant that produces fruit late in the animation, how would you do it?

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Comments

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,309

    I think it would need to be converted to a vertex model

    then create morph targets

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,188

    Thanks for the suggestion.  Too bad,  I guess I will use a different method to convey passage of time, perhaps using dissolve transitions.  Thinking cap on.

  • RuudLRuudL Posts: 199
    edited August 2022

    a - If you want to know what can be animated of any object, including plants, you simply have to unfold the object listting (Universe, Master Objects and Master Shaders) in the sequencer.

    Post edited by RuudL on
  • RuudLRuudL Posts: 199
    edited August 2022

    b - I would try this with a PyModifier ( part of PyCarrara ). Start with an small invisible fruit object, make it visible at a given time and after that gradually adjust the scale and shader. 

    Carrara ProScreenSnapz012.png
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    Post edited by RuudL on
  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 10,013

    Hi ted, there was discusion similar to this on the old forum ? about animating a vine - can't remember what the answer was

    I just tried animating a replicated thingy by changing the shader - no joy

    You can, however, animate splines if you wanted to go that way ;)

  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 10,013

    ah there's leaves blowing ... not quite the same as growing!

  • Steve KSteve K Posts: 3,245

    Diomede said:

    Thanks for the suggestion.  Too bad,  I guess I will use a different method to convey passage of time, perhaps using dissolve transitions.  Thinking cap on.

    That was my first thought, as always slanted by the 48 Hour Contest - time is of the essence.  The dissolve can be done in seconds in the video editor.  One example (starts ~1:05) from Howie's great products for Carrara:

  • Steve KSteve K Posts: 3,245

    Also, I realize this is probably not what you're looking for, but a Particle Illusion 2D overlay on any image or video.  Starts a few seconds in:

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,188

    Thank you for the great information, RUUDL, Headwax, and SteveK.  The screengrabs and video examples are especially helpful.

  • DUDUDUDU Posts: 1,945

    Hi Ted!

    I remember using 'VUE 5" to make these animation of plant: see at the minute 6:40

    https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xehl9h

  • DiomedeDiomede Posts: 15,188

    DUDU said:

    Hi Ted!

    I remember using 'VUE 5" to make these animation of plant: see at the minute 6:40

    https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xehl9h

    Great animation!  Thanks for posting.  How did you do the flaming meteorites?  Another issue I am trying to figure out is the fire breathed by a dragon.

    Great to see you posting again.  Hope you are well.  What projects have you been working on?

  • Steve KSteve K Posts: 3,245

    DUDU said:

    Hi Ted!

    I remember using 'VUE 5" to make these animation of plant: see at the minute 6:40

    https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xehl9h

    Good point, DUDU.  I still consider VUE one of the best 3D animation programs, but recently got more into DS/Iray to use some high quality products.  Carrara, VUE, DS, Poser ... >B-O

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,309

    Dudu, that is one impressive animation yes

  • StezzaStezza Posts: 8,133

    WendyLuvsCatz said:

    Dudu, that is one impressive animation yes

    +1 on that yes 

  • Bunyip02Bunyip02 Posts: 8,712

    Syezza said:

    WendyLuvsCatz said:

    Dudu, that is one impressive animation yes

    +1 on that yes 

    +2 yes (Got a long way to go on my animations !!!!)

  • DesertDudeDesertDude Posts: 1,238

    DUDU said:

    Hi Ted!

    I remember using 'VUE 5" to make these animation of plant: see at the minute 6:40

    https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xehl9h

    This is exquisite! And the musique original is beautiful!

  • DesertDudeDesertDude Posts: 1,238

    Diomede said:

    I am making a fantasy Carrara plant (custom leaves and fruit).  I want to animate the plant growing from a sapling with no leaves and green stem to a mid-life taller trunk with more leaves and finally to a full grown tree with ripe fruit.  The shader animates fine (changing trunk from green to brown), but the tree modeler settings don't seem to be animatable (trunk length, weight given to leaves/fruit,...).

    a - what can be animated for Carrara plants, and what cannot?  Is there a guide somewhere?

    b - if you were going to animate a growing plant that produces fruit late in the animation, how would you do it?

     I was able to make a crude quick test of 2 generations of branches growing and leaves growing in succession, with a little overlap. Your animation would need much more care and planning, but anyways, for lack of a better term this is a "stop motion" animation. smiley

    https://youtu.be/8zHYPfv-2ZA

    This is just the generic plant dropped in. I didn't animate the trunk. In the Experts Tab, I dialed back the Length Ratio in the Gen1 Branches, and udjusted their Start and End angles so as I increased the Length Ratio, they would grow up and fall down outwards and give a little bounce.

    I also changed the Leaf Size from 0 to 1 and gave them a slight Twist.

    So, with each change I made a render and gave them names to be used as an image sequence and then rendered out a final movie.

     

  • DesertDudeDesertDude Posts: 1,238

    Even though you can add objects as leaves, I can't get animations or morphs added to those leaves to work when added to plants. Has anyone ever tried before and had success?

    I tried both morphs and some simple keyframe animation added to a custum leaf, exported and saved all internally in the file. But when added to the tree, and I move the playhead down the timeline, nothing happens. sad

    I was hoping that might be an easy way to finesse the developing leaves and eventually the fruit.

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