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1030 Chapter 14: Character Studio
Flow dialog, any scripts in the file are ignored.
Thus, delegate-associated bipeds using mot ion
flow in an unsolved crowd simulation have no
existing scripts, and you must specify that they use
the random star t clip that you set in the motion
flow. You do this via the delegates.
1. Use the Edit Multiple Delegates dialog > Biped
group to specify Random Start Clip for all the
delegates.
Solve the simulation.
2. Select the Crowd object, and go to the Modify
panel.
3. In the Solve rollout, set the desired End S olve
frame.
4. Click S olve to run t he simulation.
Crowd solves the simulation.
5. Check the solved simulation by dragging the
framesliderand/orplayingbacktheanimation.
To fine-tune the simula tion:
Chances are good that adjustments will be
required.Youcanresolveproblemsinanumber
of different ways: Change the behavior and/or
motionflowsetups,changedelegateparameters,
and so on.
If you find that bipeds are colliding and
interpenetrating, you can take advantage of
Crowd’s special Priorities and Backtracking
features. In fact, it is strongly recommended
that you use both options for most Crowd/Biped
simulations.
1. Use the Priorit y rollout (page 2–1087) controls
for assigning different priorities to your
delegates. Ty pically, delegates at the head of t he
crowd should have t he highest priorities (that
is, the lowest Pr iority settings).
2. In the Solve rollout > Bipeds group, turn
on Biped/Delegates Only, then turn on Use
Priorities, a nd then turn on Backtracking. If
you’ve solved previously, it’s a good idea to turn
on Delete Keys Before Solve as well.
Now, when it solves the simulation, Crowd
solves for one biped/delegate at a time, star ting
w ith the lowest-priority biped/delegate. As
it solves for each subsequent biped/delegate,
it looks for collisions, and when the occur, it
backs up the solution to the end of the previous
clip, and if necessary, previous clips, and then
triesdifferentpathsthroughthemotionflow
graph. This method can take longer, w hich is
why Backtracking is off by default, but it’s often
the best way to resolve problems with colliding
bipeds.
Non-Bi ped Crowds
Motion synthesis in character studio lets
the software derive character motion from a
combination of crowd behaviors and either motion
flow networks, when animating bipeds (see
Biped
Crowds (p age 2–1023)
), or clip controllers, when
working with non-bipedal creatures. In the latter
case, using the Global Mot ion Clip and Master
Motion Clip controllers, you can animate groups
of creatures such as birds, butterflies, schools of
fish, and insects. You can create clip controllers
either as block controllers in Track View , or, more
directly, with the Crowd helper controls on the
Global Clip Cont rollers rollout.
Two Approa ches to Animation
You c an animate your creature either in place
with looping animation but no transformational
motion (such as a bird flapping its wings), or you
can incorporate transformational motion into the
animation as well (the bird moves upward while
flapping its wings). In-place cyclic mot ion lends
itself to flying or swimming motions like birds
and fish, while adding lateral motion lends itself
to crawling t ype animation where feet should be
planted on the ground and not sliding. Depending