Motion Question

danfromrichfield wrote:

…I've been banging my head against a wall all day trying to figure this out.

This is indeed big voodoo … Master-Class …LOL

step-by-step:

here's your project (reduced…), what you have found out so far: you can not link, nor animate the shapes Control Points.

So, you have to add a 'Nil Object' = a png or jpg, I'm using here from M5s content a Crosshair.png…

To make this Nil-Object usable in FCPX, I added an OSC-group with a BuldgeFilter, and linked the Crosshair's X/Ypos to it => now, we have a crosshair, moveable with an OSC - but not moving shape …yet:

Apply to the BezierShape a Track Point behave… uncheck point 2 and 3 …

you're still alive and following…? 😉

Now, tell (=drag into well) the Behavior to track the crosshair.png…

Attach to source…

AND hit Analyze! << very important step…

ok, but nothing to analyze, you say? yep, but that is the magic sauce of this trick:

When you now move the OSC (in Motion or FCPX) the shape/line/control point follows!

nice, hm? 😉

(oh, and uncheck the Nil group - not need to display …)

(Thanks to Mark Spencer from rippletraining, who published this advice at YT)

Post the attachment (or link).

If I understand you correctly, the easiest thing to do is put the Line and the Circle in their own group. Set the Anchor Point of the Line to one end (the circle end). You animate both by controlling the Group Position parameter and you can animate the angle of the line with the Rotation.Z parameter of the line (which will rotate about its anchor point), OR, in all likelihood, Motion will use the line's anchor point for the group which means you will be able to use the Group > Rotation > Z parameter to rotate both.

More information is needed. How do you want the Circle shape to interact with the single control point of a Line? The center? A "relative" point? Will the circle be animated? How? (including using an onscreen control to move it).

danfromrichfield wrote:

…would never have figured this out.

… nobody would … LOL!

One of the biggest riddles in Motion, aside the mythical '-0.5' in OSCs (yes, fox, you have explained to me on several occasions … still don't get it 😝)

Maybe, maybe in some future iteration of Motion, Apple offers us a tool-box, to add knobs&sliders to any parameter …<dreamModeOFF> …

Glad I could help…