Edit motion paths

After reviewing a path animation, you may want to change the object's route, or make the object move more smoothly, or less smoothly. Depending on how the path was created, there may be edit points or control vertices on the path that you can use to reshape the path. If these do not provide enough control, you can add more points. Edit points are directly on the path, and provide exact control of path alignment, but they can create sharp corners. Control vertices are the intersection points of tangents used to construct the curve, and moving them provides smoother curve changes.

The following procedure provides basic curve editing instructions. For more information, see Edit NURBS curves and surfaces and Editing NURBS.

To reshape a motion path

1. Select the path, then right-click to see the marking menu.
2. Select either Edit Point, Curve Point, or Control Vertex.

   The points appear along the path.

3. Select the Move Tool from the Tool Box, and click a point that you want to move.

   The object manipulator appears on the point.

4. Move the object manipulator in any direction to reshape the path.

Delete a motion path

To delete one motion path, select the path and press Delete.

To delete all motion paths in your scene, select Edit > Delete All by Type > Motion Paths.

Detach an object from a motion path

To detach an object using the Hypergraph

1. Select the object that you want to remove from the motion path.
2. Select Windows > Hypergraph: Hierarchy.

   The Hypergraph appears.

3. Click the Input and Output Connections button in the Hypergraph tool bar.

   The object’s node and all its connections appear in the Hypergraph.

4. Select each connection between the object and the motion path related nodes and press Delete.