linking deflector to slice plane position

[grue1970]

hello, new to wire parameters and this type of animation...

100 frame animation setup. created a slice plane on a box, animated it, copied it to a copy of the box with different material, tried to link a deflector created in the left view port to the slice plane and it doesn't exactly line up/match.

checked animation curves, there was only 1 on the slice plane, and tried linear or curved, no difference, the deflector doesn't line up exactly.

tried wiring it to each box, recreated a couple times.  the attached picture shows the slice plane and how it lags behind the gray/white slice modifiers.

thanks,

[Steve_Curley]

Not sure. I just tried something similar and it appears to work correctly.

2 Boxes, one at X=-50, one at X=50, both Y and both Z at 0.
Add a Slice modifier to one of them, Rotate the Slice Plane so it is vertical, animate it moving backwards (from -Y through 0 to +Y). Copy the modifier and paste it (I didn't instance it, but you could) onto the other box.
Create the Deflector, again rotating it to be vertical. Position it appropriately in X and Z. Then wire the parameters:-

From one of the Boxes > Modified Object > Slice > Slice Plane P/R/S > Position > Y Position to the Deflector > Transform P/R/S > Position > Y Position. It should "just work" and follow the Slice Plane precisely.

You may find it easier to use the Wire Parameters Dialog than the "menu" version you get from the lower-left Quad menu.

[grue1970]

thanks - done and works pefect!  i created box1 in the top viewport at 0,0,0 copied it, added slice modifer to box1, copied it to box2, created deflector in top viewport and positioned it at 0,0,0
  it worked vertically.

it didn't work on a second try with a horizontal X moving deflectory/slice modifier.

could it be that the object sliced and the deflector need to be aligned to world at 0,0,0 or one of them needs to be algined to the other?

[grue1970]

that must be it - i just tried one linked to x position, it worked perfectly again. just made sure to create box and deflector in top view and aligned both to 0,0,0

[Steve_Curley · Accepted solution]

Top and Perspective are the same, but Left and Front will create objects with a different set of Local axes. Try it - create 4 Spheres, one in each viewport. Select Local from the Coordinates drop-down list and with the Move tool active click on (select) each one in turn (in the Perspective VP). Watch how the axes switch around.

Probably better to set it all up at the origin, then rotate the whole lot if you need it at an angle (not aligned to the X or Y axes). I'll have a play later on and see if that works.

[Steve_Curley]

Ok, follow the above up to the point of creating the Deflector. Select and Link Box002 to Box001, likewise the Deflector to Box001. Do the necessary with the Y positions (Box1>Slice to Deflector). If you need it all off-axis, move and/or rotate ONLY Box001. The other 2 objects will follow it and the animated Slice should still work as expected, with the Deflector following it.

[grue1970]

i think linking the deflector to the object did the trick.  i've tried it several times now - creating a sphere or box somewhere in the top viewport - 48,90,0  or 20,30,0  then adding the slice plain, rotating the slice plane in sub-object mode so that it moves in a positive x direction and animate.  note i rotate the slice.

then i create a deflector in the top view (at this point, i'm not worried about the 2nd box or sphere), i rotate it also (so far just y-axis - flips up to my right).  then i generally move that rotated deflector near the beginning of the box or sphere, then link that deflector to the sphere (in this case), then wire the x position of the slice plane to the x position of the deflector and the deflector jumps to wherever the slice is depending on which frame i'm at.  sometimes i'm not at frame 0 when i do all this.

 EDIT:  Plus yeah, i can move the whole rig where i want without leaving the deflector behind.

[Steve_Curley]

Sorted then 🙂