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Seven
03-24-2003, 08:59 PM
This problem has been bugging me for a while now. Im making a characer and I want proper eye lids. Now my character has largish eyes so his eye lids when blinking need to go around the eye, I am doing this with a morph target.

I use Max but in my uni labs ive got access to Maya and LW so if those packages can solve my problem please tell me :)

Look at the image below:

http://www.jonberry.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/eye1.jpg

The eye lid is open. I want the character to blink. The black circle is the eye and the grey the lid.

This image shows the eye lid closed as a morph target.

http://www.jonberry.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/eye2.jpg

Becuase in my experience, as far as i know morph's move in straight lines. The polygons move to there targets position in a straight line so image three shows what would happen when the character blinks. The eye lid would go thorugh the eye instead of going around its surface.

http://www.jonberry.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/eye3.jpg

Is there a way to set key frames for the morph target like in image 4. So from position one to the designated target it follows a set of keyframes. A curve instead of a straight line.

http://www.jonberry.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/eye4.jpg

Ive tried having four morph targets for the blink and go from one to the next but this just screws up.

Im not sure if ive explained myself very well but if you get what i mean then thats good :)

Anyway help would be apprecated.

Sev
westmeadow
03-25-2003, 04:56 PM
Although i have never actually used it, i think that your answer lies in progressive morphing. I think that this is an option in MAX5, and should solve your problem. But i may be wrong, and if i am, i have trust in everybody else telling me so.

Good luck with it.:thumbsup:

Assie :bounce:
Volker
03-25-2003, 06:23 PM
If you are using Max 5, I know there is a new feature to handle this. Unfortunatly I don't remember where. Read through the documentation, and you should find it.

~Zach
Lomax
03-27-2003, 05:01 AM
In Maya, you can create a cluster, and set its pivot to the center of the eyeball. Then you just have to rotate it and adjust the weights until you have the look you need.
Another (more universal) option would be to use bones.
Mahlon
03-27-2003, 06:07 AM
If you have access to max 5, look up progressive morphs. It's what you want (one of the most welcome new features). Or if you have Morph-o-Matic, it does progressive morphing, too. Don't know 'bout maya and xsi.

Mahlon
Rudity
03-27-2003, 08:51 AM
With Maya Id just use a cluster with a pivot in the middle of the eye.
Then weight it so it makes a nice blink.

I then use that to make like 2 to 4 (depending on the eye) shapes in progression to the closed eye.

I then put a driver on my eye controler called Lblink or ViceVersa, then set it up with a set driven key to progress through the shapes till it closes.
More work then a progressive morph it sounds like.

Yeah a progressive morph sounds really damn cool.. I want it in Maya.
Seven
04-01-2003, 06:22 PM
Thanx alot guys.. much appreiciated

Sev
jadamburke
04-02-2003, 07:13 AM
A simple way to get curve interpolated blendshapes or morph targets is to isolate each axis of movement to its own target.

Create one target where the eyelids close by only changing the y-axis (up and down) of the vertices; leaving the z-axis (forward and back) alone.

Create another target where you only move the eyelid vertices along the z-axis away from the eyeball.

Keying the two axes sepereately can create much more flexible interpolations and can be automated using set-driven keys or equivalent.
Mahlon
04-02-2003, 07:55 AM
That's a cool idea. I'll have to give it a shot.

Mahlon:beer:
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