Animating the Rotation of the Globe

Creating and Animating a Flying Logo

Adding a Background and a Material

 

Autodesk 3ds Max Tutorials > Special Effects > Creating and Animating a Flying Logo > 

Adding the Text for the Logo

You'll now create the flying logo by modeling the three dimensional text using spline objects. Later, you'll add an extrude modifier and a Bend modifier to create the desired text effect.

Setup:

• Continue from the previous lesson, or open \tutorials\worldwide_designs\ tut_wwdesigns_glode_rotating.max.

Create a text object:

1. Activate the Front viewport, then right-click the viewport label and choose Smooth + Highlights to see the earth in shaded mode.
2. Zoom back in the viewport so the globe is small but visible.
3. Open the Create panel > Shapes and in the object type rollout, click Text. Click above the earth in the viewport to place the default text.
4. In the Parameters rollout, go to the Text field and type Worldwide Designs.
   TipYou can also copy and paste text into this field.
5. Click the Font drop-down arrow, and change the font to something boxy like SansSerif Bold. If you don't have that font, use anything else that's not too narrow.
   TipYou can type the first letter of the font to quickly find it in the list.
6. Change the Text Size from 100 to 5.0.

   

   Worldwide Designs Text

7. Click the Zoom Extents to zoom in the Front viewport.

Add extrude and bend modifiers:

Now add Extrude and Bend modifiers.

1. With the Text selected, choose Modifiers > Object–Space Modifiers > Extrude. In the Parameters rollout, set the Extrude amount to 0.5.
2. Click the color swatch next to the name of the text, Text01. In the Color Selector, choose white.

   

   The text turns white in the viewport.

3. In the Front viewport, move the text down so that it intersects with the sphere (globe). The text still looks too big, so select the Text in the modifier stack, and then change Size to 3.0.

   

   The text moved to bisect the earth sphere

4. Click Extrude in the modifier stack and apply a Bend modifier from the Modifier List > Object-Space Modifiers.

   You'll use this to bend the text around the earth.

5. In the Parameters rollout, change the Bend Axis to X, then set the Bend Angle to 180.
6. Activate the Top viewport. Zoom in on the earth and text if necessary.
7. Move the text down in the Top viewport, as shown in the illustration.

   

   The text is moved down in the Top viewport

8. Right-click the Top viewport label and choose Smooth + Highlights.
9. Save the scene as mywwdesigns03.max.

Adjust the pivot point:

1. With the text selected, open the Hierarchy panel, then in the Adjust Pivot rollout, turn on Affect Pivot Only.

   The pivot point of the text object is displayed as a tripod.

2. On the Tools menu, choose Align, then click the earth sphere object in the viewport. This displays the Align Selection dialog.
3. In the Align Position (Screen) group, turn on X, Y, and Z.
4. Set both the Current Object and Target Object to Pivot Point. Click OK.

   The pivot point is aligned to the center of the earth sphere object.

   

   Pivot point of text object aligned to planet earth object

5. Turn off Affect Pivot Only.
6. In the Front viewport, rotate the text about the Y axis so that it matches the tilt of the planet.

   As you rotate the text, you can refer to the onscreen coordinate readout in the viewport.

7. On the toolbar, set the Reference Coordinate System to Local.

   

   Rotated text matches the tilt of the earth

Now you can finally animate the text rotating around the planet. You'll set it going in the opposite direction from the way the earth spins.

Animate the text:

1. Make sure Text01 is still selected, then open the Motion panel. In the Assign Controller rollout, choose Rotation in the Transform Position list.
2. Click the Assign Controller button to open the Assign Rotation Controller dialog. Choose TCB Rotation from the list.
3. At the bottom of the Key Info rollout, turn on Rotation Windup.
4. At frame 0, turn on the Auto Key button and rotate the text around the Y axis until the text is behind the sphere.

   No key will be created, yet.

   

   Rotation for text at frame 0

5. Move the time slider to frame 100, then rotate the text around the Y axis-360 degrees.

   You now have keys at frame 0 and frame 100.

6. On the Key Info rollout, set Continuity to 0.

   If Continuity is not displayed in the Key Info rollout, click the Rotation button in the PRS Parameters rollout.

   This allows the text to rotate around the earth at a continuous rate of speed.

7. On the Key Info rollout, move to key number 1 using the arrows, then set Continuity to 0.
8. Turn off Auto Key and play the animation. The rotation of the text and earth sphere should be smooth and loop continuously.

   Next, you'll add a couple of lights for dramatic effect.

9. Activate the Top viewport and Zoom out so you see some empty space around the Earth.
10. In the Create panel, choose Lights and click Omni. Then in the Top viewport, set a light in front of and another light behind the planet.

    

    Add lights for drama.

11. Save your work as mywwdesign04.max.