yes.. Gator should be good enought to do what you are asking..
As for saving out envelope weights... select mesh... CTRL + E to open the weight editor.. Then file > save preset.
It won't work well if the vert count changes, but if you have similar weighted and vert count characters in different scenes, this will work... otherwise GATOR, or some of Michael Isner's older weight map tools on Netview still do a nice job transferring weights between meshes with disparate counts.
I'm sorry I don't have a lot of time to detail the workflow right now.. Its not that difficult really.. I think cgsoup.com has a blog or two on workflow and granularity in XSI which might get you headed in the right direction.. If I can get around to it, I'll repost with an example of what I mean, but I'm smack in the middle of renovating my place right now and up to my ears in primer and eggshell.
Perhaps when all clears a bit ...
Adam
----- Original Message -----
From: Frank Lenhard <franky(at)ixdream.com>
Date: Monday, May 15, 2006 12:52 pm
Subject: Re: Non Destructive Character Workflow
> ok, to switch on the "locked parameters" did the trick with the
> animationeditor ;)
> i checked in xsi4 and it worked there and found that this little
> switch was not set in xsi 5.1 ... pfew... lets see what happens next
> ;)
>
>
> ciao
> franky
>
>
> Monday, May 15, 2006, 9:21:26 PM, you wrote:
>
> FL> thanks adam for your answer.
> FL> would it be possible that you go abit more indepth when you
> say you
> FL> use this workflow all the time? how? :)
> FL> i try to build a little test course for that. so far i got a
> characterFL> mesh, a rig (from biped), and the resulting model
> referenced in a
> FL> animation scene.
>
> FL> i plan to update model and most of all the rig and keep the
> animationFL> in the other scene intact!
>
> FL> but i already stumble into problems like, why doesnt the animation
> FL> editor show the curves on a referenced control? just plain
> nothing. i
> FL> can go to the kinematics and click the animated entry right
> and call
> FL> the animation editor. and THEN it shows me that one single
> curve. when
> FL> i just hit 0 with the control selected it doesnt show me anything
> FL> (tried all combinations of view settings as well).
> FL> when the model is local(not referenced) it works like expected.
>
> FL> another question, where do you save you the envelop datas? vertex
> FL> weights? and what happens if you make changes to the model and
> reloadFL> the weight datas? how it gets applied when the vertex
> count changed??
>
> FL> i understand gator and the power it has. but what i am after
> is not
> FL> transferring stuff from low to highrez or different
> characters. its
> FL> just one character :) and is gator good enough (and fast) to
> use the
> FL> old mesh of the character and its skinning to drive a new
> version with
> FL> different vertex count?
>
>
> FL> ciao
> FL> franky
>
>
> FL> Monday, May 15, 2006, 7:13:44 PM, you wrote:
>
> AS>> Hey Frank.. what you say is all possible and is something we try
> AS>> to utilize on all of our projects to minimize the amount of
> repetition in character work.
>
> AS>> GATOR works very well for passing assets such as
> AS>> envelopes,shapes, UV's and textures back and forth between
> different res characters.
>
> AS>> XSI also gives you the ability to save out .preset files of uvs,
> AS>> weight and shapes that you can drag and drop onto other
> characters.
> AS>> The main thing to keep in mind with swapping out deformers like
> AS>> quat for FK spines in your example is to establish a naming
> AS>> covention that works for you, as well as ensuring that the
> AS>> deformers initial kineState is the same between old deformers
> you are replacing and the new ones..
>
> AS>> You could also look at reference models for utilizing a non
> AS>> destructive workflow between low, med and hi res characters that
> AS>> all share the same skeleton and rig.
>
> AS>> The workflow is there to be taken full advantage of, however you
> AS>> still have to follow some fundamental steps to ensure flexibility
> AS>> further into your production schedule.
>
> AS>> Adam
>
> AS>> ----- Original Message -----
> AS>> From: Tim Leydecker <BauerOink(at)gmx.de>
> AS>> Date: Monday, May 15, 2006 9:24 am
> AS>> Subject: Re: Non Destructive Character Workflow
>
> >>> Hi Frank,
> >>>
> >>> I haven´t touched the Animation mixer in XSI, nor animated at all
> >>> so far but currently try to setup a PassSystem that should
> allow to
> >>> move the Lighting stage infront of the Texturing.
> >>>
> >>> Basically, I do the lighting in greys plus a colored
> environment
> >>> bounceand later add a flat textures pass plus a selfoccluding
> >>> reflections pass
> >>> from with the same colors.
> >>>
> >>> Here´s a breakdown of passes I´m playing with, I´m 75% there:
> >>>
> >>> Incident angle (camera position), no shadows/spec/refl/lights.
> >>> Environment sampled occlusion, as above
> >>> Ambient occlusion
> >>> Fake shadow pass using a white Lambert material (not just shadows)
> >>> (env) Reflections, via an amb_occ spread=0
> >>> Optionally, a global broad specular pass to determine bounce area.
> >>>
> >>> For setting things up:
> >>>
> >>> The Incidence controls the amount of reflections with the
> viewing
> >>> angle,facing get´s less reflections...
> >>>
> >>> The environmentsampled occlusion is used as the main filler,
> replacing>>> a FG pass (to prevent flicker). You can try incidence
> and brad
> >>> specularas the mask and take whatever you prefer.
> >>>
> >>> The Shadowpass is multiplied using a mask of the env sampled
> occlusion>>> (multed over the incidence if you like).
> >>>
> >>> The stanadard occlusion is used to shade down caveats where
> >>> neccessary.
> >>> Boiling things down, the incidence brings the most *filmic*
> effect
> >>> and makes
> >>> it a joy to play around with front/backlights, e.g. the amount
> of
> >>> fill and bounce.
> >>>
> >>> It´s a bit difficult for me currently to squeeze the colors in
> >>> correctly without
> >>> flattening out the tonalrange but as I said, I´m just ~75% there.
> >>>
> >>> Cheers
> >>>
> >>> tim
> >>>
> >>> P.S: You could also check out a SSS pass (for the textures)
> looks
> >>> quite good.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> ----- Original Message -----
> >>> From: "Daniel Bachmann" <dbachmann(at)mediagenerator.ch>
> >>> To: <XSI(at)Softimage.COM>
> >>> Sent: Monday, May 15, 2006 12:12 AM
> >>> Subject: Re: Non Destructive Character Workflow
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> > hi franky,
> >>> > actually i think this is a good idea to compile a workflow
> fact
> >>> sheet.>
> >>> > as newbie on xsi i cannot tell anything about that at this
> time
> >>> but since i have
> >>> > started to work on my new short that involves a lot of
> parallel
> >>> working i can state
> >>> > about my thoughts and workflow from time to time.
> >>> >
> >>> > so any pro hints are welcome about the non destructive workflow.
> >>> >
> >>> > daniel
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>> > Frank Lenhard wrote:
> >>> >> Hello XSIlers
> >>> >>
> >>> >> i finally got a bit of time between projects and try out
> what i
> >>> >> actually bought xsi for :) the ability to have
> >>> >> modelling/texturing/rigging/animation in an almost paralle
> >>> workflow.>>
> >>> >> now my steps are rather small and slow at the moment but i
> >>> would like
> >>> >> to hear if ppl out there really using the promised
> flexibility
> >>> and if
> >>> >> there are traps and downfalls i should be aware of.
> >>> >>
> >>> >> i checked the xsi4 production series, which has some good
> hints
> >>> here>> and there. i read the manuals on the topic. but i didnt
> >>> found a
> >>> >> "ready" workflow somewhere. like its advertised here
> >>> >>
> http://www.softimage.com/about_us/pdf/getting_into_character.pdf>>> >>
> >>> >> i imagine the following scenario and would be happy to hear
> if its
> >>> >> possible.
> >>> >>
> >>> >> naturally we would start with roughing out the character
> based
> >>> on the
> >>> >> designs. that would give us a model which already got the right
> >>> >> proportions. but it might missing details like finders,
> face, toes
> >>> >> whatever.
> >>> >>
> >>> >> this model gets passed on to the rigger, who builds a basic
> rig
> >>> into>> it so it can be posed for animatics, layouts.
> >>> >>
> >>> >> thats what the animator is getting and starts on the
> preproduction.>>> >>
> >>> >> while the layouts are in works the modeller doesnt sleep
> but
> >>> gets the
> >>> >> model refined, also based upon client response, which might
> >>> come late
> >>> >> in the process. he applies textures+uvw's
> >>> >>
> >>> >> while the modeller is busy the rigger is building the
> actual
> >>> rig for
> >>> >> animation. with new revisions ready from the modeller he
> just takes
> >>> >> the new model and has to reenvelope the newly added
> vertices.
> >>> the rest
> >>> >> of the skin stays intact.
> >>> >>
> >>> >> the first rigged char for animation gets to the animator
> who starts
> >>> >> animating it.
> >>> >>
> >>> >> refinements are done to the model+textures and to the rig,
> as it
> >>> >> appears that it needs to support moves there where not
> >>> anticipated and
> >>> >> where the rig currently breaks.
> >>> >>
> >>> >> the animator requests a quaternation spine instead of the
> fk spine.
> >>> >> but he doesnt wanna lose the already made animations.
> >>> >>
> >>> >> the face rig becomes available and the animator takes his
> ready
> >>> body>> animation and applies with the new face rig the facial
> >>> >> animation+lipsynch.
> >>> >>
> >>> >> finally everything is finished and goes of for rendering.
> >>> >>
> >>> >> in a perfect world the modeller would finish shortly before
> the
> >>> rigger>> who shortly finishes work before the animator.
> >>> >>
> >>> >> is THAT possible? at least that how the softimage
> advertisement
> >>> sounds>> to me :)
> >>> >>
> >>> >> maybe if there is interest and several ppl know about different
> >>> >> aspects about the pipeline, i can compile a little "how to"
> and
> >>> "what>> to be aware of" list, so there is something we can
> safely
> >>> go along in
> >>> >> production.
> >>> >>
> >>> >> ciao
> >>> >> franky
> >>> >>
> >>> >> ---
> >>> >> Unsubscribe? Mail Majordomo(at)Softimage.COM with the
> following
> >>> text in body:
> >>> >> unsubscribe xsi
> >>> >>
> >>> >>
> >>> >>
> >>> >
> >>> > ---
> >>> > Unsubscribe? Mail Majordomo(at)Softimage.COM with the following
> >>> text in body:
> >>> > unsubscribe xsi
> >>> >
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> ---
> >>> Unsubscribe? Mail Majordomo(at)Softimage.COM with the following
> text
> >>> in body:
> >>> unsubscribe xsi
> >>>
>
>
> AS>> ---
> AS>> Unsubscribe? Mail Majordomo(at)Softimage.COM with the following
> text in body:
> AS>> unsubscribe xsi
>
>
>
> FL> ---
> FL> Unsubscribe? Mail Majordomo(at)Softimage.COM with the following
> text in body:
> FL> unsubscribe xsi
>
>
>
> ---
> Unsubscribe? Mail Majordomo(at)Softimage.COM with the following text
> in body:
> unsubscribe xsi
>
---
Unsubscribe? Mail Majordomo(at)Softimage.COM with the following text in body:
unsubscribe xsi
