Deformer (Bouncing ball demo no.2)

Non-linear deformers apply a specialized type of deformation to a set of points. These deformations reposition points of an object in a non-linear manner. Squash Deformer is one of the non-linear deformers and can be used to create stretch and squash. In the following example, Squash Deformer is used to create squash effects, instead of scaling factors.

1. Follow the instruction in order of transformation to create a bouncing ball animation with use of transform nodes.
2. Select "ball_rotate", unparent it by Shift-P (or selecting Edit -> Unparent).
3. Delete "ball_scale". We will replace the squash created by the scaling channels in "ball_scale" with Squash Deformer.
4. Go to the animation menu set (F2). Select "ball" and Deform -> Create Nonlinear -> Squash.
5. Open Hypergraph by selecting Windows -> Hypergraph... You should see "squash1Handle". Rename it "ball_squash".
6. Parent "ball_rotate" to "ball_translate". Parent "ball_squash" to "ball_translate" as well.

The hierarchical structure should be...

7. Select ball_squash. Selecting Manipulator Tool (below Scale Tool) allows you to change the parameters of the squash deformer interactively. Click on "squash1" under INPUTS in Channel Box shows you the squash deformer's parameters. Select "Factor". The manipulator for "Factor" is the handle sticking out horizontally in the front view. Changing "Factor" applies stretch or squash to the object. A positive number is for stretch and a negative number is for squash. 0.0 does not apply either, i.e., no deformation is applied.
8. Go to Frames 1, 9, 12, 29, 32, 49, 52, 69, 72, .... Set 0.0 to Factor. Highlight "Factor" in Channel Box and select "Key Selected" under "Channels".
9. Go to Frames 10, 30, 50, .... Set a negative number to Factor so that a desirable amount of squash is applied. Highlight "Factor" in Channel Box and select "Key Selected" under "Channels". The result should look like ball_demo2.mb.

One of the advantages of using Squash Deformer over scaling is you need to work with one parameter, "Factor", instead of three parameters, x, y, and z scaling factors.

The animation is not finished yet. For instance, squash may happen in a shorter or longer amount of time, depending on the characteristics of the ball and bounce heights. In the above example, just 1 frame is spent on each squashing and 2 frames on restoring the original shape. You need to add more keys and edit interpolation between keys to finish the animation.