How to add follow path at a specific timeline with other animation keyframes?

Question

I've been working on a scene where a plant is blown over by the wind and then rolls in a circular motion for a while.

I've been watching tutorials on how to make different parts of the plant move (wind effect) using empty shapes as controllers. I added keyframes at various points in the timeline (from 0 to around 220).

I've also created circular paths using follow path curves by drawing them in edit mode. However, I noticed that the motion starts from 0 instead of 225 (where I want it to begin, right when it touches the ground).

Is there a way to make the plant follow the path from a specific keyframe, like starting at 225? For example, once it touches the ground at 225, I want it to start rolling and continue for the next 50 frames, gradually slowing down (up to 300).

Question:

• How can I make a plant follow a circular path starting from a specific keyframe (e.g., frame 225) in Blender, so that it rolls for the next 50 frames after touching the ground?

Thank you for your help.

Answer 1

If what you want your object to follow a curve only after a certain frame, what you can do is create your first movement from point A to point B, point B being the start point of the curve, use the 3D cursor and Shift to precisely place the object, keyframe the locations:

At the second location, also set the Influence value of the Follow Path constraint to 0 and keyframe:

The very next frame, set the Influence value to 1, the Offset to 0 and keyframe, reset the object location with AltG so that it sticks to the start of the curve and keyframe its location:

Later in the timeline, keyframe the Offset in order to move the object along the curve: