umbrella opening?

[sabina]

Hi everyone ~ I'm wondering if anyone has any idea how to make an umbrella open and close? I'm using Anime Pro 9.5. Thanks in advance. ~ Sabina

[Maestral]

Side view? Top view? Bottom view?
Do you have any sketches on drafts?

[sabina]

Hi Maestral. It's from the side view.

[Greenlaw]

I would start off with the umbrella in its open state and work backwards to close it. To me, it seems it would be much easier to animate this way since the end shape is simpler. You can always reverse the keyframes to make the umbrella open.

As for technique, I might try pushing points around if it's just a 'one off' and I'm in a hurry. Otherwise, I'd probably rig it with bones. Either way, in the end I'd probably make a smart bone action to control the animation timing--obviously, you can reverse the animation this way too. Once you get the open and close keyframes, insert at least one in-between keyframe to keep the motion from being linear--otherwise, it might look weird.

Also, don't try to fake it. Be sure to have an actual umbrella on hand for reference. A traditional umbrella should be easy to animate but the kind that fold up when they close will obviously be trickier to animate. Try the easy one first, to get a feel for what you're animating.

G.

[sabina]

Thanks Greenlaw! ~ Sabina