Procedural Systems

In traditional animation, an artist manually draws every frame. In computer animation, an artist manually sets keyframes to dictate movement. In Procedural Animation, the artist simply sets the mathematical rules, and the software generates the animation automatically.

Oraphim excels at procedural systems, allowing you to create infinitely complex graphics that would take years to keyframe by hand.

Expressions

The most fundamental procedural tool is the Expression. This is a snippet of code (written in Lua or Python) that you type directly into a parameter to control its value.

  • Example: If you want a gear to spin constantly forever, you don't need keyframes. Right-click the Angle parameter, select Expression, and type time * 5. The gear will spin exactly 5 degrees every frame.
  • Example: If you want a light to flicker chaotically, type sin(time * 10) * noise(time).

Modifiers

If you don't want to write code, you can use Modifiers. Modifiers are pre-built mathematical operators you attach to parameters.

  1. Right-click the Center X/Y parameter of a shape.
  2. Select Modify With > Perturb.
  3. A new "Modifiers" tab appears at the top of the Inspector.
  4. Adjust the Strength and Speed sliders. The shape will now wander around the screen randomly like a buzzing fly. No keyframes required.

The Replicate Node

If you want to create a kaleidoscope, a high-tech HUD grid, or a trail of echoing ghosts, you use the Replicate node (sometimes called a Duplicate node).

  1. Add your base graphic (e.g., a single triangle).
  2. Pipe it into a Replicate node.
  3. In the Inspector, set Copies to 10.
  4. If you leave the settings alone, you won't see anything change (the 10 copies are stacked perfectly on top of each other).
  5. Adjust the Center X parameter inside the Replicate node. The copies will spread out horizontally.
  6. Adjust the Angle parameter. The copies will spiral out like a staircase.
  7. Animate the Time Offset parameter, and the copies will delay their animation, creating a cascading wave effect (like a line of dominoes falling).

By combining Expressions, Modifiers, and Replicators, you can build living, breathing motion graphics that react dynamically to the length of the timeline or the beat of the audio.