Beyond the lesson

In this lesson you learned how to:

• Create a motion path animation using a NURBS curve as the motion path.

  When you draw your own curves remember that a curve has a defined start and an end point based on how you create it. If your object is initially positioned at the wrong end of the curve, you can reverse the direction of the curve by setting the Menu Set to Modeling and then selecting Edit Curves > Reverse Curve Direction.

  If your objects are not oriented correctly on the path initially, you can change the options in the Attach to Motion Path Options window (Animate > Motion Paths > Attach to Motion Path).

• Adjust the timing and rotation of an object when it travels along the motion path.

  In this lesson you were shown how to keyframe the roll (bank) of the aircraft. The Attach to Motion Path Options window provides an option called Bank. The Bank option rotates an object as it travels around curved portions of a motion path. It is useful for simple motion path animation.

• Blend between keyframe and motion path animation types on the same object.

  (For more information, search for pairBlend in the Maya Help.)