Follow the Leader tool?

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jt9445
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Joined:Fri Jul 22, 2011 9:07 pm
Follow the Leader tool?

Post by jt9445 » Fri Jul 22, 2011 9:14 pm

I am still pretty new to pyware and in need of some help. I would like to create the effect of the performers coming from behind a prop using the follow the leader tool, so that they may curve around. However, when I set the performers up behind the prop (so they don't show) and proceed with the follow the leader tool, the intervals stay the same. Am I just setting the performers up wrong or am I just missing something completely? Any help would be great, please! Thank you!

George
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Re: Follow the Leader tool?

Post by George » Fri Jul 22, 2011 10:06 pm

hey there...

well, in my personal opinion i wouldn't even bother trying to make that kind of animation work. I mean, I understand what you are trying to do and I don't know how to do it without writing paths for each individual person as they go around the prop and to the next set.... but if it were me, I'd just draw the next page as you want it and write out clear instructions in a text box on the drill explaining what you want the performers to do.

as with a lot of curved path moves and FTLs, it can be extremely tedious and time consuming to get the animations to be exactly what you want them to be, especially for something in the way you are explaining.

unless someone is pressuring you into making the animation work as it should be, for either the students or a director to see it, I just say don't worry about it. maybe you want to make a video of it for yourself later? if you can, wait until you've finished the drill for that mvt so you don't lose valuable time. I think this is an example of something where that'd be ok. you know what you want and can save yourself loads of time by just writing point A and point B and have an explanation on how they should execute the move - which you'd have to do anyway. (I know that my suggestion to wait until later doesn't help since you'd still need to still figure out how to do it... I'll leave it up to someone else to chime in if they have any tips.)

this is all just my personal opinion but it's how I write. I rarely ever write moves like this and try for the exact path animation if it's something that I think will slow me down. obviously I won't just guess. I usually can tell exactly what it'll look like and how it'll flow, but for many 8to5 FTLs and moves like what you're doing, I just do the math to make sure the performers can make it in the amount of counts I give them and write in text how they need to march it. plus I can be more precise with the actual picture. when using the FTL tool, I find I have trouble getting the picture to look as "pretty" as I want. so I just do the math, draw the picture and leave it up to my instructions and the staff teaching the band to do the rest.

Good luck!

George

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