I'm trying to create the effect of torch light on a stone wall, similar to the text sections of the Pirates of the Caribbean II trailer. The link is http://www.apple.com/trailers/disney/pirat...an2/xlarge.html
I'm just not satisfied with how mine looks right now. I have an abstract black and white shape mapped into the color channel of a spotlight, breaking up the edges of the light so it isn't just round. The light is tinted slightly yellow/orange, and I key framed the intensity randomly to flicker. On the trailer however, I can see that the "shape" of the light changes, and also the intensity of the light doesn't just flicker consistely over the whole surface, but different parts of the lit area become slightly brighter or darker than others. I began trying to create something in After Effects to use as an animated texture in the color channel of my light, but then I realized I don't know how to use animated textures, and I wasn't happy with the animation of the shapes I was creating anyway.
Also, I'm trying to animate a piece of paper falling thru the air and drifting as it falls. I was thinking of using a motion path, and I have drawn the curve of the basic motion I want, I was then going to just set motion path keys to speed it up and slow it down when the paper is driting, I was also just going to use a bend deformer to make the paper deform by the "air" as it flies thru it. The only problem I'm running into is, I want the "top" (the side of the paper with things written on it) of the paper to always be pointing up, more or less, except for when it curves and angles according to the motion path. The motion path, however, causes the paper to flip when it comes to the corner of the curve and begins to curve back towards the direction it was just drifting.
Under the attributes for the motion path, I have found that checking "parametric Length" instead of "follow" will keep the paper always pointing up, but it won't rotate according to the path to follow the "drifting" motion I have described with the curve.
Unchek follow for the curve path anim and keyfrme the bend and rotation. PErsonaly i wouldnt use a path curve at all since it does not realy make a difference here if you key or not!