Re: ref model looses the shape connections

["Mike Werckle" <stumbly(at)gmail.com>]

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On 6/13/06, brad friedman <xsibrad(at)fie.us> wrote:

This isn't always the case.  Enveloped objects are deformed and calculated for every frame since they can't be excluded from the view frustrum without deforming first.  Parented objects can be excluded from the view frustrum by transforming their bounding box without it having to be deformed.  Therefore, often, with multiple characters in the scene, a set of broken up children will draw faster and be more interactive.  Note that zooming a camera into a smaller set of heirarchical characters will increase the frame rate as more objects leave frame, while the same scene with enveloped characters will not get any faster with the same change in camera.

that being said, yea... xsi and many objects don't usually mix well, but there is likely a good balance in there.  I generally find the complexity of the interconnected rig is more of a slowing factor than static child meshes.

-brad (former maya user)

Jeffrey Dates <jeff(at)janimation.com> wrote:

We have also experienced this.  XSI doesn't like lots of objects.  So if you are just parenting broken meshes on your low res.. that'll be your problem.  To get better speed, actually envelope them.   Heck, if you can merge all the parts into one mesh, THEN envelope it.. you're only pushing one object around.  XSI will speed way the heck up.

It's counter-intuitive for Maya users to think that an enveloped mesh is faster than a broken up parented one.  But with our tests this seems to be the case.

Best,

Jeffrey Dates

ciao
franky


Tuesday, June 13, 2006, 3:55:27 PM,
 you wrote:

JD> Heya Frank,

JD> There are a couple of things I would look at.  

JD> Switching Reference Model Resolutions using the  ( Low, Medium, and High

JD> ) radial buttons in the models property page has given us grief in the
JD> past.  My advice is to only use the Medium resolution input, and just 
JD> manually switch all models ( low and hi res ) via the same input field.

JD> ( if that makes sense ).

JD> Also, make sure that the Reference Models' Mixer option is turned on in
JD> the model property panel.  Without that, mixer animation you do will not
JD> save upon reload.


JD> Finally, if you load the low-res version of your Ref Model, that doesn't
JD> have facial sliders, then switch to a hi-res that does, animate, then 
JD> switch back, you are in danger of loosing the facial animation.  The 

JD> solution I've found is to load the hi-res first, with all the
 controls,
JD> then switch it to the low-res using the way described above, and proceed
JD> from there.

JD> Those are the things I have personally run across when using Reference

JD> Models.  Each has it's own workaround to a solution, and I have found 
JD> that reference models work great once you know the 'issues' that are 
JD> still inherent with them.

JD> I don't know if any of the above will help you, but at least you can 

JD> rule them out if not.
JD> Good luck!  Be sure to share what your solution ends up being.. I'd be
JD> interested.

JD> Jeffrey Dates


JD> Frank Lenhard wrote:
  

huhu,

i run into another problem that seems quite strange and dangerous at
the same time.
i got a character, rigged in a model. he got a face rig with quite a
lot of shapes, that are connected to

 several clusters in his head.
the mixer weights are controled by "linked with" expressions. (is
there a name for these kind of expressions? like driven keys?)
when i reference the model into a new scene everything is fine. i can

control the shapes via the controls.
after saving and reloading i get SOMETIMES and error 3000 that it cant
connect to the clusters. then all the shape animation is gone
naturally and the controls dont have influence any more.

its not that the model looses the shape keys, its that the linked with
connections are gone!

i tried to reference in with prefix and without prefix. for some
strange reason it works sometimes and sometimes not.

anyone knows about this and got a cure?

i am trying to do my final student film for animationmentor in xsi and
spent the last 3 weeks digging into rigging. so far i got my
characters set up fine and would like to use referenced models in my

shots. i expect to have
 to update the rig/shapes while i am animating
along, so i suspect the ref models would be the way to go.
i COULD live with real models and switching them by hand, if i must.

ciao

franky

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