Acceleration Panel

Command entry:Select a Crowd helper.

Modify panel

Global Clip Controllers rollout

New

Choose GlobalClip object.

Select object in list.

Edit

Synthesis dialog

State panel

New State

Edit Properties

Clip State dialog

Acceleration Panel

Command entry:Track View

Hierarchy

Global Tracks

Block Control

Global Clip Properties (right-click)

Synthesis dialog

State panel

New State

Edit Properties

ClipState dialog

Acceleration Panel

To have delegate acceleration considered for motion synthesis, turn on Use Acceleration, choose Range or Unique, and then make the appropriate settings.

Interface

Acceleration is measured in units per frame per frame, where the unit is the current 3ds Max system unit. That is, the acceleration is determined by the rate at which the speed changes per frame.

Use Acceleration: Turn on to have the motion synthesis engine consider delegate acceleration in determining whether to activate the state.

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Range: Choose Range to have the motion synthesis engine activate the clip when the delegate's acceleration falls inside the specified range.
Range Display: After you synthesize the Master Motion Clips, displays delegates' minimum, average, and maximum acceleration.
Min: Set a minimum acceleration value for the range.
Max: Set a maximum acceleration value for the range.

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Unique: Choose Unique to have the motion synthesis engine activate the clip when the delegate's acceleration matches a specific value, optionally with a rising, falling, or constant value before or after the specified value.
Value: Set a unique acceleration value.
In/Out: These radio buttons let you specify the behavior of the parameter before and after the unique value is met.
Anything: Acceleration before or after the target value is not relevant.
Decreasing: Acceleration decreases before or after it reaches the target value.
Constant: Acceleration before or after the target value is constant.
Increasing: Acceleration increases before or after it reaches the target value.

Scale Playback Speed group

These settings let you scale the rate at which the animation is played, depending upon the acceleration of the delegate. By default, when Scale Animation is off, the object animation will always play at its normal rate. If you turn it on, you can then set a Base Acceleration, at which the animation should play at its normal rate, plus a percentage to specify how much the animation rate is modified by the actual delegate acceleration.

Scale Animation: Scale the clip's animation based on acceleration.

For example, as a bird accelerates, its wings beat more rapidly. Scaling an animation scales the keys of the animation.
Percentage: Specify how much to alter the playback speed based upon the difference between the delegate's acceleration and the Base Acceleration setting.

The formula used is this:

Animation Speed change % = (current speed/Base Acceleration – 1) x Percentage %

For example, if a delegate is accelerating 50 percent faster than the base acceleration, and the Scale Percentage value is 50, then the playback speed is scaled up by 25 percent.
Base Acceleration: Specifies the delegate acceleration at which the animation should be played back at its normal rate.