Most replicator and replicator cell parameters can be animated with keyframing or by using Parameter behaviors. If you animate the replicator’s shape-specific parameters such as Radius, Twists, and Offset (in a Spiral replicator), the pattern on which the elements are built is animated, not the elements themselves. To animate the elements of the pattern, you keyframe the parameters in the Cell Controls group of the Replicator Inspector (or in the Replicator Cell Inspector).
Keyframing the replicator parameters (or using Parameter behaviors) animates all elements in the replicator symmetrically. To animate the elements in sequence over time—without creating keyframes—use the Sequence Behavior, described in Using the Sequence Replicator Behavior. To animate the replicator using Basic Motion or Simulation behaviors, see Using Behaviors with Replicators.
Important: If you apply a Simulation behavior, or a Throw or Spin behavior, to a replicator with keyframed parameters, some keyframe parameters are ignored.
You can also use keyframes to animate the parameters in a replicator’s Properties Inspector. Parameters in the Properties Inspector affect the replicator as a whole, not replicator elements.
The replicator parameters in the Properties and Replicator Inspectors can be keyframed to create a change in values over time. You can view the resulting keyframe curves in the Keyframe Editor by choosing Animated from the pop-up menu in the top-left corner of the Keyframe Editor. Different parameters (and their keyframe curves) appear in the Keyframe Editor depending on which layer you select in the Layers list:
Select the replicator layer to display animated replicator parameters such as Position and Rotation in the Properties Inspector, or Size or Tile Offset (available when the shape is a rectangle) in the Replicator Inspector.
Select the cell layer to display animated parameters of the Replicator Cell Inspector, such as Angle or Scale.
For more information on keyframing parameters in the Keyframe Editor, see Keyframes and Curves.