Maximilian Schönherr shows how you can have a motion path in Maya also be a soft body.

Motion Paths in Maya are a great way to dictate object and camera motion by attaching an object or element to a curve and have that object follow that curve. Did you know that the path curve can also be a soft body?

It makes sense that you can apply a soft body simulation to a curve, and the curve can also be a motion-path, then you can have both the motion from the path as well as from a physical simulation.

This is the premise of Maximilian Schönherr’s latest tutorial that shows how you can make a path dynamic, using particles and soft body dynamics, or springs. The dynamic animation comes from using a field and using the falloff to affect a specific region of the path. An interesting effect!