Animation Flow

Animation Assembly

After all individual figures are ready, it is time to combine them into a single animation.

Go to SHOW_TIMELINE and start the preparation. This node already provides a basic setup for combining all figures into a single animation.

The key players are the Morf tool nodes named Main_animation_flow_* — these are the workhorses of this setup. They create transitions between separate animation figures.

Pay attention to the bottom timeline — bookmarks have already been created there for each figure morph represented in the Main_animation_flow_* nodes. During the animation assembly process, you will make changes in these nodes to achieve the desired result, as well as adjust intervals for transitions.

Interval Control

Convenient control of interval changes is implemented through bookmarks that pass values to the Main_animation_flow_* nodes. Use the bookmarks_control null node, which implements this functionality.

After you have made changes to the bookmarks, update the values in all Main_animation_flow_* nodes by clicking the Set morfs values button.

Simulation

Next, move on to the simulation part for proper collision handling.

Animation_sim — a node with pre-configured parameters for simulation.

Animation Checks

Open the animation file in a dedicated Checker node to validate your animation. If all checks pass, you can proceed to the next step: Takeoff and Landing.

Warning: Be sure that the animation writes without any issues in design, distance, speed and acceleration for your drones specification.

Video tutorials

Dronatello Course #07 — Animating Points with Proxy GeometryOne of the most powerful techniques in Dronatello: driving point animation with simple proxy geometry. We store a rest position, move the proxy, and watch our text follow — a simple idea that unlocks complex animation later in the course.
Dronatello Course #18 — Managing Show Transitions with the Bookmarks SystemManaging dozens of Morph node timings by hand quickly becomes unmanageable. Dronatello's Bookmarks system lets you control every transition in the show from a single timeline — add, remove and retime formations in seconds.
Dronatello Course #19 — Designing and Testing Transitions Between FormationsHow fast can a transition actually be? We set approximate transition lengths, check speed and acceleration with Fast_Checks, then run a physics simulation to discover the true minimum time each transition requires.
Dronatello Course #20 — Fixing Animation Speed Issues with the Retime NodeNow that our formations are built, it's time to clean up their speed. We review each animation loop and use the Retime node to bring everything back within acceleration and speed limits before continuing.
Dronatello Course #21 — Adding Movement and Flow to Your Drone ShowA drone show shouldn't feel like a slideshow. We add real overall movement to each formation using keyframed Transform nodes and gradient-driven Morph transitions, giving the whole show a dynamic left-to-right flow.
Dronatello Course #23 — Speeding Up Your Scene with Smart CachingHeavy formation and transition logic can bring your viewport and simulation to a crawl. We compare FPS with caching on and off, showing why caching is one of the easiest ways to keep a complex show scene responsive.