Parameter Behaviors

This behavior smoothes the transition from one value to another caused by keyframes and behaviors applied to a parameter. Use the Average behavior to smooth out animated effects. Averaged motion moves more fluidly, while averaged changes to parameters such as Opacity and to filter parameters appear to happen more gradually. Use the Window Size parameter to adjust the amount by which to smooth the affected parameter.

This behavior allows you to define a minimum and maximum value for an animated parameter. In the following illustration, the center star has an applied Vortex behavior that’s set to affect the two airplane shapes. As a result, the airplanes circle around the center star, as indicated by the red animation path.

In the following illustration, a Clamp behavior is applied to the X Position parameter of the outer airplane shape. The Max value is set to 230 and the Min value is set to 0. The result is that the animation path is “clamped,” because the image can travel up to 230 pixels to the right but does not move left past the 0 point, creating a half-circle animation.

The circle motion path is essentially cut in half. If a negative value is entered in the Min value field, the image moves past the 0 point.

The Custom behavior allows you to make your own behaviors by creating a set of parameters, then keyframing them to create the type of animation you want to apply to an object. By saving custom behaviors you create in the Library, you can create your own collection of behaviors to suit your needs.

You apply the Custom behavior like any other non-Parameter behavior in Motion: by dragging it from the Library onto an object in the Canvas or Layers list, or by selecting an object in the Canvas or Layers list, then choosing Custom from the Add Behavior pop-up menu.

Note: Although the Custom behavior is a Parameter behavior, it does not appear in the shortcut menu when you Control-click a parameter.

The Exponential parameter behavior creates more natural animations when scaling objects, especially when using high values. For example, when an object scales from very small to very large, the animation appears to slow down as the object reaches its upper scale values. The Exponential parameter behavior works like the Ramp behavior, but applies a mathematical function to create an exponential curve (rather than linear) between the two values. This allows the animation to progress slowly when the scale values are small and speed up when the scale values are large.

You can also change the interpolation modes of keyframes to Exponential. For more information, see Modifying Curves.

The Link parameter behavior forces the value of one parameter to match that of another “linked” parameter. The source behavior can be within the same object or from another object. The linked parameters must contain numerical data. Parameters controlled by checkboxes, menus, and other non-numeric values cannot be linked. The linked parameters also must contain the same number of attributes. You cannot link a compound parameter such as Scale X-Y-Z to a parameter such as Opacity which has only one slider. You can however, link a compound parameter such as Scale X-Y-Z to Position X-Y-Z.

The values of the source parameter can be scaled to more accurately apply to the destination parameter. For example, a source parameter with a range of 1–100 can be scaled when applied to a parameter with a range of 0–1. The values can also be offset from the source, and the effect can be mixed with the destination value to create different effects.

The Link behavior can be applied to parameters animated with behaviors or keyframes; however, it does not affect the parameter when the Start Values or End Values are zero.

When using the Link behavior to control an object’s position parameter, the linked coordinates are based on the center point of the current group. So when an object is linked to another object in the same group, it will share an identical position. However, if the source object is in a different group, the coordinates might appear offset in space.

If your goal is to match an identical position across groups with different center points, you can create an invisible dummy object in the group containing the source, link it to the source object, then use the Match Move behavior to copy the dummy object’s position to that of the intended target. Match Move compensates for inter-group position offsets and provides the option to attach one object to another or to mimic the source object’s transformations. For more about Match Move, see Motion Tracking Behaviors.

You can also link to the group’s coordinates instead of the object’s, and use the Offset parameters in the Link behavior to obtain the position you want. However, if that group is subsequently added to another group, the linked object might not move as expected.

Note: When a link behavior is added, it is not enabled by default. To activate the behavior, click the activation checkbox beside the behavior name in the Behaviors Inspector.

The Logarithmic parameter behavior is the inverse of the Exponential behavior. Like the Exponential behavior, it creates more natural animations when scaling objects, especially when using high values. The Logarithmic parameter behavior applies a mathematical function to create a logarithmic curve (rather than linear) between the two values—the effect ramps up quickly, and then the effect slows down. This allows the animation to progress slowly when the scale values are small and speed up when the scale values are large.

The Logarithmic behavior can be applied to parameters animated with behaviors or keyframes; however, Logarithmic does not affect the parameter unless the Start Values or End Values are nonzero.

Note: You can also change the interpolation modes of keyframes to Logarithmic. For more information, see Modifying Curves.

The MIDI behavior allows you to edit and animate object parameters using standard MIDI devices, such as a synthesizer. For the true motion graphics mixmaster.

Inverts the value of each keyframe and behavior effect in the parameter to which it’s applied by multiplying the parameter by –1. The Negate behavior basically flips each parameter value to its opposite. Animation paths are flipped, rotation is reversed, and any effect’s parameter is changed to its opposite.

For example, applying the Negate behavior to the Position parameter of an object with an animation path results in the animation path moving to the opposite quadrant of the Canvas.

Note: If you want to reverse the motion taking place on an animation path, rather than flipping the shape of the animation path itself, use the Reverse parameter behavior.

The Oscillate behavior animates a parameter by cycling it between two values. You can customize how wide apart the high and low values are as well as the number of oscillations per minute. The Oscillate behavior can create all kinds of cyclical effects. For example, if you apply the Oscillate behavior to the rotation property of an object, it will rock back and forth. This happens because the rotation property cycles back and forth between the original rotation value plus and minus the Amplitude value that’s set in the Oscillate behavior.

Applying the Oscillate behavior to the X value of the Scale parameter instead causes the width of the object to cycle, and it repeatedly stretches and compresses for the duration of the behavior.

The Oscillate behavior is additive, meaning that the value generated by this behavior is added to the original value of the parameter to which it’s applied.

The Quantize behavior lets you create an incremental animation in any keyframed or behavior-influenced parameter. For example, if opacity is animated so an object gradually fades in over time, you can add the Quantize behavior to make the object become opaque in steps.

Note: The Quantize behavior only works with animated parameters.

The Ramp behavior lets you create a gradual transition in any parameter that can be animated, from the Start Value to the End Value. The speed of the transition is defined by the length of the Ramp behavior in the Timeline, and by the behavior’s end value. Additional parameters allow you to define how the transition occurs, whether it’s at a single continuous speed, or whether it accelerates over time.

Ramp is a versatile behavior. If you apply it to the Scale property, it works like the Grow/Shrink behavior. If you apply it to the Opacity property, you can fade an object in or out in different ways. Although you can use the Ramp behavior to mimic other Motion behaviors, it can be applied to any parameter.

Note: This behavior is additive, meaning that the value it generates is added to the original value of the parameter to which it’s applied.

For example, to animate different segments of a bar graph so each segment grows to a specific length, apply the Ramp behavior to the each bar’s Crop parameter.

After you arrange the different bars with their starting Crop values, the Ramp behaviors move the Top Crop parameter up, giving the illusion that each bar is growing. Set the End Value parameter of each Ramp behavior to the length you want each bar to reach, and you’re done!

Creates a continuous sequence of randomly increasing and decreasing values, based on the parameters defining the range and type of values generated.

Although the values created with this behavior appear to be random, they’re predetermined by the parameter settings you’ve chosen. As long as you don’t change the parameters, the frame-by-frame values created by this behavior remain the same. If you don’t like the randomly generated values, click the Generate button in the Behaviors Inspector to pick a new random seed number. This number is used to generate a new sequence of values.

The Apply Mode parameter determines how values generated by this behavior are combined with other behaviors and keyframes that affect the same parameter. This provides you with different ways of using a Randomize behavior to modify a parameter’s preexisting values.

The Randomize behavior is useful for creating jittery effects, such as twitchy rotation, flickering opacity, and other effects requiring rapid and varied changes over time that would be time-consuming to keyframe. The Randomize behavior can be modified with other behaviors, such as Average and Negate, to exercise further control over the values generated.

This behavior increases a parameter’s value over time, with the rate of increase determined by the Rate slider. Unlike the Ramp behavior, this behavior has no end value, but continues to increase or decrease the parameter it’s applied to until the end of the parameter.

Note: To decrease a parameter over time, enter a negative value into the Rate parameter.

Unlike the Negate behavior, which inverts the value of the parameter to which it’s applied, the Reverse behavior reverses the direction of any animation that affects a parameter, whether it’s caused by behaviors or keyframes. For example, when you apply the Reverse behavior to path animation that begins at the left and moves to the right, the animation path won’t move, but the object instead begins at the right and moves to the left. The Reverse behavior basically switches the beginning and ending points of animated objects.

The Stop behavior suspends parameter animation (created by keyframes or applied behaviors) of an object. For example, if you assign the Stop parameter behavior to the Position parameter of an object moving across the screen and rotating, the object ceases to move across the screen but continues to rotate.

Each behavior’s effect on the object is frozen at the first frame of the Stop behavior in the Timeline. Keyframes applied to that parameter cease to have any effect for the duration of the Stop behavior in the Timeline.

If the Stop behavior is shorter than the object to which it’s applied, all keyframes and behaviors affecting that channel immediately take effect after the last frame of the Stop behavior. For more information on using the Stop behavior, see Using the Stop Behavior.

This behavior works similarly to the Randomize behavior, but with a slower effect.