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Live Joystick Moves Can Be Smoother Than Programmed Waypoint Moves

Summary

Multiple operators independently reported getting noticeably smoother-looking motion from driving a Cinebot Max/Mini live with the joystick, HHB acceleration set low, than from the same move programmed via waypoints and run automatically. The suspected reason: live input appears to get damping/low-pass filtering applied before it reaches the axes, whereas a waypoint-programmed move is IK-solved through the keyframes, which can introduce visible steps or inflection artifacts that live input doesn't show.

Symptoms / Context

  • Not a bug — a deliberate field technique reported by more than one operator.
  • Comparable programmed multi-waypoint moves on the same rig can show more visible "steps" or shake than live joystick-driven motion.
  • Most noticeable on Cinebot Max/Mini; effect may be less pronounced on other rig types.
  • Particularly useful when the client wants "a move" rather than a specific repeatable move — sacrificing exact repeatability for smoothness.

Community Guidance

[FIELD WORKAROUND] Drive Live With Low HHB Acceleration Instead of Programming Waypoints

Community — Mike (+1 240-994-4535), 31 6 27072527 — 21 July 2026

"I have found that I can get much smoother results with the Cinebot Max by using the joystick live vs running a move programmed. I adjust the HHB acceleration on the each carts axis to be low, so that it drifts to a start and stop and then keep the speeds low. A lot our clients just want a move, not necessarily a specific move so it's very efficient."

"Yes, not sure why. But sometimes you get really stable results with the joystick. Using the arm as a motorized jibarm."

Steps:

  1. In HHB / controller axis setup, lower the acceleration value on the relevant Carts axes so movement drifts smoothly into a start and stop rather than snapping to speed.
  2. Keep overall speeds low.
  3. Drive the move live with the joystick rather than programming waypoints, effectively using the arm as a motorized jib.
  4. This trades exact repeatability for smoothness — best suited to shots where the client wants "a move" rather than a precisely repeatable one.

[INFORMATIONAL] Likely Mechanism — Input Damping vs. IK-Solved Waypoint Interpolation

Community — Mike (+1 240-994-4535), Peter Rush — 21 July 2026

"I believe the live input gets a low pass filter or dampening on the input vs solving IK of waypoints, but it's beyond understanding."

Peter Rush: "It's interesting that it seems much less smooth when running all axes together in a move. As you say direct input is filtered. Running through lots of iterations to get to the next waypoint is fancy calculation. The overall stiffness of a machine determines the vibration frequency, but Mark [Roberts] himself used to point out if you have shake there's two[on] points. One is a shaky machine, one is a source of shake. They go together. And stiffness is proportional to purchase price."

Also noted: starting a move from high and moving down (working with gravity) was reported as sometimes smoother than the reverse direction on Cinebot Mini, though this is described as inconsistent rather than a reliable rule.

confidence_score: 0.68