Help With Little Animation

[robsteady]

I've got to do this simple animation, but can't get it right.

Maybe one of you talented animators can help a noobie out and take five seconds to do it! I need it as an avi and maya file.
I would realy appreciate it!!!

Here's a little description and the file, it's really simple:

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=a7a3b9b...04e75f6e8ebb871

[doug-hines]

... It looks to me like you can do the animation. All you have to do is set keyframes

[gmask]

is this like your homework or something?

[robsteady]

@ kurokawa: i can do it to the point where the thing rotates, but then i get some problems.

@ gmask: it's a project i'm working on

[doug-hines]

QUOTE(gmask @ 02/25/09, 12:01 PM) [snapback]301724[/snapback]
is this like your homework or something?

I does seem that way, doesn't it?

[doug-hines]

What are the problems you are running in to?

[robsteady]

I set keys for the whole animation, but when i replay it, the battery-pack is at the wrong position:

[gmask]

well based on what I'm seeing here it looks like you need to use parent constraints. This will allow you to switch which of the two objects is being controlled by the translation of the car versus the clips that come out of the ground that hold the battery.

Each of the two batteries will be parent constrained to the car and the clips.

constrain battery A to the car.

constrain battery B to the clips in the ground.

move the car over the hole in the ground

when the clips come up you will parent constrain battery A to the clips.. you will need to set keyframes on the constraint node.

now both batteries are constrained to the clips

rotate the clips

when battery B comes around and is under the car parent constrain it to the car and set keyframes so that it is now being controlled by the car

clips recede into ground and battery B stays under car while battery A follows the clips

[robsteady]

Thanks for the quick replies guys!
I'll try my luck and really wanna learn this (like i said, i'm new to maya and don't know hot to set these constrainets), but i'm a little bit under time pressure. So if somebody got some minutes to to this for me, that would be great!

[gmask]

here's another way (this is how you do it without constraints)

you have a battery parented to the car..

car pulls forward

clips raise up into position

there is a allready another battery parented to the clip but it's visibility is keyframed off.

once clips are in position you keyframe the visibility of the one parented to the car off and the one on the clip on.

rotate clip

then do the opposite and keyframe the one on the clip off and the one on the car back on.

[robsteady]

Ok, i'm giving up!

Could someone animate this one for me, pleeeaaase? Got a presentation tomorrow and need to show this!
After this is done i learn how to do it...
Thanks