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ClipState Dialog 1105
ClipState Dialog
Selec t a Crowd helpe r. > Modify panel > Globa l Clip
Controllers rollou t > New > Choose GlobalClip object.
> Select object in list. > Edit > Synthesis dialog > State
panel > New State > Edit Properties > Clip State dialog
Track View > Global Tracks > Blo ck Control > GlobalClip
Properties > Synthesis dialog > State panel > New St ate >
Edit Properties > ClipState dialo g
In character studio,incrowdanimationwith
non-bipedal motion synthesis, a
state is a
part icular property or set of properties of a
delegate’s animation; for example, the period
during which it is pitched upwards and is
decelerating. After determining the delegate’s
state, the motion synthesis eng ine chooses a
motion clip for animating the object, or charac ter,
linked to the delegate; for example, a bird. When
preparing a simulation t hat uses mot ion synthesis,
you use the ClipState dialog to define states and
associate s tates with mot ion clips.
You can define a state with any combination of
these properties: speed, acceleration, pitch, pitch
velocity, and heading velocity (plus a scr ipt). For
each act ive property, you can specify a range or a
unique value that tr iggers the clip for its respective
state.
Whenyouusearange,besuretosettheMin
setting lower than the Max setting . For example,
when using a negative range such as -180 to -10,
enter the number with the larger absolute value
(-180) as the Min setting.
You can see t he delegates’ actual ranges and
average v alues for all propert ies after
synthesizing
the clips.
The dialog panels are:
Speed Panel (page 2–1106)
Acceleration Panel (page 2–1108)
Pitch Panel (page 2–1109)
Pitch Velocit y Panel (page 2–1111)
Heading Velocity Panel (page 2–1113)
Script Panel (page 2–1114)
Note: Thedialogcontainsmoretabsthancanfit
across its top. To see additional tabs, click the left
or right arrow button near the upper-right corner
of the dialog.
You can enable and disable each state property
individually. For example, you can tell the motion
sy nthesis to consider only speed and pitch when
analyzing delegate motion. For each of a state’s
active properties, you can desig nate a range of
valuesbetweenwhichastatecanbeactivated.
Alternatively, you can specify a single, unique
motionvaluetobeusedwhenastateisactive,such
as a speed of 50 un its per frame. In addition, you
specify the In and Out values of the par ameter as it
approaches and then passes through that unique
value. These values are analogous to the tangents
of a curve. For each, you can pick Anything,
Decreasing, Increasing, or Constant. For example,
an animation of an object that has just landed
after flying might have a Unique speed value of 0.0
(the object isn’t moving laterally), a decreasing
In value (the object decelerated before landing)
and a constant Out va lue (the object remains
stationary). Taking off, on the other hand, would
have an increasing Out value.
If you don’t specify state parameters, the state is a
default s tate. For example, if you want the motion
sy nthesis engine to choose random motion clips
for an object, and you don’t care about what the
speed or pitch is, you create default states, and the
sy nthesis engine will randomly pick which clip is
active.
Tip: When setting up st ates, it’s useful to know the
extents of state property values for delegate motion
in the scene, such a s maximum and minimum
speed. To determine these, set up the clips and
states you want to u se, set the ranges to any va lues,