Rollercoaster-like Banking with ICE Deform By Curve

[chepmedia]

I want to twist an input object (a ribbon) as if "banking" on curves like a rollercoaster so I tried the Roll value, but it Rolls the entire object along the path. What I want is to bank / twist / deform left or right at very specific points along the path.

I enabled the Use Roll Profile which came really close ... until I Translated the ribbon along the path. Unless I'm mistaken the Roll Profile Multiplier is relative to the OBJECT and not to the PATH so when I translate the object along the banking swims around, back and forth.

Here's a reference that's similar to what I'm trying to do..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8OpvZb2Al4

Any suggestions?

Thank you,

Marc

Newcomer (<20 posts) alert: please use the URL tags - HB

[EricTRocks]

What I've done in the past is have a series of nulls constrained to the path curve with the tangent active in the path or curve constraint options. I left the up vector inactive so I could animate it by other means. Either by hand or setup with expressions or more extravegent rigs with a couple null layers.

You could deform a "rig" curve by your path curve then constraint nulls to the rig curve. thus it will maintain length as well.

lastly, you could deform a long grid by a curve deform on the path curve. move the curve deform into the animation stack. Also apply a twist deformer to the grid and move it to the animation stack but under the curve deform. You'll be able to animate the roll of the grid using the deform by curve but also animate the twist using the twist deformer.

It's just going to take a layered effect basically.

[chepmedia]

Eric,

Thank you for the ideas. The Twist deformer sounds promising.

Curious - your first example with the series of Nulls constrained to the path curve ... how do you then use the Nulls to tell the object/ribbon geometry to bank the value of the Null roll? What's looking at the Nulls for rotation input?

Thank you again,

Marc

[EricTRocks]

sorry for not being clear on that point, you envelope the ribbon mesh to the nulls.