bunk
10-12-2002, 12:11 PM
Some tips on how to work with P2P.
The idea behind P2P is to create poses with just one Object (contrary to Posemixer where you create duplicates to morph between) that can be stored in a library and will be accessible to you later on to speed up the animation process of that Object.
Object can be everything in this context from a single mesh to several meshes grouped under the same parent or even something like bones.
P2P exist out of two parts, the P2P Library and the P2P Manager. Once created the P2P Library pops up in the Object Manager and will effect all Objects that are part of the same Parent including the Parent. The P2P Manager is a Non Modal window in which you drag and drop the different poses to get control over them.
You will find P2P Library under Plugins=>MOCCA=> P2P Library
You will find P2P Manager under Plugins=>MOCCA=> P2P Manager or access it by double clicking the P2P Library in the Object Manger.
It's good practice to group your mesh and P2P under a NullObject.
Let's start with a simple example.
Create a cube and make it editable. Create a P2P Library. Drag select both of them in the Object Manager and hit 'g' on your keyboard. Both are now grouped under the same parent.
Next double click on the P2P Library icon to call for the P2P Manager.
First thing we do is check 'Geometry' in the P2P Manager
Next drag and drop the Null Object on the part of the P2P Manager under the six buttons. A thumbnail of your Cube will appear in the P2P Manager. This will be your default pose.
-The thumbnails are actual renders created according to the settings in the Render Settings... and your Camera standpoint. Meaning that if you want Objects that are Child of the Null Object excluded from the thumbnails you have to turn off Visible in Render for those Objects.-
OK , next select the Cube in the Object Manager and in the Point/Edge or Polygon mode modify the shape of your Cube with the Magnet tool (Nearest Point Method checked, Radius 0m). When your done drag and drop the Null parent once more on the P2P Manager. Make some more adjustments and d&d the Null parent a last time on the P2P Manager. You now should have three thumbnails in the P2P Manager
In the View Port (Editor View) your cube looks like the third pose in the P2P Manager. To change this select the first pose by clicking on the name or thumbnail and next click test. The Cube should restore into it's default pose. If nothing happened you forgot to check Geometry in the P2P Manager prior to creating the thumbnails. Make sure Geometry is checked even when you work with non Geometry!!! In other words make sure it's always checked.
You can imagine that you do not have three poses but a lot of them. This is where 'Add Folder' becomes handy. To create a new folder click the Add Folder button in the P2P Manager. To rename the folder double click on it's name. You can only drag one thumbnail per time in the folder so it would be wise to create the folder before starting to build poses and drag them directly into the folder to save yourself some time later on.
The Remove button removes the selected item (folder or thumbnail). You can also do this with right click or control click
The Test button is already mentioned. It will force the object into the shape of the selected thumbnail.
The Record button will create a key in the P2P Library track at the current time in the Timeline.
The Edit button does the same thing as 'Current State to Object', it will create a duplicate mesh in the shape of the selected thumbnail.
The Sync button will update the selected thumbnail into the current shape in the Editor window (View window).
Note on recorded keys. The keys are linear be default. Click the plus in front of the Pose track to see the interpolation. By selecting the keys and changing the bias in the Attribute Manager you can change the linear interpolation.
This is in short all you have to know to get started with P2P. One more thing from a modelers standpoint of view, P2P also is suitable as a kind of history Object. Not in the sense that it will undo the adding of polygons because it won't but it's great as a safeguard when the mesh is already there and you want to try out some adjustments, bigger nose or something. Just make a thumbnail of your current model and start experimenting, very easy to get back to the old shape if you screw up.
Attached are two scenes one with a cube and one with an arm (bones). Double click the P2P Library Icon to open the P2P Manager.
http://www.bunk.cistron.nl/tips/P2Psamples.zip
Success!
bunk
The idea behind P2P is to create poses with just one Object (contrary to Posemixer where you create duplicates to morph between) that can be stored in a library and will be accessible to you later on to speed up the animation process of that Object.
Object can be everything in this context from a single mesh to several meshes grouped under the same parent or even something like bones.
P2P exist out of two parts, the P2P Library and the P2P Manager. Once created the P2P Library pops up in the Object Manager and will effect all Objects that are part of the same Parent including the Parent. The P2P Manager is a Non Modal window in which you drag and drop the different poses to get control over them.
You will find P2P Library under Plugins=>MOCCA=> P2P Library
You will find P2P Manager under Plugins=>MOCCA=> P2P Manager or access it by double clicking the P2P Library in the Object Manger.
It's good practice to group your mesh and P2P under a NullObject.
Let's start with a simple example.
Create a cube and make it editable. Create a P2P Library. Drag select both of them in the Object Manager and hit 'g' on your keyboard. Both are now grouped under the same parent.
Next double click on the P2P Library icon to call for the P2P Manager.
First thing we do is check 'Geometry' in the P2P Manager
Next drag and drop the Null Object on the part of the P2P Manager under the six buttons. A thumbnail of your Cube will appear in the P2P Manager. This will be your default pose.
-The thumbnails are actual renders created according to the settings in the Render Settings... and your Camera standpoint. Meaning that if you want Objects that are Child of the Null Object excluded from the thumbnails you have to turn off Visible in Render for those Objects.-
OK , next select the Cube in the Object Manager and in the Point/Edge or Polygon mode modify the shape of your Cube with the Magnet tool (Nearest Point Method checked, Radius 0m). When your done drag and drop the Null parent once more on the P2P Manager. Make some more adjustments and d&d the Null parent a last time on the P2P Manager. You now should have three thumbnails in the P2P Manager
In the View Port (Editor View) your cube looks like the third pose in the P2P Manager. To change this select the first pose by clicking on the name or thumbnail and next click test. The Cube should restore into it's default pose. If nothing happened you forgot to check Geometry in the P2P Manager prior to creating the thumbnails. Make sure Geometry is checked even when you work with non Geometry!!! In other words make sure it's always checked.
You can imagine that you do not have three poses but a lot of them. This is where 'Add Folder' becomes handy. To create a new folder click the Add Folder button in the P2P Manager. To rename the folder double click on it's name. You can only drag one thumbnail per time in the folder so it would be wise to create the folder before starting to build poses and drag them directly into the folder to save yourself some time later on.
The Remove button removes the selected item (folder or thumbnail). You can also do this with right click or control click
The Test button is already mentioned. It will force the object into the shape of the selected thumbnail.
The Record button will create a key in the P2P Library track at the current time in the Timeline.
The Edit button does the same thing as 'Current State to Object', it will create a duplicate mesh in the shape of the selected thumbnail.
The Sync button will update the selected thumbnail into the current shape in the Editor window (View window).
Note on recorded keys. The keys are linear be default. Click the plus in front of the Pose track to see the interpolation. By selecting the keys and changing the bias in the Attribute Manager you can change the linear interpolation.
This is in short all you have to know to get started with P2P. One more thing from a modelers standpoint of view, P2P also is suitable as a kind of history Object. Not in the sense that it will undo the adding of polygons because it won't but it's great as a safeguard when the mesh is already there and you want to try out some adjustments, bigger nose or something. Just make a thumbnail of your current model and start experimenting, very easy to get back to the old shape if you screw up.
Attached are two scenes one with a cube and one with an arm (bones). Double click the P2P Library Icon to open the P2P Manager.
http://www.bunk.cistron.nl/tips/P2Psamples.zip
Success!
bunk