Plane followingąthe Path
by Mika Saari


When you start Blender, you have plane on the screen. You
can use the plane as test object in this tutorial.

Now you need path which will be followed by plane. This can
be done by pressing SPACE key from keboard and selecting
the "CURVE" button from the list. After selection you will
get another list where you can see "Path" button, select
this one.

After selection you will have straight path with yellow
key vertices.

The path start from left and ends to right. Select the end
point of path using right mouse button.

Now you should have only the right most vertice yellow and
other path vertices should be magenta.

Press CTRL button from keyboard down and keep it down. Now
move mouse pointer where you want to get the next key
vertice of path and press left mouse button.

Do this so many times you get the path satisfying you.

To move the plane to the beginning of the path,
select the plane using right mouse button. Press
GKEY (Grab), press CTRL key down from keyboard and keep it
pressed all the time you move the plane, using mouse,
so much that the center of the plane will be on the
beginning of the path.

Now it is time to parent the plane on the path.
Select the plane first (should be selected already) using
right mouse button. Press SHIFT down and keep it pressed
and select path with right mouse button. Now the plane
is a little bit darker than path. Now parent the plane
to the path using CTRL+P keys. Blender asks "OK ?", to
this answer "Make Parent" by selecting button just under
you mouse pointer.

If you start thinking that the plane should be on the
other end of the path then select only the path using
right mouse button. Go to EditMode by pressing TAB
key and select all vertices with AKEY. Now you should
have all vertices selected (drawn with yellow color) and
there should be straight lines between vertices. Now
press WKEY and Blender gives you "Specials" list, select
"Switch Direction" button from the list and the plane
jumps to the other end of path.

After you decided on which end the plane should be
press TAB key to exit the EditMode.

Now if you are not satisfied that plane goes through
the path in 100 frames you have to edit the curve in
IPO window.

This can be done really easily by selecting the "screen"
selection from Screen list which is situated at the
upper left corner of Blender window.

After selecting the "screen" option from the list
you still do not see the IPO curve which controls
the movements of the plane.

Now select the Path from the left window with right mouse
button and press that little curve icon from IPO window
(right window) which is pressed in the picture below.

Now you can see the cyan curve which controls the movements.

Now it is time to move the end of the IPO curve a little
bit. Select the IPO curve using right mouse button
(should be selected already) from right window and
press TAB key.

Now both ends of the IPO curve are yellow so both
control vertices are selected. Select only the
right one by pressing right mouse button on it.
(picture below)

Press GKEY and move the vertice where every you want.
I suggest that you press CTRL down (follow grids) and
move mouse a little bit right. When you think that
the vertice is where you want, just press left mouse
button.

Now it is time to exit from EditMode in the IPO window.
Be sure that mouse pointer is in the right window and
press TAB. Now you are exited and curve should be
cyan without any yellow key vertices on the screen.

Now it is time to test how the plane is moving.
Just try pressing arrow buttons from the keyboard
and plane is moving on the path.

If you want plane to be following the path exactly
(rotating like path) select first the curve icon
which is next to the globe icon and press CurveFollow
button there.

Now you are ready to make great rollercoaster stuff
with blender.