Messiah for EIAS

[Igors]

Hi, Kurt

So, we’re suggesting a workflow of animating in Messiah (or other app), possibly doing cloth and/or fluid simulations, then exporting as .mdd files?

Then we only need a small application that can batch convert .mdd to the .fact format and in EIAS use “Group Cycling” to run those data sets.

No, unfortunately it’s not so simple. Mdd file contains vertices only thus no any FACT can be created from it.

[manuel]

So it’s more like a list of morph-targets?

[Igors]

So it’s more like a list of morph-targets?

Yes, Manuel, it’s more. See discussion with Christopher in this thread.

[FelixCat]

Hi, Brian
Whatever it is, if is a plugin designed to work in both Electric Image and alternative 3D applications for exchange vertex level animation and positions back and forth between the two programs… i am IN.
I´m doing some character animation and thinking seriously in switching to a more friendly app. After seeing the Facial Animation plug posted by Chikega i felt depressed, they made in minutes that it take hours to me!.
The next question is if it exists, somewhere, some good face animation app FOR MAC for use with this hipotetical (and badly needed) plugin. If those two points concurr i´m willing to pay for both right now.
Hold my breath?

FelixCat
(Sorry for my english, hope can be understood)

[Vizfizz]

Hi, Brian
Whatever it is, if is a plugin designed to work in both Electric Image and alternative 3D applications for exchange vertex level animation and positions back and forth between the two programs… i am IN.
I´m doing some character animation and thinking seriously in switching to a more friendly app. After seeing the Facial Animation plug posted by Chikega i felt depressed, they made in minutes that it take hours to me!.
The next question is if it exists, somewhere, some good face animation app FOR MAC for use with this hipotetical (and badly needed) plugin. If those two points concurr i´m willing to pay for both right now.
Hold my breath?

FelixCat
(Sorry for my english, hope can be understood)

The Igors will be sending me a beta of this plugin soon and that will be more helpful. I’ve gotten some tech information from them and it looks promising. In addition to vertex position data, we will also save the following for each frame:

• vertices positions;
• vertices normals;
• vertices UV’s;
• vertices color;
• vertices blur positions;
• facets;
• facets color;
• group linear transformation matrices;
• frame number & time.

Material information is not transferred.

Its going to take some time to build reading and writing plugins for a number of applications, especially for any applications the Igors are not familiar with, so you’ll need to be patient. Stage one is to get the vertex exchange protocol working within EIAS first. Stage two will be to integrate the protocol with another 3D package. We have chosen Max to do this with first mainly because of the Igors familiarity with that application. Once that gets working and we can effectively transfer deformation animation between EI and Max, we’ll examine the possibility of additional read/writers for other applications like Maya, LW and so forth in Stage 3. Since I’m a big Maya guy, you know I’ll want to see that materialize if possible.

[FelixCat]

Great, Brian. It looks promissing!, could be great if it works with some specialized face animation app too.
I must say, you and the Igors, and Ian are doing a great job giving new air to EiAS. You deserve a medal (done with MForge).

Thanks a lo.

FelixCat

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