Inflation reveal - Follow up

[tie-version]

Hello,
This is a follow-up to my previous questions about inflation animations.

The general consensus is that the new sim engine is really good and you can make things inflate.

But there is not a lot on how to get things to start from a deflated point.

I found this reference, it is a really good example of what was achievable in C4D earlier versions. Specifically, how things are inflating from a smaller ball.

https://www.behance.net/gallery/91641305/Canadian-Tire-Inflator-(Buck)

I am only trying to animated a singular numerical character. Using the balloon simulator.

Is there a way to get the controls that would allow someone to inflate a character from something deflated to something inflated?

I appreciate any help with this. Thank you.

[tie-version]

Additional FYI.

I have tested Bullet dynamics using one of EJ's projects. And my machine really hates it, even if it is cached.

[Dr. Sassi]

Hi tie-version,

If you have checked out a few of my posts (Sim/Dyn. based), you know that I love to use Simulations to create a base to work with and then use the "harvested" items to create a more art-directable approach.
As you mentioned your experience in the second post, it might even be beneficial to go that route.

I did it pretty simple: I took a sphere and used a balloon with nearly zero pressure, so it collapsed—"Current State to Object" to get this as Polygon mesh.
I kept the original sphere as a backup copy.

As you can see in the two scenes, even with just two states, things can become very simple but effective.
The Polygon Objects can be "sculpted/deformed" to your liking, and even certain areas can be "deflated" later on.

With the Delay Effector set to Deform and Points, while in Spring mode, many secondary motions are introduced.

CV4_2024_drs_24_ANin_01.c4d
CV4_2024_drs_24_ANin_11.c4d
Returning to art-directable, changing even tiny details without recalculating the whole Simulation is easier. Sitting in a session with a client and being able to micromanage your project without having them wait for re-calculations might bring you some happy faces.

If you had hundreds of items in the scene, that would be a different story, but with one object alone, the whole attention is undoubtedly on that object.

Alternative
On the other hand, it might be more straightforward to de-fate and object, meaning starting with the final state. Then, use Alembic and reverse the time.

Let me know if that is working for you.

Cheers

[tie-version]

Yes, sorry I did see them. Great thanks for the support.

[Dr. Sassi]

Hi tie-version,

Thanks for the reply.

My question about the other post was not meant as an: I do this only this way, which is far from that. But I like to point out that what is in animations often might be produced differently than it looks.

A key concept in animation is that we can do whatever we want; in reality, we have no option but to set limitations. Hence, this lack of boundaries makes animation appealing to filmmakers.

Simulation algorithms do not have any ideas about expressiveness or getting a message across. That is all artist-based.

If you would like to do it as a complete simulation, I would like to have a project file that is either your target or an example close to it.
In this way, I can be specific and follow your ideas. Inflating is an expression, at least for me. Just having something "pop-up" might be fun to watch, but what is the desired expression that you like that the audience reads from it, and get your artistic intention based on that?

All the best

[tie-version]

Thank you I understand. I need to have more control over the assets visuals. Simulations look good, but from running it through several times with minimal physics changes impact the look in a big way. I have not found a "reveal" animation that I am 100% sold by yet, and the references shared are most likely very curated.
The morph method you shared, will most likely be the best option for the control I require.
Thank you, and this process has definitely helped me develop my skill set, direction and understanding of the software and 3D in general.

I will most likely have more questions soon.

[Dr. Sassi]

Thanks for the feedback, tie-version.

Simulations are great, especially when getting reference material. Or just ideas, sometimes based on happy accidents.

But at the moment, there is a particular idea of how it should unfold; it is more beneficial to harvest certain stages from it, which can then be animated as a sequence.

Another approach is to experiment and find a few stages that look precisely as needed. Then, use those as clips for a sequence and perhaps change the camera preview to avoid jump cuts.
There is nothing more boring than predictable animation. Hence, the cut goes before the prediction and allows so many exciting details to be shown. I'm sure that is nothing new, but since I write in a forum with a wider variety of skill levels, while I often find a one-take approach in the files, I love to refresh this suggestion from time to time. The real magic is in the cut, between two clips when the audience produces the bridge between two clips. That saves time and helps to engage the audience.
(Kuleshov's Montage idea comes to mind.)

Thank you so much for the exchange here.

Yes, if you have more questions, please ask. If these questions are new, please use a new forum thread to keep it easy to find and follow. Thank you.

Cheers

[Dr. Sassi]

Hi tie-version,

Typically, I scare people away when I start sharing XPresso options. So I wait a little bit

But here is a way to build a Mixer Console for different areas.

Click on the "User Data" null; see image.
Press play
Explore each slider

CV4_2024_drs_24_SIxp_01.c4d

Perhaps that is a mix that fits your needs while being interactive.

Enjoy