Re: Re[2]: Hybrid Actionclip?

["Matt Morris" <mattmos(at)gmail.com>]

When Vicky Caution was here doing some interning, she wrote a pretty quick script to create cpsets from whatever shapes are in the shape manager, and link them together - unfortunately can't find that script right now, but if you can get one of the scripting gurus in the mill to knock it up sounds like it would be what you're looking for... don't think it would take too long, or you could contact vicky and ask her about it?

 

matt

 

On 04/12/06, Mario Ucci <mariou(at)the-mill.com> wrote:

Hello Guys,

Thanks for all the inputs.


I do enjoy creating shapes using the shape manager and since my facial setup is 100% shapes based (muscle by muscle contraction and corrective morphs to every combination possible) I need a system like that to make them fast.

I think that animating in it is not that safe when you need to share the animations with a lot of different artists so Ill have to keep creating CPS for them all.. and that sucks a bit because it slows down the setup process a lot.

cheers guys

Mario




-----Original Message-----
From: owner-xsi(at)Softimage.COM on behalf of Matt Morris
Sent: Sat 12/2/2006 6:56 PM
To: XSI(at)Softimage.COM
Subject: Re: Re[2]: Hybrid Actionclip?

Hey Franky,
thanks for your mail, actually, that's my preferred method of facial setup
also, but trying to get a company to implement it can be slow going - I'm
using a variation on the current job but previously have been stuck with
using more traditional shape methods that 2d directors understand (phonemes
system), until I can prove its quick and easy to setup, can transfer across
ok, and produce decent results.

Shape manager is actually really fast to create shapes, but I'm definitely
staying away from animating directly in it until I can sort out these
problems.

Sorry for taking over your thread mario :)

Cheers
Matt


On 02/12/06, Frank Lenhard <franky(at)ixdream.com> wrote:
>
> i add my little comments here. maybe its any worth for you.
> i dont use the shape manager at all so far. i have a facial setup
> where i have the controls as splines directly on the face. upon the
> position of these controls shapes get blend in and out via linked with
> connections.
> to illustrate, i have a mouth corner controls. when i push it outwards
> the mouth corner out shape is used. when i push it up, the mouth
> corner up shapes is mixed in, and so forth.
> so i dont have facial expressions stored in the shapes, but the basic
> building blocks. thats why i know that i wont need more or less
> shapes.
> i exclusively work with ref models and i heavily work on the basic
> shapes while i am animating to meet certain needs or correct mistakes.
>
> when the ref model is loaded in the scene the first time i tick the
> everything on BUT shape/audio. thats the important thing. otherwise it
> saves the shape animation with the scene, but there is no real
> animation. because its all linked. the animation gets stored in the
> control splines.
> now i am actually able to swap the whole/partially shape set (like
> with gator), work on dedicated shapes by had and replace shape keys,
> and still have all connections working and all ref models updated
> throught the scenes.
> i would be able to add special shapes and blend them in via a
> cporperty etc. i dunno, but with this setup i never felt the need for
> the shape manager, because i am happy, flexible and fast.
>
> i have to admit that i didnt really checked the shape manger out yet.
>
>
> ciao
> franky
>
>
> Saturday, December 2, 2006, 2:53:50 PM, you wrote:
>
> MM> Well, that's good to hear Jeff... The majority of the problems I've
> had are
> MM> related to ref models to be fair - specifically when you open the
> mixer on a
> MM> ref model it will prompt to enable local mixer saving, but opening the
> shape
> MM> manager doesn't give any warning, so that animators animate their
> scene and
> MM> it doesn't save when reloading - and if it is enabled then its tricky
> to
> MM> update the ref model with new shapes etc as the mixer is stored
> locally. How
> MM> do you deal with that, or do you not use ref models?
>
> MM> I do also have problems with the shape manager sliders losing their
> MM> connection to the shapes, but I can't recreate it easily, but can fix
> it by
> MM> deleting the compound clip and re-opening the shape manager, so its a
> minor
> MM> thing.
>
>
> MM> On 01/12/06, Jeff Wilson <jwilson(at)blur.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> I dunno...  we animate in the shape manager day in and day out and
> never
> >> have any problems to speak of.  We aren't doing a lot of animation
> >> importing/exporting, but we have done some when necessary and it seems
> >> fine.  We have probably used it on half a dozen projects now including
> >> the last short, so it seems production ready for what we do.
> >>
> >> jeff
> >>
> >> Matt Morris wrote:
> >> > its a bad idea to animate directly in the shape manager, its just not
> >> > production safe... especially if you are importing/exporting from the
> >> > mixer or using ref models. great for creating shapes but make a cpset
> >> > to animate - this can be scripted pretty quickly to create sliders
> >> > based on what you have in the manager.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > On 01/12/06, *Oscar Juarez* < send.me(at)antropomorphia.com
> >> > <mailto:send.me(at)antropomorphia.com>> wrote:
> >> >
> >> >     Shape manager its just a direct connection to weights on the
> tracks
> >> of
> >> >     the mixer
> >> >     it will create a compound clip... with all the shapes. when you
> >> >     animate
> >> >     in the shape
> >> >     manager you are really animating weights on the mixer.
> >> >
> >> >     Its like proxy parameters but don´t really exist.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >     dbarosin(at)optonline.net <mailto:dbarosin(at)optonline.net> wrote:
> >> >     > Making a ppg and putting parameters on it is a way to go.
> >> >     >
> >> >     > Not sure of the logic here but when you make the shapes using
> >> >     'select
> >> >     > shape key' a ppg is generated but the shape manager does not
> >> >     create a
> >> >     > ppg.  Not sure where the shape manager stores it's
> >> >     parameters.  Seems
> >> >     > that the shape manager doesn't add to an existing shapeWeights
> ppg
> >> >     > either.
> >> >     >
> >> >     >
> >> >     > ----- Original Message -----
> >> >     > From: Mario Ucci
> >> >     > Date: Friday, December 1, 2006 9:08 am
> >> >     > Subject: RE: Hybrid Actionclip?
> >> >     > To: XSI(at)Softimage.COM <mailto:XSI(at)Softimage.COM>
> >> >     >
> >> >     > >
> >> >     > >
> >> >     > > Hi Dbarosin,
> >> >     > >
> >> >     > > Thanks! That makes sense.
> >> >     > >
> >> >     > > Ive animated the shapes using shape manager, also used to
> create
> >> >     > > them.. and it didnt get stored with the clip automatically.
> >> >     > > Maybe I should create a custom ps and animate them there
> rather
> >> >     > > than using the SM...
> >> >     > >
> >> >     > > thoughts?
> >> >     > >
> >> >     > > cheers man
> >> >     > >
> >> >     > > Mario
> >> >     > >
> >> >     > >
> >> >     > >
> >> >     > >
> >> >     > > -----Original Message-----
> >> >     > > From: owner-xsi(at)Softimage.COM <mailto: owner-xsi(at)Softimage.COM
> >
> >> >     on behalf of dbarosin(at)optonline.net <mailto:
> dbarosin(at)optonline.net >
> >> >     > > Sent: Fri 12/1/2006 1:21 PM
> >> >     > > To: XSI(at)Softimage.COM <mailto:XSI(at)Softimage.COM >
> >> >     > > Subject: Re: Hybrid Actionclip?
> >> >     > >
> >> >     > > Well if your shapes are a standard set for the character you
> can
> >> >     > > drive the shapes using a custom property page with sliders
> for
> >> >     > > each shape. That could then be stored in an animation clip
> >> >     > > rather than shape clips storing the animation directly.Your
> >> >     > > shape clips would be on the mixer with the parent In and
> parent
> >> >     > > Out time range checked. Depending on how you create the
> shapes
> >> >     > > XSI will make the ppg with shape sliders for you (i.e. shape
> >> >     > > manager). ----- Original Message -----From: Mario Ucci Date:
> >> >     > > Friday, December 1, 2006 8:07 amSubject: Hybrid
> Actionclip?To:
> >> >     > > XSI(at)Softimage.COM <mailto:XSI(at)Softimage.COM>> > > Hello
> guys,>
> >> >     > > I am creating several
> >> >     > > different animations for the same shot > with the same
> character
> >> >     > > (and rig/shapes) and then storing > animation as an action
> and
> >> >     > > importing all variations into a > single scene.> > My
> question
> >> >     > > s, Is it possible to store bone animations and shape >
> >> >     > > animations in the same clip? if so how and if not, wouldnt
> that
> >> >     > > > be very good?> > > It could generate both different clips
> at
> >> >     > > once at least and then > when u add it to the track it splits
> >> >     > > into shape and animation > tracks as it happens when you
> import
> >> >     > > some footage into an > editing soft. and the video goes to
> one
> >> >     > > track and the audio to > the other but you only import one
> >> >     > > file.> > ok. cheers lads> > Mario> >
> >> >     > >
> >> >     > >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >     ---
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> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > --
> >> > www.mattmos.com <http://www.mattmos.com> | www.xsilondon.com
> >> > <http://www.xsilondon.com>
> >>
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