While the replicator tool is great for video walls and other similar effects, you can also use it to generate some amazing imagery, like the background in the image above. Please note that the movies in this tutorial require Quicktime 7 to view.

The basis for our replicator is a single shape object. You can make it as simple as a box, but the crazier the shape is, the better the results usually are.

Draw the replicator source shape

1. Select the bezier shape tool from the toolbar (or press the 'B' key).
2. Draw a shape in the Canvas. Make it crazy. Close your eyes, even.

3. Press the Tab key to exit the shape drawing mode.
4. With the shape selected, go to the Shape tab in the Inspector.
5. Uncheck the 'Fill' checkbox.
6. Check the 'Outline' checkbox.
7. Set Outline Width to 4.

Why did we turn off the fill and enable the outline? The reason will become clear, later in the tutorial. Now we need to start replicating.

Replicate!

1. Select the shape and click on the Replicate button on the toolbar (or press 'L').

As you can see, the default build pattern of the replicator is a box, which lays our shape out in a grid. In this case, we want to use the 'Wave' build pattern.

Change the replicator build type

1. Select the replicator and go to the Replicator tab in the Inspector.
2. Set the Shape to 'Wave'.

And now you have something fit for display in your local museum of modern art! Let's grab those on-screen controls and drag out the end-points of our wave past either edge of the project.

Adjust the wave width

1. Select the left-hand end-point of the wave and drag it slightly past the left edge of the project.
2. Select the right-hand end-point of the wave and drag it slightly past the right edge of the project.

With our wave pattern in place, we can start customizing our replicator settings. Keep in mind that the settings are relative to the size of the shape you draw, so feel free to use your own numbers. Remember, this is Motion: it's all about the experimentation.

Resize and align the replicator cell

1. Select the replicator and go to the Replicator tab in the Inspector.
2. In the Cell Controls section, check the 'Align Angle' checkbox.
3. In the Cell Controls section, change the Scale to 40%.

Enabling the 'Align Angle' checkbox means that each replicator cell (our shape) will align itself to the path of the wave. This gives us a smoother, more flowing look. Now for the good part: lots of points, color and animation. On to page 2...