8

Set Start Frames Dialog 1089
successively farther delegate is assign ed the next
highest priority.
For any delegates that are equidistant from the
object, the software assigns priorities randomly.
Proximity to a Gr id—Lets you assign priorities
based on delegates’ distance from an infinite plane
defined by a specific grid object. To specify the
gr id object, click the None button, and then select
the grid object on which priorities are to be based.
Lastly, click the Assign button to compute and
assign priorities. The delegate closest to the grid
object is assig ned the Star t Priority value, and each
successively farther delegate is assign ed the next
highest priority.
For any delegates that are equidistant from the
plane, the software assigns priorities randomly.
Assign R andom Priorities—Assigns random
priorities to the selected delegates. The r ange of
priority values assigned lies between the Start
Priorit y value and that va lue plus the number of
selected delegates.
Mak e Prior ities Unique—Ensures that all delegates
have unique priority values. If two delegates share
thesamepriority,oneofthemwillbegivenanew
priority value t hat differs from the rest.
Increment P ri or itie s—Increments the priorities of
all selected delegates by the Increment va lue.
Increment—Sets the value by which the Increment
Priorit ies button adjusts delegate priorities. Use a
negative Increment value to decrement priorities.
Default=0.
Set S tart Frames—Opens the Set Start Frames
dialog (page 2–1089)
,forsettingstartframes
based on assigned priorities.
Display Pr iorities—Enables the display of assigned
priority values as black numerals attached to the
delegates. Default=off.
Display Star t Frames—Enables the display of
assigned start frame values as bla ck numerals
attached to the delegates. Default=off.
When both Display Priorities and Display Start
Frames are on, the two values are displayed side by
side, separated by a slash symbol (/). The priority
appears to the lef t of the slash and the start frame
appears to the right.
Set Start Frames Dialog
Create panel > Helpers > Object Type rollout > Crowd >
Priority rollout > Set Start Frames button
Select a Crowd object. > Modify pa nel > Priority rollout
>SetStartFramesbutton
Whenyouincludebipedsinacrowdsimulation
using a shared motion flow, you usually don’t want
them all walking in lockstep formation. You can
avoid this by setting d ifferent start frames to vary
the animation frame at which each biped starts
moving using its initial motion clip. In most cases,
you would set start frames in the same order as
priority, so you don’t get bipeds with e arlier start
fram es stuck behind bipeds with later start frames.
TheSetStartFramesdialogletsyouautomatically
assign star t f rames to delegates in the same order
as priority.
This d ialog a ssigns start frames to the delegates
selected via the
Delegates To Pr ioritize control.
In general, you should first use a non-random
method to assign priorit ies in the
Priority rollout
(page 2–1087)
, such as the Pick/Assign button or
one of the Proximity options, and then assign start
frames with this dialog. You can use the dialog to
set a start frame for the highest-priority delegate
(that is, the delegate w ith the lowest Priority
setting), and then have start fr ames incremented
randomly between two limits for the remaining
delegates, based on priority order.