I'm coming from After Effects background, where I often parent and link properties using Expressions to copy and delay animation across multiple objects. I'm trying to do similar in Blender with Animation Nodes. I have a solution that works already, but I am wondering if there is a better and "cleaner way" to achieve similar outcome.
My set up has an Empty Master Animation object animated on Z Rotation, Z Position and Scale (X,Y,Z). I am using that Empty to animate 4 "data servers" - 4 simple objects with Array modifier added to each one. I set it up in a way that each object has additional parented Empty inside it. Each Empty "copies" Master Animation Empty animation with a delay and uses this data to animate Array modifier.
Also, I set object's themselves to copy Master Animation Empty animation as well.
Here is how it looks:
Master Empty with all the keyframes:
Modifier stack on each object:
And here is Animation Nodes Set Up:
Is there a better way to do it? For example, if I have 20 objects that I want to delay animation from 1 Master Animation Object? I don't want to set up spaghetti node group with lots of individual nodes for each object.
Is there a way to grab a list of objects in Collection and add animation to each one of them with a delay? But without changing their position, for example? I tried this, but I can't figure out correct node set up.
Any pointers would be much appreciated.