One crank drives three eccentric cams that make a wooden bird nod, flap and lift its tail. Each rotating eccentric disc sets its follower height. Visible rods connect the followers to the bird, so changing the cam throw or phase changes the movement. Reuse your own material, or quote missing images and optional sound through PopNow before generation.

Uses PopNow for
Images · Music & voice
Needs
Python 3 · FFmpeg

The skill is free. Optional AI images, video and sound are quoted for your approval before generation. API-key calls use your separate API balance in USD; generation through ChatGPT or Claude connected via OAuth/MCP uses your website credits.

v1.0.0 · Updated Oct 25, 2026 · 3.0 MB · Use it for personal and client work; please don't resell or share the package.

What you get

  1. An editable 6–12 second 720p MP4; the included example lasts 8 seconds and is silent.

  2. Each rotating eccentric disc sets its follower height. Visible rods connect the followers to the bird, so changing the cam throw or phase changes the movement.

  3. A six-frame contact sheet and render receipt with actual duration and hashes.

Good for

  • Original creative shorts and visual motion studies
  • Testing a reusable animation mechanism with your own inputs

Not for

  • This is a constrained kinematic illustration, not a force, friction or manufacturing simulation. It does not export cutting plans or printable mechanical parts.
  • Automatic feature-length films or unreviewed asset-rights claims

How to use it

You say

  • Use the PopNow skill "Wooden Cam Automaton" (wooden-cam-automaton) for this: Render the supplied 8-second example, then change one control to make a second version. Quote any missing assets before generating.

Then try

  • Use my own inputs and keep the project editable.

  • Show the changed frames and explain which setting caused the difference.

What to have ready

  • A white-background atlas of carved torso, head, wing, tail, leg and joint cap; one empty workshop image and six normalized crop rectangles.
  • part_boxes (six [left,top,right,bottom] rectangles), rpm (6–24), cam_throw (10–32), wing_phase (0–360 degrees)
  • Python 3, Pillow, NumPy, FFmpeg and ffprobe

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Questions

Are the cams actually connected to the bird?

Yes. Follower positions are calculated from the eccentric discs, and the bird joints use those positions. The connecting rods remain visible.

Can I use this as an engineering design?

No. It demonstrates motion relationships. Clearances, stresses, material limits and manufacturability are not calculated.

What does the local renderer check?

It checks input ranges, required images, frame size and encoded duration. The self-check also tests a changed input and a rejected invalid case. You still need to watch the result.