How to Build Folding Meshes Using L-systems and MoSplines

Severo Ojea Covers Animating With Splines to Create a Folding Meshes Effect.

L-Sytems often end up being an essential algorithm for animation. With Cinema 4D, if you are working with splines, there is a built-in L-system routine in “Turtle” mode. Workbench’s Severo Ojea explores how you can create interesting folding meshes using C4D’s MoSpline. “You might have seen L-systems or Logo programming language in school as it’s often used to teach programming concepts to young children. The cursor in the UI for these graphics programs is called Turtle” Severo says.

The unfolding and folding of meshes is a common theme among Cinema 4D users, and it is one that gets revisited a lot. There are quite a few ways to create an animated folding effect, including some tools. A Folding Title Generator is one that gives three types of systems for creating folding typography.  FoldIt from C4D Zone has a dedicated plugin for just this purpose,  as did César Vonc with Dépliage.