shape animation questions

[pooby]

Smartmorph is excellent, I used to use it all the time. That weightmap timewarp feature was so specialised, I doubt it would be easy to achieve in XSI, but I'm not qualified to say it's not possible.

You CAN do 'non-linear' in XSI (it's always linear in reality, it just a sequence of morphs that appear to be one non-linear one (the same as SmartMorph))
use 'link deform with' from the shapes panel and attach shape keys to a driving null or parameter.

The other very cool feature of Smartmorph of having an effector infuencing falloff of the shape can be done even better in XSI with the LM (La maison) weightmap tools. The one you'd need for that is the proximity map.

(they are free)

Plus you can use these tools for tons more things..

you can find them here http://www.alamaison.fr/3d/lmWeightMapTools/index.html

some vids of them in use here http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=weightmap+

I hope this helps

[mrflynn]

As Pooby pointed out, there is no way around the linear shape-shape morphs, it has to be a series, but then why let the computer have all the fun anways ;)

Secondly I do believe you can have a distance based influence going on with shapes, I remmber seeing somewhere an awesome video where a guy had like 4-5 shapes aimated with weightmap, but all dependant on where a null came across a surface, it was amazing to see in the viewport, animated! ;)
Sorry I cant be of any more use, but I think you have hope ;)

[toonafish]

The LM weightmap tools look great, thanks guys.

By the way Pooby, are you sure SmartMorph only does sequences of linear morphs ? As I recall, it does TCB or Bezier Spline morphs. But I could be mistaken, I haven't used it for a long time.

[pooby]

http://smorph.polas.net/smorph/sequencer.php


No, it works by sequencing, which is pretty much the same thing as XSI uses for the 'link deform with'

I don't know of any 'true' non linear morphing.. I've never heard of it. In fact, I have no idea how it could work in reality, as where would you store or how would you apply the spline?

I don;t know what you're using it for, but If you want something like eyelids to morph shut, (which is what a lot of people use 'non linear morphing' for), I'd suggest an alternative, which is using deformer nulls constrained to curves. I think it's far more flexible than morphing as you can also animate the curve too. but that's just my opinion.

[toonafish]

http://smorph.polas.net/smorph/sequencer.php
I don't know of any 'true' non linear morphing.. I've never heard of it. In fact, I have no idea how it could work in reality, as where would you store or how would you apply the spline?

ha, quote from the same page :-)

"The problem with linear morph animation is that everything is moving in a stright line, which means that it will look unnatural and unrealistic. In nature a character's movement can actually be traced in arcs, this is where smartMorph can help."

You need at least 3 morphs to get a curved motion of course.

Would be great to have something like that for XSI too, just because it looks better then linear morphs.

EDIT:

yep, I just did a little test with a simple sphere. This is the path traveled by a vertex when I use b-spline interpolation for the morphs with the SmartMorph sequence:

http://www.toonafish.nl/clients/smartmrf.jpg

http://www.toonafish.nl/client/smartmrf.jpg

[Sbowling]

I'm not so sure what you are seeing is non-linear morphing. This is plain old XSI. I used the plotcurve script to track a single point on the cube.

[toonafish]

I'm not so sure what you are seeing is non-linear morphing. This is plain old XSI. I used the plotcurve script to track a single point on the cube.

hey, you're right that's the same result. So it might be the Fcurve interpolation after all.

silly me.

[mocaw]

I kept thinking this was the case. Is it not so simple as adjusting the curvs in the animation editor?

How come, as well you don't just use a simple expresion between two or three morphs? To make it a one slider solution? A%->B%->C%-> Where Eye open is A and Closed is B? You might even be able to do it in two stages this way instead of three by exaggerating B.

I'm sure there are other ways too...no plugins needed.

hey, you're right that's the same result. So it might be the Fcurve interpolation after all.

silly me.

[mocaw]

http://smorph.polas.net/smorph/sequencer.php

I don;t know what you're using it for, but If you want something like eyelids to morph shut, (which is what a lot of people use 'non linear morphing' for), I'd suggest an alternative, which is using deformer nulls constrained to curves. I think it's far more flexible than morphing as you can also animate the curve too. but that's just my opinion.

I can think of several ways to do this in XSI, but there is one built in solution that I'm having trouble remembering (not at my work station right now) where I'm fairly certain you select points, and then run "it" and XSI will make a Curv, with Nulls attached, and weighting. They show it in the Production DVDs being used as an alternative to morphed and bone rigging for facial animation and it looked very flexable.

Sbowling do you remember what it is I'm talking about? Ah yes...control Splines!

http://softimage.wiki.avid.com/index.php/Control_splines

Of coarse one of the methods they leave out for making these control splines is just simply selecting the edges of your model where you want the splines and creating them off of those...

[ThE_JacO]

XSI CAN do non linear morphing, and it's not "always linear anyway".

get 3 clips into the animation mixer (start, end middle), and use a cardinal transition mix, there you go, non linear morph.
and yes, you do need 3 stages (base, end and middle), but that's because how would you create a curve from just two points? The heuristics would be impossible or come up with something undesired 90% of the time.

[toonafish]

XSI CAN do non linear morphing, and it's not "always linear anyway".

get 3 clips into the animation mixer (start, end middle), and use a cardinal transition mix, there you go, non linear morph.
and yes, you do need 3 stages (base, end and middle), but that's because how would you create a curve from just two points? The heuristics would be impossible or come up with something undesired 90% of the time.

Euh, isn't xsi just using a cardinal spline Fcurve for the transitions from one clip to the other ?

What I initially meant was the vertices to be traveling in a non linear way even when you set the shape blending curve to linear. I thought this was what SmartMorph's "non linear" sequence worked like, but now I think Pooby is right and it's just a non linear Fcurve used for the transition.

With "non linear" shape animation like that you'd get spline based interpolation in space but not in time.

[mocaw]

Instead of getting into a ripe debate about what constitutes a NL morph why don't we function on what you're trying to do? If you can accomplish what you want, even if it's named "dead chicken flatulence deformation" then what does it mater?

Also what exactly does the LW plugin allow you to do- smooth interpolation right- which one could interpret (no pun intended) as more of a deformation/morph assistant? What are its limits? I doubt you can take a hand, add a closed hand morph, and then have a perfect transition with it- no?

Sorry I guess I'm just confused about what the issue is (OK it's just one of the many things that I'm confused about)...

Some links I found on Cardinal- most of the info should also be in the manual...

http://softimage.wiki.avid.com/xsidocs/shape_anim_ChoosingaShapeKeyModeforShapeClips.htm

http://www.softimage.com/education/learning_resources/tutorials/webTutorials/XSI_3_0/Mixer_II/XSI30_Tutorial10.pdf

It looks like this topic has been visited several times...including here:

http://forums.cgsociety.org/archive/index.php/t-218460.html

[toonafish]

ah, thanks I did not read that wiki explanations about cardinal transition modes for shape clips.

Sorry if I'm a pain in teh but and ask a lot of questions , suppose I'm just curious.

[Strang]

keep asking questions!

[ThE_JacO]

ah, thanks I did not read that wiki explanations about cardinal transition modes for shape clips.

Sorry if I'm a pain in teh but and ask a lot of questions , suppose I'm just curious.

All good, and you should keep asking them.
My only point, if there's any worth making, is that statements like "no it can't do it" should be reserved for moments when one is very, VERY sure about the statements, and a good 80% of the times I read that (maybe more often), it's usually something that can be done OOTB and without much trickery, if any at all.

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