Tentacle Animation Using Lofting

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In sci-fi movies, you often saw a monster with tentacles lurking around. In this tutorial you will create tentacle animation using lofting in 3ds max. Not limited to tentacle animation, you can also use this technique in several animation, such as growing vines, cable animation, or else. Actually, you can also create tentacle animation using Path Deform. But in this tutorial I only use Lofting.

1. Download scene below. This is a simple sewer scene (3ds max 8 format). I animated water material using technique described in Sunset Animation Tutorial.

2. Go to Create>Shapes. Click Line button. In Creation Method rollout, make sure Initial Type=Smooth and Drag Type=Bezier. Then click several times in Top viewport to create line like image below. Right click to finish creating line.

3. Make sure line is still selected. Apply Noise modifier. Activate Fractal and adjust Strength values. You'll get random curvy line.

4. In Top viewport, draw circle with Radius=40.

5. Select line. In Command Panel, go to Create>Geometry>Compound Objects. Click Loft button. In Creation Method rollout, click Get Shape button. Then click Circle in viewport. Now, you have long tube. But, it is too big. Don't worry. In the next page, we will fix that.

6. Select lofted object. Go to Modify tab. Open Deformations rollout. Click Scale button. Scale Deformation window will open.

7. In Scale Deformation window, you can increase or decrease Shape size in lofted object. Right now you have 2 points. Try to move those points and watch how lofted object is affected.
Click Insert Corner Point button. Click twice in the middle of line. Move and enter values for each point (#1=30, #2=30, #3=0, #4=0) like image below.

8. To animate, first activate Auto Key. Move slider to frame 200. Move control point #2 and #3 to the right like image below. When finished turn off Auto Key. Scrub slider, you'll see nice tentacle animation.

9. We need more tentacles. Make sure tentacle object is selected. Hold Shift and move to create another clone. Use Copy for Cloning Method.
Select cloning object. In Modifier Stack, click plus (+) sign left of Loft. Click plus (+) sign left of Path. Highlight Noise. Them you can adjust Seed value or Strength values.
If you need more tentacle just repeat this process.

10. This tutorial is finished. Watch video below to see sample of finished animation..