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Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2010 2:19 am
by Rudiger
Hang in there, Dsieda, it looks like you're almost there!

I think the only problem is that the path for the two embedded scripts needs to be updated for where you've put them on your computer. The easiest way to do this is just to re-embed the layer scripts into each layer. gen_morph_weights.lua needs to be embedded in the MorphDials layer and apply_morph_weights.lua in the TestHead layer. After you do that, it should work the way you're expecting.

Have fun!

Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2010 8:22 pm
by Dsieda
Rudiger wrote:Hang in there, Dsieda, it looks like you're almost there!

I think the only problem is that the path for the two embedded scripts needs to be updated for where you've put them on your computer. The easiest way to do this is just to re-embed the layer scripts into each layer. gen_morph_weights.lua needs to be embedded in the MorphDials layer and apply_morph_weights.lua in the TestHead layer. After you do that, it should work the way you're expecting.

Have fun!
Please pardon me for being so noobish at this. :oops: Honestly, I'm trying. ^^;. Scripts can be such a pain if you don't know how to usee them.

Alright, question is, how do you embed the scripts into the layers? Do I drag them from the folder into the aanme file onto the layer? Or do I have to put them in a specific folder to find them in the script file and do it that way? ^^;

p.s. thank you for your patience with me! Once I get the hang of this I should be much better!

Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 1:25 am
by Rudiger
Dsieda wrote:
Rudiger wrote:Hang in there, Dsieda, it looks like you're almost there!

I think the only problem is that the path for the two embedded scripts needs to be updated for where you've put them on your computer. The easiest way to do this is just to re-embed the layer scripts into each layer. gen_morph_weights.lua needs to be embedded in the MorphDials layer and apply_morph_weights.lua in the TestHead layer. After you do that, it should work the way you're expecting.

Have fun!
Please pardon me for being so noobish at this. :oops: Honestly, I'm trying. ^^;. Scripts can be such a pain if you don't know how to usee them.

Alright, question is, how do you embed the scripts into the layers? Do I drag them from the folder into the aanme file onto the layer? Or do I have to put them in a specific folder to find them in the script file and do it that way? ^^;

p.s. thank you for your patience with me! Once I get the hang of this I should be much better!
No worries, we were all noobs once!

To set the embedded script for a layer, double-click on it to bring up the layer properties dialog. In the Options section, you will see a checkbox for Embedded script file, which will most likely already be checked. Click it once to uncheck it and then again and it should bring up a file dialog so you can go an find the layer script where you put it on your computer. Like I said, embed apply_morph_weights.lua the in the TestHead later and in the gen_morph_weights.lua MorphDials layer and you should be good to go.

Good luck using the script. I'm still waiting for someone to post something done with it, so you still have a chance to be the first!

Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 2:17 am
by Dsieda
You are the best! *e-hug* ^_____^ THANK YOU! Now I can have fun with this! xD By the way the script, majorly awesome! Can't wait to start grooving with this thing! Thank you again for the help and sorry for my misunderstanding!

Re: Bone morph dials script

Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 5:12 am
by madriver
Rudiger wrote:Hi all,

What I really like about this technique is that you could do all your facial animation using a dummy head like this one and then create your actions on your final head later and substitute it in.
Hi: Love your script Rudiger.

Not sure how the quoted statement works...if I create a proxy head (or body) and animate, how do I then get the results onto the "final" version since you can't copy keyframes from one layer to another?

Re: Bone morph dials script

Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 6:18 am
by Rudiger
madriver wrote:
Rudiger wrote:Hi all,

What I really like about this technique is that you could do all your facial animation using a dummy head like this one and then create your actions on your final head later and substitute it in.
Hi: Love your script Rudiger.

Not sure how the quoted statement works...if I create a proxy head (or body) and animate, how do I then get the results onto the "final" version since you can't copy keyframes from one layer to another?
Great to hear you like the script. I must really get off my backside and package up the latest version, which now supports color and layer order. I think I might wait until I support shape order though and this would really open up the possibilities of psuedo-3D animation.

About your question, you would have to define actions separately from both your proxy and final heads, but then there's nothing stopping you having one control layer and 2 controlled layers. Then all the animation you do to the morphs dials would get applied to both the proxy head and final head simultaneously. Of course, you would most likely only have one of them enabled at a time though.

Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 5:11 pm
by madriver
That shape layer technique would be awesome.

Synth tried something like that with hands and it worked beautifully but he never released a full version that we could download and try.

Re: Bone morph dials script

Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2010 4:19 pm
by rogermate
Hi Rudiger,
Just curious if your morph dials script is best with 6 or 7, or if 7 breaks it.

Re: Bone morph dials script

Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2010 10:43 pm
by Rudiger
rogermate wrote:Hi Rudiger,
Just curious if your morph dials script is best with 6 or 7, or if 7 breaks it.
Hi Rogermate,

I've never actually tried the script with AS7, so not sure if there are any issues or not. If anything did come up, I can't imagine it being very hard to fix, as the scripting interface didn't change much from AS6 to AS7. So feel free to give it a try. Still looking for a beta tester for the latest version, so PM me if you're interested.

Rudiger

Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2010 8:06 pm
by DarthFurby
Hi Rudiger, I've been procrastinating horribly on this bone morphs demo, and it will be a while longer before I get it done since I'm in the middle of a freelance project, but the demo will get done, I just can't say when. I'm a perfectionist when it comes to certain things, and sometimes it holds me back from finishing stuff.

Image

To everyone else, don't be shy about trying Rudiger's script, your mind will be blown.

Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 11:15 am
by Rudiger
DarthFurby wrote:Hi Rudiger, I've been procrastinating horribly on this bone morphs demo, and it will be a while longer before I get it done since I'm in the middle of a freelance project, but the demo will get done, I just can't say when. I'm a perfectionist when it comes to certain things, and sometimes it holds me back from finishing stuff.
Hehe, I know the feeling. Why do you think I haven't posted my own character yet :(! That's why I find scripting so much easier. There is an absolute measure of whether a script is good or not, but art is so much more subjective.

EDIT: By the way, love your character so far! I hope you keep the glasses :). Also, cool technique using the guidelines. I actually cheat and use Genete's 3D script to construct a 3D template, but your approach looks a lot simpler and more traditional.

Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 11:46 pm
by funksmaname
OH MY GOD! THIS IS AMAZING!! AMAZING!!!
*aherm*
sorry, got excited :)

wow.

I only just got a chance to play with this, and...well... it's AMAZING!

only issue I've had (other than 1 crash, which may well have been my fault) is that due to (i guess?) action poses being in frame 1, you can only use the bones from frame 2 onwards... not really a problem though - but wow, the way it mixes them has left me speachless.

Once i regain my speech, i will record a screencast on how to set this up continuing with the character from my recent screencast.

Thanks so much Rudiger!

---------

Brain buzzing with ideas:

1) you could create actions on the MotionDial layer that could be controlled by the 'dat to actions' script (which I can't find right now) - for lipsync amongst other things... [i tried this briefly, and the only downside is you don't get visual feedback of effect on points when in the 'action' for the bones - is there a way to pose in main timeline and copy this to an action?]

2) [this requires some experimentation] you could have a boned body rig, which is then controlled by an external MotionDials layer [assuming the script supports bones, which it probably doesn't] - making mixable bone poses maybe? Also, in combination with another set of MorphDials for point animation of face etc inside the hiarachy?? not sure if this will work but on my 'to try' list! :)

Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 12:44 am
by Rudiger
funksmaname wrote:OH MY GOD! THIS IS AMAZING!! AMAZING!!!
*aherm*
sorry, got excited :)

wow.

I only just got a chance to play with this, and...well... it's AMAZING!

only issue I've had (other than 1 crash, which may well have been my fault) is that due to (i guess?) action poses being in frame 1, you can only use the bones from frame 2 onwards... not really a problem though - but wow, the way it mixes them has left me speachless.

Once i regain my speech, i will record a screencast on how to set this up continuing with the character from my recent screencast.

Thanks so much Rudiger!
Thanks, funksmaname, glad you like it! Not sure what you mean about not being able to use bones on frame2 though? The morph actions can have keyframes from 1 onwards, so not sure what's special about frame2.

There's always a limitation that when you use a layer script to control point motion, you lose the effect of bones on those points. Perhaps that is what you are experiencing? I can't think why it would work on frame 2 though. Anyway, if you disable the realtime morph-blending and bake it in as keyframes instead, you will be able to have the bones influencing the points again.

Actually, I did recently think of a way to incorporate the bone influence when controlling point motion from a layer script. I'll add it to the latest version when I get the chance.

Anyway, perhaps if you describe your issue in more detail, I can help you fix it.

Look forward to seeing your screencast!

Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 1:45 am
by Rudiger
funksmaname wrote: Brain buzzing with ideas:

1) you could create actions on the MotionDial layer that could be controlled by the 'dat to actions' script (which I can't find right now) - for lipsync amongst other things... [i tried this briefly, and the only downside is you don't get visual feedback of effect on points when in the 'action' for the bones - is there a way to pose in main timeline and copy this to an action?]

2) [this requires some experimentation] you could have a boned body rig, which is then controlled by an external MotionDials layer [assuming the script supports bones, which it probably doesn't] - making mixable bone poses maybe? Also, in combination with another set of MorphDials for point animation of face etc inside the hiarachy?? not sure if this will work but on my 'to try' list! :)
1) You can just paste the keys from the main timeline to a morph action just using the normal (albeit rather convoluted) AS method. There is also the TweakMorph button tool that only inserts the delta between all of the weighted morphs and the main timeline into an action. However, why can't you just go into the action you want the lip sync keyframes to be in before you run the dat to actions tool?

The other thing I could try is to not disable the realtime morphing when in an action. That way you should still get visual feedback. I think I only disabled it as I couldn't think of a situation where someone would want it enabled and it seemed like the safest option.

2) In theory, the script does support bones, but it is pretty much untested, and I know of at least one bug which has been fixed in the (as yet unreleased) latest version. So what you are proposing "should" be possible and I'm happy to do any modifications that are required to make it work. After all, I'm very curious to see how far this technique can be taken.

Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 2:01 am
by DarthFurby
Isn't it awesome funk?

Rudiger, I'll beta test the script on my current project and give feedback.

Also, I'm definitely keeping the glasses.