Autodesk 3ds Max ® ® 2009 Help: Volume 2
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Space Warps and Particle Systems 14 Space warps and particle systems are additional modeling tools. Space warps are “force fields” that deform other objects, creating the effect of ripples, waves, blowing wind, and so on. Particle systems generate particle sub-objects for the purpose of simulating snow, rain, dust, and so on. (You use particle systems primarily in animations.
Surfaces deformed by space warps Left: Bomb Right: Ripple Rear: Wave A space warp affects objects only when the objects are bound to it on page 2691. The warp binding appears at the top of the object's modifier stack. A space warp is always applied after any transforms or modifiers. When you bind multiple objects to a space warp, the space warp's parameters affect all the objects equally. However, each object's distance from the space warp or spatial orientation to the warp can change the warp's effect.
Space Warps and Supported Objects Some types of space warps are designed to work on deformable objects, such as geometric primitives, meshes, patches, and splines. Other types of warps work on particle systems such as Spray and Snow. Five space warps (Gravity, PBomb, Wind, Motor, and Push) can work on particle systems and also serve special purposes in a dynamics simulation. In the latter case, you do not bind the warps to objects, but rather assign them as effects in the simulation.
■ When a particle hits too near the edge of a face referenced by a UDeflector, and neither face finds it ■ When a particle is moving quickly and first appears too close to the deflector, so the very first update cycle within the particle system takes it past the deflector without the deflector ever seeing it Often this isn't a problem because the particles bounce off solid objects, so you don't see the errant particles.
Motor Space Warp on page 2696 Push Space Warp on page 2691 Vortex Space Warp on page 2701 Drag Space Warp on page 2706 Path Follow Space Warp on page 2717 PBomb Space Warp on page 2712 Displace Space Warp on page 2727 Gravity Space Warp on page 2721 Wind Space Warp on page 2724 Deflectors These space warps are used to deflect particles or to affect dynamics systems. All of them can be used with particles and with dynamics.
UDeflector Space Warp on page 2754 Deflector Space Warp on page 2757 Geometric/Deformable These space warps are used to deform geometry. FFD(Box) Space Warp on page 2760 FFD(Cyl) Space Warp on page 2767 Wave Space Warp on page 2777 Ripple Space Warp on page 2781 Displace Space Warp on page 2727 Conform Space Warp on page 2785 Bomb Space Warp on page 2789 Modifier-Based These are space-warp versions of object modifiers (see Modify Panel on page 7633).
TIP You can take advantage of the AutoGrid feature to orient and position new space warps with respect to existing objects. For details, see AutoGrid on page 2597. 4 Drag in a viewport to create the space warp. See the topics for the various space warps for further details. Bind to Space Warp Main toolbar > Bind to Space Warp Use the Bind to Space Warp button to attach the current selection to a space warp on page 8132 or vice versa.
Push disperses a cloud of particles The Push space warp applies a force to either particle systems on page 2795 or dynamics systems on page 3852. The effect is slightly different, depending on the system. ■ Particles: Applies a uniform, unidirectional force in a positive or negative direction. A positive force moves in the direction of the pad on the hydraulic jack. The breadth of the force is infinite, perpendicular to the direction; you can limit it using the Range option.
Push viewport icon Procedures To create a Push space warp: 1 On the Create panel, click Space Warps. Choose Forces from the list, and then on the Object Type rollout, click Push. 2 Drag in a viewport to define the size. The Push warp appears as a hydraulic jack icon.
Interface 2694 | Chapter 14 Space Warps and Particle Systems
Timing group On Time/Off Time The numbers of the frames in which the space warp begins and ends its effect. Because Push moves the particles to which it's applied over time, no keyframes are created. Strength Control group Basic Force The amount of force exerted by the space warp. Newtons/Pounds This option specifies the units of force used by the Basic Force spinner. A pound is about 4.5 Newtons, and one newton is one kilogram-per-second-squared.
Amplitude 1 The strength of the variation (in percent). This option uses the same types of units as the Basic Force spinner. Phase 1 Offsets the variation pattern. Period 2 Provides an additional variation pattern (a second wave) to increase the noise. Amplitude 2 The strength of the variation of the second wave (in percent). This option uses the same types of units as the Basic Force spinner. Phase 2 Offsets the variation pattern of the second wave.
Motor disperses a cloud of particles The Motor space warp works like Push on page 2691, but applies rotational torque to the affected particles or objects rather than a directional force. Both the position and orientation of the Motor icon affect particles, which swirl around the Motor icon. When used in dynamics, the position of the icon relative to the affected object has no effect, but the orientation of the icon does.
Motor viewport icon (with particle system on the left) Procedures To create a motor space warp: 1 On the Create panel, click Space Warps > Forces > Motor. Choose Forces from the list, then on the Object Type rollout, click Motor. 2 Click and drag in a viewport to define the size. The Motor warp appears as a box-shaped icon with an arrow indicating the direction of the torque.
Interface Timing group On Time/Off Time The numbers of the frames in which the space warp begins and ends its effect. Because Motor moves the objects to which it's applied over time, no keyframes are created. Strength Control group Basic Torque The amount of force exerted by the space warp. N-m/Lb-ft/Lb-in Specify the unit of measure for the Basic Torque setting, using common world measurements of torque.
RPH/RPM/RPS Specifies the units of measure for Target Revs in revolutions per hour, minute, or second. Available only if you turn on Feedback On. Gain Specifies how quickly the force adjusts to approaching the target speed. If set to 100%, the correction is immediate. If set lower, a slower and "looser" response occurs. Available only if you turn on Feedback On.
Period 1 The time over which the noise variation makes a full cycle. For example, a setting of 20 means one cycle per 20 frames. Amplitude 1 The strength of the variation (in percent). This option uses the same types of units as the Basic Torque spinner. Phase 1 Offsets the variation pattern. Period 2 The next two spinners provide an additional variation pattern to increase the noise. Amplitude 2 The strength of the variation of the second wave in (percent).
Particle stream caught in a vortex Procedures To create a Vortex space warp: 1 On the Create panel, click Space Warps. Choose Forces from the list, and then click Vortex. 2 Determine which world axis you want the vortex to spiral around, and then drag in the appropriate viewport to create the space warp. For example, if you want the vortex to spin around the vertical world axis, create the space warp in the Top viewport.
The Vortex warp appears as a curved-arrow icon in the plane you drag in, with a second, perpendicular arrow indicating the axis of rotation as well as the direction of the well. This second axis is called the drop axis. NOTE The position of the space warp plays an important role in the results. The vertical position affects the shape of the vortex, and the horizontal position determines its location. If you want the particles to spiral around the particle emitter, place both at the same location.
Interface Timing group Time On/Time Off The frame numbers at which the space warp becomes active and becomes inactive.
Vortex Shape group Taper Length Controls the length of the vortex, as well as its shape. Lower settings give you a "tighter" vortex, while higher settings give you a "looser" vortex. Default=100.0. Taper Curve Controls the shape of the vortex. Low values create a vortex with a wide, flared mouth, while high values create a vortex with nearly vertical sides. Default=1.0. Range=1.0 to 4.0.
Damping Controls the degree to which orbital particle motion is restrained per frame. Smaller values produce a wide spiral, while larger values produce a thin spiral. Default=5.0. Range=0 to 100. Radial Pull Specifies the distance from the drop axis at which the particles rotate. Range The distance from the center of the Vortex icon, in system units, at which Radial Damping has its full effect. Takes effect only when Unlimited Range is turned off.
Drag slows down a stream of particles. Procedures To create a Drag space warp: 1 On the Create panel, click Space Warps. Choose Forces from the list, and then click Drag. 2 Drag in a viewport to create the space warp. The space warp appears initially as a box within a box, indicating that it's using the default Linear Damping mode. 3 To apply the damping spherically or cylindrically, choose Spherical Damping or Cylindrical Damping in the command panel.
NOTE The position and orientation of the space warp plays an important role for all three damping types. 4 Change the settings for the current damping type as necessary.
Interface Forces | 2709
Timing group Time On/Time Off The frame numbers at which the space warp becomes active and becomes inactive. Damping Characteristics group This group lets you choose Linear Damping, Spherical Damping, or Cylindrical Damping, plus a set of parameters for each. Unlimited Range When on, Drag exerts full damping strength over an unlimited range. When off, the Range and Falloff settings for the current damping type take effect.
Range Specifies the distance from the center of the Drag icon, in system units, within which damping is in full effect. Takes effect only when Unlimited Range is turned off. Falloff Specifies the distance beyond the Radial/Tangential Range within which Linear Damping is applied. Damping is strongest at the Range distance, decreases linearly out to the limit of the Falloff, and has no effect beyond that.
PBomb Space Warp Create panel > Space Warps > Forces > Object Type rollout > PBomb Create menu > Space Warps > Forces > PBomb The PBomb space warp creates an impulse wave to blow up a particle system, as distinguished from the Bomb space warp on page 2789, which blows up geometry. The PBomb is particularly well suited to the Particle Array (PArray) system with Particle Types set to Object Fragments. This space warp also applies an impulse as a dynamics effect.
Above: PArray particle system Below: Torus knot used as the PArray's distribution object Effect of blowing up the torus knot Procedures Example: To use PBomb with PArray: You can use the Particle Bomb bound to a Particle Array to blow an object into fragments. The following steps demonstrate the basic setup. Begin by binding a particle array to an object, and setting parameters. 1 Create the object you want to blow up.
4 On the Particle Generation rollout of PArray, set Speed and Divergence to 0.0. This prevents PArray from moving the particles, letting PBomb do the work. 5 On the Particle Generation rollout, set Life to the length of the active time segment, so that the fragments appear during the entire animation. 6 In the Particle Type rollout > Particle Types group, choose Object Fragments.
Interface Blast Symmetry group These options specify the shape, or pattern of the blast effect. Spherical The blast force radiates outward from the PBomb icon in all directions. The icon looks like a spherical anarchist's bomb. Cylindrical The blast force radiates outward from and normal to the central axis, or core of the cylindrical icon. The icon looks like a stick of dynamite with a fuse. Planar The blast force radiates both up and down, perpendicular to the plane of the planar icon.
the rendering interval rate. Note: This setting is effective only when the Duration spinner is set to 0. Explosion Parameters group Start Time The frame number at which the impulse forces are first applied to the particles. Duration The number of frames, beyond the first, over which the forces are applied. This value should typically be a small number, such as between 0 and 3. Strength The change in velocity along the blast vector, in units per frame.
Path Follow Space Warp Create panel > Space Warps > Forces > Object Type rollout > Path Follow Create menu > Space Warps > Forces > Path Follow Particles following a spiral path The Path Follow space warp forces particles to follow a spline path. Procedures To create a Path Follow space warp: 1 On the Create panel, click Space Warps. Choose Forces from the list, then on the Object Type rollout, click Path Follow. 2 Click and drag in a viewport to define the size.
3 On the Create panel, click Path Follow, and drag in a viewport to create the Path Follow icon (a cube with wavy lines). The display and position of this icon don't affect the particles. 4 On the Basic Parameters rollout, click Pick Shape Object and select the spline you created earlier. 5 Bind the Path Follow icon to the particle system. 6 Adjust the Path Follow parameters to create the particle movement you want. NOTE You can further animate the particle effect by animating the spline vertices.
Interface Forces | 2719
Current Path group Lets you choose the path for the particles, and specify the range of influence of the Space Warp. Object Displays the name of the currently assigned path. Pick Shape Object Click this, and then click a shape in the scene to select it as a path. You can use any shape object as a path; if you select a multiple-spline shape, only one the lowest-number spline is used. You can also use NURBS curves as paths.
Constant Speed When on, all particles travel at the same speed. Stream Taper Causes particles to converge or diverge toward the path over time, or to simultaneously converge and diverge. You specify the effect by choosing Converge, Diverge, or Both (see following). This provides a tapering effect over the length of the path. Variation The amount by which Stream Taper can vary for each particle. Converge When Stream Taper is greater than 0, the particles move in toward the path as they follow the path.
Create menu > Space Warps > Forces > Gravity Particles falling because of gravity The Gravity space warp simulates the effect of natural gravity on particles generated by a particle system. Gravity is directional. Particles moving in the direction of the gravity arrow accelerate. Particles moving against the arrow decelerate. In the case of spherical gravity, motion is toward the icon. Gravity can also be used as an effect in dynamics simulations. See Dynamics Utility on page 3852.
The Gravity icon appears. For planar gravity (the default), the icon is a wireframe square with a direction arrow on one side. For spherical gravity, the icon is a wireframe sphere. The initial direction of planar gravity is along the negative Z axis of the construction grid that is active in the viewport where you drag. You can rotate the gravity object to change the direction.
Spherical Gravity effect is spherical, centered on the Gravity warp object. This choice is effective for creating water fountain or planetary effects. Display group Range Indicators When on, and when the Decay value is greater than 0.0, icons in the viewports indicate the range at which the force of gravity is half the maximum value. For the Planar option, the indicators are two planes; for use the Spherical option, the indicator is a double-hooped sphere.
The Wind space warp simulates the effect of wind blowing particles generated by a particle system. Wind is directional. Particles moving in the direction of the wind arrow accelerate. Particles moving against the arrow decelerate. In the case of spherical wind, motion is toward or away from the icon. Wind is similar in effect to the Gravity space warp, but has added parameters for turbulence and other features characteristic of wind in the natural world.
Interface Force group These settings are comparable to the Gravity parameters. Strength Increasing Strength increases the wind effect. Strength less than 0.0 creates a suction. It repels particles moving in the same direction and attracts particles moving in the opposite direction. When Strength is 0.0, the Wind warp has no effect. Decay When Decay is set to 0.0, the Wind warp has the same strength throughout world space.
Spherical Wind effect is spherical, centered on the Wind warp object. Wind group These settings are specific to the Wind space warp. Turbulence Causes particles to change course randomly as the wind blows them. The greater the value, the greater the turbulence effect. Frequency When set greater than 0.0, causes turbulence to vary periodically over time. This subtle effect is probably not visible unless your bound particle system generates a large number of particles. Scale Scales the turbulence effect.
Displace used to change the surface in the container The Displace space warp acts as a force field to push and reshape an object's geometry. Displace affects both geometry (deformable objects) and particle systems. There are two basic ways to use the Displace space warp: ■ Apply the gray scale of a bitmap to generate the displacement amount. Black areas of the 2D image are not displaced. Whiter areas push outward, causing a 3D displacement of geometry.
Displace space warp on a patch and the bitmap it uses Procedures To create a Displace space warp: 1 On the Create panel, click Space Warps. Choose Geometric/Deformable from the list, and then on the Object Type rollout, click Displace. 2 Drag in a viewport to create the Displace warp object, which appears as a wireframe. Its shape depends on the active mapping parameter settings. Regardless of the mapping, a single drag creates the space warp. 3 Bind the space warp to an appropriate object.
Interface Displacement group These are the basic controls for Displace space warps.
Strength When set to 0.0, the Displace warp has no effect. Values greater than 0.0 displace object geometry or particles away from the position of the Displace space warp object. Values less than 0.0 displace geometry toward the warp. Default=0.0 Decay By default, the Displace warp has the same strength throughout world space. Increasing Decay causes displacement strength to diminish as distance increases from the position of the Displace warp object. Default=0.
Length, Width, Height Specify the dimensions of the bounding box of the space warp gizmo. Height has no effect on planar mapping. U/V/W Tile The number of times the bitmap repeats along the specified dimension. The default value of 1.0 maps the bitmap once; a value of 2.0 maps the bitmap twice, and so on. Fractional values map a fractional portion of the bitmap in addition to copies of the whole map. For example, a value of 2.5 maps the bitmap two and one-half times.
POmniFlect viewport icon Procedures To create a POmniFlect space warp: 1 On the Create panel, click Space Warps. Choose Deflectors from the list, then on the Object Type rollout, click POmniFlect. 2 Drag in a viewport to create the planar icon. NOTE Because particles bounce off the icon, the size of the icon affects particle deflection.
4 Position the POmniFlect icon to interrupt the particle stream. 5 Adjust the POmniFlect parameters as necessary.
Interface Deflectors | 2735
Timing group The two spinners specify the start frame and end frame of the deflection effect. Time On/Off Time On specifies the frame at which the deflection begins, and Time Off specifies the frame at which the deflection ends. Reflection group These options affect the reflection of particles from the space warp. The POmniFlect can reflect or refract particles, or perform a combination of the two. Reflects Specifies the percentage of particles to be reflected by the POmniFlect.
To get a 50/50 split of reflection and refraction, set Reflects to 50% and Refracts to 100%. Pass Vel Specifies how much of a particle’s initial speed is maintained after passing through the POmniFlect. The default setting of 1 retains the initial speed is retained, so there’s no change. A setting of 0.5 reduces the speed by half. Variation Specifies the variation of Pass Velocity applied to the range of particles. Distortion Controls the angle of refraction. A value of 0 means there’s no refraction.
For example, if Inherit Vel is 1.0, particles with no motion that are hit by a moving PomniFlect inherit the speed of the POmniFlect at the point of collision. Spawn Effects Only group These settings affect only particles set to Spawn On Collision that do not either reflect or refract from the omniflector. See Particle Spawn Rollout on page 3069. The Spawns percentage spinner works like the Reflects and Refracts percentage spinners, but is the third in line to be processed.
PDynaflect viewport icon Procedures Many dynaflector parameters are the same as those for omniflectors. However, the procedure of associating the dynaflector with both the particle system and the object to be affected is more complex than the simple binding used by omniflector. To create a particle/dynamics system: 1 Create or load a scene containing a non-event-driven particle system on page 3002 and an object to be affected by the particles (hereafter called "the object").
2 On the Create panel, click Space Warps. Choose Deflectors from the drop-down list, and then click one of the dynaflector buttons (PDynaFlect, SDynaFlect, or UDynaFlect). Drag in a viewport to create the deflector. 3 Do either of the following: ■ If using a PDynaFlect or SDynaFlect, position the space warp icon where the particles strike (or will strike) the object. Resize and orient it as needed. Also, link the PDynaFlect or SDynaFlect as a child of the object.
Interface Timing group The two spinners specify the start frame and end frame of the deflection effect.
Time On/Off Time On specifies the frame at which the deflection begins, and Time Off specifies the frame at which the deflection ends. Particle Bounce group These settings affect the reflection of particles from the space warp. Reflects Specifies the percentage of particles to be reflected by the PDynaFlect. This affects both the particles and the dynamics reaction of the object struck by the particles. The more particles that strike the affected object, the more force applied to that object. If set to 0.
Physical Properties group These options let you set the mass of each particle. Mass Specifies the mass based on the chosen unit. gram One gram equals 1/1000 kg or 22/1000 Lbm at a gravity of 1.0. Kg One kg (kilogram) equals 1000 grams or 2.2 Lbm at a gravity of 1.0. Lbm One Lbm (pounds-mass) equals 5/11 kg or 454 5/11 grams at a gravity of 1.0. (Pounds-mass, the amount of mass in one pound of weight, is dependent on gravity. For pounds-mass values at a gravity other than 1.
NOTE Opposite sides of the deflectors reverse the distortion effect. Thus, a refracted particle passing through the SOmniFlect hits its outside surface first, and then its inside surface. A positive Distortion value warps the particles toward the perpendicular; then, as the particles pass through the inside surface, the same positive Distortion value warps them toward the parallel. SOmniFlect viewport icon Procedures To create an SOmniFlect space warp: 1 On the Create panel, click Space Warps.
3 Apply the deflector to the particle system using the appropriate method: ■ If using Particle Flow on page 2795, specify the deflector in the Collision test on page 2960 or Collision Spawn test on page 2964 parameters. ■ If using a non-event-driven particle system on page 3002, bind on page 2691 the particle system to the deflector icon. 4 Position the SOmniFlect icon to interrupt the particle stream. 5 Adjust the SOmniFlect parameters as necessary.
UOmniFlect Space Warp Create panel > Space Warps > Deflectors > Object Type rollout > UOmniFlect UOmniFlect, the universal omniflector, provides more options than the original UDeflector. This space warp lets you use any other geometric object as a particle deflector. The deflections are face accurate, so the geometry can be static, animated, or even morphing or otherwise deforming over time.
Procedures To use the UOmniFlect space warp: To use a universal omniflector, you need a minimum of three objects in the scene: 1 The particle system 2 The UOmniFlect space warp 3 The object used as the deflector 4 Add or select an object used as the deflector. 5 Create a particle system whose particles intersect the deflector object. 6 On the Create panel, click Space Warps. Choose Deflectors from the list, and then click UOmniFlect. 7 Click and drag in a viewport to place the space warp icon.
Interface Parameters rollout The settings for the UOmniFlect are the same as those for POmniFlect on page 2732, with the following additions: Object-Based OmniFlector group Lets you choose the object to use as a deflector. Item Displays the name of the selected object. Pick Object Click this, and then select any renderable object to use as a deflector. Display Icon group Icon Size Specifies the size of one side of the square UOmniFlect icon.
UDynaFlect viewport icon NOTE When you use UDynaFlect, you must indicate the object to be affected with the Pick Object button. Linking is not necessary.
Interface 2750 | Chapter 14 Space Warps and Particle Systems
Object-Based DynaFlector group Lets you choose the object to use as a deflector. Item Displays the name of the selected object. Pick Object Click this, and then select any renderable object to use as a deflector. Display Icon group Icon Size Specifies the size of the UDynaFlect icon. SDeflector Space Warp Create panel > Space Warps > Deflectors > Object Type rollout > SDeflector Create menu > Space Warps > Deflectors > SDeflector The SDeflector space warp serves as a spherical deflector of particles.
SDeflector repelling particles Procedures To create an SDeflector: 1 On the Create panel, click Space Warps. Choose Deflectors from the list, then on the Object Type rollout, click SDeflector. 2 Drag in a viewport to create the spherical icon. NOTE Because particles bounce off the perimeter of the spherical icon, the size of the icon affects particle deflection.
5 Adjust the SDeflector parameters as necessary. Interface Particle Bounce group These settings determine how the deflector affects the bound particles. Bounce Determines the speed with which particles bounce off the deflector. At 1.0, the particles bounce at the same speed as they approach. At 0, they don't deflect at all. Variation The amount by which each particle can vary from the Bounce setting. Chaos The amount of variation from the perfect angle of reflection (found when Chaos is set to 0.0).
TIP To have particles slide along a deflector surface, set Bounce to 0. Also, unless influenced by a force such as Wind or Gravity, particles meant to slide should strike the surface at an angle other than 90 degrees. Inherit Vel (Velocity Inheritance) When the value is greater than 0, the motion of the deflector affects particles as well as the other settings. For example, to animate the SDeflector passing through a passive array of particles, turn up this value to affect the particles.
Particles scatter when they strike a UDeflector object The UDeflector is a universal deflector that lets you use any object as a particle deflector. Procedures To create a UDeflector: 1 On the Create panel, click Space Warps. Choose Deflectors from the list, then on the Object Type rollout, click UDeflector. 2 In a viewport, drag out a rectangle to add a UDeflector warp to the scene. 3 On the command panel, click the Pick Object button and select an object to be a particle deflector.
4 Apply the deflector to the particle system using the appropriate method: ■ If using Particle Flow on page 2795, specify the deflector in the Collision test on page 2960 or Collision Spawn test on page 2964 parameters. ■ If using a non-event-driven particle system on page 3002, bind on page 2691 the particle system to the deflector icon. 5 Position the UDeflector icon to interrupt the particle stream. 6 Adjust the UDeflector parameters as necessary.
Item Displays the name of the selected object. Pick Object Click this, and then click any renderable mesh object to be used as a deflector. Particle Bounce group Bounce Determines the speed with which particles bounce off the deflector. At 1.0, the particles bounce at the same speed as they approach. At 0, they don't deflect at all. Variation The amount by which each particle can vary from the Bounce setting. Chaos The amount of variation from the perfect angle of reflection (found when Chaos is set to 0.
Two streams of particles striking two deflectors The Deflector space warp acts as a planar shield to repel the particles generated by a particle system. For example, you can use Deflector to simulate pavement being struck by rain. You can combine a Deflector space warp with a Gravity space warp to produce waterfall and fountain effects. See also: ■ SDeflector Space Warp on page 2751 ■ UDeflector Space Warp on page 2754 Procedures To create a deflector: 1 On the Create panel, click Space Warps.
The deflector appears as a wireframe rectangle. 3 Apply the deflector to the particle system using the appropriate method: ■ If using Particle Flow on page 2795, specify the deflector in the Collision test on page 2960 or Collision Spawn test on page 2964 parameters. ■ If using a non-event-driven particle system on page 3002, bind on page 2691 the particle system to the deflector icon.
Variation The amount by which each particle can vary from the Bounce setting. Chaos The amount of variation from the perfect angle of reflection (found when Chaos is set to 0.0). 100% induces a variation in reflection angle of up to 90 degrees Friction The amount by which particles are slowed as they move along the deflector surface. A value of 0% means they're not slowed at all. A value of 50% means they're slowed to half their original speed.
You create FFD space warps as separate objects similarly to the way you create standard primitives: by dragging the mouse in the viewport. The result is a lattice of control points. The source lattice of an FFD modifier is fitted to the geometry it's assigned to in the stack. This might be a whole object or a sub-object selection of faces or vertices. Because FFD space warps are separate objects, they carry their own adjustable dimension parameters among the creation parameters.
Object and object surrounded by an FFD lattice 2762 | Chapter 14 Space Warps and Particle Systems
Moving control points in the lattice deforms the object. Procedures To use the FFD(box) space warp: 1 On the Create panel, click Space Warps. Choose Geometric/Deformable from the list, then on the Object Type rollout, click FFD(Box). 2 Drag in a viewport to create the base. Release the mouse button, and then move the mouse to define the height of the FFD lattice. Click to finish the lattice. 3 Bind the lattice to the object you want to deform.
5 In the modifier stack display, choose Control Points as the sub-object level for FFD(box). 6 Adjust the control points. NOTE The distortion effect of an FFD modifier is based on the positional offset of the control points from their original positions in the source volume. If you don't move control points, there is no effect on the target object. Keep this in mind when using space-warp version of the FFD.
Interface Geometric/Deformable | 2765
This rollout lets you set the size and resolution of the lattice, and how it displays and deforms. Dimensions group These options let you adjust the unit dimensions of the source volume, and specify the number of control points in the lattice. Note that the point dimensions are displayed beside the modifier name in the Stack list. Length, Width, Height These three spinners display and let you adjust the length, width, and height of the lattice.
All Vertices All vertices are deformed regardless of whether they lie inside or outside the source volume, depending on the value in the Falloff spinner. The deformation outside the volume is a continuous extrapolation of the deformation inside the volume. The deformation can be extreme for points far away from the source lattice. Falloff This spinner, enabled only when you choose All Vertices, determines the distance from the lattice that the FFD effect will decrease to zero.
points to the original lattice source volume causes the distortion of the affected object. The FFD(Cyl) space warp uses a cylindrical array of control points in its lattice. This FFD is available as both an object modifier and a space warp. For information on the object modifier version, see FFD (Box/Cylinder) Modifiers on page 1460. You create FFD space warps as separate objects similarly to the way you create standard primitives: by dragging the mouse in the viewport.
This example shows how to use the FFD(Cyl) space warp to create a tablecloth that flies in and drapes itself over a table. Begin by creating the table and tablecloth. 1 Create a table from two cylinders. Make the table top with a radius of 30 units, and a height of 2 units. Make the "table stand" cylinder with a radius of 3 and a height of 60. 2 Make a tablecloth from a box 100 units square and 0.5 units in height. Increase Length and Width Segments to 30, and keep Height Segments at 1.
Next, adjust the control points of the lattice to drape over the table. 1 Zoom Extents All Selected. 2 On the Modify panel, in the stack display (below "Modifier List"), click the FFD(cyl) item so it turns yellow. This means you've enabled direct access to the FFD space warps control point sub-objects. 3 In the FFD Parameters rollout > Selection group, turn on All X. This lets you select control points around the perimeter of the FFD cylinder.
7 Lock the selection and, in the Front viewport, drag the outer ring of points down to the floor. You now have a truncated cone shape over the table. 8 Unlock the selection. In the Top viewport, again select all the control points in the two outer rings. 9 Scale the selected control points in, until the radius of the inner ring of points is slightly larger than the table top. 10 Select only the outer ring of points, and scale them so their radius is slightly larger than the inner ring.
3 Select the FFD lattice. 4 Choose Deform group > All Vertices. The tablecloth is immediately deformed because all vertices are now affected, including those outside the lattice volume, and Falloff is set to 0. A falloff value of 0 means that the distance of the vertices from the lattice doesn't matter. Any number greater than 0, however, limits the effect. 5 Set the Falloff spinner to 0.4. No longer influenced by the FFD space warp, the tablecloth returns to its square shape.
until the tablecloth is at the height you want it. You can also adjust the position of the other control points to create drapes, and so on. 10 On the Display command panel > Hide by Category rollout, turn on Space Warps to hide the FFD space warp. 11 Set up appropriate lights and a camera, and play your animation.
Interface 2774 | Chapter 14 Space Warps and Particle Systems
This rollout lets you set the size and resolution of the lattice, and how it displays and deforms. Dimensions group These options let you adjust the unit dimensions of the source volume, and specify the number of control points in the lattice. Note that the point dimensions are displayed beside the modifier name in the Stack list. Radius, Height These two spinners display and let you adjust the length, width, and height of the lattice.
Deform group These options provide controls that specify which vertices are affected by the FFD. Only In Volume When on, only vertices that lie inside the source volume are deformed. Vertices outside the source volume are not affected. This is the default choice. All Vertices When on, all vertices are deformed regardless of whether they lie inside or outside the source volume, depending on the value in the Falloff spinner.
Wave Space Warp Create panel > Space Warps > Geometric/Deformable > Object Type rollout > Wave Create menu > Space Warps > Geometric/Deformable > Wave The Wave space warp creates a linear wave through world space. It affects geometry and behaves the same as the Wave modifier on page 2000. Use the Wave space warp when you want the wave to affect a large number of objects, or to affect an object relative to its position in world space.
Using a wave to deform a box See also: Ripple Space Warp on page 2781 ■ Procedures To create a Wave space warp: 1 On the Create panel, click Space Warps. Choose Geometric/Deformable from the list, then on the Object Type rollout, click Wave. 2 Drag in a viewport to define the initial size of the wave object icon. The icon is displayed as a flat mesh wireframe. 3 Release the mouse button to set the icon size; then move the mouse to define the initial amplitude of the wave.
Interface The initial amplitude sets both Amplitude 1 and Amplitude 2. Set these parameters to unequal values to create a cross wave. Wave group These options control the wave effect. Amplitude 1 Sets wave amplitude along the wave warp object's local X axis. Amplitude 2 Sets wave amplitude along the wave warp object's local Y axis. Amplitude is expressed in units. The wave is a sine wave along its Y axis and parabolic along its X axis.
Phase Offsets the phase of the wave from its origin at the wave object's center. Whole values have no effect; only fractional values do. Animating this parameter makes the wave appear to travel through space. Decay When set to 0.0, the wave has the same amplitude or amplitudes throughout world space. Increasing the Decay value causes amplitude to diminish as distance increases from the position of the wave warp object. Default=0.0. Display group These options control the geometry of the Wave warp gizmo.
Flexibility Makes the bound object more or less responsive to the wave by multiplying the amplitude by this value.
Using a ripple to deform a surface The Ripple space warp creates a concentric ripple through world space. It affects geometry and behaves the same as the Ripple modifier on page 1655. Use the Ripple space warp when you want the ripple to affect a large number of objects, or to affect an object relative to its position in world space. See also: Wave Space Warp on page 2777 ■ Procedures To create a Ripple space warp: 1 On the Create panel, click Space Warps.
3 Release the mouse button to set the icon size, and then move the mouse to define the initial amplitude of the ripple wave. 4 Click to set the wave amplitude. Interface The amplitude value set by dragging applies equally in all directions. The ripple's Amplitude 1 and Amplitude 2 parameters are initially equal. Set these parameters to unequal values to create a ripple whose amplitude varies relative to the local X and Y axes of the space warp.
Wave Length Sets the length of each wave, in active units. Phase Offsets the phase of the wave from its origin at the ripple object's center. Whole values have no effect; only fractional values do. Animating this parameter makes the ripple appear to travel through space. Decay When set to 0.0, the ripple has the same amplitude or amplitudes throughout world space. Increasing the Decay value causes amplitude to diminish as distance increases from the position of the ripple warp object. Default=0.0.
Flexibility Makes the bound object more or less responsive to the wave by multiplying the amplitude by this value.
There is also a Conform compound object on page 731 that provides additional methods of conforming one object to another. Conform viewport icon (a surface is below it) Procedures Example: Using the Conform space warp: Begin by making two objects. 1 Create a terrain by making a wide, flat box with plenty of Length and Width segments (or a quad patch). Apply a Noise modifier and adjust its parameters to result in a bumpy terrain (not mountainous, but low and irregular).
The coin/disk moves from one corner of the terrain to the other. The terrain will become the target object, and the cylinder the deformed object. The next step is to create the Conform space warp and bind it to the cylinder. 1 On the Create panel, choose Space Warps, and then, from the drop-down list, choose Geometric/Deformable. Click the Conform button. 2 In the Top viewport, in the center of the terrain, drag outward to create the Conform space warp.
7 At the Vertex sub-object level, in the Front viewport, region-select the bottom cap vertices of the cylinder. 8 Remain at the sub-object level, and in the stack display click the Conform Binding item. 9 In the viewport, select the Conform icon. 10 In the Modify panel, turn on Use Selected Vertices. Now that only the bottom cap vertices are selected, the rest of the cylinder is restored.
Wrap To Object group These options provide controls to select the target object. Pick Object Click this, and then select an object in the scene. The object you select becomes the barrier against which the bound object's vertices will be pushed. Object Displays the name of the picked object. Move Vertices group These options affect how the vertices are moved. Default Projection Distance The distance a vertex in the bound object moves from its original location if it does not intersect the target object.
Right: Bomb viewport icon Left: Torus knot Effect of exploding the torus knot Procedures To create a Bomb space warp: 1 On the Create panel, click Space Warps. Choose Geometric/Deformable from the list, and then on the Object Type rollout, click Bomb. 2 Create mesh objects to be exploded.
3 On the toolbar, click the Bind to Space Warp button. 4 Drag the mouse between each object and the Bomb space warp. 5 Adjust Bomb parameters to achieve different effects. Interface Explosion group Strength Sets the power of the bomb. Larger values make the particles fly farther. The closer an object is to the bomb, the greater the effect of the bomb.
Spin The rate at which fragments rotate, in revolutions per second. This is also affected by the Chaos parameter (which causes different fragments to rotate at different speeds), and by the Falloff parameter (which causes the force of the explosion to be weaker the farther the fragment is from the bomb). Falloff The distance from the bomb, in world units, of the effect of the bomb. Fragments past this distance are not affected by the Strength and Spin settings, but are affected by the Gravity setting.
be physically correct, but it might look interesting. Also, if the bomb object is in motion during the blast, the result is not physically correct. Modifier-Based Space Warps Create panel > Space Warps > Modifier-Based Create menu > Space Warps > Modifier-Based Modifier-based space warps duplicate the effects of standard object modifiers. Like other space warps, they must be bound to objects, and they work in world space.
Interface Gizmo Parameters rollout Gizmo Size group Length/Width/Height Let you adjust the warp object's dimensions. Deformation group Decay When is set to 0, there is no decay, and the space warp affects its bound object regardless of its distance from the object. When you increase the decay, the effect on the bound object falls off exponentially. See the topics on the individual modifiers for more information.
Introduction to Particle Systems Particle systems are useful for a variety of animation tasks. Primarily, they're employed when animating a large number of small objects using procedural methods; for instance, creating a snowstorm, a stream of water, or an explosion. 3ds Max provides two different types of particle systems: event-driven and non-event-driven.
during the event. As the event transpires, Particle Flow continually evaluates each operator in the list and updates the particle system accordingly. To achieve more substantial changes in particle properties and behavior, you can create a flow on page 7983. The flow sends particles from event to event using tests on page 8147, which let you wire on page 8170 events together in series.
no other place. The default birth event also contains a number of operators that act locally to specify properties of particles while in that event. The default particle system provides a basic global event and birth event that serve as a useful starting point for creating your own system. If you like, you can instead start with an empty system that lets you build a particle system from scratch. 1. Event display 2. Particle diagram 3.
4. Birth event 5. Depot To add an action to the particle diagram, you drag it to the event display from the depot (the area at the bottom of the Particle View dialog). If you drag an action to an event, you can add it to the event or replace an existing action, depending on where you drop it. If you drop it in an empty area, it creates a new event. Then, to customize the action, you click its event entry, and then edit its settings in the parameters panel at the side of Particle View.
1. Particle immediately after creation, with no speed. 2. The Speed operator sets the particle in motion. 3. The particle continues moving until acted upon by another action. The second way that particles move is logically, from event to event through the particle diagram, as constructed in Particle View on page 2811. Each event can contain any number of operators that can affect, in addition to motion, a particle's surface appearance, its shape and size, and others.
Actions can also apply forces to particles (1), specify collision effects (2), and alter surface properties (3). In this way, the particle continues to travel through the system. Due to the flexible nature of schematic construction in Particle Flow, a particle may be redirected to the same event several times. But at some point, you might want the particle's life to end. For this purpose, you'd use the Delete operator on page 2848 or the Collision Spawn test on page 2964 or Spawn test on page 2991.
Particle Flow FAQ This topic offers answers to a number of questions users commonly ask when first learning to use Particle Flow. The first section contains links to all the questions, and the subsequent sections contain the questions and answers organized by category. Question List How does Particle Flow handle time? on page 2802 When I go to a different frame, the software sometimes seems to freeze for a while.
How do I use motion blur with Particle Flow? on page 2807 How do I use the Particle Age and Particle MBlur maps with Particle Flow? on page 2807 I’m trying to apply Particle Flow to an animation created with a dynamics system.
When I go to a different frame, the software sometimes seems to freeze for a while.What's going on? Most of the animation in Particle Flow is history dependent; that is, to be able to draw the particles in a particular frame, the program needs to know what happened in all previous frames. Normally, when you change a parameter value, the program needs to recalculate all frames between the start and the current frames.
What else can I do to optimize performance? Particle Flow can place heavy processing and resource demands on your computer. For optimal performance, the most important thing you can do is to use the fastest available CPU. Also, when using particle systems with many particles, install as much memory as possible in your computer, especially if you're using caching.
Force operator on page 2946 and Keep Apart operator on page 2894 with script wiring, described in the respective topics. In addition, you can execute a script at each integration step, and another just before each frame is viewed or rendered; see Script rollout on page 2836. Can I use more than one object as instanced geometry? Yes.
if you press Esc while Particle Flow is calculating, the software gives you the opportunity of turning off the entire particle system, thus immediately returning control of the software to you. You can then analyze the system to determine the area of slowdown, optimize or simplify the particle flow, and then recalculate the animation. I sometimes see events named “Action Recovery” in Particle View.
Can I use Snapshot or dynamics with Particle Flow? No. The Snapshot tool is not currently compatible with Particle Flow, nor is reactor or the legacy dynamics system. How do I use motion blur with Particle Flow? You can apply motion blur on a per-event basis by editing the event's object properties on page 305 with the right-click menu in Particle View, or on a global basis by editing the global event's object properties.
■ The particle material cannot be a submaterial; it must be the main material. ■ In the non-event-driven particle systems in 3ds Max, Particle MBlur is used with a control named Direction Of Travel\MBlur and an accompanying Stretch parameter. In Particle Flow, you can replicate the stretching effect by using a Scale operator, turning off Scale Factor > Constrain Properties, and scaling the particle along one axis. I’m trying to apply Particle Flow to an animation created with a dynamics system.
dummy is the parent object (that is, drag from the geometry object to the dummy). The distance between the pivots on page 3475 of the two objects determines the radius of the bubble motion. 3 In Particle View, add a Shape Instance operator on page 2904 and a Spin operator on page 2863 to the event in which the bubble motion is to occur. 4 Click the Shape Instance operator and specify the dummy object as the particle geometry object.
significantly higher than that of the test. For a list of actions’ effective time frames, see Action Time Frames on page 2839. Also, if you're testing for a specific condition that can be affected by other actions in an event, be sure to place the test after the actions. For example, in an event with a Force operator on page 2946 and a Collision test on page 2960, place the Collision test after the Force operator.
local one, the particle system will use the value set by the global operator. You can set local operators to override global ones by choosing Particle View > Options menu > Action Order > Globals First. Can an event be isolated in Particle View and not connected to anything? Yes, but it won't affect the particle system at all. Particle Flow User Interface Particle View Select a Particle Flow source icon > Modify panel > Setup rollout > Click Particle View (or press 6).
By default, the name of each operator and test in an event is followed by its most important setting or settings in parentheses. Above the event display is a menu bar, and below is the depot, containing all actions available for use in the particle system, as well as a selection of default particle systems. TIP The easiest way to open Particle View is by pressing the 6 key. It's not necessary to first select a Particle Flow icon. 1. Menu bar 2. Event display 3. Parameters panel 4. Depot 5.
Particle View comprises the following elements: ■ The menu bar on page 2813 provides functions for editing, selection, adjusting the view, and analyzing the particle system. ■ The event display on page 2822 contains the particle diagram, and provides functions for modifying the particle system. ■ The parameters panel contains rollouts for viewing and editing parameters of any selected actions.
Procedures To render only particles in specific events: 1 In Particle View, highlight the events containing the particles you want to render. 2 Choose Select menu > Assign Selection To Viewport. 3 Render using one of the Render Type on page 6095 > Selected options. To bring a Particle Flow setup into a different scene: 1 In Particle View, highlight the events containing the particles you want to merge with a different scene.
Interface Edit menu Each of the first three commands on this menu presents a submenu containing all actions. Choose the command, and then choose an action from the submenu. NOTE The Undo and Redo commands are available from the main 3ds Max Edit menu, and their default keyboard shortcuts are the same: Ctrl+Z and Ctrl+Y, respectively. New Adds a new event containing the chosen action to the event display. Insert Before Inserts the chosen item above each highlighted action.
Turn Off Selected Turns off any highlighted, turned-on actions or events. Available only when one or more highlighted items are turned on. Make Unique Converts an instanced action to a copy that's unique to its event. Available only when one or more instanced actions are highlighted. Wire Selected Wires one or more highlighted tests to a highlighted event, or one or more highlighted global events to a highlighted birth event.
Select menu By default, the Select tool is active when Particle View is open, as indicated by the arrow-shaped mouse cursor. You can use this tool to highlight, move, and copy events, actions, tools, and wires. You can also use the commands on this menu to highlight all elements, no elements, or elements by category. NOTE When you render using any of the Selected options, the software renders only events that are selected in the viewports.
Select None Deselects all items in the event display. Alternatively, click an empty area in the event display. Select Actions Highlights all operators and tests in the event display. Select Operators Highlights all operators in the event display. Select Tests Highlights all tests in the event display. Select Events Highlights all events in the event display. Select Wires Highlights all wires in the event display. Select Downstreams Highlights all events after currently highlighted events.
Display menu The first five commands on this menu are also available as icons, in the Display tools section on the right side of the bottom border of the Particle View dialog. Each command's Display tools icon is shown below. Pan Tool Drag in the event display to move the view. The mouse cursor changes to a hand icon. You can also pan the view by dragging with the middle mouse button or wheel button held down. To exit this mode, right-click in the event view or choose the command again.
No Zoom Sets the zoom to the default level. This is the level displayed when you first open Particle View in a given session. Parameters Toggles display of the parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog. Default=on. Depot Toggles display of the depot, below the Particle View dialog. Default=on. Description Toggles the Description panel, to the right of the depot. Default=on. The Description panel displays a brief description of any action highlighted in the depot.
Shape operator last at each integration step, overwriting any local shapes, so all particles would be cubes. But if you set Action Order to Globals First, the local shapes are applied last, and particles appear as tetrahedrons or spheres, depending on which event they're in. ■ Globals First At each integration step, Particle Flow first applies actions in the global event, and then actions in the other (local) events.
Use Dynamic Names When on, action names in events are followed by their most important setting or settings, in parentheses. When off, only the names appear. Default=on. Particle View Event Display Select a Particle Flow source icon. > Modify panel > Setup rollout > Click Particle View (or press 6). Create panel > Geometry > Particle Systems > Object Type rollout > Click PF Source. > Setup rollout > Click Particle View (or press 6).
changes to the first depicted image when you can begin this operation, and to the second image when you can complete it. ■ To pan or zoom the event display, use the controls available from the Display menu on page 2819, the right-click menu on page 2825, or as icons at the bottom-right of the dialog. Modifying Actions and Events in the Event Display ■ To change the color used by a Display operator, click its color swatch to the right of its name.
The test icon changes to a green or red light bulb to indicate current functionality: green for always True, and red for always False. To return to the original functionality, click the icon again. The mouse cursor changes to the depicted image when this action is possible. Selecting, Moving, and Copying ■ To copy an action or event, first press and hold the Shift key and position the mouse cursor over the item to copy.
■ To delete an event, action, or wire, highlight it and then press Delete. Be sure the Particle Dialog is active, or you might inadvertently delete a selection in the scene instead. ■ To move an action, drag its name (not its icon) to the new location. If you drag the event to an edge of the display, and scrolling is possible, the display window will automatically scroll in that direction.
Create panel > Geometry > Particle Systems > Object Type rollout > Click PF Source. > Setup rollout > Click Particle View (or press 6). > Right-click in event display. The event display right-click menu provides handy access to a number of contextual commands. The contents of the menu, as well as the results of its commands, depend in some cases on where you click, in other cases on what's highlighted, and in still other cases, on both.
more global events and a single birth event are highlighted, and when you right-click over an eligible, highlighted item. Copy Copies any highlighted events, actions, and wires to the paste buffer. Available only when the mouse cursor is over an highlighted action, but affects all highlighted items. Paste Pastes the contents of the paste buffer to the event display at the mouse cursor. If the cursor is over a list, and you copied actions, the actions are added to the event.
Rename Lets you rename the item under the mouse cursor. Enter a new name from the keyboard. Properties Opens the Object Properties dialog for the event under the mouse cursor. Available only when the mouse cursor is over the title bar of a highlighted event. Particle Flow lets you set object properties on a per-event basis. This lets you set attributes such as Hide, Renderable, and Motion Blur separately for each event.
NOTE A comment is specific to the action or event to which it's applied. If you copy a commented event or action, the comment is not included in the copy, because it's probably not applicable to the copy. Pan Switches to the Pan tool. Drag in the event display to change the view; right-click to exit. Available only when you click over an empty area of the event display. Zoom Switches to the Zoom tool. Drag upward in the event display to zoom in, and downward to zoom out; right-click to exit.
central logo (see above illustration), but you can change its shape and appearance using the controls described below. When you select a source icon in the viewport, the Particle Flow emitter-level rollouts appear on the Modify panel. Alternatively, click the title bar of a global event in Particle View to highlight it, and to access the emitter-level rollouts from the parameters panel on the right side of the Particle View dialog.
Setup rollout Use these controls to turn the particle system on and off, and to open Particle View. NOTE This rollout appears only on the Create and Modify panels, not on the Particle View dialog > parameters panel. Enable Particle Emission Turns the particle system on and off. Default=on. You can also turn off all particle flows in Particle View with Edit menu > Turn Off All, or a specific particle flow by right-clicking its global event's title bar and choosing Turn Off.
Emitter Icon group Logo Size Sets the size of the Particle Flow logo, which appears at the center of the source icon, as well as the arrow that indicates the default direction of particle motion. By default, the logo size is proportional to that of the source icon; with this control, you can make it larger or smaller. This setting affects only the viewport display of the logo; changing it has no effect on the particle system.
The total number of particles is determined by the combined effects of the following operators and tests: Birth on page 2844, Birth Script on page 2847, Delete on page 2848, Collision Spawn on page 2964, and Spawn on page 2991. Scripted operators and tests can also affect this number. Viewport Sets the percentage of the total number of particles in the system produced in the viewports. Default=50.0. Range=0.0 to 10000.0.
Particle Lets you select particles by clicking them or dragging a region. Event Lets you select particles by event. At this level, you can select all particles in one or more events by highlighting the event(s) in the Select By Event list on page 2834, or in the viewports with standard selection methods. To convert a selection from the Event level to the Particle level for use with the Delete operator or Split Selected test, use Get From Event Level on page 2834.
System Management rollout Use these settings to limit the number of particles in the system, and to specify the frequency of updating the system. Particle Amount group Upper Limit The maximum number of particles the system may have. Default=100000. Range=1 to 10000000. TIP You can have more than 10,000,000 particles in a single system by using multiple particle sources and wiring them to the same birth event.
Script rollout This rollout lets you apply a script to the particle system at each integration step, as well as after the last integration step of each frame you view. Use an Every Step Update script to set up history-dependent properties, and a Final Step Update script to set up history-independent properties.
Use Script File When on, you can load a script file by clicking the button below. [button] Click this button to display an Open dialog that lets you specify a script file to load from disk. After you load a script, the name of script file appears on the button. Final Step Update group The Final Step Update script is executed after the last integration step has been completed for each frame that you view (or render).
Particle Flow Keyboard Shortcuts To use Particle Flow keyboard shortcuts, the Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle on the main toolbar must be turned on. To view and customize these shortcuts, open the Customize User Interface dialog from the Customize menu, and then, from the Group drop-down menu, choose Particle Flow. Particle Flow Function Keyboard Shortcut Description Copy Selected In Particle View* Ctrl+C Particle Emission Toggle ; Toggles active status of all particle systems.
■ Tests on page 2956 Action Time Frames Most actions in Particle Flow operate on particles in either of two time frames: once, when the particle first enters the event, or on a continuous basis, potentially changing particle behavior at each integration step. Some actions can work only in one time frame, while others can work on an instantaneous or continuous basis, depending on their settings. The tables below list each action with its time frame.
Operator Time Frame Position Object Once, except continuous with Lock On Emitter Rotation Once, except continuous with Speed Space Follow Scale Once, except continuous with Absolute and Relative options Script Operator Depends on script Shape Once Shape Facing Continuous Shape Instance Once, except continuous with Animated Shape Shape Mark Once, except continuous with Align To Surface Animation Speed Once Speed By Icon Continuous Speed By Surface Depends on setting Spin Once, except
result: True or False. So, as tests, they work on a continuous basis. For example, Age Test checks each particle's age at every integration step, because particles might not reach the specified age until remaining in the event for a while, and also because another action in the event might change or reset particle age. The principal exceptions to this are the Split tests, which test each particle only when it first enters the event.
The second group, found at the end of the depot listing, contains four operators that serve more of a utility function: Cache, for optimizing particle-system playback; Display, for determining how particles appear in the viewports; Notes, for adding comments; and Render, for specifying render-time characteristics.
Material Static Operator on page 2920 Position Icon Operator on page 2850 Position Object Operator on page 2853 Rotation Operator on page 2861 Scale Operator on page 2865 Spin Operator on page 2863 Select and Uniform Scale on page 963 Script Operator on page 2953 Shape Operator on page 2900 Shape Facing Operator on page 2901 Shape Instance Operator on page 2904 Shape Mark Operator on page 2911 Speed Operator on page 2871 Speed By Icon Operator on page 2876 Speed By Surface Operator on page 2886 The utility
Birth and Death Birth Operator Particle View on page 2811 > Click Birth in an event or add a Birth operator to the particle system and then select it. The Birth operator enables creation of particles within the Particle Flow system using a set of simple parameters. In general, use Birth as the first operator in any event connected directly to a global event on page 7997; this is called the birth event on page 7924. You can specify a total number of particles, or a rate of particles born per second.
You can't. As you drag over the different actions in Event 01, a red line appears at the top of the event, showing that the Birth operator will be placed here, no matter where you release the mouse button. 4 Try to drag a new Birth operator from the depot to Event 01. As in the previous step, the only place you can drop the Birth operator is at the top of the event, replacing the existing Birth operator. 5 From the depot, drag the Birth operator to an empty area in the event display.
Interface The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog. Emit Start The frame number at which the operator begins emitting particles. Emit Stop The frame number at which the operator stops emitting particles. NOTE The Emit Start and Emit Stop values are tied to the system frame rate. If you change the frame rate, Particle Flow automatically adjusts the Emit values accordingly.
Rate To specify the number of particles emitted per second, choose Rate, and then set the value. The operator emits this number of particles per second starting at the Emit Start frame and ending at the Emit Stop frame. If you specify a birth rate value that isn’t an integer multiple of the system frames-per-second value (set in the Time Configuration dialog), Particle Flow uses interpolation to determine when to emit particles.
Interface The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog. Edit Script Click this button to open the current script in a MAXScript Editor window. For detailed information about the MAXScript utility, open the MAXScript Reference, available from Help menu > MAXScript Reference. Emit Start The frame number at which the operator begins emitting particles. Uniqueness group The Uniqueness setting provides a randomization seed that the script can use or ignore.
to define the particles' maximum age. For an example of usage, see Material Dynamic operator on page 2925. Interface The user interface appears in the Parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog. Remove group Choose whether to delete all particles, selected particles, or particles past a specific age. The Uniqueness setting enables randomization of maximum particle age using the By Particle Age > Variation setting. All Particles Deletes all particles in the event immediately.
Uniqueness group The Uniqueness setting enables randomization of maximum particle age using the By Particle Age > Variation setting. Seed Specifies a randomization value. New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula. Transforms Position Icon Operator Particle View on page 2811 > Click Position in an event or add a Position operator to the particle system and then select it. By default, particles are born, or emitted, from the Particle Flow icon.
Interface The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog. Lock On Emitter When on, causes all particles to remain at their initial positions on the emitter. In effect, they're “glued” to the emitter. When off, each particle's birth position is determined by the emitter's current location. Default=off. Inherit Emitter Movement When on, the software sets each particle's rate and direction of motion to that of the emitter at the time of birth.
Location group The Location drop-down list lets you specify where on the emitter the particles appear. You can create a variety of emission behaviors by varying the icon type on page 2832, Location setting, and direction of emission. Default=Volume. ■ Pivot Emits particles from the center of the icon. ■ Vertices For the Box and Rectangle icon types, emits particles from the corners of the icon.
Position Object Operator Particle View on page 2811 > Click Position Object in an event or add a Position Object operator to the particle system and then select it. By default, particles are born, or emitted, from the Particle Flow icon. The Position Object operator lets you emit particles from any other object or objects in the scene instead. This topic uses the term emitter to refer to an object or objects used to emit particles with this operator. For example, use it to create a meteor's fiery trail.
3 In the Emitter Objects group, click Add, and then select an object to serve as the emitter. Alternatively, click By List and then use the Select Emitter Objects dialog to designate one or more objects as emitters. 4 Use the Location drop-down list to choose where the particles should appear on the emitter: surface, vertices, and so forth. 5 Set other options as necessary. For example, if you want the particles to use the same motion as the emitter at the time of emission, turn on Inherit Emitter Movement.
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The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog. Lock On Emitter When on, causes all particles to remain at their initial positions on the emitter. In effect, they're “glued” to the emitter. When off, each particle's birth position is determined by the emitter's current location. Default=off. Inherit Emitter Movement When on, the software sets each particle's speed and direction of motion to those of the emitter at the time of birth.
If you delete from the scene an object designated as an emitter, its entry in the list is replaced with “”. Use the Add and Remove buttons to edit this list. Add Adds an object to the list. Click Add, and then click an object in the viewport. By List Adds multiple objects to the list. Click By List to open the Select Emitter Objects dialog. This works just like Select From Scene on page 228: Highlight the objects to use as emitters, and then click the Select button.
Selected Edges Emits particles from the current edge sub-object selection. Selected Faces Emits particles from the current face or polygon sub-object selection. You can modify the Location choice with any combination of the following: Surface Offset Lets you specify a range of distances from the object surface for particle placement. Surface Offset is unavailable when Location is set to Pivot or Volume. Use the Min and Max parameters to set the range.
The box emitter is mapped with a gradient. With Position Object set to Density By Material > Grayscale, the particles appear with greater frequency in the lighter areas of the box. ■ Opacity Particles are more likely to appear on opaque areas than on transparent areas. ■ Grayscale & Opacity Combines the two: More particles appear on light, opaque areas than on dark, transparent areas. ■ Red/Green/Blue Considers only the specified color channel.
that corresponds to one of the sub-materials, the sub-material doesn't appear. However, the operator can use it to calculate the density of particle placement. The software assumes the material to be applied to the entire object surface. Mtl ID Specifies the material ID of the sub-material to be used for particle emission. Separation When on, the software attempts to keep the particles apart by the amount specified in Distance.
Rotation Operator Particle View on page 2811 > Click a Rotation operator in an event or add a Rotation operator to the particle system and then select it. The Rotation operator lets you set and animate particle orientation during an event, with optional random variation. You can apply orientation in any of five different matrices: two random and three explicit. For some options you can set a degree of random variation or divergence from the specified orientation.
World Space Orientation is specified in the world coordinate space. Use the X/Y/Z settings to specify the orientation for all particles. Speed Space The coordinate space for particle orientation is determined by the particles' direction upon entering the event. By default, using the Speed operator on page 2871 > Along Icon Arrow option, particles are aimed straight down when born. Use the X/Y/Z settings to specify the orientation for all particles.
Uniqueness group The Uniqueness setting affects the randomization of orientation with the Random 3D and Random Horizontal options, and also Divergence. Seed Specifies a randomization value. New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula. Spin Operator Particle View on page 2811 > Click a Spin operator in an event or add a Spin operator to the particle system and then select it. The Spin operator gives an angular velocity to particles in an event, with optional random variation.
Variation The maximum amount, in degrees per second, by which the spin rate can vary. The actual variation is calculated once, at random, for each particle. Spin Axis group The Spin Axis setting includes options that let you apply the spin on a random or specific axis, with optional random variation of the spin axis. Default=Random 3D. Random 3D Spins each particle about an arbitrary, random 3D axis. World Space The spin axis is specified in the world coordinate space.
(1/3 of the angle) from the X axis to the Y axis, you'd set the Y value to twice that of the X value. For example, X=0.2 and Y=0.4, or X=0.5 and Y=1.0. Divergence Defines the range of variation (in degrees) for spin-axis orientation. The actual deviation is calculated at random within this range. Unavailable for the Random 3D option. Default=0. Range=0 to 180.
5 In the Event 02 > Scale operator, set Type to Absolute, and animate the Scale Factor values from 10 to 100 over frames 0 to 30. In the Animation Offset Keying group, set Sync By to Event Duration. 6 Add an Age Test to Event 02. Set it to Event Age, set Test Value to 30, and Variation to 0. In this event, particles grow from 10 percent of their original size to full size over the first 30 frames of their existence, which is the same as their duration in the event.
17 In Particle view, right-click the Scale Factor X % parameter field on the Scale 04 rollout, and choose Show In Track View. The Curve Editor opens with the X Scale Factor parameter highlighted. 18 Right-click the X Scale Factor item and choose Assign Controller from the menu. 19 In the Assign Float Controller dialog, double-click Noise Float. The Noise Controller dialog opens. 20 Set Strength to 200, and to the right of Strength, turn on the >0 check box.
Interface The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog. Type The scaling Type setting includes options that let you scale particles once in an event or repeatedly, and apply scaling as an absolute or relative factor. Default=Overwrite Once. Overwrite Once Sets the scale one time only as an absolute percentage value, disregarding any previous scaling.
Scale setting in the Shape operator on page 2900, or a Shape Instance operator on page 2904. For instance, if you previously used Scale with Overwrite Once to scale particles' birth size within a range, and then want to scale them to half their previous size, use Inherit Once and set Scale Factor to 50%. Absolute Sets the scale continuously, while the particle is in the event, as an absolute percentage value, disregarding any previous scaling.
Bias Lets you choose how to distribute the scaling variation within the specified range or ranges. Default=None. ■ None No bias; scaling variation is distributed equally through the range. ■ Centered Scaling variation is concentrated near the middle of the range; that is, at 0.0%. With this choice, scaling will occur more frequently with low percentage values than with ones near the values you set. In other words, most scaling variants will be close to the specified scaling value.
NOTE With the Overwrite Once and Inherit Once scaling types, scaling always occurs with respect to the entire animation; that is, in Absolute Time mode. Thus, when either of those scaling types is in effect, the Sync By setting is unavailable. Also, if you animate Scale Factor or Scale Variation when using Overwrite Once or Inherit Once, it doesn't cause scaling animation in the particles, but rather applies one-time scaling to particles born during that period.
objects as emitters, use the Speed By Surface Operator on page 2886 operator instead. See also: ■ Speed By Icon Operator on page 2876 ■ Keep Apart Operator on page 2894 Procedures Example: To change particles' speed: The Speed operator works on an instantaneous basis: It sets each particle's speed once only, when it enters the event. Even if you animate the Speed value, each particle moves at a constant rate of speed, defined by the value at the time it enters the event.
10 Add a Send Out test at the end of Event 02. 11 Create a new event using an Age Test. Click the Age Test to display its parameters, and then set the following: ■ Event Age ■ Test Value=1 ■ Variation=0 12 Wire the Send Out test in Event 02 to Event 03. 13 Wire the Age Test in Event 03 to Event 02. 14 Play the animation. All the particles slow down simultaneously and eventually come to a stop.
Interface The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog. Speed The particle speed in system units per second. Default=300. A positive Speed value moves the particles in the direction determined by the Direction setting; a negative Speed value moves the particles in the opposite direction. NOTE Speed sets each particle's speed once only: when the particle enters the event (or is born, in the case of a birth event).
Particle movement is always in a straight line unless influenced by other factors. Along Icon Arrow Particles move parallel to the icon arrow. Rotate the icon to change the direction. Icon Center Out Each particle moves along an imaginary line drawn between the particle's location and the icon center. With the flat icon types (Rectangle and Circle), this results in all the particles moving in one plane, unless you increase Divergence above 0.0.
TIP For a fountain-like spray, set Position > Location to Pivot, set Direction to Along Icon Arrow, set Divergence to the desired angle, and rotate the icon so its arrow points upward. Uniqueness group The Uniqueness setting enables randomization of speed variation, and randomization of direction with the Random 3D and Random Horizontal options. Seed Specifies a randomization value. New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula.
world origin (0,0,0). When animated, the operator icon's motion is imparted to the particles. If you delete the icon, the software also deletes the operator. NOTE If you add Speed By Icon from the Create panel, Particle Flow creates a separate event for the operator in the particle diagram. WARNING If you delete a Speed By Icon operator icon in the viewport, you also delete the corresponding operator in the Particle Flow system.
2 On the Create panel, choose Shapes > Splines > Helix, and then, in the Perspective viewport, at the center of the grid, create a helix shape. Then, on the Parameters rollout, set the following: ■ Radius 1=100 ■ Radius 2=20 ■ Height=20 ■ Turns=3 ■ Bias=0 This will serve as the particle path. 3 Move and rotate the Particle Flow source icon so that it's at the start of the helical path, and aimed along the path, as shown. Get the base of the arrow as close as possible to the start of the path.
5 In Event 01, click the Position Icon operator and set Location to Pivot. This causes the particles to be emitted in a thin stream. 6 Insert a Speed By Icon operator at the end of Event 01. The operator icon appears at the world origin. 7 Select the operator icon, and then, from the Animation menu, choose Position Controllers > Path Constraint on page 3297. When you move the mouse cursor into the viewport, a rubber-band line joins the cursor to the icon. 8 Select the Helix object.
The particle stream diverges from the path at its endpoint. 10 Stop at frame 100. This will let you see the results of changing the Speed By Icon parameters as you make the changes. 11 Open the Modify panel, and, if necessary, select the Speed By Icon operator icon. The operator parameters appear on the Modify panel. This is the case with any action that uses a unique icon, and lets you adjust the parameters without using Particle View.
The endpoints now coincide. 13 Drag the time slider again. The particle path remains similar to that of the Helix for the entire duration of the animation. With other setups, you might need to use different values for Influence %, and for paths with tight twists and turns, you might need to increase Accel Limit as well. You might be wondering why you didn't simply replace the default Speed operator with the Speed By Icon operator.
To use the Use Icon Orientation option: The Use Icon Orientation option applies arc-like motion to the particles based on rotation animation of the icon. To best understand how it works, it's necessary to isolate its influence by eliminating any potentially conflicting factors. 1 Reset the software, and then add a Particle Flow system in the Perspective viewport. Set its position to the world origin: (0,0,0). 2 Open Particle View and click the Birth operator. Set Emit Stop=0.
11 Try moving and rotating the two icons, playing the animation each time you make a change. Also set Emit Stop back to 30. As you can see, the possibilities with just this simple setup are myriad. In combination with the many other variables and options in Particle Flow, they're endless. Interface The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog. When the icon is selected, the parameters also appear on the Modify panel.
TIP Use a lower Accel Limit value for smooth motion, and a higher value when greater accuracy is needed, such as when the particles should hit a small target. You can animate this setting (use Sync By > Event Duration) to specify different appropriate values, depending on the required results. Influence % Determines the mix of the previous speed with the speed of the operator icon. Default=100.0. Range=0.0 to 100.0. At the default value of 100, the speed is controlled only by that of the icon.
if you set Sync By to Particle Age, and set Speed Variation keys at frames 0 and 30, then the software will animate the speed variation for each particle born while the event is active between its birth and its 30th frame of existence. Alternatively, if you set Sync By to Absolute Time, the speed variation is animated from frame 0 to frame 30 of the animation, even if no particles are in the event at that time.
Seed Specifies a randomization value. New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula. Speed By Surface Operator Particle View on page 2811 > Click Speed By Surface in an event or add a Speed By Surface operator to the particle system and then select it. The Speed By Surface operator lets you control particle speed and direction with any object or objects in the scene.
2 Add a Cylinder primitive to the scene. Position it above the source icon: X/Y=0 and Z=30. Set Radius=20 and Height=40. 3 Play the animation, and then stop. The particles move downward, using the default starting setup. 4 Open Particle View and add a Speed By Surface operator to the end of Event 01. Click the operator in the event to display its parameters panel in Particle View. 5 In the Surface Geometry group, click Add, and then select the cylinder. 6 Play the animation again, and then stop.
move along the XY plane, and when they're closer to the vertical sides, they move downward. If you want them to move upward instead, set Speed to a negative value. Next, you'll discover how the Control Speed Continuously option alters particle behavior. 11 In the Speed By Surface parameters, choose Control Speed Continuously, and then drag the time slider. The particles spread out from the emitter, and then start orbiting the cylinder in a roughly cylindrical overall formation.
Interface Particle Flow | 2889
The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog. The first setting lets you choose whether the operator controls speed once or continuously. Set Speed Once The operator sets the speed for each particle once: when the particle enters the event. Control Speed Continuously The operator sets particle speed throughout the event. When you choose this option, the Continuous Speed Control group on page 2893 becomes available.
Add Adds an object to the list. Click Add, and then click an object in the viewport. By List Adds multiple objects to the list. Click By List to open the Select Surface Objects dialog. This works just like Select From Scene on page 228: Highlight the objects to use to control speed and direction, and then click the Select button. Remove Removes an object from the list. Highlight the object in the list, and then click Remove.
about -1%, respectively, and values of 129 to 255 result in multipliers of about 1% to 100%, respectively. ■ RGB as World XYZ Mult. Works like Grayscale Multiplier, but uses the intensity of the material's red, green, and blue channels to affect particle speed on the world X, Y, and Z axes, respectively.
TIP You can use this option to confine particles to the interior of an object. Position the emitter inside the object, designate the object as the Surface Geometry, choose Control Speed Continuously, and choose Out Of Surface. Each time a particle comes close to a surface, it turns to travel directly away from the surface. Control the particles' travel range with the Speed setting, but keep in mind that particles moving very fast might “escape” their container.
Falloff Zone The distance, in system units, beyond the Range value within which the Surface Geometry exerts partial control over particles. The degree of control diminishes from 100% at the Range distance to 0% at the Range+Falloff Zone distance. Animation Offset Keying group Choose the time frame for applying animated parameters. For an explanation, see Animation Offset Keying group on page 2870. Absolute Time Any keys set for parameters are applied at the actual frames for which they're set.
TIP In certain cases, the default settings might not be sufficient to keep particles from interpenetrating. For increased separation, use higher values for Force and Accel Limit, choose Relative To Particle Size, and increase the Core % value.
■ Absolute Size Range Particle Flow applies the script particleVector values to the Absolute Size Range values. The X component of the vector value is used for the core radius, and the Y component for the falloff radius. ■ Relative Size Range Particle Flow applies the script particleVector values to the Relative Size Range values. The X component of the vector value is used for the core percent, and the Y component for the falloff percent.
Interface The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog.
Force The amount of force applied to the particles. Use positive values to separate particles, or negative values to move them closer together. Default=100.0 Accel(eration) Limit When on, lets you set a maximum acceleration value that can be applied to particles' motion. When off, the software uses any necessary acceleration. Default=on, 1000.0. TIP Use a lower Accel Limit value for smooth motion, and a higher value when greater accuracy is needed, such as when the particles should hit a small target.
will be a random number in the range 20 to 60, and the falloff zone a random number in the range 10 to 30. For each particle, the software uses the same Variation % value, so if Core Radius is determined to be 20, then Falloff Zone would be 10.
Seed Specifies a randomization value. New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula. Shape Shape Operator Particle View on page 2811 > Click Shape in an event or add a Shape operator to the particle system and then select it. Shape is the default operator for defining the geometry used in the particle system. You can use it to specify particles in the shape of pyramids, cubes, spheres, or vertices, as well as particle size.
■ Tetra These tetrahedron-shaped particles have a four triangular sides. Having only four polygons, the tetra is the simplest of the rendering particle shapes. ■ Cube ■ Sphere Creates spherical particles. The sphere has the most polygons of the rendering particle shapes, and its orientation isn't obvious. These box-shaped particles have six square sides, all the same size. Size Sets the overall size of the particles in system units. Default=10.0 Setting Size=0 makes the particles invisible.
Interface Look At Camera/Object group Use this control for defining the camera or object toward which the particle will face. This object is known as the Look At object. For the technically minded, the facing is maintained by keeping each particle's local Z axis pointed at the Look At object, or when Use Parallel Direction is on, aligned with the vector between the Particle Source icon and the Look At object. Name After picking a Look At object, its name appears here.
Use Parallel Direction When off, all particles continuously rotate to stay facing toward the Look At object. Each particle's orientation varies because its location differs from those of the others. When on, all particles face in the same direction, defined by an imaginary line between the Particle Source gizmo center and the Look At object. Default=off. Size/Width group Use these settings to specify the coordinate system for setting the size, as well as the size parameters.
Adjust this ratio to that of the particle-map imagery. For the commonly used TV aspect ratio of 4:3, set W/H Ratio=1.33. The parameter is not animatable. Range=0.001 to 1000. Default=1 (square particles). This value is not animatable. Orientation Use this drop-down list to choose how particles rotate on the axes not specified by the Look At direction. Default=Align to Horizon. Align to Horizon Keeps the top edge aligned with the horizon (the world XY plane).
geometry are reflected instantly in the particle system. If you hide the original geometry, the particles still appear. However, if you delete the original geometry, the particles are deleted as well. Using Transform-Animated Reference Objects You can create animated particle shapes by animating the reference object with modifiers, and then turning on Animated Shape on page 2910.
3 Use the Align tool to center the teapot to the dummy. This step isn't necessary, but it can help to obtain more consistent results. 4 Link the teapot as a child of the dummy (drag from the teapot to the dummy). You can use any object as the parent, but using a dummy, which doesn't render, lets you animate all instanced particles visible in the final animation. 5 Create a default Particle Flow system. 6 In Particle View, delete the Rotation operator.
Interface Particle Geometry group Use this control for defining the object to be used as the particle geometry. This object is known as the reference object. [button] Click this button, and then select a geometry object in the scene to be used as the particle shape. The mouse cursor changes to a cross shape when positioned over an object that's valid for use as a reference object.
include multi-shape objects such as groups and hierarchies; see Separate Particles For group on page 2908. After picking a reference object, its name appears on the button. You can use almost any geometry object as a reference object. By default, the operator automatically converts closed splines to rendering geometry by “filling in” the area defined by the shape outline. To use the shape outline instead, select the original shape and, on the Modify panel > Rendering rollout, turn on Display Render Mesh.
example, if you create text in the Front viewport, assign it as reference geometry, and turn on Object Elements, the letters come out in the proper order. You can vary the order randomly by turning on Multi-Shape Random Order on page 2910. You can turn on any combination of Separate Particles items. All are off by default. Group Members When on, group members are treated as separate particles. Object and Children When on, linked objects are treated as separate particles.
If the reference object is a group, with different materials applied to the group members, the software creates a new Multi/Sub-Object material containing all of the materials and uses it as the particle material. TIP Because materials are “sticky” in Particle Flow, if you turn off Acquire Material after specifying a reference object with an attached material, the material remains applied to the particles.
Animation Offset Keying group These controls are available only when Animated Shape is on. Sync By Lets you choose how to synchronize reference-object animation with the particles. ■ Absolute Time All particles have the same shape at any given moment. ■ Particle Age Animation of the reference object is synchronized with particle age: Frame 0 of the reference-object animation corresponds to the frame of each particle's birth.
A typical application of Shape Mark would be to leave marks after particles impact objects in the scene. For example, when a torpedo hits a boat and explodes, you could use Shape Mark to leave scorch marks on the boat surface. TIP By default, the mark left by Shape Mark is always rectangular, no matter what shape the particles are.
4 In the Collision test, designate the deflector from step 1. 5 Create a new event with the Shape Mark operator, and wire the Collision test to this event. 6 In the Shape Mark operator > Contact Object group, designate the object from step 1. Change the other Shape Mark settings as necessary. Now, when the particles strike the contact object, they disappear, leaving marks on the object.
Interface 2914 | Chapter 14 Space Warps and Particle Systems
Contact Object group Use this control for defining the object on which marks are to be left. [button] Click this button, and then select an object in the scene to use as the contact object. The mouse cursor changes to a cross shape when positioned over a valid object. After picking a contact object, its name appears on the button. Align to Surface Animation When on, Shape Mark takes into account surface changes due to vertex animation of the contact object.
Size group Use these settings to specify the coordinate system for setting the size of the mark, as well as the size parameters. The numeric settings in this group are not animatable. In World Space Sets the absolute size of the mark in system units, using the World coordinate system. Width/Length With the In World Space option, sets the particle dimensions in system units. Range=0 to 1000000000. Default=1.0. In Local Space Sets the mark size relative to the existing particle size, in local space.
Box Height Sets the height of the box used with the Box Intersection method. Available only with Box Intersection. Default=10.0. Allow Multiple Elements When on, particles can leave marks on all parts of contact objects that contain multiple elements. When off, a particle marks only the first element it collides with. Available only with Box Intersection. Default=off. Particles falling onto a two-element cylinder Left: Allow Multiple Elements is off; Right: Allow Multiple Elements is on.
The mark is slightly elevated above the contact geometry to achieve the visual effect of the mark spot overlapping the contact geometry. This parameter is not animatable. Offset Variation Specifies the maximum extent of a random variation in the actual surface offset among particles. Default=0.0. Adjusting this value can help to alleviate rendering artifacts with overlapping marks.
Following are some items to keep in mind when using materials with Particle Flow: ■ A material is a static property of an event. It does not travel along with the particles from one event to the next. A particle's material ID does, but its material does not. If you want particles always to use the same material, define the material in the global event on page 7997 with a Material operator or a Shape Instance operator on page 2904. Otherwise, you need to define it in each local event.
Material Static Operator Particle View on page 2811 > Click Material Static in an event or add a Material Static operator to the particle system and then select it. The Material Static operator lets you give particles material IDs that remain constant throughout the event. It also lets you assign a material to each particle based on its material ID. The operator can assign the same material ID to all particles, or different IDs to successive particles on a cyclical or random basis.
The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog. Assign Material When on, the operator assigns a material to the particles. Default=on. [button] Use this button to assign a material to the operator. Click the button and then use the Material/Map Browser to choose the material. Alternatively, drag the material from a Material Editor sample slot to the button. After you assign a material to the operator, its name appears on the button.
Rate group These settings let you choose the basis on which the operator changes material ID assignments, and specify the rate of change. Per Second Sets the number of times per second that the assigned material ID is incremented. If this value is the same as the rate at which particles enter the event, then one ID is assigned per particle. If it's lower, then multiple particles are given the same ID, or if it's higher, then the software increments the assigned ID faster than 1 per particle.
New Calculates a new seed using a randomization formula. Material Frequency Operator Particle View on page 2811 > Click Material Frequency in an event or add a Material Frequency operator to the particle system and then select it. The Material Frequency operator lets you assign a material to an event, and specify the relative frequency with which each sub-material appears on the particles.
Interface The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog. Assign Material When on, the operator assigns a material to the particles. Default=on. [button] Use this button to assign a material to the operator. Click the button and then use the Material/Map Browser to choose the material. Alternatively, drag the material from a Material Editor sample slot to the button. After you assign a material to the operator, its name appears on the button.
Show In Viewport When on, the material is shown applied to the particles in the viewports. # Sub-Materials Displays the number of sub-materials in the assigned material. Material ID #1–10 Specifies the relative likelihood of particles to be assigned the corresponding material ID. Assign values for all IDs, or sub-materials, in the material that you want to have applied to the particles. So, for example, with a Multi/Sub-Object material containing five sub-materials, you'd set values for Material IDs #1-5.
page 5889 or the Particle MBlur map on page 5891. Alternatively, you can use different sub-materials from a compound material such as Multi/Sub-Object. NOTE When using Object Motion Blur, if an event contains a Material Dynamic operator that uses a material with a Particle Age/MBlur/Bitmap map, the event should not also contain a Delete operator, or a Spawn or Collision Spawn test. Also, the event should not contain any tests that are wired to another event.
6 At the material level, turn on Show Map In Viewport. 7 Add a camera to the scene and set it up as desired. Activate the Perspective viewport and press the C key to set the viewport to show the camera view. 8 Create a default Particle Flow system. 9 Open Particle View. 10 Replace the Shape operator with a Shape Facing operator. Using this operator makes it easier to see the animation.
Example: To use the Particle Age map: The Particle Age map on page 5889 applies up to three different colors or maps to particles throughout their life span, gradually changing from one to the next as the particles age. This effect can be used, for example for sparks flying from a fire: At first they're yellow; then, as they cool down, they turn red, and finally they become gray ashes.
TIP You needn't actually delete the particles to use this method. There are several ways to avoid this. You could set Life Span to a higher number than the length of the animation, and then, in the Particle Age map parameters, lower the Age #2 and Age #3 settings. Or, if you're using a local Delete operator, you could use an Age test on page 2958 to move the particles into another event just before they're scheduled to be deleted.
The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog. Assign Material When on, the operator assigns the specified material (see next parameter) to the particles. Default=on. [button] Use this button to assign a material to the operator. Click the button and then use the Material/Map Browser to choose the material. Alternatively, drag the material from a Material Editor sample slot to the button.
Randomize Age Offset When on, the software varies the difference between the particle age and the starting material ID at random. The maximum difference is determined by the Max Offset parameter. Max Offset The maximum number of frames by which the software can randomly vary particle age. Sub-Material Rotoscoping group These settings let you choose the basis on which the operator changes material ID assignments when using a compound material such as Multi/Sub-Object, and specify the rate of change.
Loop When on, and the last ID has been assigned, the software loops back around to the first ID and continues the cycle. When off, the software assigns the last cycle ID to all subsequent particles. Available only with the Cycle assignment method. Default=off. For example, say you want the first eight particles that enter the event to use different materials, and all subsequent particles to use a ninth material.
you can vary the location on the material map from which the particle color is taken, thus changing the particle color in a predictable way over time. The Mapping operator was designed primarily to be used with gradient maps, although you can use it with any map you like. The procedure below describes a recommended method for using the Mapping operator.
11 On the Mapping rollout in Particle View, turn on Show Map In Viewport. 12 Go to frame 100 and turn on Auto Key. 13 On the Mapping rollout in Particle View, set Map Values > U=1.0. 14 For Sync By, choose Particle Age. 15 Turn off Auto Key, and click Play Animation. As each particle is born and falls, its U mapping coordinate gradually changes from 0.0 to 1.0, while its color changes to match the corresponding position across the Gradient Ramp map.
Map Values group U/V/W Set the coordinates on the map from which the particle color is taken. One pixel from this location is used to color the entire particle. In general, U and V represent the horizontal and vertical dimensions, respectively, beginning at the upper-left corner of the map, and W is useful only with three-dimensional maps, in which context it specifies depth. Sync By Choose the time frame for applying animated parameters.
than recalculating the particle action. This is particularly useful with large or complex particle systems, where playback, and particularly backtracking, are slow because of the large amount of processing required. With caching on, the particle system needs to be calculated only once for each frame, and thereafter playback and moving among frames is significantly faster. To cache an entire flow, add a Cache operator to the global event. To cache an individual local event, add a Cache operator to it.
4 In Particle View, Add a Keep Apart operator on page 2894 to Event 01. Keep Apart is a fairly calculation-intensive operator. 5 Go to frame 100 by clicking the right end of the time slider track. There is a delay as the system calculates all particle motion between frames 0 and 100. This is necessary because Particle Flow is a history-dependent system. At the same time, the actions in the system highlight briefly in Particle View as they're executed at each frame.
13 Click the Keep Apart operator, change the Falloff Zone value to 9.0, and then drag the time slider. There is no delay, because the animation is still playing back from the cached data. However, the cached data is now invalid, because you changed a parameter in the particle system. 14 Click the Cache operator, and in the Manual Update group, click Update. The software closes Particle View, updates the cache for the active segment, and then reopens Particle View. The cached data is now accurate.
Interface The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog. Use At Caches particle motion when playing back in the viewports, or at render time, or both. Default=Viewport. IMPORTANT Choose the Viewport/Render option only when using the same number of particles in the viewports and for rendering (see Quantity Multiplier group on page 2832). Otherwise, unpredictable results can occur.
Update If you change a parameter in the particle system, the cached data might become invalid. This setting determines whether Particle Flow should update the cache automatically, or let you do it manually. Default=Always. ■ Always Changing any parameter under the Cache operator's purview causes it automatically to update stored data from the start of the current range (see next parameter) to the current frame.
(see above). If Use At is set to Viewport/Render, it uses lower of the two Integration Step values. For example, if Viewport is set to Half Frame, and Render to 1/8 Frame, the sampling rate would be eight per frame. ■ Every Nth Frame The software caches animation data at frame intervals specified by the N value, below. N Determines the frame interval for caching when Sampling (above) is set to Every Nth Frame. Default=5.
range. At the same time, by default, the animation plays in the viewports. To prevent this, and speed calculation, turn off Update Viewports. If the cache runs out of memory during a manual update, Particle Flow halts the update operation and displays an alert. Click OK to continue, and then, if possible, increase the Limit value before updating the cache again. Clear Deletes any cached data.
use virtual (hard disk-based) memory instead, which slows down the caching. If Particle Flow fills the cache, any remaining frames are calculated on the fly. This group also lets you monitor the amount of memory used for caching data. Limit The maximum amount of system memory used to cache particle data, in kilobytes. Default=100,000, or 97.6 MB. Total The amount of memory currently used by the cached data, in kilobytes. Read-only.
operators (for example, both global and local operators) simultaneously, the software generates all viewport particle representations at the same time. See also: ■ Render Operator on page 2951 Interface The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog. Type Choose how particles appear in the viewports. The two-dimensional particle markers depict position only.
TIP When using the Lines display type with the OpenGL display driver, slow-moving particles might not appear properly in the viewports. In such cases, to see all particles, add a second Display operator in the same event and set its Type to Dots. ■ Bounding Boxes (3D) Each particle appears as a bounding box. Use this option for a good representation of the final animation, at a slight cost in computational speed. ■ Geometry (3D) Each particle appears as its actual geometry.
NOTE When a Particle Flow source icon is selected, all of its non-selected particles, other than those shown as geometry, are colored white in the viewports. To see all assigned particle colors, deselect the particle system. Selected Choose how selected particles on page 2833 appear in the viewports. The choices are the same as for Type, above. Force Operator Particle View on page 2811 > Click a Force operator in an event or add a Force operator to the particle system and then select it.
Script Wiring rollout This rollout appears in the parameters panel below the main operator rollout after you highlight the operator, right-click it, and then choose Use Script Wiring. Thereafter, a check mark appears next to the Use Script Wiring in the right-click menu, and the rollout appears whenever you highlight the operator. To turn off script wiring, choose Use Script Wiring again from the right-click menu.
Interface The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog. Force Space Warps group This group displays the forces currently in effect, and let you add and remove forces. [List] Shows the forces that apply to this operator. If more than three forces apply, a scroll bar appears at the right side of the list. If you delete a listed space warp from the scene, its name is replaced in the list by the entry “”.
By List Click this button, and then use the Select Force Space Warps dialog to add one or more space warps to the list. The space warps must already exist in the scene. The software adds space warps to the list in same order in which they appear in the dialog. To effect a different order, use the Add button to add them one at a time. Remove Highlight a space warp in the list, and then click this button to remove it from the list. Any removed space warps remain in the scene.
Notes Operator Particle View on page 2811 > Click Notes in an event or add a Notes operator to the particle system and then select it. The Notes operator lets you add a textual comment to any event. It doesn't have any direct effect on the particle system, but it helps you keep track of the overall function of each event. NOTE You can also add a comment directly to an event or action by right-clicking it and choosing Comments.
Render Operator Particle View on page 2811 > Click a Render operator in an event or add a Render operator to the particle system and then select it. The Render operator provides controls related to rendering particles. You can specify the form that rendered particles are to take, and how to convert the particles to individual mesh objects for rendering purposes. Interface The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog.
Update script on page 2837 to pass data from the particle system to other objects in the scene. Visible % The percentage of particles that render. Range=0 to 100. Default=100. Lower this value for faster rendering of complex particle systems. You can also reduce the number of particles in the system at render time with the Quantity Multiplier > Render setting on page 2832. Render Result group These settings determine how the system converts particles to mesh format for rendering.
This is the least efficient method of operation, but might be required by certain renderers. NOTE With the default scanline and mental ray renderers, this method does not support rendering of particles born after the start of the rendered frame sequence. In general, use Mesh Per Particle only with renderers that require it. Script Operator Particle View on page 2811 > Click Script Operator in an event or add a Script Operator to the particle system and then select it.
The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog. Edit Script Click this button to open the current script in a MAXScript Editor window. For detailed information about the MAXScript utility, open the MAXScript Reference, available from Help menu > MAXScript Reference. Uniqueness group The Uniqueness setting provides a randomization seed that the script can use or ignore. Seed Specifies a randomization value.
the global event will also contain a Display operator. Adding an Empty Flow also creates a Particle Flow Source icon in the viewports, at the world origin (0,0,0). NOTE If an orthogonal viewport is active when you add an Empty Flow to the system, the software orients the new source icon parallel to the plane of the active viewport, with the default emission direction pointing forward.
Tests The basic function of a test in Particle Flow is to determine whether particles satisfy one or more conditions, and if so, make them available for sending to another event. When a particle passes a test, it is said to “test True.” To send eligible particles to another event, you must wire the test to that event. Particles that don't pass the test (“test False”) remain in the event and are repeatedly subjected to its operators and tests.
The Particle Flow tests in the Particle View depot The tests are: Age Test on page 2958 Collision Test on page 2960 Collision Spawn Test on page 2964 Find Target Test on page 2970 Go To Rotation Test on page 2981 Scale Test on page 2987 Script Test on page 2990 Send Out Test on page 2990 Spawn Test on page 2991 Speed Test on page 2995 Split Amount Test on page 2998 Split Selected Test on page 3000 Particle Flow | 2957
Split Source Test on page 3001 See also: ■ Operators on page 2841 ■ Flows on page 2954 Age Test Particle View on page 2811 > Click Age Test in an event or add Age Test to the particle system and then select it. Age Test lets the particle system check whether a specific amount of time has passed since the start of the animation, or how long a particle has existed, or how long a particle has been in the current event, and branch accordingly.
■ Particle Age Tests the current age of each particle in frames. This is the default test type. ■ Event Age Tests the current duration of the current event in frames. Test True if Particle Value Lets you specify whether the test passes particles on to the next event if the age test succeeds or fails. Default=Is Greater Than Test Value By default, Age Test returns True if the value tested for exceeds the Test Value quantity, but you can alternatively choose Is Less Than Test Value.
Collision Test Particle View on page 2811 > Click Collision in an event or add Collision to the particle system and then select it. Collision tests for particles that collide with one or more specified Deflector space warps. It can also test whether a particle has slowed down or sped up after one or more collisions, has collided more than once, and even whether it will collide with a deflector in a specified number of frames.
2 Add a Gravity space warp and a Deflector space warp. Decrease the deflector's Bounce setting below 1.0, and increase the Variation and Chaos values above 0.0. Set the deflector's Width and Length to 500. 3 Create a default Particle Flow system. Position the emitter directly above the deflector. 4 Add a Force operator on page 2946 to the end of Event 01 and add the Gravity space warp to the Force operator.
Interface The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog. Deflectors group This group displays the deflectors currently in effect, and let you add and remove deflectors. [list] Shows the deflectors that apply to this operator. If more than three deflectors apply, a scroll bar appears at the right side of the list. If you delete a listed space warp from the scene, its name is replaced in the list by the entry “”.
Add Click this button, and then select a Deflector space warp in the scene to add it to the list. By List Click this button, and then use the Select Deflectors dialog to add one or more space warps to the list. The space warps must already exist in the scene. Remove Highlight a deflector in the list, and then click this button to remove it from the list. Any removed space warps remain in the scene.
Collided Multiple Times The test becomes True after a particle collides a specific number of times. The particle is moved to the point of the last collision and then redirected to the next event. # Times The number of times a particle must collide in order to test True. Speed Determines speed and direction after the specified number of collisions. See above for explanations of the choices.
The Collision Spawn test supports all deflector space warps except the DynaFlect deflectors: ■ POmniFlect on page 2732 ■ SOmniFlect on page 2743 ■ UOmniFlect on page 2746 ■ SDeflector on page 2751 ■ UDeflector on page 2754 ■ Deflector on page 2757 TIP When testing for collisions with multiple deflectors, for best results, place all the deflectors in a single Collision Spawn test. This tests for collisions with all the deflectors simultaneously, and helps avoid possible missed collisions.
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The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog. In the context of Collision Spawn, a parent is the original particle from which new particles are spawned. Test True for group These check boxes let you specify which particles, if any, should become eligible for redirection to the next event upon satisfaction of the test conditions. NOTE After a particle tests True, the Collision Spawn test no longer tests the particle for collision.
Remove Highlight a deflector in the list, and then click this button to remove it from the list. Any removed space warps remain in the scene. Spawn Rate And Amount group Use these settings to specify when particles are to spawn and other values related to how many particles are spawned. Spawn On First Collision Particles spawn only the first time they collide with a deflector. Delete Parent When on, deletes each original particle from which a new one is spawned.
Sync By Choose the time frame to use when animating Offspring # and Variation: ■ Absolute Time Any keys set for parameters are applied at the actual frames for which they're set. ■ Particle Age Any keys set for parameters are applied at the corresponding frames of each particle's existence. ■ Event Duration Any keys set for parameters are applied to each particle starting when it first enters the event. ■ Restart Particle Age When on, sets the age of each newly spawned particle at 0.
To obtain the actual speed for each spawned particle, the system multiplies the Variation value by a random number between -1.0 and 1.0, and then adds the result to the particle's speed as specified or inherited. For example, if a particle's speed is 100 units/second and Variation=20, then the tested value for each particle would be between 80 and 120 units/second. Divergence When on, spreads out the stream of spawned particles. Use the numeric setting to define the extent of the divergence in degrees.
in moving toward the target. You can also specify where on the target the particles should go. Alternatively, you can use Find Target as a simple proximity test: If a particle comes within a certain distance of its target, it becomes eligible for redirection to the next event. Find Target icon When you add a Find Target test to the particle system in Particle View on page 2811, a spherical Find Target icon appears in the scene at the world origin (0,0,0).
Script Operator Example NOTE See this topic in the online User Reference to view the script operator sample MAXScript code.
Interface Particle Flow | 2973
The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog. Control By ... The drop-down list at the top of the parameters panel lets you choose whether to send particles to a target by specifying the speed and acceleration, or by specifying the amount of time they should take. Alternatively, by choosing No Control, you can test particles' distance from a target.
Control By Speed group Use these settings to specify speed and acceleration parameters when using Control By Speed or Speed Then Time. This group is available only when using Control By Speed. Use Cruise Speed When on, the software gives you explicit control over particle speed and speed variation. When off, the software calculates particle speed automatically using the Accel Limit value. Default=on. Speed Particle speed in scene units per second. Default=300.0.
Sync By Choose the time frame to use when animating Speed, Variation, and Accel Limit: ■ Absolute Time Any keys set for parameters are applied at the actual frames for which they're set. ■ Particle Age Any keys set for parameters are applied at the corresponding frames of each particle's existence. ■ Event Duration Any keys set for parameters are applied to each particle starting when it first enters the event.
Variation The number of frames by which Time can vary randomly. Default=5. To obtain the actual time to the target for each spawned particle, the system multiplies the Variation value by a random number between -1.0 and 1.0, and then adds the result to the Time value. For example, if Time=60 and Variation=20, then the time to target for each particle would be between 40 and 80 frames.
[list] Shows the mesh objects used as targets. If more than three target objects apply, a scroll bar appears at the right side of the list. Add Click this button, and then select a mesh object in the scene to add it to the list as a target. By List Click this button, and then use the Select Target Objects dialog to add one or more mesh objects to the list. The objects must already exist in the scene, and the dialog shows only eligible objects.
NOTE When using By Script Vector to target absolute positions, such as vertex locations, be sure to set Target to Icon. If you set it to Mesh, the positions specified by the script will be relative to the position of the mesh object. This latter option is useful for placing scripted targets on the surface of a moving object. Object With multiple mesh targets, lets you specify how the software should choose among them. Available only when targeting more than one object.
NOTE When Lock On Target Object is off, more calculation is required because the system might have to recalculate each particle's optimal target point in each frame. Docking Direction group Docking type Lets you specify from which direction particles should approach targets. ■ None Specified No docking constraints. Particles reach their targets in the most efficient way, based on their assigned parameters and their current attributes. ■ Along Icon Arrow arrow.
NOTE When using this option, arrows appear on the Find Target icon to indicate that particles will use surface normals for docking; the actual directions they will use depends on the target surface. This applies even when using mesh objects as targets. Distance The distance from the target at which particles begin docking behavior. This includes the docking direction, and, when using Control By Time, the docking speed. Icon Size Set the size of the Find Target icon.
2953 if it defines the rotation channel) in the same event. In this situation, the Go To Rotation test can grab the particle rotational component before the orientation-type operator overwrites it. The Go To Rotation operator modifies the particle orientation and spinning in the post-evaluation cycle. For an example, see the procedure below. WARNING The Go To Rotation test is not compatible with the Spin, Shape Facing, and Shape Mark operators.
5 From the Depot, drag a Go To Rotation test to an empty area in Event Display. Set Duration=15 and keep all other default settings. 6 Insert a Rotation operator immediately after the Go To Rotation test. Choose Random Horizontal as the orientation matrix. Keep the other default settings. The Go To Rotation test will use this as the final orientation for the particles. 7 Use a Speed event to create a third event. Set Speed=0.0. This stops the particles at the end of the animation.
Interface The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog. Test True When group Transition Period Ends When on, the particles test True at the end of the specified transition period, and become eligible for redirection to the next event. When off, particles will not go to the next event, even if wired. Turn off to disable the test aspect of Go To Rotation. Default=on.
The possible options are: ■ Absolute Time Time refers to the overall time of the system. Each particle will reach its target orientation at the frame number specified by Time. ■ Particle Age Time refers to the time elapsed since the birth of the particle. Each particle will reach its target orientation when its age reaches the value specified by Time. ■ Event Duration Time refers to the time elapsed since the particle entered the current event.
Target Rotation Spin group Defines the angular velocity for each particle when it reaches the target orientation. Match Initial Spin Sets the angular velocity at the end of the transition period to the same as the angular velocity when particle enters the event. NOTE The axis of rotation might still be different, because it is calculated on the fly to let the particle come to the target orientation.
Scale Test Particle View on page 2811 > Click Scale Test in an event or add Scale Test to the particle system and then select it. Scale Test lets the particle system check particle scaling, or particle size before or after scaling, and branch accordingly. The test provides a variety of axis options for measuring scale or size. You can use this test to cause a change in behavior based on size. For example, a bubble could grow to a certain size, and then pop.
Type Choose the type of measurement to test. You can test actual scaling, or the size before or after scaling. Default=Scale. For example, if the X-axis size of a particle's bounding box starts out at 10 system units, and you then use the Scale operator to scale it by 150% on the X axis, the pre-scale size is 10, and the post-scale size is 15. And, of course, the scale is 150. NOTE The software measures particle size based on each particle’s bounding-box dimensions in the particle's local coordinate space.
Test Value The specific size to test for. Default=10.0. Variation The amount by which the value tested for can vary randomly. Default=0.0. To obtain the actual test value for each particle, the system multiplies the Variation value by a random number between -1.0 and 1.0, and then adds the result to the Test Value setting. For example, if Test Value=10 and Variation=5, then the tested value for each particle would be between 5 and 15. Scale group These settings are available when Type is set to Scale.
Script Test Particle View on page 2811 > Click Script Test in an event or add a Script Test operator to the particle system and then select it. Script Test lets you test particle conditions using a MAXScript script. The script can use any program functionality available to MAXScript. The default test script tests for the presence of all particles within a spherical volume of radius 20. Interface The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog.
The Send Out test simply sends all particles to the next event, or, conversely, keeps all particles in the current event. Use Send Out when you simply want to send particles to another event without any conditions. TIP You can temporarily convert any test to Send Out. To specify that a test should send all particles out without any conditions, click the left side of its icon in Particle view; the icon changes to a green light bulb to indicate that all particles automatically test True.
containing the Spawn. In such a case, you might want to then send the spawned particles to yet another event, or the particles will continually respawn. Alternatively, to spawn particles after a collision, use Collision Spawn Test on page 2964.
The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog. In the context of Spawn, a parent is the original particle from which new particles are spawned. Spawn Rate And Amount group Use these settings to specify how often particles are to spawn, the measurement system to use, and other values related to how many particles are spawned. Once Particles spawn one time only. For each existing particle, one new one is born.
#=20 and Variation=10, then the actual number of offspring for each particle would be between 18 and 22. Sync By Choose the time frame to use when animating Rate, Step Size, Offspring #, and Variation: ■ Absolute Time Any keys set for parameters are applied at the actual frames for which they're set. ■ Particle Age Any keys set for parameters are applied at the corresponding frames of each particle's existence.
Size group Scale Factor The amount of uniform scaling to apply to each spawned particle, as a percentage of its parent's size. Default=100.0. Variation The amount by which a spawned particle's scale can vary randomly. Default=0.0. To obtain the actual scaling for each spawned particle, the system multiplies the Variation value by a random number between -1.0 and 1.0, and then adds the result to the Scale Factor value.
Interface The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog. The first interface element is a drop-down list that lets you choose the type of measurement to test: ■ Velocity Magnitude Tests the particle velocity, in system units per second, without consideration of direction. This is the default test type. ■ Velocity X/Y/Z Tests the particle velocity on the specified axis, in system units per second, using the world coordinate system.
For example, if a particle travels along a parabolic path, its motion has both linear and circular components. The circular component is greatest at the top of the parabola. If a particle travels in a full circle in one second, the rate is 360; if it travels in a half circle, the rate is 180. Potential usage: When a particle is forced to turn too sharply, it might explode or change its type of movement. For example, missiles chase a jet fighter, which maneuvers to elude the missiles.
Sync By Choose the time frame to use when animating Test Value and Variation. For further information, see Animation Offset Keying group on page 2870. ■ Absolute Time Any keys set for parameters are applied at the actual frames for which they're set. ■ Particle Age Any keys set for parameters are applied at the corresponding frames of each particle's existence. ■ Event Duration Any keys set for parameters are applied to each particle starting when it first enters the event.
Interface The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog. Test True For group Lets you choose how to split the particle stream. Default=Fraction Of Particles, 50%. Fraction Of Particles Split the particle stream on a percentage basis, specified with the Ratio value. With Ratio greater than 0.0, whether a particular particle is split off depends on a randomization factor; change this with the Uniqueness Seed value.
Particles After N First Splits off all particles starting with the first one after N particles, as specified with the N parameter (below). All particles starting with the first to enter the event up to N are retained in the event. N Specify the number of particles to split off, with First N Particles, or to retain in the event, with Particles After N First. Available only with the First N Particles or the Particles After N First option.
The user interface appears in the parameters panel, on the right side of the Particle View dialog. Test True If Particle group Lets you choose how to split the particle stream. Default=Is Selected. Is Selected All selected particles are eligible for redirection to another event. Is Not Selected All non-selected particles are eligible for redirection to another event. Split Source Test Particle View on page 2811 > Click Split Source in an event or add Split Source to the particle system and then select it.
Test True If Particle group Lets you choose how to split the particle stream. Default=Is From Selected Source. Is From Selected Source All particles from sources highlighted in the Selected Emission Sources list are eligible for redirection to another event. Is Not From Sel(ected) Source All particles from sources not highlighted in the Selected Emission Sources list are eligible for redirection to another event. Selected Emission Sources Lists all emission sources in the system.
Non-event-driven particle systems provide relatively simple, straightforward methods for generating particle sub-objects over time for the purpose of simulating snow, rain, dust, and so on. You use particle systems primarily in animations.
This topic describes only the general properties of particle systems. Other plug-in particle systems might be available in your configuration. The built-in particle systems share these controls: Emitter Specifies where in the scene the particles are generated. The emitter is the particle system's main sub-object. It doesn't render. Particles appear on the surface of the emitter and fall (or drift, drop, flurry, spray) from the emitter in a particular direction.
These are the basic steps for creating a particle system: 1 Create a particle emitter. All particle systems require an emitter. Some particle systems use the particle system icon as the emitter while others use an object you select from the scene as the emitter. 2 Determine the number of particles. You set parameters such as birth rate and life span to control how many particles can exist at any given time. 3 Set particle shape and size.
Flowing Water You generate flowing liquid effects by setting Super Spray on page 3025 to generate closely packed metaparticles. The metaparticles blob together forming a stream. Add a Path Follow on page 2717 space warp to send the stream down a trough. Explosions Particle Array (PArray) on page 3042 uses another object as its particle emitter. You can set the particle type to use fragments of the emitter object to simulate the object exploding.
Procedures To create emitter icons: ■ Drag in a viewport to set the size and orientation of the particle emitter icon for Spray, Snow, Super Spray, Blizzard, and Particle Cloud. Spray, Snow, Blizzard, and Particle Cloud use the icon size as the area of particle emission. Super Spray emits particles from its center regardless of its icon size. All particle systems align the particle direction with the Z axis of the creation grid.
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Particles with various materials assigned to them You make this choice in the Material Mapping and Source group near the bottom of the Particle Type rollout. Choose Icon to use the material assigned to the particle system, choose Picked Emitter to use the material assigned to the distribution object, or choose Instanced Geometry to use the material assigned to the instanced objects.
Achieving Particle Motion Blur Particle motion blur is actually the result of varying the opacity and the length of particles based on their speed. To accomplish this requires coordination between material assignment and the settings in the particle systems. Follow these instructions: ■ Use the Particle MBlur map on page 5891 in the material that you assigned to the particles. For best results, assign it as an opacity map.
Particles with a diffuse-mapped material When you choose Icon, the mapping coordinates of the material are applied across the V (vertical) axis, from V=0 (the bottom edge of the map) to V=1 (the top edge of the map). The bottom edge of the map is applied at the birth of the particle, and the top edge at either the death of the particle (if Time is on) or the distance of the particle at its death (if Distance is on).
Fragment particles use the same technique, with additional options when the Thickness setting is greater than 0. When Thickness is 0, all faces in the fragment are mapped the same as the portion of the object surface from which they're derived. When Thickness is greater than 0, the outer faces of the fragment copy the surface of the distribution object, and are assigned the material ID specified in the Outside ID spinner in the Particle Type rollout > Fragment Materials group.
If the assigned material is a Multi/Sub-Object material, particles are affected in the following ways, depending on the source of the material: ■ Icon: In most cases, each particle, at its birth, is assigned a different sub-material, cycling through each available sub-material. For example, if there are only three sub-materials, the first particle receives sub-material #1, the second #2, the third #3, the fourth #1, and so on.
5 On the Particle Type rollout, choose Instanced Geometry, then in the Instancing Parameters group click Pick Object, and select the pyramid. 6 In the Viewport Display group of the Basic Parameters rollout, choose Mesh and set the Percentage of Particles to 100. 7 On the Particle Generation rollout, choose Use Rate, and set the spinner to 1. 8 Set Emit Start and Emit Stop to 0, set Display Until to 100, set Life to 10, and leave Variation at 0. 9 Under Particle Size, set Grow For and Fade For to 0.
3 Drag the time slider over frames 0 to 50. The pyramid appears over frames 0 to 10, then changes to four cylinders at frame 11, then 16 pyramids at the next spawning, and so on. Using Interparticle Collision Particles colliding and then rebounding You can set up particles to detect collisions with each other. This can be useful when the particles are meant to model solid objects such as marbles.
2 Set the Super Spray values as follows: ■ Off Axis: 1, Spread: 1, Off Plane: 180, Spread: 180 ■ Mesh: chosen, Percent of Particles: 100 ■ Particle Quantity: Use Rate chosen and set to: 1 ■ Speed: 3, Variation: 100% ■ Emit Start: 0, Emit Stop: 5, Display Until: 100, Life: 100 ■ Size: 4.0, Grow For: 0, Fade For: 0 ■ Particle Type: Sphere 3 Drag the time slider so you can see the particle spheres bounce off the deflector. Note that the rebounding particles move through each other.
Kinds of Spray NOTE SuperSpray on page 3025 is a more powerful and advanced version of Spray. It provides all the functionality of Spray, plus additional features. TIP To animate particles following a path through space, use the Path Follow space warp on page 2717. Procedures To create spray: 1 On the Create panel, make sure the Geometry button is active and Particle Systems is chosen in the object category list, then click Spray.
Interface Particles group Viewport Count Maximum number of particles displayed in viewports at any given frame. TIP Setting the viewport count less than the render count can improve viewport performance.
Render Count Maximum number of particles that can appear in a single frame when you render it. Works in combination with the particle system's timing parameters. ■ When the number of particles reaches the Render Count value, particle creation is suspended until some particles die. ■ When enough particles die, particle creation resumes until Render Count is reached again. Drop Size Size of a particle in the active units. Speed Initial velocity of each particle as it leaves the emitter.
pause until some die off, and then start again, generating particles in bursts or spurts. Start Number of the first frame where particles appear. Life The lifetime of each particle, in number of frames. Birth Rate The number of new particles born per frame. If this is less than or equal to the maximum sustainable rate, the particle system generates an even flow of particles. If it is greater than the maximum rate, the particle system generates particles in bursts. You can animate the Birth Rate parameter.
Snow simulates falling snow or confetti. The snow system is similar to Spray, but it has additional parameters to generate tumbling snowflakes, and its rendering options are different. Kinds of Snow NOTE Blizzard on page 3029 is a more powerful and advanced version of Snow. It provides all the functionality of Snow, plus additional features. TIP To animate particles following a path through space, use the Path Follow space warp on page 2717.
Interface Particles group Viewport Count Maximum number of particles displayed in viewports at any given frame.
TIP Setting the viewport count less than the render count can improve viewport performance. Render Count Maximum number of particles that can appear in a single frame when you render it. Works in combination with the particle system's timing parameters. ■ When the number of particles reaches the Render Count value, particle creation is suspended until some particles die. ■ When enough particles die, particle creation resumes until Render Count is reached again.
Timing group Timing parameters control the "birth and death" rates of emitted particles. At the bottom of the Timing group is a line that displays the maximum sustainable rate. This value is based on the Render Count and the lifetime of each particle.
Hide Turn on to hide the emitter in viewports. When off, the emitter is displayed in viewports. The emitter is never rendered. Default=off. Super Spray Particle System Create panel > Geometry button > Choose Particle Systems from the drop-down list. > Object Type rollout > Super Spray Create menu > Particles > Super Spray Super Spray emits a controlled spray of particles. This particle system is like the simple Spray particle system with the added power provided by all the newer particle systems.
TIP To animate particles following a path through space, use the Path Follow space warp on page 2717.
Procedures To create a super spray particle system: 1 On the Create panel, make sure the Geometry button is active and Particle Systems is chosen in the object category list, then click Super Spray. 2 Drag in any viewport to create the Super Spray emitter icon; see Creating a Particle Emitter on page 3006. The icon appears as an intersecting plane and circle with an arrow.
Basic Parameters rollout > Particle Formation group These items control the direction and spread of particles. Off Axis Affects the angle of the particle stream off the Z axis (along the plane of the X axis). Spread Affects the spread of the particles away from the emission vector (along the plane of the X axis). Off Plane Affects the angle of emission about the Z axis. This has no effect if Off Axis is set to 0.
Spread Affects the spread of the particles about the Off Plane axis. This has no effect if Off Axis is set to 0. Particle Generation rollout > Particle Motion group Speed The speed of the particle at birth, in units per frame. Variation Applies a percentage of variation to the speed of emission for each particle. Blizzard Particle System Create panel > Geometry button > Choose Particle Systems from the drop-down list.
TIP To animate particles following a path through space, use the Path Follow space warp on page 2717.
Procedures To create a blizzard particle system: 1 On the Create panel, make sure the Geometry button is active and Particle Systems is chosen in the object category list, then click Blizzard. 2 Drag in a viewport to create the Blizzard emitter; see Creating a Particle Emitter on page 3006. The icon appears as a plane with a perpendicular line pointing in the direction of emission. 3 Adjust the various parameters on the command panel.
Basic Parameters rollout > Display Icon group The emitter specifies the location where particles are generated in the scene. It has a geometry you can display in viewports, but it isn't renderable. The emitter is displayed as a rectangle with a vector pointing out of one side. The vector shows the direction in which the system emits particles. You set emitter parameters on the particle system's Basic Parameters rollout, in the Display Icon group.
Particle Generation rollout > Particle Motion group Specifies the number, size, and motion of particles. Speed The speed of the particle at birth, in units per frame.
Variation Applies a percentage of variation to the speed of emission for each particle. Tumble Amount of random rotation of the particles. Tumble Rate Speed at which the particles rotate. Particle Type rollout > Mat'l Mapping and Source group Emitter Fit Planar Maps particles at birth, based on their point of emission from the rectangular Blizzard emitter icon. The UV range of the mapped material runs from 0 to 1 over the width and length of the emitter.
Create menu > Particles > PCloud Use the PCloud (or Particle Cloud) particle system when you want a "cloud" of particles that fill a specific volume. PCloud can provide a flock of birds, a starfield, or a troupe of soldiers marching over terrain. You can confine the particles using basic supplied volumes of a box, sphere, or cylinder, or you can use any renderable object in the scene as a volume as long as that object has depth. Two-dimensional objects do not work with PCloud.
TIP There is no automatic way to hide the object chosen as the object-based emitter. Hide it by using Hide Selected on the Display panel, or by applying a Hide key in Track View.
PCloud used to form a school of fish (each fish is a particle) Procedures To create a particle cloud: 1 On the Create panel, make sure the Geometry button is active and Particle Systems is chosen in the object category list, then click PCloud. 2 Drag in a viewport to create the PCloud emitter; see Creating a Particle Emitter on page 3006.
The other PCloud rollouts and their contents are identical with those in Particle Array, except that Object Fragments and associated settings are not available on the Particle Type rollout. See PArray on page 3042 for details or choose from the following list for rollout information.
Basic Parameters rollout Object-Based Emitter group This button lets you select a renderable mesh object to use as a particle emitter. This object is used only when the Object-Based Emitter option is chosen in the Particle Formation group. Pick Object Click this, and then select a renderable mesh object to be used as a custom emitter. Object Displays the name of the picked object.
Particle Formation group These options let you specify the shape of the emitter. Box Emitter Chooses a box-shaped emitter. Sphere Emitter Chooses a sphere-shaped emitter. Cylinder Emitter Chooses a cylindrical emitter. Object-Based Emitter Chooses the object selected in the Object-Based Emitter group. NOTE With regard to animation of the object-based emitter, the particles will properly fill a deformed object at frame 0, but they can't stay with the emitter while it's moving.
Particle Generation rollout > Particle Motion group Speed The speed of the particle at birth along the normal, in units per frame. NOTE For the correct volume effect, Speed should be set to 0. Variation Applies a percentage of variation to the speed of emission for each particle. Random Direction One of three options that affect the direction of the particles. This option emits particles in random directions.
Pick Object Click this, and then select an object in the scene to use as a reference object. This button is available only when you choose Reference Object. Variation Applies a percentage of variation to the direction when you choose either the Direction Vector or Reference Object option. This spinner is unavailable and has no effect when you choose Random Direction. PArray Particle System Create panel > Geometry button > Choose Particle Systems from the drop-down list.
How particles can be distributed on an object: Left: Edges Center: Vertices Right: Faces ■ You can use it to create sophisticated object explosions. TIP A good way to create explosions is to set the particle type to Object Fragments and then apply a PBomb space warp on page 2712.
■ Using Spawned Particles on page 3013 ■ Using Interparticle Collision on page 3015 Procedures To set up a particle array: 1 Create an object that will become the distribution object, providing the emitter pattern (or exploded object) for the particle array. 2 On the Create panel, make sure the Geometry button is active and Particle Systems is chosen in the object category list, then click PArray.
3 Set up the first three sub-materials to be mapped materials. 4 Select the PArray icon. 5 On the Particle Type rollout in the Mat'l Mapping And Source group, choose Picked Emitter. 6 In the Particle Type rollout > Particle Types group, turn on Object Fragments. 7 Make sure the three spinners in the Fragment Materials group are set to 1, 2, and 3, respectively (or match the numbers with the sub-materials you've assigned in your multi/sub-object material).
distribution object. From here, you can also specify how the particles appear in the viewport. Interface Object-Based Emitter group Pick Object After you create the particle-system object, the Pick Object button becomes available. Click this button, and then click to select an object in your scene.
as the source geometry over which particles form, or the source geometry used to create particles that appear to be fragments of the object. Object text field Displays the name of the picked object. Particle Formation group These options determine how standard particles are initially distributed over the surface of the object-based emitter.
■ At Face Centers Faces If you’ve converted your object to an editable mesh, and selected different sub-object sections of it with vertex, edge, and face selection, as you switch particle formation options, you’ll see the particles emit from different areas of the object. NOTE Use Selected SubObjects is applicable to patch object emitters only at the patch and element sub-object levels, and is not applicable NURBS objects used as emitters.
Particle Generation Rollout Create panel > Geometry button > Choose Particle Systems from the drop-down list. > Object Type rollout > SuperSpray/Blizzard/Parray/PCloud > Particle Generation rollout Select a SuperSpray/Blizzard/Parray/PCloud emitter. > Modify panel > Particle Generation rollout Items on this rollout control when and how quickly particles form, how particles move, and the size of the particles over time.
Interface Particle Quantity group In this group, you can choose one of two methods by which the number of particles is determined over time. These settings are unavailable if you set Particle Type (in the Particle Type rollout on page 3053) to Object Fragments.
Use Rate Specifies a fixed number of particles emitted per frame. Use the spinner to set the number of particles formed per frame. Use Total Specifies a total number of particles formed over the life of the system. Use the spinner to set the number of particles formed per frame. The life of the system, in frames, is specified by the Life spinner in the Particle Timing group, described later in this topic.
Variation Specifies the number of frames by which the life of each particle can vary from the norm. Subframe Sampling Turning on any of the three check boxes below helps avoid particle "puffing" by sampling particles at a much higher subframe resolution, instead of the relatively coarse frame resolution. Depending on your needs, you can do this over time, over motion, or over rotation. "Puffing" is the effect of emitting separate "puffs" or clusters of particles, rather than a continuous stream.
Grow For The number of frames over which the particle grows from being very small to the Size value. The result is subject to the Size/Variation value, since Grow For is applied after Variation. Use this parameter to simulate natural effects such as bubbles growing as they reach the surface. Fade For The number of frames over which the particle will shrink to 1/10th its Size setting prior to its death. This is also applied after Variation.
Left: A stream from a fountain Right: The same stream with various types of particles The controls on this rollout let you specify the type of particle used and the type of mapping performed on the particles.
Interface Non-Event-Driven Particle Systems | 3055
Particle Types group These options specify one of four categories of particle type. Depending on which option you choose, different controls become available in the lower portion of the Particle Type rollout. Standard Particles Uses one of several standard particle types, such as triangle, cube, tetra, and so on. MetaParticles Uses Metaball particles. These are particle systems in which the individual particles blend together in blobs or streams.
Standard Particles group When you choose Standard Particles in the Particle Types group, the options in this group become available. Choose one of the following options to specify the particle type: Triangle Renders each particle as a triangle. Use Triangle particles with noise opacity for steam or smoke. Cube Renders each particle as a cube. Special Each particle consists of three intersecting 2D squares.
Variation Specifies the percent of variation of the Tension effect. Evaluation Coarseness Specifies how accurately the metaparticle solution is calculated. The higher the coarseness values, the less calculation. However, if the coarseness is too high, there may be little or no metaparticle effect at all. Conversely, if the coarseness is set too low, the time for calculation can become extremely long. Render Sets the coarseness for metaparticles in the rendered scene.
The items in this group include a Thickness spinner, along with three option buttons that determine how the fragments are formed. TIP There is no automatic way to hide the distribution object that explodes into fragments. To create the illusion that an object is exploding, you must either set the original object to be invisible at the start of the explosion, as described in Add Visibility Track on page 3611, or move or scale the original object so it doesn't remain in view.
Instancing Parameters group 3060 | Chapter 14 Space Warps and Particle Systems
These options are used when you specify Instanced Geometry in the Particle Types group. They let you generate each particle as an instance of either an object, a linked hierarchy of objects, or a group. NOTE Instanced objects can be animated, providing the animation incorporates one or more of the following types: ■ Animation of object geometry parameters, such as a sphere's Radius setting. ■ Animation of object-space modifiers, such as the Angle setting of a Bend modifier on page 1208.
at the time of birth, but with a random offset of frames, based on the value in the Frame Offset spinner. Frame Offset Specifies an offset value from the current timing of the source object. Mat'l Mapping and Source group Specifies how a mapped material affects the particles, and lets you specify the source of the material assigned to the particles. A detailed description of how materials affect particles is in the topic Using Mapped Materials with Particle Systems on page 3010.
IMPORTANT When you turn on either Picked Emitter or Instanced Geometry, an instance of the material from the chosen source is copied to the emitter icon, overwriting the material originally assigned to the icon. Thus, if you've assigned a material to the particle emitter, and then switch to Picked Emitter, the material originally assigned to the icon is replaced by an instance of the material carried by the picked object.
The options on this rollout affect the rotation of the particles, provide motion blur effects, and control inter-particle collisions. Interface Spin Speed Controls group Spin Time The number of frames for one rotation of a particle. If set to 0, no rotation takes place. Variation The percent of variation of the Spin Time.
Phase Sets the initial particle rotation, in degrees. This has no meaning for fragments, which always begin with zero rotation. Variation The percent of variation of the Phase. Spin Axis Controls group These options determine the spin axis for the particles, and provide a partial method of applying motion blur to the particles. Random The spin axis for each of the particles is random. Direction of Travel/Mblur (Not available with the Blizzard particle system.
Calc Intervals Per Frame The number of intervals per rendering interval, during which an inter-particle collision test is conducted. The higher the value, the more accurate the simulation, but the slower the simulation will run. Bounce The degree to which speed is recovered after a collision. Variation The percentage of random variation of the Bounce value, applied to the particles. Object Motion Inheritance Rollout Create panel > Geometry button > Choose Particle Systems from the drop-down list.
This time, only some of the particles inherit the emitter's motion, while the rest move straight out from the emitter. Note that the latter form a diagonal stream because each particle emerges at a subsequent point on the emitter path. Interface Influence The percent of particles that inherit the motion of the object-based emitter at the moment of particle formation.
TIP InterParticle Collisions, Deflector Binding, and Bubble Noise do not get along well together. Particles may leak through the deflector when these three are used together. Instead of bubble motion, use animated mapping. Use facing particles with an animated map of a bubble, where the bubble is smaller than the map size. The bubble is animated moving around the map. This simulates bubble motion at the map level.
Particle Spawn Rollout Create panel > Geometry button > Choose Particle Systems from the drop-down list. > Object Type rollout > SuperSpray/Blizzard/Parray/PCloud > Particle Spawn rollout Select a SuperSpray/Blizzard/Parray/PCloud emitter. > Modify panel > Particle Spawn rollout The options on the Particle Spawn rollout let you specify what happens to particles when they die, or when they collide with a particle deflector.
Interface Particle Spawning Effects group Choose one of these options to determine what happens to the particles at either collision or death.
None Uses none of the spawning controls, and the particles act as they normally would. That is, upon collision, they either bounce or stick, depending on Particle Bounce settings in the deflector, and on death they disappear. Die After Collision Particles disappear when they strike a deflector to which they're bound, such as the SDeflector. Persist The life, in frames, that the particle will persist after the collision.
Direction Chaos group Chaos Specifies the amount by which the direction of the spawned particle can vary from the direction of the parent particle. A setting of 0 means no variance. A setting of 100 causes the spawned particle to travel in any random direction. A setting of 50 causes the spawned particle to deviate from its parent's path by up to 90 degrees. Speed Chaos group These options let you vary the spawned particles' speed randomly in relation to their parents' speed.
Scale Chaos group These options apply random scaling to the particles. Factor Determines a random percentage range of scaling of the spawned particles relative to their parents, and dependent on the options below. Down Randomly scales down spawned particles to be smaller than their parents, based on the Factor value. Up Randomly scales up spawned particles to be larger than their parents. Both Scales spawned particles both larger and smaller than their parents.
rather than the lifespan specified for the original particles in the Life spinner on the Particle Generation rollout on page 3049. List window Displays a list of lifespan values. The first value on the list is used for the first generation of spawned particles, the next value is used for the next generation, and so on. If there are fewer values on the list than there are spawnings, then the last value is used repeatedly for all remaining spawnings.
Load/Save Presets Rollout Create panel > Geometry button > Choose Particle Systems from the drop-down list. > Object Type rollout > SuperSpray/Blizzard/Parray/PCloud > Load/Save Presets rollout Select a SuperSpray/Blizzard/Parray/PCloud emitter. > Modify panel > Load/Save Presets rollout These options let you store preset values that can be used in other, related particle systems.
Save Saves the current name in the Preset Name field and places it in the Saved Presets window. Delete Deletes the selected items in the Save Presets window. NOTE Animated parameter values subsequent to frame 0 are not stored.
Animation 15 3ds Max gives you a variety of different ways to create animation, and a wealth of tools for managing and editing animation. See the following links for documentation of some of the animation methods in 3ds Max: ■ Animation Concepts and Methods on page 3078 provides information about basic animation with 3ds Max. ■ Animation in 3ds Max is accomplished by means of controllers; Working with Controllers on page 3101 gives you an overview of how they work.
Animation Concepts and Methods With 3ds Max, you can create 3D computer animation for a variety of applications. You can animate characters or vehicles for computer games, or you can animate special effects for film or broadcast . You can create animation for serious purposes such as medical illustration or forensic presentation in the courtroom. Whatever reason you have to animate, you'll find 3ds Max a capable environment for achieving your goals. The basic way to animate is quite simple.
Animation Concepts Animation is based on a principle of human vision. If you view a series of related still images in quick succession, you perceive them as continuous motion. Each individual image is referred to as a frame. A frame is a single image in an animated film. Traditional Animation Method Historically, the main difficulty in creating animation has been the effort required of the animator to produce a large number of frames.
Once all of the keyframes and tweens were drawn, the images had to be inked or rendered to produce the final images. Even today, production of a traditional animation usually requires hundreds of artists to generate the thousands of images needed. The frames marked 1,2, and 3 are key frames. The other frames are tweens. The 3ds Max Method This program is your animation assistant. As the master animator, you create the keyframes that record the beginning and end of each animated sequence.
The object's position at 1 and 2 are the keyframed models at different times. The computer generates the in-between frames. Comparing Frames and Time Traditional animation methods, and early computer animation programs, are rigidly locked to the concept of producing animation frame by frame. This is okay if you always work in a single format or do not need to specify an animated effect at a precise time. Unfortunately, animation comes in many formats.
Different animation formats have differing frame rates. 3ds Max is a time-based animation program. It measures time, and stores your animation values, with an internal precision of 1/4800 of a second. You can configure the program to display time in a format best suited for your work, including traditional frames format. See Time Configuration on page 7565. Many of the examples in the following sections describe time using the frames method for the sake of tradition and familiarity.
Track View Provides detailed animation editing capabilities in several floating or dockable windows. See Track View on page 3503. Track Bar Provides quick access to keyframes and interpolation controls. Can be expanded for function curve editing. See Track Bar on page 7531. Motion Panel Use this panel to adjust transform controllers that affect all position, rotation, and scale animation. See Working with Controllers on page 3101.
Keys are not created at time 0 until you create at least one key at another time. After that, you can move, delete, and re-create keys at time 0. Turning Auto Key on has the following effects: ■ The Auto Key button, the time slider, and the border of the active viewport turn red to indicate you are in animation mode. ■ Whenever you transform an object or change an animatable parameter, the software creates keys at the current frame, as indicated by the time slider position.
The results of changing an object or any other parameters with Auto Key off varies according to whether or not the object or parameters have been animated yet. ■ If you create a new object, or change an object parameter that has not been animated yet, you can work at any time with Auto Key off. The changes you make are constant through the entire animation. For example, you might animate an object bouncing around your scene and then decide to create pads for the object to land on.
Using Set Key Mode The Set Key animation system is designed for the professional character animator who wants be able to try out poses and then commit those poses to keyframes intentionally. It can also be used by any animator to set keys on specific tracks of objects. This way of working allows more control than the Auto Key method, because it gives you the chance to try out ideas and discard them quickly without having to undo work.
In Auto Key mode, the workflow is to turn on Auto Key, move to a point in time, then transform objects or change their parameters. All changes register as keyframes. When you turn off Auto Key mode, you no longer are creating keys. Changes made to objects when Auto Key mode is off are applied globally to the animation. This is referred to as Layout mode. In Set Key mode, the workflow is similar, but the behavior is fundamentally different. Turn on Set Key mode, then move to a point in time.
Using Set Key with Modifiers and Object Parameters When you want to set a key on an object's parameters, and you have the Object Parameters Key Filter selected, every parameter will receive a key, unless you have turned off the parameter track in the Controller window of Track View using Keyable icons. It might be easier to simply Shift+right-click the parameter spinner to set the key.
3 Click the Show Keyable button on the Track View toolbar. 4 Turn off all the other tracks you don't want to keyframe. The red key means the track will be keyed. If you click the red key, it turns to a gray key, which means that track will not be keyed. TIP You can toggle multiple tracks as keyable by using the Controller menu > Keyable command. When you are finished, minimize or close Track View. 5 Click the Key Filters button, and turn on the Filters to choose the tracks you want keyframed.
TIP To move the pose to another point in time, use the right mouse button to press and drag the time slider. This lets you move to another frame number without losing the pose. To animate a vertex using Set Key: 1 Create an editable spline. 2 Select a vertex. 3 Turn on Set Key mode. 4 Move the selected vertex. 5 Click the Set Keys button. Now a controller has been assigned to the vertex. From this point forward, you can animate.
Undo Reverses the effect of the last action. Cut Removes highlighted text to be pasted elsewhere. Copy Copies highlighted text to be pasted elsewhere. Paste Inserts cut or copied text into the editable field. Delete Removes highlighted text. Select All Highlights all text within the active editable field. NOTE In order for Select All to work, the text cursor must be active in the field that you right-click to open the menu.
equivalent to creating a wire parameter on page 3322 in the viewport between two parameters. Edit Wire Opens the Parameter Wiring dialog on page 3324 expanded and positioned to show the wire controller assigned to the selected parameter. NOTE Edit Wire is available only if a two-way connection on page ?is currently applied on the right-clicked parameter. Show in Track View Opens a Track View - Curve Editor window, titled “Selected,” expanded and positioned to show the selected parameter.
Controlling Key Bracket Display Animation panel of the Preference Settings dialog You can control the display of key brackets using options in the Preference Settings dialog > Animation panel on page 7772. Creating Transform Keys with the Time Slider You can use the time slider on page 7528 to create transform keys by copying transform values from one time to another.
You set parameters in the Create Key dialog: Source Time Specifies the time from which transform values will be copied. Destination Time Specifies the time where the key will be created. Position, Rotation, Scale Determine which transform key values will be copied to the destination time. When you click OK, new keys for the specified transforms are created at the destination time, using values from the source time.
Lock keys are useful when you want an object to be stationary, but smooth interpolation is causing it to "wobble" on its stationary spot. To create a lock key: 1 From the Customize menu, choose Customize User Interface. 2 On the Customize User Interface dialog, click the Quads tab, and then, from the drop-down list at the upper right of the dialog, choose Animation. 3 Click the top-left quadrant of the four gray squares that comprise the quad menus. The quad turns yellow.
Choosing the Time Display Format When you start 3ds Max, the default time display is in frames, but you can use alternative time-display formats. For example, you might want to see time in seconds and minutes. You can specify different time-display formats using the Time Configuration dialog on page 7565 > Time Display group settings.
Frames Displays time in whole frames. This is the default display mode. The amount of time covered by a single frame depends on your choice for the current frame rate. For example, in NTSC video each frame represents 1/30th of a second. SMPTE Displays time using the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers format. This is the standard time-display format for most professional animation work. From left to right, the SMPTE format displays minutes, seconds, and frames, delineated by colons.
The default setting for the active time segment runs from frames 0 to 100, but you can set it to any range. You can also increase the active time segment using the track bar on page 7531. Rescaling the Active Time Segment You use the Re-scale Time button on the Time Configuration dialog on page 7565 to change your entire animation based on the active time segment. Use Re-scale Time as follows: ■ Scale all animation in the active time segment to fit within a new time range.
controls area. You can also move through time using the playback control buttons. Using the Time Slider The time slider shows you the current time, and lets you move to any time in your active time segment. To change the current time using the time slider, do one of the following: 1 Drag the time slider. 2 Click in the empty track to either side of the time slider. 3 Click the increment arrows at either end of the time slider.
Next Frame/Key on page 7563 Go To End on page 7563 They work like VCR controls that you use to move through frames and to start and stop animation playback. Choosing a Frame Rate and Playback Speed The frame rate of an animation is expressed in frames per second (FPS). This is the number of frames the software displays and renders for every second of real time.
different playback speeds are also useful when using the Motion Capture utility on page 3798. Active Viewport Only: Animation plays only in the active viewport. Turn this off and the animation will play in all four viewports at once. Speed: Choose one of these options to multiply the frame rate by the selected speed. Direction: When Real Time is off you have the option to change the direction of the animation playback. Choosing Reverse will play the animation from end to start.
TIP For fast access to key info or controller parameters, double-click a controller track name on the Motion panel or Track View hierarchy window . This productivity enhancement can help speed your work when fine-tuning animation. Although 3ds Max has many different types of controllers, much of the animation is handled by the Bezier controller on page 3138. Bezier controllers interpolate between keyframes in a smooth curve.
Understanding Controllers Controllers are plug-ins that handle all of the animation tasks in 3ds Max, including: ■ Storing animation key values. ■ Storing procedural animation settings. ■ Interpolating between animation key values. Most animatable parameters don't receive a controller until you animate them.
Compound Controllers: Combine or manage multiple controllers. Compound controllers include high-level Transform controllers, such as PRS on page 3220, the Euler XYZ Rotation controller on page 3151, the Transform Script controller on page 3261, and the List controller on page 3194. A compound controller appears in the Hierarchy list as a controller icon with subordinate-level branches of other controllers. Controllers and Constraints In addition to controllers, the software can animate using constraints.
Reading Controller Types You can tell a lot about how a parameter is animated by looking at the controller type. Parameter Name: Is always visible and is always to the right of the controller icon. It tells you what is animated. Interpolation Type: Usually follows the parameter name. It tells how animation values are calculated. The label Diffuse: Bezier Color indicates a Diffuse color parameter using Bezier interpolation with Color data. Data Type: Usually follows the interpolation type.
To view controller properties in Curve Editor: Do one of the following: ■ Highlight the label for a parametric or compound controller, right-click the label, and then choose Properties from the shortcut menu to display the properties dialog. The dialog title identifies the controller type, the item or object name, and the parameter. For example: Noise Controller:-Box01\Position ■ Double-click the label. You can also view global properties for some transform controllers in the Motion panel.
To view key information for transform controllers in the track bar: 1 Select an animated object. 2 Right-click any key in the track bar. 3 From the right-click menu, choose the property to inspect (e.g., Sphere01: X Position), or, if available, choose Controller Properties. Changing Controllers That Do Not Display Properties Some controller types do not display any properties in Track View or the Motion panel.
If a parameter has already been animated, then assigning a new controller has one of the following effects: ■ The existing animation values are recalculated to produce a similar animation with the new controller. For example, replacing TCB Position with Bezier Position closely preserves the animation. ■ The existing animation values are discarded. For example, replacing Smooth Rotation with Noise Rotation discards the Smooth Rotation animation values.
Copying and Pasting Controllers Right-click any blank area on the Track View toolbars, then choose Show Toolbars > Controllers: Track View. This displays the Controller toolbar with buttons for quick access to controller tools. Click Copy and Paste on the Track View toolbar to copy and paste controllers. For a general discussion of using Copy and Paste, see Copying and Pasting Items on page 3645.
Specifying Default Controllers You can specify the permanent defaults for controller types and controller settings to match the way you prefer to work. The following defaults are written to the 3dsmax.ini file: ■ The default controller used for each data type ■ The default controller settings Specifying Default Controllers You specify default controllers by choosing Controller > Assign from on the Track View menu (see Assigning Controllers on page 3107).
controller. For example, with a Bezier controller you can set the In and Out tangents. NOTE The default Rotation controller is Euler XYZ, not TCB (Quaternion) as in earlier versions of the software. The default Position controller is now Position XYZ, instead of TCB Position. Only Scale is still Bezier as a default. Euler XYZ Rotation behaves quite differently from TCB. It gives you three function curves to manipulate, but does not allow rotations of greater than 180 degrees between keys.
■ Constant velocity control. You can adjust the key interpolation by choosing among different tangent types in the Key Info dialog. . TCB Controllers The TCB controller on page 3258 produces curve-based animation like Bezier controllers. However, TCB controllers use fields to adjust the Tension, Continuity, and Bias of the animation. Use TCB controllers when you want adjustable, curved interpolation between keys, and you want to use TCB style controls.
individually. This has advantages over rotation controllers like TCB that do not display function curves at all. XYZ controllers are now the default for rotation animation. You can adjust the interpolation between keys using the Key Info dialog. Audio Controllers The Audio controller on page 3135 converts the amplitude of a recorded sound file or real-time sound wave into values that can be used by an animated parameter. Use the Audio controller to synchronize parameter values with a sound file.
parameters using mathematical expressions, functions, and variables. The code can include values based on the controllers of other objects in the animation. NOTE You can replicate some functions of Expression and Script controllers without having to write code by using parameter wiring or Reaction controllers. See Parameter Wiring Dialog on page 3324 and Reaction Controllers on page 3222.
You can also use Keyable Icons to turn on or off tracks for editing. This allows you to set keys on only specified PRS X, Y or Z axes as well. See Keyable Icons on page 3563. See also: ■ Position XYZ Controller on page 3219 ■ General-Purpose Controllers on page 3111 ■ Euler XYZ Rotation Controller on page 3151 ■ Scale XYZ Controller on page 3246 Interface NOTE These commands are not available in the default user interface.
Boolean Controller The Boolean Controller is a variation on the On/Off controller. It provides a similar functionality, but with one significant difference. The on/off state of the parameter does not switch automatically every time you add a key. This allows you to effectively add keys in the middle of a sequence without creating unintended drastic changes. Waveform Controller A Waveform controller on page 3265 generates values by combining periodic waveforms.
Transform Script Controller The Transform Script controller on page 3261 contains all of the information contained in a PRS Controller in one scripted matrix value. Instead of having three separate tracks for position, rotation, and scale, all three values can be simultaneously accessed from one script controller dialog. Because the transform values are defined by a script, they are easier to animate. The value of the controller script must be a matrix3 value.
Controlling Rotation Below the Transform controller is the Rotation controller. Rotation is a data type that can use most of the standard controllers such as TCB, Linear, and Noise. Rotations in 3D are very complex. Even the standard controller types behave differently when used for rotation. The most common way of calculating rotations in 3D animation uses four components to define rotation about an arbitrary axis. This is the quaternion method.
angle of rotation about each of the X, Y, and Z axes. Euler XYZ Rotation is the default controller applied to all objects. Euler XYZ is not as smooth as quaternion rotation, but it is the only rotation type that you can use to edit rotation function curves. Euler angles are well suited for animating mechanical rotations. They can also be a good choice for an object in an inverse kinematics chain because IK Rotational joints are defined as Euler angles.
The Point3 Key Value fields do not clamp at the valid color range of 0 to 255. Values that drop below 0 or exceed 255 are ignored by the color parameter but are still displayed in Track View. Bezier Color Controller The Bezier Color controller (see Bezier Controllers on page 3138) is a data type that uses Bezier key interpolation. You can use RGB or HSV color models with the Bezier Color controller. The choice of color model is global for all keys used by the controller.
Barycentric Morph Controller The Barycentric Morph controller on page 3137 is also a TCB controller like the Cubic Morph controller, except that instead of each key representing a single target, each key represents a series of weights for all targets. A Barycentric Morph key represents a new object which is a blending of all targets. You can adjust each morph key to percentages of the available morph targets, creating subtle adjustments in the animation.
The Trajectories rollout displays the path an object travels over time. Controls to convert splines into trajectories, trajectories into splines, and to collapse any transform controller into editable keys are also available by choosing Motion panel > Trajectories. NOTE The state of the Trajectory check box under Display in the Object Properties dialog on page 305 (and on the Display panel > Display Properties rollout) controls whether trajectories will be visible for an object.
Procedures To display an object’s trajectory: 1 Select an animated object that moves over time. 2 Right-click the object and choose Properties. Trajectory is not available. 3 In the Display Properties group, click By Layer to change this button to By Object. Skip this step if By Object is already displayed. Trajectory becomes available. 4 Turn on Trajectory, then click OK. The Trajectory is displayed as a red line with white squares and dots. The white squares are keys, the white dots are in-betweens.
3 Click Delete Key in the Trajectories rollout of the Motion panel. The key is deleted. To transform keys on a trajectory: 1 Select one or more objects. 2 On the Motion panel, click Trajectories. 3 Click Sub-Object to activate Keys and enable editing. 4 Select one or more keys and use the transform tools on the Main toolbar to move, rotate, or scale the selected keys. Interface Sub-Object Enables key editing.
Sample Range group Start Time/End Time Specifies the interval for the conversion. If you're converting from position keyframes to a spline object, this is the time interval for which the trajectory will be sampled. If you're converting from a spline object to position keys, this is the interval over which the new keys will be placed. Samples Sets the number of samples for the conversion.
Collapse Collapses the transform of the selected object. Position, Rotation, Scale Specifies which transforms you want to collapse. You must choose at least one check box to activate the Collapse button. PRS Parameters Rollout Select an object > Motion panel > Parameters > PRS Parameters rollout The PRS Parameters rollout provides tools for creating and deleting keys. PRS stands for the three basic transform controllers: Position, Rotation, and Scale.
Interface Create Key/Delete Key Creates or deletes a move, rotate, or scale key at the current frame. These buttons become active or inactive depending on the existence of a key type at the current frame. For example, if you're on a frame containing a Scale key, the Scale button is inactive in the Create column because a key already exists. At the same time, the Position and Rotation buttons are inactive in the Delete column because there are no keys of that type to delete.
See also: ■ Key Info (Advanced) Rollout/Dialog on page 3131 Procedures To set the tangent type for a key: 1 Select an object and open the Key Info (Basic) rollout. 2 Use the arrows in the upper-left corner of the dialog to select a key. 3 Choose a tangent type from the In or Out tangent flyouts. Interface Key number Shows the current key number. Click the right or left arrows to go to the next or previous key. Time Specifies at what time the key occurs.
NOTE In the Key Info dialog for the Bezier Scale controller, a Lock button is displayed beside the X Scale spinner. If you click Lock X, only the X value affects all three axes of scale. The Y and Z values are ignored and their function curves are not displayed. When X is locked, the Y and Z values aren't affected by changes in the X value. If you click Lock X when all three axes are at identical values, alter the X value, and then unlock X.
TIP You can also set the default tangent type through the Default In-Out Tangents For New Keys on page 7557 flyout. By doing so, each new key created with Set Key Mode or Auto Key Mode follows the curve interpolation set by the default tangent type. Smooth Creates smooth interpolation through the key. Linear Creates linear interpolation at the key. A linear tangent affects the curve near the key only.
Custom Displays adjustable tangent handles at the key in Function Curves mode in 3ds Max. Flat Tangent Displays a smooth interpolation type designed to eliminate overshoot with no editable handles. Tangent slopes automatically take the most direct route to the next key value. See also: ■ Default In/Out Tangents For New Keys on page 7557 Key Info (Advanced) Rollout/Dialog Select an animated object. > Motion panel > Parameters > Key Info (Advanced) rollout Make a selection.
Procedures To set normalize time for a key: 1 Select an object and choose a key to Normalize. You can use the arrows in the Key Info (Basic) rollout to step through Keyframes. 2 In the Key Info (Advanced) rollout, click Normalize Time. The key is moved in time to average the velocity through the key. Interface In/Out The In field is the rate of change as the parameter approaches the key. The Out field is the rate of change as the parameter leaves the key.
Constant Velocity When on, interpolates values between the key and the next one so that the object moves at a constant velocity across that curve segment. Available only with certain controller types, such as Bezier. Free Handle Used for automatically updating the length of the tangent handle. When this is turned off, the length of the tangent is at a fixed percentage from its neighboring key. As you move a key, the handles adjust to stay the same percentage away from the neighboring keys.
■ Rotation controllers: for animating rotation of objects and selection sets ■ Scale controllers: for animating the scale of objects and selection sets ■ Transform controllers: for animating general transforms (position, rotation, and scale) of objects and selection sets To change an assigned controller, use Controller > Assign on page 3593 in Track View or in the Motion panel on page 7663.
Position Constraint on page 3303 Position XYZ Controller on page 3219 PRS Controller on page 3220 Reaction Controllers on page 3222 Scale XYZ Controller on page 3246 Script Controller on page 3248 Slave Parameters Dialog (Block Controller) on page 3284 Smooth Rotation Controller on page 3253 Spring Controller on page 3253 Surface Constraint on page 3293 TCB Controllers on page 3258 Transform Script Controller on page 3261 Waveform Controller on page 3265 See also: ■ Working with Controllers on page 3101 ■
The Audio controller works with most parameters in Track View, including: ■ Transforms ■ Float values ■ Point3 values (color) Audio controller assigned to the scale track of this object Procedures To animate the Z axis scale of a box using a sound file: 1 Create a box. 2 In the Track View hierarchy, select the Scale track. 3 On the Track View menu, click Controller > Assign, and choose the AudioScale controller. The Audio Controller dialog appears. 4 Select Choose Sound, and select a .wav file.
Barycentric Morph Controller Select an object. > Create panel > Geometry > Compound Objects > Morph The Barycentric on page 7920 Morph controller is automatically applied when a morph object is created in Create > Geometry > Compound Objects > Morph. Morph targets are selected and keys are created at different times to morph the original object into the shape of the Morph Targets. NOTE The Morpher modifier provides an alternative to the Morph controller to morph objects.
Interface After assigning the Barycentric Morph controller in Create panel > Compound Objects > Morph, then morph parameters for the controller display in the Modify panel and in the Barycentric Controller Key Info dialog, which is displayed by right-clicking over a morph key in Track View — Dope Sheet or the track bar. See Morph Compound Object on page 709 for Morph parameters. Bezier Controllers Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Select a track in the Track View hierarchy.
To normalize time for a key: 1 Select an object, and then choose a key to normalize. You can use the arrows in the Key Info (Basic) rollout to step through keyframes. 2 On the Motion panel, in the Key Info (Advanced) rollout, click Normalize Time. The key is moved in time to average the velocity through the key. Interface Motion panel > Parameters > Key Info (Basic) rollout A Key Info dialog with identical parameters to this rollout is available by right-clicking a key in Track View or the track bar.
See Tangent Types on page 3129 for detailed information on each of the available tangent choices. Tangent Copy Copies the tangent type between the tangents of the current key or between the tangents of the previous and next key. Use the arrow buttons on either side of the Key Tangent flyouts. The left arrow of the In tangent copies to the Out tangent of the previous key. The right arrow of the In tangent copies to the Out tangent of the current key.
Controls in the rollout affect velocity in three ways: ■ Control the absolute velocity at a key using the In/Out values ■ Average velocity over a specified amount of time using Normalize Time ■ Force constant velocity from one component key to the next using Constant Velocity In/Out The In field displays the rate of change as the parameter approaches the key. The Out field displays the rate of change as the parameter leaves the key. These fields are active only for keys using the Custom tangent type.
Block Controller Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Expand Global Tracks in the Track View hierarchy. > Block Control Graph Editors > Track View – Curve Editor > Expand Global Tracks in the Track View hierarchy. > Block Control A Block controller is a global List controller on page 3194 that allows you to combine several tracks from multiple objects over a range of time, and group them as "Blocks." These Blocks are then used to re-create the animation anywhere in time.
With this dialog, you can save blocks and then load them later. Blocks are saved as BLK files. Track View Pick Dialog The Track View Pick dialog on page 3286 is displayed when track selection is necessary; for example, when you click Add in the Master Block Parameters dialog. Select tracks in the dialog to include in a block. Valid tracks are shown as darker.
Block Key Properties Dialog Relative Motion Toggles between relative and absolute motion. Start, End Set the first and last frames for this instance of the block (this scales the block instance). Procedures Example: To create a block: 1 Animate two objects moving in the viewports. Make the final keyframe for the objects frame 10. 2 Open Track View — Dope Sheet. 3 On the Track View hierarchy, expand Global Tracks, expand Block Control, and then select Available.
Choose a name that will remind you of the animation in this block. 9 Set the End value to 10, and then click OK. The Block will contain animation between frame 0 and frame 10. 10 Click OK to close the Master Block Parameters dialog. The block has been created, and you can now use it. ■ Once a block is added, a slave controller is added to the controllers on the original tracks. This enables communication between the track and the Block controller.
This creates a new instance of the block, which you can place at a different time. To remove an inserted block: ■ Click to select the block, then press Delete. Interface Inserted blocks appear in the Key window to the right of the MasterBlock controller in the hierarchy under Global Tracks. Block Control track Displays in Track View under Global Tracks. To create a MasterBlock Control, expand Block Control, select Available, and choose Controller > Assign.
Right-click an inserted lock to display the Block Key Properties dialog (described below).
The Boolean controller can be assigned to any parameter that would normally be controlled by a float or boolean class controller, such as a sphere's Hemisphere or Smooth track. Boolean controller key values can be changed in on of two ways: through Track View's Dope Sheet editor or through MAXScript. NOTE Although the Boolean controller displays a function curve in Track View's Curve Editor, it does not display keys. Key time and value must be changed in the Dope Sheet editor.
To change Boolean controller key values via MAXScript: ■ Enter the following into either the MAXScript Listener or Mini Listener:..keys[].value = where is the object containing the Boolean-controlled parameter (for example, $Sphere01, is the parameter itself (for example, Smooth, is the actual sequential number of the key in the key array, and is either 1.0 or 0.0.
Procedures Example: To animate the background color of a rendered animation: 1 Open Track View – Curve Editor. 2 In the Track View hierarchy, expand the Environment track and then select Background Color. 3 On the Track View menu, click Controller > Assign and select the Color RGB controller. 4 Expand the Background Color track. 5 On the Track View toolbar, click Add Keys. 6 Add three keys along the red track at frames 0, 50, 100. 7 Right-click one of the keys to display the Bezier Float dialog.
Euler XYZ Rotation Controller Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Select a rotation track in the Track View hierarchy. > Track View menu bar > Controller menu > Assign > Euler XYZ Graph Editors > Track View – Curve Editor > Select a rotation track in the Track View hierarchy. > Track View menu bar > Controller menu > Assign > Euler XYZ Select an object in the viewport > Motion Panel > Assign Controller rollout > Select the rotation track. Euler XYZ is assigned as the default controller.
On the other hand, TCB rotation allows for rotation greater than 180 degrees on a given keyframe. If you turn on the Rotation Windup on page 3261 option, you can get rotation values greater than 360 degrees. TIP If you’re used to working with TCB rotation, you might find it difficult to adapt to the Euler workflow. In that case, you might want to assign TCB as the default rotation controller. See Specifying Default Controllers on page 3110.
6 In the Create Key group of the PRS Parameters rollout, click Rotation. The software creates a rotational key. 7 Move the time slider to frame 50. 8 Again, in the Create Key group of the PRS Parameters rollout, click Rotation. 9 On the Key Info (Basic) rollout, enter 500 in the Value field. 10 On the Euler Parameters rollout, click the Z rotation axis button and then enter 90 in the Value field of the Key Info (Basic) rollout. Play the animation.
8 In the Rotation List rollout, highlight Euler XYZ in the Layers window, then click Set Active. 9 In the Euler Parameters rollout, change the Axis Order to ZYX. Now you can animate the rotation independent of the LookAt rotation control. It should now behave the same as the Local Euler controller that was available in versions 4 and earlier. Interface Euler parameters are displayed in the Motion panel.
Interface on page 3159 Procedures on page 3156 The Expression controller lets you use mathematical expressions to control the following animation aspects: ■ Object parameters such as length, width, and height ■ Transform and modifier values such as an object's position coordinates You can constrain values by basing them on the controller values of other objects in the scene. An expression is a mathematical function that returns a value.
NOTE Expression controllers can work only with the individual XYZ components of Euler rotation. You can't assign an expression to TCB Rotation or other kinds of rotation controllers. See also: ■ Expression Techniques on page 361 ■ Expression Controller Techniques on page 3161 ■ Trigonometric Functions on page 370 ■ Vectors on page 373 Procedures To assign a constant value to a variable: 1 Highlight the variable name in the Scalars or Vectors list. 2 Click Assign To Constant. A new dialog opens.
3 In the Hierarchy list, scroll down to the Objects branch and, if necessary, expand Sphere01 the branch so the sphere's Position track is visible. Click the Position label to highlight it. 4 In the Hierarchy list, right-click the Position label and then choose Assign Controller The Assign Controller dialog opens. 5 Choose Position Expression from the list of controller types, and then click OK. The Expression Controller dialog opens.
The radius variable is now 150. Next you'll use the new variable in the expression. Example continued: To replace the literal value with the variable name: 1 In the Expression field, change 100 to radius in both places. The expression should now look like this: [ radius*cos(360*NT), radius*sin(360*NT), 0] 2 Click Evaluate. 3 Play the animation. The sphere moves in a circle about the world origin (0,0,0). The radius of the circular path is 150 units.
Interface TIP You can resize the dialog by dragging an edge or a corner. Create Variables group Name The variable name. Scalar/Vector Choose the type of variable to create. Create Creates the variable and adds it to the appropriate list. You must enter a name and specify a type before clicking Create. Delete Deletes the highlighted variable in the Scalar or Vector list. Rename Renames the highlighted variable in the Scalar or Vector list.
Expression group Type an expression in the Expression box. The expression must be a valid mathematical expression. The result is either a three-value vector for a vector expression (position, scale, or point3) or a scalar value for a float expression. Description group Type text in this group to document an expression. For example, you can describe user-defined variables. Function List Displays a list of Expression controller functions.
Expression Controller Techniques This topic summarizes some useful expression techniques. The following topics review trigonometric functions and vector arithmetic. If you’re familiar with these subjects you can skip the review topics. Use these expressions when you have applied an Expression controller using the Assign Controller rollout in the Motion panel. Commonly Used Expressions This topic lists some expressions that you might find useful in situations when you animate.
where Time is one of the predefined time variables such as NT or S; Pos1 and Pos2 are the Position controllers of two other objects. The subexpression (1+sin(360*Time))/2 is a value that oscillates between 0 and 1 over time. (Pos1-Pos2) is the vector between the two other objects. Multiplying the two and then adding Pos2 as an offset locates the object along this vector.
Select layer-enabled object. > Motion Panel > Parameters > Position/Rotation/Scale The Layer Controller dialog provides commands and options related to the Layer controllers in your scene, which the system automatically assigns for you when you enable animation layers on page 3164 on an object. Unlike other controllers, you cannot assign a Layer controller explicitly to a track; you first need to enable layers via the Animation Layers toolbar on page 7508 or the Controller menu of the Curve Editor.
List Window Displays all Layer controllers for the selected object, along with their respective weight value. Set Active Determines on which layer your animation keys are set. The active controller is marked with an arrow in the list. TIP You can also switch between active layers from the drop-down list on the Animation Layers on page 3164 toolbar. Delete Deletes the highlighted controller. A confirmation dialog prompts you before. Copy Copies the highlighted controller's data and enables Paste.
Animation layers let you combine multiple animation tracks on the same object. You can use layers to store your animation experiments as you try them out, turning them on or off to your liking. To enable, add, and control layers, use commands from the Animation Layers toolbar. Using animation layers is comparable to using both the List Controller on page 3194 and biped layer system on page 4403, while it is more flexible and simpler for the animators to use.
NOTE If you layer-enable a controller but do not see a Layer controller appear in the Track View hierarchy window, open and close the Enable Anim Layers dialog again. The original controller before you enable animation layers The Layer controller nests the original controller in its Base Layer. To revert from a Layer controller to the original controller, click Disable Anim Layer on page 3178 on the Animation Layers toolbar.
If the selected object already has a list controller track when you enable layers, that list controller is preserved within the Base Layer of the new Layer controller. The original List controller The new Layer controller nests the List Controller. NOTE You cannot nest a Layer controller within a List controller or another Layer controller.
■ When you select multiple objects that have different active layers, “(Multiple Active Layers)” appears. The drop-down list displays all common layers (that is, with the same name); layers not common to all are unavailable. When you select multiple objects, layers not common to all are unavailable on the drop-down list. ■ You can turn on or off any layer in the expanded list by clicking its light bulb icon. Turning off a layer hides its animation without deleting it.
To toggle a layer's inclusion in the output track, click the plus/minus sign icon. TIP For a procedure that demonstrates how to use this option, see Example: To link two objects with wire parameters using the Layer Controller's output track: on page 3172. Each animation layer has a global weight value which, when changed, impacts every controller within that active layer.
NOTE All animations within an incoming XRef object or scene is preserved within an XRef controller on page 3269. You cannot edit them unless you merge the XRef object or XRef controller into your master scene. If a layer name from the merged or XRef scene matches one from the master scene, both layers become synchronized ; that is, the weight track is instanced to both of them.
2 Open the Curve Editor on page 3518 and locate the teapot's Position track in the hierarchy window. 3 Choose Animation > Animation Layers to open the Animation Layers toolbar. 4 Make sure the teapot is selected, then click Enable Anim Layers. 5 On the Enable Anim Layers dialog, turn on only the Position track, and click OK. The new Layer controller now nests your teapot's animation.
Example: To turn a layer on and off: This procedure discusses turning existing layers on and off. It continues from the previous procedure. 1 On the Animation Layers toolbar, expand the drop-down list. The list currently contains both the original base layer and Noise Layer from the previous procedure. 2 Move your cursor across the list and click the light bulb icon next to Noise Layer. This turns off the layer and hides the Noise controller track from the rest of the tracks.
5 A dashed line appears. Click the teapot and choose the X Output Track from the pop-up menu. 6 The Parameter Wiring dialog on page 3324 opens, with the two highlighted parameters. Click the left directional arrow button to control the cube's position using the teapot's animation.
7 Click Connect and close the window. Drag the time slider and notice how the cube's position in Z matches the teapot's layered animation in X. 8 Select the teapot and expand the layer list from the Animation Layers toolbar. 9 Click the plus sign icon next to the Noise Layer. This excludes the layer from the output track. 10 Drag the time slider again. The cube doesn't move erratically like the teapot. Try including and excluding both layers in the list to see the results.
Example: To copy and paste a layer and update an active layer: This procedure continues from the previous procedure and focuses solely on the teapot. 1 Make sure the teapot is selected and choose Base Layer from the animation layers list to make it active. 2 Click Copy Anim Layer on the Animation Layers toolbar to buffer this layer and the data it contains. 3 Click Paste New Layer. On the Rename Anim Layer dialog, enter “Changes on Z axis” as name and click OK. This new layer becomes the active layer.
Interface Enable Anim Layers Assigns a Layer controller to tracks you specify. NOTE Enabling animation layers does not create a new layer, but rather transfers all chosen controller tracks to the Base Layer. This opens the Enable Anim Layers dialog, which, similar to the Set Key Filters dialog on page 3086, lets you turn on tracks you want to assign a Layer controller to. The Position, Rotation, and Scale tracks are on by default.
Remapping is necessary in this case because enabling Animation Layers causes the full controller names to change. For example, if a sphere's X position track before enabling Animation Layers is Sphere01\Transform\Position\X Position, then after enabling animation layers it might change to Sphere01\Transform\Position\Base Layer\X Position (the layer name is inserted into the controller name).
Add Anim Layer Opens the Create New Animation Layer dialog on page 3180, which lets you specify settings related to the new layer. This adds a new layer to every track that has a Layer controller. Delete Anim Layer Removes the active layer, along with the data it contains. A confirmation dialog prompts you before deletion. NOTE You cannot delete the Base Layer. Alternatively, Click Disable Anim Layer on page 3178 to removes the Layer controller entirely.
Layer Properties Dialog Right-click unused area of any toolbar. > Animation Layers > Create New Animation Layer This dialog provides global options in regards to collapsing animation layers on page 3164 and isolating the active layer from the rest. Interface Collapse To Sets the controller type for when you collapse a controller track onto a non-keyable controller track, such as a Noise controller.
■ Range When chosen, a key is set on every frame of the animation range you specify. Start/End Sets the collapse range boundaries. Collapse To Keys Only, When Possible When you collapse a layer, the keys are merged only when the respective controllers are of the same type, same tangent types, and Blend Eulers As Quats is on. Default=on. Mute Layers Above Active Layer When on, you see the effects of the layers only up to the active layer, inclusively.
[controller type] Determines the controller type to assign to each track within the animation layer. ■ Duplicate the Active Controller Type The new layer's controller type becomes the same as the one from the active layer, on a per-track basis. For example, if a track in the active layer has a Noise controller, adding a new layer copies that controller type.
Use of the Limit controller makes it faster to set up and create animation. It eliminates the need for expressions or scripts to do the same thing, this improving the ease with which you can set up automation in hierarchies and rigs, creating effects such as avoiding collision, FK joint limits, etc. For example, a Technical Director might want to assign limits to float values that animators will adjust to make posing easier, enforce standards, or prevent inconsistencies and mistakes.
■ You apply a Noise controller to the X Rotation track of a window shutter object to make it rattle, but the object intersects the building at the lower end of its motion range. Apply a Limit controller to the track and set the Lower Limit value to prevent the intersection. ■ Following from the previous example, say the wind tears the window shutter from the building at frame 100.
2 Assign the Float Limit controller to a track. In this example, we'll assign it to the X Position track. This opens the Float Limit Controller dialog, where you can set limits and other values, but you might find it easier to do this interactively, so for now just accept the defaults by closing the dialog. The track retains its original name (X Position, in this example), but the icon has changed to indicate that it's now a Limit controller, and is expandable (see illustration in following step).
Because the original X-axis movement falls within the default limits, the two tracks are identical. 5 Scrub the animation until the X-axis position is where you want to set a limit. In this example, the position is about -20, where we'll set a lower limit. 6 Highlight the X Position track, and then right-click and from the right-click menu choose Limit Controller > Set Lower Limit.
The graph curve is now clipped below the lower limit. When you scrub the animation, the object doesn't move beyond that position. 7 Again scrub the animation, stop where you want to set the upper limit, right-click the X Position track, and choose Limit Controller > Set Upper Limit.
In this example, we've set it at about 13. The graph curve is now clipped above the upper limit and below the lower limit. The resulting motion is likewise constrained. 8 Scrub the animation. The motion on the X axis is limited at both extremes; wherever the object originally moved beyond the limits, it now behaves as though it's hitting a wall. 9 Again compare the two tracks.
13 Highlight the X Position track, and then right-click and choose Limit Controller > Copy Limit Only. 14 Highlight the Y Position track, and then right-click and choose Limit Controller > Paste Limit Only. When the Paste dialog opens, click OK to confirm the paste as a copy. Now the Y Position track is also limited, using the same extents as the X Position track, but retaining its original underlying motion. To verify this, compare the Y Position track with its child Limited Controller track.
Note that there's an upper limit to this value; in this case, it's 34.434. This limit is determined by the values of the other three settings on the dialog. 19 Try increasing the Lower Limit group > Smoothing Buffer. It's not possible with the upper smoothing value at its maximum. 20 Decrease the upper smoothing value, and then increase the lower smoothing value. Now you get smoothing at both the upper and lower limits.
Float Limit Controller dialog The Float Limit Controller dialog opens when you first assign the Limit controller, or when you right-click a highlighted Limit-controller track and choose Properties. Enable Toggles the Limit controller. When off, the original values of the limited track are in effect. When on, the original values are limited by the Upper Limit and Lower Limit values.
Smoothing Buffer Specifies a smoothing value, so that clipped values at the beginning and end of a clipped range gradually increase and decrease instead of leveling off abruptly. The maximum total smoothing is determined by the Upper and Lower Limit values. (Upper Limit > Smoothing Buffer value) + (Lower Limit > Smoothing Buffer value) cannot exceed this total.
Limit Controller right-click menu To access the Limit Controller right-click menu, highlight a Limit Controller track in the Track View hierarchy, and then right-click the track and move the cursor to the Controllers quadrant > Limit Controller menu item. NOTE After using Copy Limit Only on a Limit controller track, you can apply a new Limit controller with the same limits to any track by invoking Paste Limit Only. Toggle Limit Turns the Limit controller on and off.
Set Lower Limit Sets a value/key in the Lower Limit track at the current frame equal to the value at the current frame of the limited track. If there is only one key, the value of the limit is constant over time. Remove Limit Deletes the Limit controller, restoring the original controller without limits. Copy Limit Only Copies only the Limit values and ignores the limited controller of the highlighted track.
Procedures To assign a Linear controller: 1 Select an animated object. 2 In the Motion panel > Parameters > Assign Controller rollout, select the Position track in the list window. 3 Click Assign Controller, and then select Linear Position in the Assign Controller dialog. The animated object has a mechanical motion. You can also assign this controller in Track View. Interface No Properties dialog is available for Linear controllers. You can, however, move keys in Track View to change the animation.
The List controller combines multiple controllers into a single effect. It is a compound controller with tools for managing the order in which its internal controllers are calculated. Controllers are evaluated in top-to-bottom order. In addition, you can specify a Weight setting for each controller in the list to determine its relative influence. When you assign a List controller to a parameter, the current controller is moved one level below the List controller; it becomes the first controller in the list.
5 Choose the Position List in the Assign Position Controller dialog. Click OK. 6 Click the plus sign in the Position track to expand the track. A Position XYZ track and a track labeled Available are now visible. 7 Click the track named Available and then click the Assign Controller button. 8 Choose Noise Position in the Assign Controller dialog, and then click OK. The Noise Controller dialog opens. 9 Play the animation. The box follows the original animated path but vibrates randomly.
Set Active Determines which controller is affected by interactive changes in the viewport. The current active controller is marked with an arrow in the list. For example, you have an object using a Position List, with Noise Position and Bezier Position in the list. The Bezier Position controller handles the general motion path of the object, while the Noise Position controller adds a random shake to the motion. ■ If Bezier Position is the active controller, you can freely move the object in the scene.
Editable Name Field Select one of the controllers in the list window of the Controller list, and then enter a descriptive name in this field. This field lets you rename the controller so it's easier to identify. Local Euler XYZ Rotation Controller This controller is no longer available. You can, however, still edit objects that were assigned this controller previously.
Each axis uses its own independent controller using the float data type. For example, the X and Y rotation axes could use Bezier Float controllers, while the Z Rotation axis uses a Noise Float controller. Look At Controller Create or select an object that contains a Target component, such as a target spotlight or camera.
Interface After you create or select an object that contains a Target component, you can access the object's Look At properties on the Motion panel. In this rollout you can change the target, create and delete animation keys, set the axis, and adjust other, related parameters. Create Key Sets a position, roll (orientation), or scale key at the current frame, depending on which button you click.
Axis Specifies the local axis that looks at the target. The Flip check box is used to flip the directions of the axis. Use Target as Up Node When turned on, the controller forces the object on which it acts (source node) to keep one of its local axes aligned with the look-at direction (the vector between the source node and the target node). it also prevents the source node from rotating around the look-at direction, to avoid flipping about the object's local Z axis.
or FFD. By allowing you to select and move all the sub keys, visually correlate keys to points in the viewports, and change key properties quickly, this controller helps to manage the numerous tracks created when animating vertices, control points, and vectors. The Master Point controller is displayed as a track with green keys in Track View. Sub tracks below the Master track contain all the animated vertices, control points, and vectors.
Interface Master Track Keys While in the Track View – Dope Sheet, selecting a master key (green) selects all the sub keys at that frame. If hundreds of vertices are animated, collapse the master track so that only the master track is visible. Moving the green keys will move all the sub keys. Master Track Key Info dialog Right-click a green master key in Track View to display the Master Track Key Info dialog on page 3282.
NOTE Rotation Motion Capture uses Euler rotations with an X, Y, Z axis order and is subject to the limitations of Euler rotations. See Euler XYZ Rotation Controller on page 3151. The Motion Capture System To use motion capture in 3ds Max, you follow these steps: 1 In Track View — Dope Sheet or Motion panel, you assign motion capture animation controllers to the specific tracks you want controlled by external devices.
NOTE You can open the Motion Capture dialog by selecting the Position track in the Assign Controller list window, and then right-click and select Properties. 5 In the Mouse Input Device rollout, make sure that horizontal is turned on and Scale is set to 1. 6 In Utilities panel > Motion Capture, click Box01 > Position in the Track list window. Click Start in the Record Controls group. Real-time recording is in effect; move the mouse horizontally back and forth. The box moves back and forth along the X axis.
Track Name Names the Motion Capture Data track. This overrides the default naming convention. Mouse Input Device rollout This rollout controls animation using the horizontal or vertical motion of the mouse. The available settings include: Horizontal/Vertical Specifies which mouse motion drives the animation. Scale Scales the relative effect of the mouse movement to the animation response. Spinner Value=float, 0 to 999,999 Flip Flips the direction of the response relative to the mouse movement.
Assign Click and then press any key. The assigned key is displayed in the list window at right. List Open the list to select a key. Envelope Graph group The Envelope Graph group displays a representation of the amplitude curve over time. Envelope Parameters group These options specify the time the envelope of the action takes effect. This relates to the duration of pressing and releasing the key. Attack Specifies the time, after pressing the key, for the value to reach its maximum level.
Release After releasing the key, specifies the time for the value to fade out to zero. Parameter Scaling group Provides controls for setting the scale of the envelope and the range of the output value. Time Specifies the scale of the Attack, Decay, and Release parameters. The value represents the number of seconds for 1 unit. For example, if this value is 1.0, then an Attack value of 1.0 equals 1 second. Range Sets the maximum output value of the controller.
Joystick Buttons group Point-of-View Hat (Left-Right, Up-Down) A mini joystick on the tip of the main joystick that specifies the direction of the animation 1, 2, 3, 4 Specifies one of four buttons in the Sidewinder joystick. They work similarly to the Point-of-View Hat, except that each button increases a direction value only while pressed. When you release the button, the value returns to zero (centered). Inc.
This group provides controls that let you derive the direction of movement from a Rotation controller. These options are used primarily when you're animating a first-person flythrough such as when you're controlling a camera. NOTE The items in this group are only available when Accumulate is selected in the Joystick Axis group. Controller Assigns a Rotation Motion Capture controller where the direction will be derived. Typically, this would be the Rotation controller of the camera you're moving.
MIDI Device rollout MIDI Channel group This group contains 16 buttons. You can assign a channel to your MIDI device. MIDI Trigger group Here, you define the type of MIDI event (message) that will drive the motion. There are four options; Note, Velocity, Pitch Bend and MIDI controller.
NOTE Turn on to let the note number or pitch define the output value. The value is derived from where the note falls within the Note Range, specified in the group below. When the note is at the bottom of the range, the value takes on the Min value specified in the Parameter Scaling group. When the note is at the top of the range, the value takes on the Max value from the same group. Anything in between is interpolated between the Min and Max values. (Note that Min doesn't have to be less than Max.
MIDI Channel Viewer Displays a dialog that lets you test your MIDI device to see which MIDI channel is receiving events and which notes are being triggered. Midi Viewer Dialog MIDI Channel group Provides a column of 16 buttons and progress bars representing the 16 MIDI channels. Select the channel where you want to view note activity. The channel progress bars light up when any channel has an event.
MIDI Note group The 11 Octave buttons let you select which octave you want to view. When a note is played in that octave, a corresponding progress bar lights up in the Note column. MIDI Controller When using a different type of MIDI controller, such as a slider box, you can specify a note event, and then watch the corresponding progress bar light up when you activate that event. (You can find the correct note number by activating the event while watching the Note Number field in the group below.
The Noise controller produces random, fractal-based animation over a range of frames. Noise controllers are parametric; they work on a range of frames, but do not use keys. When you assign a Noise controller in Track View or the Motion panel, it is initially applied to all frames in the current time segment. You can change the range of frames by dragging the Noise range bar in Track View. ■ Use Noise whenever you need completely random animation around a given value.
Interface Characteristic Graph Shows a stylized graph of how changing Noise properties affects the Noise curve. Seed Starts the noise calculations. Changing the seed creates a new curve. Frequency Controls the peaks and valleys of the noise curve. The useful range is from 0.01 to 1.0. High values create jagged, heavily oscillating noise curves. Low values create soft, gentle noise curves. Strength fields Sets the value range for noise output. These values can be animated.
Ramp In Sets the amount of time Noise takes to build to its full strength. A value of 0 causes Noise to start immediately at full strength at the start of its range. Any other value causes Noise to start at 0 strength and then build to full strength by the elapsed time set in the Ramp In field. Ramp Out Sets the amount of time Noise takes to fall to 0 strength. A value of 0 causes Noise to stop immediately at the end of its range.
You can view the curve for this controller in the Function Curve display, but it's not editable. In addition, there's no Properties dialog for this controller. NOTE When you load a scene from version 1.x of the software that contains a Visibility controller, the controller is automatically converted to an On/Off controller. See also: ■ Boolean Controller on page 3147 Procedures Example: To use the On/Off controller to control an object's visibility: 1 Create a cylinder, and open Track View.
The On/Off track displays a solid blue color in frames that are On, and no blue in frames that are Off. When you add a key to an On section of the track, the section following that key is turned off. When you add a key to an Off section, the following section is turned on and colored blue. Position XYZ Controller Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Select a position track in the Track View hierarchy.
4 Turn on Auto Key and create three keys that move the sphere on the XY plane. 5 In the Assign Controller rollout, expand the position track and select Z Position. 6 Click Assign Controller, and then select Noise Float. 7 Play the animation. The sphere moves around the keys that were created earlier. The random up and down movement in the Z axis is generated by the noise controller on the Z track. This effect can also be created using the List Controller to combine controllers.
Graph Editors > Track View – Curve Editor > Select a transform track in the Track View hierarchy. > Track View menu bar > Controller menu > Assign > Position/Rotation/Scale The Position/Rotation/Scale (PRS) controller is the default Transform controller for most objects. Use it for all general-purpose transforms. Procedures To create PRS Transform keys: 1 Select an object. 2 Click Motion panel > Parameters. 3 Drag the time slider to the frame where you want to place a key.
Interface Motion panel > PRS Parameters rollout Create Key/Delete Key The six buttons in the PRS Parameters rollout let you create or delete a transform key at the current frame. These buttons become active or inactive depending on the existence of a key type at the current frame. For example, if you're on a frame containing a Scale key, the Scale button is inactive in the Create column, because a key already exists.
The Reaction controller is a procedural controller that lets a parameter react to changes in any other parameter in 3ds Max. Typically, most of the setup involving Reaction controllers is done with the Reaction Manager dialog on page 3228. You use the dialog to define a master, which is an object that controls other objects, and, for each master, any number of slaves, which are objects the master controls.
Procedures Example: To make the position of a sphere react to the position of a box: This procedure shows an alternate way to use a Reaction controller. The recommended workflow is to do most of the setup in the Reaction Manager dialog: See Example: To use the Reaction Manager dialog: on page 3229. NOTE Objects don't need to be animated to use Reaction controllers. This procedure starts with animation to make the reaction easier to see.
This places you in a Pick mode where you can choose a motion track from any object in the scene to act as master. 8 In any viewport, click the box (Box01). A pop-up menu appears. 9 From the pop-up menu, choose Transform > Position > X Position. The “Unassigned” text is replaced by a master track labeled “Box01 / X Position”. Also, a new state, State01, appears in the States list.
Next you'll create a second state that tells the sphere how to move on multiple axes as the box moves on one. 10 Move the time slider to frame 50. The box moves to the midpoint of its animated trajectory. The sphere remains where it is. 11 On the Reaction Manager dialog, click the Create State button. This creates a new state (State02) using the current positions of the box and sphere. 12 Try moving the sphere in the Front viewport.
15 Click the Edit Mode button again to turn it off, and then scrub the time slider. As the box moves between frames 0 and 50, the sphere rises to the position specified in the second state. For the third and final state, you'll have the slave move in a different direction over the second half of the master's motion. 16 Go to frame 100, and then create a new state. 17 In the States list, click the new state or its slave track to highlight it. 18 Turn on Edit Mode.
21 From the Set (lower-right) quadrant, choose Delete Selected Animation. This command deletes all animation keys for the current selection. 22 Now move the box in all three dimensions. Any change in the Y or Z position has no effect on the sphere. However, moving the box between -100 and 100 on the X axis, no matter what the Y or Z position, results in changing the sphere's position as specified in the Reaction controller. This procedure gives you a hint of the Reaction controller's power.
Procedures Example: To use the Reaction Manager dialog: The purpose of this procedure is to show you different ways to use Reaction Manager. Before trying it, we suggest that you first follow the introductory procedure in the Reaction Controllers topic: Example: To make the position of a sphere react to the position of a box: on page 3224. 1 Start or reset 3ds Max. 2 In the Perspective viewport, add a box and a sphere object. Also add a Slider manipulator on page 2643, and give it the label Slider.
At this point, the dialog is empty. 5 On the upper toolbar, click Add Master, and then click the Slider manipulator in the Perspective viewport. 6 On the pop-up menu that appears, choose Object (Slider) > value. In the Reactions list, the master entry Slider01 / value appears. 7 On the upper toolbar, click Add Slave, and then click the box in the Perspective viewport. 8 On the pop-up menu that appears, choose Transform > Position > X Position.
13 On the center toolbar, above the States list, click the Append Selected button. This adds the Hemisphere track to State01. Now you can delete the second, superfluous state. 14 In the States list, click the State02 entry, and then on the toolbar above the States list, click the Delete State button. State02 goes away. Currently, the box is where you created it, but you might want it to start out at a different location.
NOTE Your value probably differs from that shown in the illustration. 16 Drag upward to increase the value, or downward to decrease the value. Change the value to about -50.0. You might find it difficult to set an exact value by dragging, which changes only the tenths (and higher) value. You can use the keyboard to specify a more exact value. 17 Double-click the value. The value highlights and becomes an keyboard-editable field. 18 Enter -50 and press Enter or Tab. The value now displays as -50.000.
21 On the main toolbar, click Select And Manipulate, and then drag the slider pointer all the way to the left, so the slider value reads -100.0. 22 In the Reactions (upper) list, click the Box01 / X Position entry to highlight it, and then move the box about -50 units on the X axis, to about X=-100. Highlighting the slave entry lets you manipulate the slaved value interactively in the viewport while Create Mode is on. Then, when you click Create State, a new state is created for that slave only.
26 Turn on Create Mode, and then and in the Reactions list, click the Sphere01 / Hemisphere entry. The Hemisphere parameter is now available. 27 On the Modify panel, set Hemisphere to 0.75. 28 In the Perspective viewport, drag the slider all the way to the right. 29 Click Create State. Reaction Manager adds a third state, State03, with the state (slider) value at 100.0 and the Sphere01 / Hemisphere value at 0.750.
31 If you haven't already, click the Sphere01 / Hemisphere slave entry in the Reactions list, and then click Zoom Extents button below the graph. 32 Click the Add Point button, and then click the middle of the graph curve (it's the red, diagonal line). This adds a new point to the curve and a new state in the States list. 33 Click the Move button, and then drag the new point upward so it's above the right-hand endpoint. 34 Drag the slider again.
Interface The Reaction Manager dialog interface consists of three parts: the Reactions list, the States list, and the graph. Each has its own toolbar or toolbars. Each list contains rows and columns; the column headings employ standard Windows functionality. To resize a column, drag the divider to the right of its heading, or auto-size a column to fit its widest entry by double-clicking the right-side heading divider.
sections proportionally, drag the bottom of the dialog. You can also resize the dialog by dragging a corner or a side. You can use standard methods to highlight list items for further actions. Highlight a single item by clicking it. Highlight multiple consecutive items by clicking the first item and then Shift+clicking the last. Use Ctrl+click to highlight non-contiguous items and to toggle highlighting of a single item.
as master. Alternatively, choose a track in Track View or from the Motion panel > Assign Controller rollout list. Using the pop-up menu, you can choose only a track at the end of the menu hierarchy; for example, Transform > Position > X Position. If you choose the object name from the top of the menu, Reaction Manager lists it as World Space Position, so that you can use its three-dimensional position in the World coordinate system to control its slaves.
for each selected object. Available only when a master is highlighted in the Reactions list and at least one object is selected in the viewports. If multiple masters are highlighted, the slaves are added to the first master in the list. If any states are highlighted in the States list, the new slave or slaves are added to the highlighted states. If no states are highlighted in the States list, Reaction Manager creates a new state with the added slave or slaves.
States list A state describes interaction between a master and its slaves. In each state, you specify a value or values for the master track, and corresponding values for each slave. Then, as a master-track value changes in the scene, the slaved values follow along according to the states' specifications. The States list shows all states for the highlighted reaction in the Reactions list.
Create State Adds a new state to the States list for the current reaction, using the current values for the master and slave parameters. When you create a state, the software gives it a default name (State##) and lists its slave tracks, indented, under the state name. The contents of the new state depend on what's highlighted in the Reactions list. If the master is highlighted, a new state specifies values for the state (i.e., master track) and all of its slaves.
within a state. You can edit a single value (not groups of three in parentheses) by dragging vertically on the value in the table. The following three parameters, which appear as columns in the States list, apply to slaves and are normally controlled via the graph curve. They're available only if the slave has Curve turned off in the Reactions list. These parameters are based on the fact that states can influence one another, so that you get a blending between them.
inserting new ones (that is, new states). The same functions are available by right-clicking the graph, and if you right-click a graph point, you can set it to Corner and two different Bezier types. If you select a Bezier point, you can reshape the curve by moving its handles. You can drag a region to select multiple points, and then edit them together. Use the toolbar under the graph for panning and zooming the graph.
Append Selected Adds a slave to a state in which the slave doesn't currently participate. To use, highlight a slave in the Reactions list, highlight a state in the States list, and then choose Append Selected. Set State Updates the highlighted state (master track) to its current value. For details, see Set State on page 3241. Delete State Deletes any highlighted items in the States list. Edit Slave State Mode Lets you change slaves' values in the current state. For details, see Edit Mode on page 3241.
Position Reaction controller The Position Reaction controller has a set of manipulators to control (or simply display) different reaction values. Reaction cycle manipulator: Click this to cycle among the various reactions in the Reactions list. The display of the manipulators and indicators changes to show their settings for the active reaction. This manipulator is a small yellow circle that appears in the lower-left corner of the active viewport, near the icon for coordinate axes.
Procedures To use manipulators for a position or rotation Reaction controller: (Point3, scale, and float Reaction controllers don't have manipulators.) 1 Select the object that has the Reaction controller assigned to it. 2 On the default Main toolbar, click Select And Manipulate. The manipulators appear in viewports. 3 In the active viewport, drag or click manipulators to adjust the reaction parameters.
single axis, or assign a controller on an axis. For example, after applying a Scale XYZ controller, you could apply a Noise or Waveform controller to an axis to animate that axis independently. The Scale XYZ controller assigns three keys (one for each axis), by default. In previous versions of the software, you had to edit the keys manually in order to create explicit axis keys.
Scale Axis Adjusts an axis using controls in the Motion panel > Key Info rollout. An axis should already have a key to adjust. To create keys, either turn on Auto Key and scale the object, or click Scale in the Create Key group on the PRS Parameters rollout. Script Controller Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Select a track in the Track View hierarchy. > Track View menu bar > Controller menu > Assign > Script Graph Editors > Track View - Curve Editor > Select a track in the Track View hierarchy.
■ They can use MAXScript global variables to communicate and coordinate with other controllers and scripts in the software. Refer to the MAXScript Reference for a complete explanation of this scripting language. Writing Controller Scripts 3ds Max interprets the text you type into the Script text box as the body of a MAXScript block expression. You can type as many expressions as you want on as many lines as you want, and they are evaluated in turn.
NOTE It is especially important to assign nodes and tracks to variables with the corresponding buttons when using XRef scenes and objects. Procedures Example: To keep an object centered relative to other objects in the scene during an animation: 1 Name the object that should remain centered foo and assign a Script controller to its Position track. 2 Enter foo in the Name field and click Create. The new variable is automatically added to the Variables list.
Interface Assigning a Script controller automatically opens a Script Controller dialog where you can enter a script. You can open the dialog subsequently by right-clicking the track on the Motion panel or in the Track View hierarchy and choosing Properties, or clicking the Properties button on the Track View toolbar. TIP You can resize the dialog by dragging an edge or a corner. Create Variable group Name Lets you enter and edit the name of user variables.
Variables List Lists all available variables in the controller. The following pre-defined constant variables are available in every script Controller and cannot be deleted or renamed: ■ F the current time in frames ■ NT ■ S the current time in seconds ■ T the current time in ticks the normalized time Assign Constant Opens a dialog which lets you assign a constant to the highlighted variable. Value expression Enter any MAXScript value (such as an integer, a float, an array, etc.) or expression.
Debug Opens the Script Controller Debug Window, which displays the value of all variables used in your script. Evaluate Evaluates the script expression. The evaluation is computed for the current position of the time slider. Close Compiles and checks the controller script for errors. If no errors are found, the dialog is closed.
Graph Editors > Track View – Curve Editor > Select a track in the Track View hierarchy. > Track View toolbar > Controller menu > Assign > Spring Animation menu > Position controllers > Spring The Spring controller adds secondary dynamics effects to any point or object position. The end result is secondary mass/spring dynamics similar to Flex. This constraint adds realism to generally static animations.
Spring Dynamics rollout Point group Mass The mass of the object to which the Spring controller is applied. Increasing the mass causes the "bouncing" spring motion to become more exaggerated. Drag Acts as air friction on the spring motion. A low Drag setting results in a greater "bouncing" effect, while a high Drag results in subdued bouncing. Default=1. Range=0 to 10.
(List) Lists all spring objects by name, and displays each object's Tension and Dampening settings separated by a slash (/). The spring-controlled object's influence on itself appears as Self Influence, and cannot be deleted. However, you can effectively remove the object's influence on itself by setting Tension and Dampening to 0, resulting in no motion. To set Tension and Dampening for one or more objects in the list, highlight them in the list and then adjust the settings.
Forces Limits and Precision rollout External Forces group Add Click this button, and then select one or more space warps in the Forces category that are to affect the object's motion. To finish adding space warps, click Add again, right-click in a viewport, or press Esc. Remove Removes highlighted space warps from the list. (List) Lists all spring space warps by name. Calculation Parameters group Start Frame The frame at which the Spring controller first takes effect. Default=0.
TCB Controllers Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Select a track in the Track View hierarchy. > Track View menu bar > Controller menu > Assign > TCB Graph Editors > Track View - Curve Editor > Select a track in the Track View hierarchy. > Track View toolbar > Controller menu > Assign > TCB Animation menu > Position, Rotation, or Scale > Quaternion (TCB) TCB Controllers produce curve-based animation much like Bezier controllers.
Procedures To change an Euler XYZ Rotation controller into a TCB Rotation controller: 1 Select an object animated with an Euler XYZ rotation controller. 2 In Motion panel > Parameters > Assign Controller rollout, select the Rotation track in the list window. 3 Click Assign Controller, and then select Quaternion (TCB). You can also assign this controller in Track View or from the Animation menu.
TCB Graph Charts the effect that changing the controller properties will have on the animation. The red mark at the top of the curve represents the key. The marks to the left and right of the curve represent an even division of time to either side of the key. The TCB graph is a stylized representation of the animation around a single key. If you want to view the effect of changing TCB properties on the true animation curve, use the Function Curves mode of Track View (works only with position and scale).
Bias Controls where the animation curve occurs with respect to the key. Default=25. High Bias pushes the curve beyond the key. This produces a linear curve coming into the key and an exaggerated curve leaving the key. Low Bias pulls the curve before the key. This produces an exaggerated curve coming into the key and a linear curve leaving the key. The default setting distributes the curve evenly to both sides of the key.
The value of the controller script must be a matrix3 value. A matrix3 value is a 4x3 3D transformation matrix. For more information, see the Matrix3 Values topic in the MAXScript reference. Writing Controller Scripts The software interprets the text you type into the Script text box as the body of a MAXScript block expression. You can type as many expressions as you want on as many lines as you want, and they are evaluated in turn. The value of the last expression is taken as the controller value.
Create Variable group Name Lets you enter and edit the name of user variables. Create Creates a variable and adds it to the Variables list. Delete Removes the highlighted variable from the Variables list. You can also delete a variable by tying its name into the Name field and click Delete. Rename Renames the highlighted variable. Variable Parameters group Tick Offset Specifies a time offset in ticks for the current variable.
OK Assigns the value expression result to the current variable. Cancel Disregards the current value expression result and closes the dialog. Assign Track Lets you assign a controller to the highlighted variable. The controller's value is taken at the current time plus the variable's Tick Offset. Assign Controller Lets you assign a track to the highlighted variable. Assign Node Lets you assign a node to the highlighted variable.
Interface After assigning a Transform Script controller, a Properties dialog is available by right-clicking the track in the Track View hierarchy and choosing Properties. Waveform Controller Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Select a track in the Track View hierarchy. > Track View menu bar > Controller menu > Assign > Waveform Float Graph Editors > Track View – Curve Editor > Select a track in the Track View hierarchy.
To view how the trajectory of an object is being affected by the Waveform controller, turn on Motion panel > Trajectories. Procedures To use the Waveform controller to animate the visibility of a sphere: 1 Create a sphere. 2 Open Track View, and select the Sphere track. 3 On the Tracks menu choose Visibility Track > Add. 4 Select the Visibility track, click Controller > Assign, and select Waveform Float. 5 Play the animation to see the effect.
List Window Displays waveforms in a list. Add Adds a new waveform to the end of the list. The default waveform is a sine wave with a period of 10 frames and with an amplitude of 100. Insert Inserts a new waveform before the selected waveform slot. Remove Deletes the selected waveform. This is not available when only one waveform remains. Move Up and Move Down Shifts the selected waveform up and down in the list, allowing the waveform order to be altered. Disable Disables the selected waveform.
Flipped Flips the waveform horizontally. Period Sets the number of frames to complete one waveform pattern. Spinner Value=float, 0.01 to 9,999,999 Duty Cycle For square waves only, specifies the percentage of time the square wave is "on." Default=50, Spinner Value=float, 0 to 100 Amplitude Sets the height of the wave. Spinner Value=float, 0 to 9,999,999 Phase Sets the offset of the wave.
This Output Shows the output of the current waveform, including all previous waveforms. Final Output Shows the output of all the waveforms in the list. You can also see the final output by turning on the Track View — Curve Editor display for the track which has the waveform controller assigned. All displays show the output graph of the controller waveforms in a solid dark line, with the zero line drawn in a dotted gray line.
You can create an XRef controller with or without an XRef object: ■ You can externally reference a source object's animation without the object itself by assigning an XRef controller to your current selection on page ?. ■ You can create an XRef object, which automatically nests the source object's Transform controller in an XRef controller. The XRef Objects dialog's XRef Entities list on page 6950 lists both XRefs as separate entries.
6 Use the XRef Merge dialog to designate the object whole transform controller you want to XReference. The software references the scene object's transform controllers from the external object's controllers. TIP You can also XReference a different controller from either another file or another object via the Parameters rollout of the XRef controller. Object's Transform Position highlighted. Object's Transform Position XReferenced.
5 Move the sphere to [10,10,10]. The sphere now translates from [10,10,10] to [15,15,15]. 6 Right-click the XRef Controller entry in the XRef Entities list of the XRef Objects dialog. 7 From the contextual menu, choose Reset PRS Offset. This removes the sphere's local offset, which now returns to its original [0,0,0] position. Interface These controls, similar to those on the XRef Object rollout on page 6973, let you change the file path, file name, and object name of the source of the XRef controller.
Path button Opens a file dialog from which you select a new file (either .max or .chr). Object controls Object Name field Displays the name of the source object pointed to in the source file which holds the source controller. Object Name display Displays the file name of the source object. Path button Opens an XRef Merge dialog on page 6956 pointing to the scene in the XRef File Name field. Here, you can specify a different object to be used as the XRef object.
Interface Audio File group Use this group to add and remove sound files from the controller, and to adjust amplitude. Choose Sound Displays a standard file selector dialog. You can choose WAV and AVI files. Remove Sound Removes any sound file associated with a controller. Absolute Value Controls the interpretation of sound amplitude. The value returned by the Audio controller is sample amplitude divided by maximum amplitude. Value=(sample amp.)/(maximum amp.
When off, the maximum amplitude equals the maximum potential amplitude of the waveform. Output reaches the target value only if the waveform reaches its maximum potential amplitude. The maximum potential amplitude for an 8-bit file is 128; for a 16-bit file, it's 32768. Real Time Control group Use this group to create interactive animation that's driven by sound captured from an external audio source, such as a microphone. Use these options only for interactive presentations.
When turned off, oversampling is applied to the Track View display. High oversampling values can slow the display of the waveform. Base & Target Scale groups Here you enter minimum and maximum parameter values returned by the controller. The fields you see vary by the type of parameter using the Audio controller. Float parameters are displayed in the Controller Range group with Min. and Max. fields.
The Incoming Controls list on the left contains all the incoming tracks. The Copy To list on the right contains all the tracks in the current scene that you will attach to. Interface Add Selects tracks in the current scene in the Track View Pick dialog on page 3286. Add Null Allows a space to be taken if you don’t want to use a particular track. Match by Node Select tracks on the left that you want to match. Click Match By Node. Then select a group of tracks that you want to match to.
Barycentric Morph Controller Key Info Dialog Select a Morph object > Track View - Dope Sheet > Right-click a morph key. > Barycentric Morph Controller Key Info dialog You can change morph target weighting using controls in the Barycentric Morph Controller Key Info dialog. Interface Current Key Specifies the current key that you're adjusting. Time Specifies where, in time, the current key is placed. Tension/Continuity/Bias Adjusts the TCB parameters of the key spline interpolation.
Targets Lists all morph targets for the object, along with the percentage of their influence at the current key. The total percentage of all targets is displayed below the window. You can select any target in this window, and then adjust its percentage of influence using the spinner at right. Percentage Sets the percentage of influence for the target selected in the list window. Percentage values can be negative as well as greater than 100 percent.
Interface Name Field Names the block. Start, End Set the range of the block in frames. Color Selects a color for the Block. Displays a color selection dialog. OK Saves the parameters and closes the dialog. Cancel Closes the dialog without saving the parameters. Master Block Parameters Dialog (Block Controller) Track View > Global Tracks > Block Control > Master Block > Click and then right-click the Master Block track.
Interface Add Opens the Track View Pick dialog. Use the dialog to choose tracks to include in a Block. Valid tracks are displayed in darker text. Add Selected Creates a block using the tracks already selected in the Track View hierarchy. Any invalid tracks are ignored. Select the tracks (include the Master Block track), and then right-click Master Block in the Track View hierarchy. Replace Replaces the currently selected block. Remove Remove the selected block from the list. Load Loads a block from disk.
Master Track Key Info Dialog (Master Point Controller) Track View - Dope Sheet > Right-click a master track key in the Dope Sheet Key window. > Master Track Key Info dialog With Track View in Dope Sheet mode, right-click a green master key of a Master Point controller on page 3201 to display the Master Track Key Info dialog.
Interface [key arrows] Moves to the next or previous key. Time Moves the master key to a different frame or time. Sub Keys list window Displays all the animated sub-object keys at a particular frame or time. Select Point Select a node in the List Window and the corresponding node in the viewports is selected, if the corresponding sub-object level is active.
Key Frame Properties Displays and lets you adjust interpolation and position. See Bezier Controller on page 3138. Slave Parameters Dialog (Block Controller) Track View > Click and then right-click a slave track in the Track View hierarchy. > Properties > Slave Parameters dialog Track View > Double-click a slave track in the Track View hierarchy.
Interface Add New Link Adds a link. Displays the Add New Link dialog with available tracks. Click a track and then click OK. Remove Link Removes the highlighted link. Collapse Control Collapses the Slave controller to a standard controller. Existing keys are copied to the new controller. OK Closes the dialog.
Track View Pick Dialog (Block Controller) Track View > Global Tracks > Block Control > Click and then right-click MasterBlock track. > Properties > Master Block Parameters dialog > Add > Track View Pick dialog Track View > Global Tracks > Block Control > Double-click MasterBlock track. > Properties > Master Block Parameters dialog > Add > Track View Pick dialog This dialog is displayed when track selection is necessary, by clicking Add in the Master Block Parameters dialog on page 3280, for example.
Animation Constraints An animation constraint is a special type of controller that can help you automate the animation process. You can use constraints to control an object’s position, rotation, or scale through a binding relationship with another object. A constraint requires an animated object and at least one target object. The target imposes specific animation limits on the constrained object.
■ LookAt constraint on page 3312 constrains an object’s orientation so that it’s always looking at another object ■ Orientation constraint on page 3319 causes the rotation of the constrained object to follow the rotation of another object TIP You can use Schematic View to see all the Constraint relationships in a scene. Using Constraints with Bones Constraints can be applied to bones as long as an IK controller is not controlling the bones.
Attachment constraints keep the cylinders on the surface. The Attachment constraint is a position constraint that attaches an object's position to a face on another object (the target object doesn't have to be a mesh, but must be convertible to a mesh). By keying different attachments over time, you can animate the position of an object over the irregular surface of another object, even if that surface is changing over time.
2 In the Perspective viewport, create a cone with a radius 1 of 15, a radius 2 of 5, and a height of 30. 3 Select the cylinder, apply a Bend modifier, and set the bend angle to -70 degrees. 4 Turn on Auto Key, move to frame 100, and set the bend angle to 70 degrees. The cylinder bends from one direction to the other over 100 frames. 5 Turn off Auto Key. Example continued: To assign the Attachment constraint and adjust the cone: 1 Select the cone.
3 Drag the time slider to various frames. As the cylinder bends back and forth, the cone remains attached to its upper surface. Continue adjusting the A and B spinners and dragging in the face display window to adjust the cone's position. 4 Remember the number in the Face spinner, and then lower the spinner value until the cone leaves the cylinder cap and begins jumping around various areas of the cylinder. The Face spinner specifies which face the cone is attached to.
Update group Update Updates the display. Manual Update Enables Update. Key Info group Current Key Displays the current key number and lets you move to another key. Time Displays the current frame, and lets you move the current key to a different frame. Position group Face Provides the index of the face to which the object is attached. Range=0 to 268435455. A/B Contains the barycentric coordinates defining the position of the attached object on the face. Range=-999,999 to 999,999.
(display window) Shows the position of the source object within the attachment face. You can drag within this window to adjust the position of the object relative to the face. Set Position Adjusts the placement of the source object on the target object. Drag over the target object to specify a face and a position within the face. The source object moves accordingly over the target object. TCB group All of the items in this group are the same as in other TCB controllers on page 3258.
Animation menu > Track View > New/Open Track View > Select a position track in Track View Hierarchy. > Track View toolbar > Assign Controller > Surface Surface constraints position the weather symbols on the globe. The Surface constraint positions an object along the surface of another object. The type of object that can be used as the surface object is limited to those whose surfaces can be represented parametrically.
The surface used is a "virtual" parametric surface, and not the actual mesh surface. Objects with a low number of segments might have a mesh surface quite different than the parametric surface. The parametric surface ignores Slice and Hemisphere options. So if the object is sliced, for example, the controlled object will position itself as if the missing portion were still there.
Interface The Surface Constraint Parameters rollout is on the Motion panel. Current Surface Object group This group provides a method for selecting and then displaying the selected surface object. Text Displays the name of the selected object. Pick Surface Selects the object you want used as a surface. Surface Options group This group provides controls for adjusting the position and orientation of the object along the surface.
Align to U Aligns the local Z axis of the controlled object with the surface normal of the surface object, and the X axis with the U axis of the surface object. Align to V Aligns the local Z axis of the controlled object with the surface normal of the surface object, and the X axis is aligned with the V axis of the surface object. Flip Flips the alignment of the local Z axis of the controlled object. This check box is not available if No Alignment is turned on.
the standard translation, rotation, scale tools. Setting keys at a sub-object level of the path, such as vertex or segment, animates the path while affecting the constrained object. Multiple Targets and Weighting A constrained object can be influenced by several target objects. When using multiple targets, each target has a weight value that defines the degree by which it influences the constrained object, relative to other targets. Using Weight is meaningful (and available) only with multiple targets.
5 Click the Assign Controller button. 6 Choose Path Constraint from the Assign Position Controller dialog. 7 On the Motion panel, click Parameters. 8 In the Path Parameters rollout, click Add Path. 9 In the viewport, select the Circle. To edit weight values: 1 Open the Create > Shapes panel and create a Line that is about 120 units long. TIP Use the diameter of the Circle to gauge the length of the Line. 2 Select the Sphere. 3 On the Motion panel, open the Path Parameters rollout.
To correct path constrained object flipping: When an object is assigned a path constraint and the follow box is turned on, the object will rotate as it moves along the path. Sometimes the object is subject to unwanted flipping. 1 Select the object that is flipping. 2 On the Animation menu choose Constraints > Orientation constraint, then constrain the object to another object's orientation. 3 Use the control object to adjust the flipping.
Interface Once you assign a Path constraint, you can access its properties on the Path Parameters rollout in the Motion panel. In this rollout you can add or delete targets, assign weighting, and animate each target's weight value. NOTE When you assign a Path constraint via the Animation menu, the software assigns a Position List controller to your object. In the Position List rollout list you will find Path Constraint. This is the actual path constraint controller.
Add Path Adds a new spline path that influences the constrained object. Delete path Removes a path from the target list. Once removing the path target, it will no longer influence the constrained object Weight Assigns and animates weight values for each target. % Along Path Sets the percent that the object is positioned along the path. This duplicates the Value spinner in the track Properties dialog for the Percent track in Track View.
Axis Defines which axis of the object is aligned to the trajectory of the path. Flip Turn on to flip the direction of the axis. The following controls are located on the Hierarchy panel while the IK button is active: Active Activates an axis (X/Y/Z). Allows the selected object to animate along the activated path. Limited Limits the range of motion allowed on an active path. Use in conjunction with the From and To spinners. Ease Causes a joint to resist motion as it approaches its From and To limits.
Position constraints align the elements of the robot assembly. A position constraint causes an object to follow the position of an object or the weighted average position of several objects. In order to activate, a position constraint requires an object and a target object. Once assigned the object becomes constrained to the target object’s position. Animating the target’s position causes the constrained object to follow. Each target has a weight value defining its influence. A value of 0 is equal to off.
settings. For example, a target with a Weight value of 80 will have twice the influence of a target with a Weight value of 40. For example, if a sphere is Position-constrained between two targets and each target’s weight value is 100, the sphere will maintain an equal distance between both targets even when they are in motion. If one of the weight values is 0 and the other is 50, then the sphere is influenced only by the target with the higher value.
2 On the Motion panel, on the Position list, double-click Position Constraint. The Position constraint parameters are located under the Position Constraint rollout. 3 Click a target from the list. 4 Turn on the Auto Key button. 5 Adjust the Weight spinner or enter a numerical value for the weight value. Example: To assign a Position constraint with two targets and editing weights: 1 In the Top viewport, create a sphere, a box, and a cylinder so that the box is between the sphere and the cylinder.
Interface Once you assign a Position constraint, you can access its properties on the Position Constraint rollout in the Motion panel. In this rollout you can add or delete targets, assign weighting, and animate each target's weight value. NOTE When you assign a Position constraint via the Animation menu, the software assigns a Position List controller to your object. In the Position List rollout list you will find Position Constraint. This is the actual Position Constraint controller.
constrained object from snapping to the target object’s pivot. The default is Off. Link Constraint Animation menu > Constraints > Link Constraint A link constraint enables the robot arms to pass a ball. A Link constraint is used to animate an object linking from one target object to another. The Link constraint causes an object to inherit the position, rotation, and scale of its target object. An example of using a link constraint is to pass a ball from one hand to another.
animated to meet at frame 50, where the ball is passed to the left hand, and then spread apart until frame 100. Procedures Example: To assign a Link constraint: 1 In the Top viewport, create a sphere and a box. 2 Select the sphere. 3 Open the Motion panel. 4 Expand > Assign Controller rollout. 5 Select the Transform: Position/Rotation/Scale controller. 6 Click Assign Controller. 7 Choose Link Constraint. It is recommended that you add a Link To World before linking to any target objects.
8 Choose Link Constraint. 9 In the Link Params rollout, click Link To World. 10 Move the time slider to frame 1. 11 Click Add Link and select the cylinder. It now becomes a target. The Link Constraint relationship is now active between the sphere and the cylinder. 12 Move the time slider to frame 50. 13 Turn on the Auto Key button and move the cylinder a good distance away from where it is. 14 Play back the animation. The sphere follows the cylinder as it moves. The sphere is link-constrained.
Interface Once you assign a Link constraint, you can access its properties on the Link Params rollout in the Motion panel. In this rollout you can add and delete targets and animate the time at which each target becomes the active parent of the constrained object. Add Link Adds a new link target.
Link to World Links the object to the world (the scene as a whole). We recommend this be the first target in the list. This prevents the object from reverting to its independent creation or animation transforms if other targets are deleted from the list. Delete Link Removes a link target. Once a link target is removed, it will no longer influence the constrained object. Start Time The start time spinner is used to assign or edit the frame value of a target.
LookAt constraints enable the antenna dishes to track the satellite. The LookAt constraint controls an object’s orientation so that it’s always looking at another object. It locks an object’s rotation so that one of its axes points toward the target object. The LookAt axis points toward the target, while the Upnode axis defines which axis points upward. If the two coincide, a flipping behavior may result. This is similar to pointing a target camera straight up.
settings. For example, a target with a Weight value of 80 will have twice the influence of a target with a Weight value of 40. Procedures To assign a LookAt constraint: 1 Select the object you want to constrain. This is the object that will be always looking at its target. 2 Choose Animation menu > Constraints > LookAt Constraint. 3 Select the target object. To access the LookAt constraint’s parameters through the Motion panel: 1 Select the LookAt Constrained object.
5 Use the Weight spinner or enter a numerical value to adjust the weight value.
Interface 3316 | Chapter 15 Animation
Once you assign a LookAt constraint, you can access its properties on the LookAt Constraint rollout on the Motion panel. On this rollout, you can add or delete targets, assign weighting, assign and animate target weight values, and adjust other related parameters. NOTE When you assign a LookAt constraint via the Animation menu, 3ds Max assigns a Rotation List controller to your object. In the list on the Rotation List rollout, you will find LookAt Constraint, which is the constraint you assigned.
Viewline Length Absolute When on, the software uses only the Viewline Length setting for the length of the main viewline; the distance between the constrained object and the target(s) has no effect. Set Orientation Lets you define the offset orientation of the constrained object manually. When on, you can use the Rotation tool to set the constrained object’s orientation. This orientation is then maintained as the constrained object looks at its target.
Orientation Constraint Animation menu > Constraints > Orientation Constraint Orientation constraints align the awning vanes to the supporting rod. An Orientation constraint causes an object’s orientation to follow the orientation of an object or averaged orientation of several objects. An Orientation Constrained object can be any rotatable object. When constrained it will inherit its rotation from a target object. Once constrained you can not rotate the object manually.
Multiple Targets and Weighting A constrained object can be influenced by several target objects. When using multiple targets, each target has a weight value that defines the degree by which it influences the constrained object, relative to other targets. Using Weight is meaningful (and available) only with multiple targets. A value of 0 means the target has no influence. Any value greater than 0 causes the target to influence the constrained object relative to other targets' Weight settings.
3 Turn on the Auto Key button. 4 Use the Weight spinner or enter a numerical value to set the weight value. Interface Once you assign an Orientation constraint, you can access its properties on the Position Constraint rollout in the Motion panel. In this rollout you can add or delete targets, assign weighting, assign and animate target weight values, and adjust other, related parameters.
NOTE When you assign an Orientation constraint via the Animation menu, the software assigns a Rotation List controller to your object. In the Rotation List rollout list you will find Orientation Constraint, which is the constraint you assigned. To view the Orientation Constraint rollout, double-click Orientation Constraint entry in the list. Add Orientation Target Adds new target objects that influence the constrained object. Add World as Target Aligns the constrained object to the world axis.
custom constraints directly without having to go to Track View and assign controllers. Parameter wiring is accessible from the Animation menu and the quad menus on page 7516. The Wire Parameters command is available only if a single node is selected. Choosing the Wire Parameters command displays a hierarchical pop-up menu with levels and items corresponding to the animatable tracks that would be visible for that object in Track View.
Procedures To attach wire parameters: 1 Select the first object you want to use. 2 Choose Animation menu > Wire Parameters > Wire Parameters, or right-click the object and choose Wire Parameters. A pop-up menu displays the parameters you can link. NOTE Wire Parameters works only with parameters that can be animated. The menu options displayed depend upon the selected object and are the same options you would see for the selected object in Track View.
Select an object with a wired parameter. > Modify panel > Right-click text box portion of two-way-wired on page 3328parameter > Edit Wire The Parameter Wiring dialog allows you to define the relationships for Wire Parameters on page 3322. In this dialog, you can create new one and two-way control relationships between object parameters, edit existing relationships, and create or edit expressions which define the parameter relationships. Only parameters that can be animated can be wired.
To control several slave parameters from one master parameter: 1 Open the Parameter Wiring dialog. 2 Choose the master parameter in the tree view. 3 Choose the first slave parameter in the other tree view. 4 Click the arrow pointing toward the slave parameter. 5 Enter the desired relationship expression in the expression text box. 6 Click Connect. 7 Keeping the master parameter selected, choose another slave parameter from the tree view. 8 Click the arrow pointing toward the slave parameter.
so that as you modify the original master parameter, each slave parameter maintains a constant relationship with the next in a line of parameters. Interface Tree Views The dialog presents two tree views that display the animatable parameters of all of the visible objects in the scene. The names of the currently selected objects appear at the top.
Show All Tracks Brings you to the top of the scene object list. Find Next Parameter Finds the next wired parameter in the scene, expanding the tree if necessary to show and select it. You can browse through all existing wires by clicking this button repeatedly. NOTE If you click a wired parameter, its connections are shown in green on the other tree view.
direction (Update). Changes to existing wires are only applied when you click Update. Disconnect The Disconnect button is enabled when you’ve selected parameters with an existing wire between them. It will remove the wire controller(s) and replace them with the Master parameter’s animation track (if two-way) or with default controllers (if one-way). Master parameters The Parameter Wire system provides a way for the pair of wired parameters to be animated as a single system.
For one-way wires, the Expression box for the controlling parameter is unavailable, since there is no Wire controller assigned to it. For two-way wiring, both transfer expression text boxes will be enabled. It is possible for the user to supply transfer expressions for the two parameters that are not inverses of one another, but this is of course discouraged, since the relationship of the parameters will be different depending on which one is changed first.
Hierarchies Bipedal figure with part of its hierarchy diagrammed in the background One of the most useful tools in producing computer animation is the ability to link objects together to form a chain. By linking one object to another, you create a parent-child relationship. Transforms applied to the parent are also transmitted to child objects. A chain is also referred to as a hierarchy.
■ The Hierarchy panel on page 7661 contains commands to control how links behave. ■ The Motion panel on page 3426 contains commands to control how links behave when using an History Dependent (HD) Solver Common Uses for Hierarchies ■ Link a large collection of objects to a single parent so they can be easily animated and transformed by moving, rotating, or scaling the parent. ■ Link the target of a camera or light to another object so it tracks the object through the scene.
The seats of the Ferris wheel are children of the wheel, which is in turn a child of the base and support objects, as shown in the following hierarchy. Descendants Children and all of the children’s children of a parent object. In the figures, all the objects are descendants of object 1. Hierarchy Collection of all parents and children linked together in a single structure. Root Single parent object that is superior to all other objects in the hierarchy.
1. Root 2. Leaves 3. Subtree Example of a hierarchical structure Branch Path through the hierarchy from a parent to a single descendant. In the figure above, the Support, Rotational Hub, and Ferris Wheel objects comprise a branch from the root to the leaf objects (the seats). Leaf Child object that has no children. The lowest object in a branch. In the figure above, the Seat objects are leaf objects. Link Connection between a parent and its child.
Linking Strategy Before you begin linking any but the simplest hierarchy you should take a few minutes to plan your linking strategy. Your choices for the root of the hierarchy and how the branches grow out to the leaf objects will have important effects on the usability of your model. The strategy behind linking objects into a hierarchy can be reduced to two main principles: ■ The hierarchy follows a logical progression from parent to child. ■ Parent objects move less than their descendants.
Parents Move Less Than Descendants Because of the way transforms are inherited from parent to child, small adjustments to a parent object might require you to adjust all of its descendants. The typical approach to linking is to choose as your root object the object that moves the least. Objects close to the root should move very little, and leaf objects should move the most.
■ The root object is at or near the hierarchy’s virtual center of mass. The object that best satisfies these criteria is your root object. You then create your hierarchy with all of the other objects as descendants of that root object. Linking Objects for Inverse Kinematics Inverse kinematics (IK) uses the child object as the driving force for the animation. IK is less forgiving and is highly dependent on the linking strategy for performing calculations.
1 and 2 each represent the root of the characters. Both structures are suitable for forward kinematics. The structure on the right is best for most inverse kinematics. The figure above shows two approaches to linking a skeletal structure. Either structure is suitable for working with forward kinematics. The structure on the right, however, is a better choice for working with inverse kinematics. ■ The root object is located near the body’s center of mass.
The structure on the left has the arms and torso linked to the neck. The structure on the right links the arms and neck to the torso, a more realistic approach. WARNING Be sure to avoid using non-uniform scaling on objects in a hierarchy that will be animated using IK. You will see stretching and skewing if you do. Instead do all non-uniform scaling at the sub-object level, to avoid this problem. Use Reset XForm if you have objects that exhibit this behavior.
Linking the sphere to the box causes the sphere to move with the box. The distance between the sphere and the box depends on the frame when the link is made. Linking the sphere on different frames has the following effects: ■ Link on frame 0, and the sphere stays next to the box as it moves. ■ Link on frame 50, and the sphere stays a distance 20 units away from the box as it moves. Left: Ball linked at frame 0 follows the box on the side. Right: Ball linked at frame 50 follows the box 20 units away.
Original animation, with ball linked to follow the animated box. If you unlink the sphere, it stops following the box. The position of the sphere depends on its position, rotation or scale at the frame on which the link is removed. Unlinking the sphere on different frames has the following effects: ■ Unlink on frame 0, and the sphere stays at 12 o'clock. ■ Unlink on frame 25, and the sphere stops at 3 o'clock. ■ Unlink on frame 75, and the sphere stops at 9 o'clock.
Clockwise from top, position of the sphere unlinked at frame 0, 25 and 75, respectively. Linking and Unlinking Objects Use Select and Link on page 3343 and Unlink Selection on page 3344 on the toolbar to make and remove links between objects. Linking Objects The general process of creating links is to build the hierarchy from child to parent. You click Select And Link on the toolbar, select one or more objects as children, and then drag the link cursor from the selection to a single parent object.
of its children and the distance between the children and the parent are also scaled by 150%. Unlinking Objects Click Unlink Selection to remove the link from selected objects to their parents. Any children of the selected object are unaffected. You can quickly unlink an entire hierarchy by double-clicking the root object to select the object and all of its children. Then click Unlink Selection. Linking Animated Objects You should establish links before you begin animating objects.
A child inherits the transformations (move, rotate, scale) applied to the parent, but the child's transformations have no effect on the parent. If you want the child not to inherit the transforms, use the Link Inheritance (Selected) Utility on page 3372 or use the controls found in Link Info on page 3500 in the Hierarchy panel. You can also create hierarchical linkages using Schematic View on page 7407. Use the Connect button on the Schematic View toolbar to create hierarchical linkages between nodes.
Adjusting Pivots You can think of an object's pivot point as representing its local center and local coordinate system. The pivot point of an object is used for a number of purposes: ■ As the center for rotation and scaling when the Pivot Point transform center is selected. ■ As the default location of a modifier center. ■ As the transform offset for linked children. ■ As the joint location for IK.
Affect Pivot Only transforms the pivot without moving the object. Affecting Object Only When Affect Object Only is on, transforms are applied only to selected objects. Pivots are not affected. Moving, rotating, or scaling the object does not affect the pivot or its children.
Affect Object Only transforms the object without moving the pivot. Affecting Hierarchy Only When Affect Hierarchy Only is on, rotate and scale transforms are applied only to the links between objects and their children. ■ Scaling or rotating an object affects the link offsets of all its descendents without affecting the geometry of the object or its descendents. The descendents shift position because of the scaled or rotated links.
After a hierarchy is created, you can scale the position of the children without changing the individual objects’ dimensions.
Rotating the hierarchy does not affect the individual objects’ orientation. Aligning Pivots Buttons on the Alignment group box of the Adjust Pivot rollout change names based on the state of Affect Object Only and Affect Pivot Only. Alignment is disabled when Affect Hierarchy Only is active. Center to Object/Pivot Moves the object, or pivot, so the pivot is at the center of the object. Align to Object/Pivot Rotates the object, or pivot, to align the pivot with the object's original local coordinate system.
Viewing and Selecting Hierarchies There are a number of ways to view a hierarchy structure and select objects in it. Viewing a Hierarchy You can use these methods to view the relationships between parents and children in a linked hierarchy. ■ The Select Objects dialog on page 232 appears whenever you use a by-name selection method, such as choosing Edit menu > Select By > Name, by clicking Select By Name on the main toolbar, or by pressing the H key.
Displaying the hierarchy in the Controller list A square icon with a plus indicates a collapsed branch under that object, while a minus indicates an expanded branch. Click a plus icon to expand a branch, or a minus icon to collapse it. TIP In complex scenes, use Curve Editor to navigate quickly through the Track View. Simply select the object in the viewport, then right-click and choose Curve Editor. The Track View — Curve Editor will appear with the selected object at the top of the window.
Selecting Hierarchy Members:Ancestors and Descendants Once you have selected one or more objects in a hierarchy, you can select its direct ancestor or descendant with the Page Up and Page Down keys. ■ Page Up deselects the object and selects the object’s parent. ■ Page Down deselects the object and selects all its immediate children, but not all descendants down the chain. TIP These navigation commands are particularly useful when setting joint parameters for inverse kinematics.
Take, for example, the asymmetrical hierarchy of dummy helper objects shown below: Hierarchy in viewport (numbers added) Hierarchy in Select From Scene dialog From the viewport image, it might appear that Dummy objects 06, 08 and 02 are siblings of each other.
Defining a sibling in this way has the practical advantage of letting you, for example, cycle through the selection of all finger links on one side of a character without the selection jumping to the other hand. But cycling through siblings with an arm object selected usually results in selecting the opposite arm object. When using these commands, hidden on page 8002 and frozen on page 7989 objects can't be selected, but are considered part of the hierarchy when deciding what is and is not a sibling.
How Links and Pivots Work Once two objects are linked together, the child object maintains its position, rotation, and scale transforms relative to its parent object. These transforms are measured from the pivot of the parent to the pivot of the child. For example, consider the two boxes in the following figure. The larger box is the parent of the smaller. The pivots and link between the boxes are indicated to show how the link works.
Rotating the parent affects the position and orientation of the child object.
Rotating the child does not affect the parent. Links act as a one-way conduit to transmit the transforms of a parent object to its child object. If you move, rotate, or scale the parent, the child is moved, rotated, or scaled by the same amount. Because hierarchical links are one-way, moving, rotating, or scaling the child has no effect on its parent. The end result is that transforms applied to a child object are applied in addition to any transforms inherited from the child’s parent.
Moving the root parent moves the whole hierarchy.
Rotation of a parent object is passed to all the child objects. Animating a Child Object With forward kinematics, a child is not constrained by its link to a parent. You can move, rotate, and scale children independent of their parents.
Moving the last child object does not affect any of the previous objects in the hierarchy.
Rotating a child object in the middle of the hierarchy affects all the descendants but none of the parents. If you want to manipulate parent objects by moving the last child in the chain, use inverse kinematics on page 3374. Manipulating the Hierarchy A child object inherits the transforms of its parent, and the parent inherits the transforms of its ancestors all the way up the hierarchy to the root object.
Manipulating the hierarchy of a leg. Consider the linked mannequin in the figure. If you want to position the mannequin’s right foot to rest on top of the soccer ball beside it, you perform the following steps: 1 Rotate the right thigh so the entire leg is above the soccer ball. 2 Rotate the right shin so the foot is near the top of the soccer ball. 3 Rotate the right foot so it is parallel with the top. 4 Repeat steps 1 through 3 until the foot is properly placed.
You always start transforming objects at the highest-level parent affected by the motion and work your way down the hierarchy to the last child. You have considerable control over the exact placement of every object in the hierarchy using forward kinematics. However, the process can become tedious with large and complex hierarchies. In such situations, you might want to use inverse kinematics on page 3374.
Combining the bouncing motion of a ball with the forward motion of a dummy results in a moving bouncing ball. Using a Dummy as a Handle You might want to move and animate a selection of objects individually but also have the ability to transform them as a single object. A good example of this is a camera on a tripod. You want to adjust both the camera and its target individually but also want to move them together as a single unit.
The sphere bounces on top of the dummy object as the dummy moves around the scene. You can easily change the height and speed of the bounce by changing the sphere animation. You can change the path through the scene by changing the dummy animation. To create a camera tripod: ■ Create a dummy object below a target camera and link the camera and target as children of the dummy object. The camera and the target follow the dummy object.
Robot arms pass a ball from one hand to the other. Adding and Deleting Links You add and delete links on the Motion panel. Expand the Link Parameters rollout and click Add Link or Delete Link. ■ Click Add Link then click the object that you want to link to as a parent. The frame at which you add the link is the frame at which control is passed. You can change the link frame with the Start Time parameter. ■ Click the name of a parent object in the list, and then click Delete Link to remove the link.
Properties of the Link constraint include: ■ The Link constraint respects the link inheritance settings applied to the child object. ■ The object using a Link constraint is not a true child object. It does not appear in the subtree of any linked parent objects. ■ Objects with Link constraint do not participate in IK solutions. Link to World You can also link an object to the world using the Link to World button. This will keep the object stationary without the use of a dummy object.
If you change the animation of the second hand at frame 75, it affects the position of the hand relative to the ball at the time of the link (frame 50). This change in relative position affects the ball over all frames where it is linked to the second hand. Therefore, as you change the position of the hand at frame 75, the child's position will also change, possibly in a counter-intuitive way. However, when playing back the animation the above three rules will hold true.
The 200% scale has been absorbed by the sphere as its original state. The sphere has a true radius of 40 units, Creation Parameters report a radius of 20 units, and absolute local scale is 100%. The sphere's child object accepts a local scale of 200% so it does not change in size. Resetting the scale of an object can lead to confusion because the object's true size, absolute local scale, and creation parameters no longer match up.
The Locks rollout contains three groups: one each for Move, Rotate, and Scale. Each group contains three options, one each for the X, Y, and Z Local axes of the selected objects. ■ When turned on, the objects cannot be transformed about the selected Local axes when you directly use one of the transform tools. Objects can still be transformed by other means such as being a child of a transformed parent object or being part of an inverse kinematics chain.
■ Turn on Align to Surface if you want to align the world Z axis of the source object with the surface normal of the target object. Even with Align to Surface selected, you can always rotate the source object to orient it the way you want in relation to the target object. If you were to align trees on an uneven terrain, you would turn off Align to Surface so that all of the trees grew upright, regardless of the angle of the terrain surface.
The Inherit rollout for objects using standard position, rotation, and scale controllers contains three groups: one each for Move, Rotate, and Scale. Each group contains three options, one each for the X, Y, and Z world axes. ■ When turned on, transform information from the parent is passed on to the child for the selected World axes. ■ When turned off, transform information for the selected axes is ignored by the child. Imagine you are animating a Ferris wheel that rotates on the world Y axis.
Interface XYZ Turn off any axis in the Move, Rotate, or Scale groups to prevent inheritance. When a box is turned on, transform information from the parent is passed on to the selected objects for the selected axis. When a box is turned off, transform information on that axis is ignored by the selected objects.
Inverse Kinematics (IK) Using IK to animate a leg Inverse kinematics (IK on page 8016) is a method of animating that reverses the direction of the chain manipulation. Rather than work from the root of the tree, it works from the leaves. Let's take the example of an arm. To animate an arm using forward kinematics, you rotate the upper arm away from the shoulder, then rotate the forearm, the hand from the wrist and so, on adding rotation keys for each child object.
moves the pivot point of the wrist, called an end effector on page 7963, toward the goal. In the case of a leg, for example, the foot is constrained to the floor by the goal. If you move the pelvis, the foot stays put since the goal has not moved, and this causes the knees to bend. The entire animation is contained in keyframes for the goal and the root, without keys being applied to the individual chain objects. With inverse kinematics you can quickly set up and animate complex motions.
Control Objects to Assist IK You can link a goal or an end effector to points, splines, or dummy objects that serve as quick controls to translate or rotate the end of the chain. These control objects can be linked together as well, or they can be controlled with constraints. You can also use parameter wiring to build relationships between these control objects.
■ Position and orientation of parent objects are determined by the position and orientation of child objects. Because of these additions, IK requires greater thought about how you link your objects and place pivots. Where many different solutions for linking objects may be suitable for forward kinematics, there are usually just a few good solutions for any given IK approach. Inverse kinematics is often easier to use than forward kinematics, and you can quickly create complex motions.
Joints An IK joint controls how an object transforms with respect to its parent. You specify joint behavior with settings in three categories: ■ Object Pivot Point The location of an object’s pivot point defines where joint motion is applied. ■ Joint Parameters Changing the IK settings in the Hierarchy command panel determines the direction, constraints, and order of how the joint operates.
manipulate mode. This determines an up-vector handle for the chain, which can also be animated over time. You can also define a target for the swivel angle manipulator to follow. For more information, see White Paper: Swivel Angle of the HI IK Solver on page 3397. Terminators You can explicitly set the base of an HD (History-Dependent) IK chain by defining one or more objects as terminators.
Inverse Kinematics Methods Inverse kinematics builds on the concepts of hierarchical linking. To understand how IK works, you must first understand the principles of hierarchical linking and forward kinematics. See Animating with Forward Kinematics on page 3354 and Inverse Kinematics (IK) on page 3374. IK Solvers IK solvers on page 3382 are specialized controllers that apply IK solutions procedurally across a range of frames.
An IK solver places keyframes only on the IK goal or end effector, as opposed to forward kinematics (or the non-solver IK methods), which place rotation keyframes on the bones or hierarchical objects themselves. Other IK Methods In addition to the IK solvers, 3ds Max provides two non–solver methods of inverse kinematic animation: Interactive IK and Applied IK. These IK methods do not apply an IK solver. NOTE These are older IK methods carried over from the earliest versions of the software.
IK Solvers Select an object in a hierarchy where you want IK to start. > Animation menu > IK Solver > Apply an IK solver. > Click the object in the hierarchy where you want the IK chain to end. An IK solver creates an inverse kinematic solution to rotate and position links in a chain. It applies an IK Controller to govern the transforms of the children in a linkage. You can apply an IK solver to any hierarchy of objects.
IK solvers are plug-ins, so programmers can expand the software's capabilities by customizing or writing their own IK solvers. 3ds Max ships with four different IK solvers. How Does an IK Solver Work? An IK solver generally operates in this way: an inverse kinematic chain is defined on part of the hierarchy, say from the hip to the heel, or the shoulder to the wrist of a character. At the end of the IK chain is a gizmo, called the goal.
Four plug-in IK solvers ship with 3ds Max: ■ HI (History-Independent) Solver on page 3392 The HI Solver is the preferred method for character animation, and for any IK animation in long sequences. With HI Solvers, you can set up multiple chains in a hierarchy. For example, a character's leg might have one chain from hip to ankle, and another from heel to toe. Because this solver's algorithm is history-independent, it is fast to use regardless of how many frames of animation are involved.
uses a preferred angle to define a direction for rotation, so the elbow or knees bend correctly. It also allows you to switch between IK and FK by keyframing IK Enabling, and it has a special IK for FK pose function so you can use IK to set FK keys. ■ Spline IK Solver on page 3445 The Spline IK solver uses a spline to determine the curvature of a series of bones or other linked objects. Vertices on a Spline IK spline are called nodes.
Animating bones with skin causes the skin to stretch or shrink. Animating bones with skin causes the skin to stretch or shrink. Turning Other Objects into Bones Any object can be turned into a bone object. Right-click any object and select Properties from the quad menu on page 7516. In the Bone group, choose Bone On/Off. You can then choose Show Links Only to replace the display of the objects with the bones. This can be useful if you have a geometrically intensive hierarchy to animate.
You can display any object as a bone object. Select the object and then choose Bone Tools from the Animation menu. This opens the Bone Tools floater. On the Object Properties rollout, turn on Bone On. Then go to the Display panel, and on the Link Display rollout turn on Display Links and Link Replaces Object, which displays the bones instead of the object. This can be useful if you have a geometrically intensive hierarchy to animate.
Any object hierarchy can be displayed as bones. Bones can scale, squash and stretch over time. See Using Objects as Bones on page 913. Link Display You can use Display Links and Link Replaces Object to display the links instead of the object. These settings are found on the Link Display rollout on the Display panel. This can be useful if you have a geometrically intensive hierarchy to animate. The interactive viewport response is faster when the geometry is hidden and displayed only at links.
How to Apply an IK Solver You can apply an IK solver when you create a Bones system, or from the Animation menu: ■ Bones creation on page 901 When you create bones, turning on the Assign to Children option lets you apply an IK solver immediately. Default=Off. ■ You can apply the IK solver to a part of the skeleton using Animation menu > IK Solver. You must select the node where you want the IK chain to start, then choose Animation menu > IK Solvers and select the solver.
■ Hierarchy panel on page 7661 HI Solver When a bone is selected, the IK panel displays controls to activate and limit the rotational joints, and set a preferred angle for the joints. The preferred-angle poses of all the joints help control the direction of rotation of the limbs. When a goal is selected, the IK panel is blank. HD Solver Select the end effector of an HD IK chain. In the Hierarchy panel, click IK. The controls that appear affect the HD Solver.
4 Click where you want the IK chain to end. If you are using the IK Limb Solver, you must apply the IK Solver to control only two bones. The IK solver appears in the viewport. To create a bones hierarchy that uses an IK solver: 1 Go to the Create panel, choose Systems, and click Bones. 2 On the IK Chain Assignment rollout, choose an IK solver from the list. 3 Turn on Assign To Children. 4 Click and drag in a viewport to create the bones. Right-click to stop bone creation.
History-Independent (HI) IK Solver The HI (History-Independent) Solver does not rely on IK solutions calculated in previous keyframes in the timeline, so it is just as fast to use at frame 2000 as it is at frame 20. The HI Solver uses a goal to animate a chain. You animate the goal and the IK solver attempts to move the end effector (the pivot point of the last joint of the chain) to match the position of the goal.
■ The second chain is created from the ankle to the ball of the foot. This chain controls the heel's up and down motion. ■ The third chain is created from the ball of the foot to the toe. When the three chains work together they help to maintain the foot’s position in space. This means it will keep the foot planted on the ground as the character’s body moves. All three IK chains in this hip-to-toe setup place goals at key positions in the foot that mimic natural foot behavior.
Overlapping chains make the toe stick to the ground 3394 | Chapter 15 Animation
Overlapping chains make the toe stick to the ground Don't try to overlap chains with different kinds of IK solvers or you might get unpredictable results. Creating Control Objects To create control objects to animate the goals, create dummies, points, splines or other objects near the goal, then link the goal to the control object. For example in a human leg, you might have a goal at the ankle, ball of the foot, and the toe.
three bone chains that are all in the same place, and constrain one bone chain to another, then weight the constraints. Bone chains constrained together Using control objects gives you something bigger to select in the viewport. You can also use control objects to separate chains, for example in a human arm one chain could end at the wrist and another separate chain be created for the hand and fingers.
When the Enabled button is on, the FK subcontroller values are preserved but ignored. When Enabled is turned off, the FK subcontroller values apply. To access the Enabled button, select the goal and go to the Motion panel, then turn off the Enabled button. This will allow you to animate using FK rotations of the bones or hierarchy objects. IK for FK pose allows one to turn on IK in middle of FK manipulation.
1. Start joint 2. End effector 3. EE axis Solver Plane Let’s call the plane passing all the joints the Solver Plane. When joints do not lie on a plane, we will define it to be the plane that (A) passes the Start Joint and End Joint and (B) is closest to the remaining joint in a certain sense. The Swivel Angle describes the degree of freedom of the Solver Plane and it constrains only the Start Joint.
The argument to the Zero Plane Map is a unit vector to give the direction of the EE axis. Equivalently, when the EE slides along the EE axis, the solver plane should be fixed. Therefore, the Zero Plane Map defines a vector field on a sphere. Given a point on the sphere, it produces a tangential unit vector to be interpreted as the normal to the zero plane. 1. Normal to the zero plane Solver Plane Flipping It is a mathematical fact that there does not exist a continuous vector field on a sphere.
Intrinsic Reference Frame for the Sphere In order to define the Zero Plane Map, we need to define a reference frame for the sphere. This reference frame is intrinsic to the joint chain itself. A sphere can be defined by the center, the horizontal plane, and the meridian (zero longitude). The center is assigned to the start joint. The pose when all the joint angles assume preferred angles is particularly important. Let’s call it the preferred pose.
The API for the plug-in solver to define its own Zero Plane Map in fact takes the EE axis and the normal to the solver plane at the preferred pose: virtual const IKSys::ZeroPlaneMap* GetZeroPlaneMap(const Point3& a0, const Point3& n0) const where a0 and n0 are the EE axis and solver plane at the preferred pose, respectively. Object of ZeroPlaneMap is a function that assigns a plane normal to each point on the sphere.
Deriving the default normal to the zero plane Obviously, this method won’t extend to the north or south poles. They are the singular points. When the EE axis moves across the poles, the normal will suddenly change direction: it flips from the users’ viewpoint. Normally, the preferred pose is the one when the solver is first assigned. So, the plane on which one lays the joints corresponds to the horizontal plane here.
of latitude and longitude are different. The parent transformation space that this sphere is to be placed in is called the Swivel Angle Parent Space, or Parent Space when the context is clear. The parent space has to be invariant with regard to the IK parameters. Right now, we provide two choices: ■ Start Joint The Swivel Angle Parent Space is the same as the parent space of the Start Joint. ■ IK Goal The Swivel Angle Parent Space is the parent space of the IK Goal.
Assume this is the pose when the IK solver is assigned. So, this is the preferred pose. The plane on that the joints are laid out is the horizontal plane of the (Zero Plane Map) sphere. ■ A: Parent Space is Start Joint. In this case, the sphere is parented to A. If A is rotated about the drawn axis, the sphere is rotated together with it. The goal is in a separate transformation hierarchy. It stays in place, and the end effector sticks to it because of the IK solution.
solver from Bone2 to Bone4. If we parent the chain directly to world, it would appear as shown in the right figure: the solver plane becomes horizontal. ■ A: Parent Space is Start Joint. The sphere is mounted after the rotation of A and therefore the “horizontal plane” coincides with the chain plane as shown in the viewport. The singular points are perpendicular to the Start Joint with regard to the plane. When the goal/end effector is moved on the plane, it will never hit the singular points and flip.
1. Bone01 2. Bone02 3. Bone03 4. Bone04 The Start and End Joints are Bone01 and Bone04, respectively. Suppose the pose shown in the figure is the preferred pose and Bone01 contains a rotation. If we parent Bone02 directly to the world, the hierarchy from Bone02 will appear as in the right figure. When we reassign Start Joint to Bone02, the Zero Plane Map sphere will be based on the configuration on the right. ■ A: Parent Space is Start Joint.
position. It generally is not perpendicular to the viewport. Therefore, we will see a flip once it takes a new Start Joint. If you delete the solver/goal and assigned a new one from Bone02 to Bone04, you will find that the chain won’t flip. Why? Assignment of Start Joint is different from creating a new IK chain/goal. Start Joint is one of many IK parameters. Reassigning it is simply the same as modifying any parameter. The rest parameters are intact.
Changing the swivel angle The angle of the solver plane is actually calculated in one of two coordinate systems: the Start Joint Parent space or the IK Goal Parent space. World space is not an explicit option; however, you can easily configure the IK chain to work in world space by choosing the IK Goal Parent option and making sure that the IK goal is unlinked (i.e., has no hierarchical parent).
Procedures To turn off IK on a chain: 1 Select the goal of a chain with an HI Solver. 2 In the Motion panel IK Solver rollout, turn off Enabled. IK is now off, so you can select and rotate any of the objects in the chain. Turning IK on and off is animatable using the Auto Key button. To mix IK and forward kinematics (FK) in a single animation track: 1 Apply an HI IK Solver to a hierarchy or bone system. 2 Turn on the Auto Key button and move the time slider ahead in time.
Interface IK Solver group The items in this group provide the ability to set the start and end points of the selected HI IK solver chain. There are also controls in this rollout that allow you to use IK manipulation to create forward kinematic rotational keyframes on the hierarchy objects, and there are buttons to align the goal and the end effector.
Solver field Allows selection of IK Solver. Choose between the HI IK Solver and the IK Limb Solver here. Any HI IK plug-in solver present at startup will appear in this list, as well. Enabled Turns IK control of the chain on and off. The HI IK Controller has an FK subcontroller. When Enabled is selected, the FK subcontroller values are overwritten by the IK controller. When Enabled is turned off, the FK values are used. You can animate Enabled On and Off.
Assume Pref Angles Copies the X, Y, and Z preferred angle channels of each bone and places them into its FK rotation subcontroller. This essentially performs the inverse operation of the Set As Pref Angles function. Bone Joints group Allows you to change the ends of the IK chain. Pick Start Joint Defines one end of the IK chain. Select from the viewport or by name (press H). Pick End Joint Defines the other end of the IK chain.
In the Thresholds and Solutions group you can refine the IK solution. The Position Threshold sets a limit in units of how far the goal can be moved from the end effector, the Rotation does the same in angle degrees. The Solutions group Iterations is the maximum number of attempts the IK solution will perform before giving up. If your IK animation seems to jitter, try increasing the Iterations to 200. Increasing the Iterations will slow down the computational time, but should produce better results.
Swivel angle manipulator. When you move the mouse over the manipulator, it turns red. At this point, you can drag the manipulator to change the swivel angle. The Auto Key button can be active while you do this. You can also animate the swivel angle by using a target object. Pick an object for the target, then animating the object will animate the swivel angle. The swivel angle manipulator is a standard plane angle manipulator on page 2640. The HI Solver has its own controls for displaying this manipulator.
Interface IK Solver Plane group Swivel Angle Controls the Solver Plane which determines the direction of the knee or elbow in a human limb. The Swivel Angle can be manipulated in the viewport by turning on Swivel Angle Display in the Display Options rollout, and then turning on Manipulate Mode. When the swivel angle manipulator is displayed in the viewport, you can interactively animate the handle to animate the solver plane. Pick Target Lets you select another object to use to animate the Swivel Angle.
Position Sets a limit in units of how far the goal can be moved from the end effector. Keep these numbers low. Rotation Sets a limit in degrees of how far the goal can be rotated away from the end effector rotation. Keep these numbers low for best results. Note that adjusting the Rotation threshold on the HI Solver and IK Limb Solver has no effect. It is up to the plug-in solver’s discretion as to whether or not they will support a rotation component in the IK solution.
Interface End Effector Display group Controls the appearance of the end effectors in the IK chain. Off by default. Enabled Turns the end effectors display on or off. Size Controls the size of the end effector gizmo in the viewport. Goal Display group Controls the appearance of the goals in the IK chain. On by default. Enabled Turns the goals display on or off. Size Controls the size of the goal gizmo in the viewport.
Size Controls the size of the manipulator's handle in viewports. Length Controls the length of the manipulator in viewports. IK Solver Display group Controls the appearance of the IK Solver display, the line drawn between the start and end joints. Turn this on when you have multiple chains that you want to see at the same time. Enabled Turns on or off the IK Solver display. Sliding and Rotational Joints (HI Solver) Create a bone chain. > Apply an HI Solver > Select any bone in the chain.
6 Select any bone in the chain. 7 On the Hierarchy panel > IK panel, open the Rotational Joint rollout. 8 There are three axes. Find the one with the preferred angle that is not zero. 9 Change the preferred angle. If it is negative make it a positive one. 10 Play the animation, see how changing the preferred angle can redefine the direction of the rotation. To set rotational joint limits on a hierarchy of objects or a bone chain: 1 Create a bone chain or a hierarchy of objects.
Interface Sliding Joints rollout X,Y, Z Axis groups Active Activates an axis (X/Y/Z). Allows the selected object to slide on the activated axis. Limited Limits the range of motion allowed on an active axis. Use in conjunction with the From and To spinners. Most joints are limited in their range of motion along an active axis. For example, a piston slides only within the length of its cylinder. From and To spinners Determine for position limits. Use in conjunction with the Limited function.
Rotational Joints rollout X,Y, Z Axis groups Active Activates an axis (X/Y/Z). Allows the selected object to rotate about the activated axis. Limited Limits the range of rotation allowed on an active axis. Use in conjunction with the From and To spinners. Most joints are limited in their range of rotation along an active axis. For example, a wheel rotating around an axle could be limited to rotate around only one axis. From and To Spinners Determine for rotation limits.
History-Dependent (HD) IK Solver Select a node of hierarchy or bone chain. > Animation menu > IK Solvers > HD Solver > Click a second node of chain. Animating with the HD Solver lets you use sliding joints combined with inverse kinematics. It has controls for spring back, damping, and precedence not found in the HI Solver. It also has quick tools for viewing the initial state of the IK chain. Use it for animations of machines and other assemblies.
move along with the character. To have hands follow the root object, link the end effectors of the hands to the root object. Linking Bones to Follow Objects You can also use follow objects instead of end effectors and bind bones to any number of follow objects using Interactive IK. If you use follow objects with HD IK, you do not need to click Apply IK. The IK solver takes care of everything automatically.
Bind Position Causes an object to attempt to maintain its location or to match the location of a follow object. Bind Orientation Causes an object to attempt to maintain its rotational orientation or to match the orientation of a follow object. Relative Changes how an object reacts to a bound follow object. See the following discussion about binding an object to a follow object.
Unbinding Objects If you decide that you do not want an object to be bound you can either turn off the Bind Orientation and Bind Position boxes, or unbind the object from its follow object. ■ If you turn off the binding options, you disable the effect of binding without removing the binding to a follow object. This method is handy if you decide to reposition a follow object after you have bound an object to it. ■ If you unbind an object, it permanently removes the binding to a follow object.
■ The last solution calculated is used if the maximum number of iterations is reached, regardless of whether the solution satisfies the position and rotation thresholds. Setting Applied and Interactive Thresholds You set the threshold and iterations settings as a trade-off between accuracy and speed. You have two groups of settings so you can individually tune the behavior of applied IK and interactive IK. ■ Use interactive IK if you want fast, real-time response.
Procedures See History-Dependent (HD) IK Solver on page 3422. Interface Thresholds group These settings are the same as those in Customize menu > Preferences > Inverse Kinematics. They set the threshold for the changes in position and rotation between the end effector and the last link of the chain. Position Specifies, in units, the "slop" factor between the end effector and its associate object. This is the allowable distance between the end effector and its object, given the current IK solution.
Initial State group When you first create a hierarchical chain, the initial position of the bones or objects is the initial state. The options here let you display, alter, or lock the initial state. When both of the options here are turned off (the default), transforming the end effector is different from transforming the other joints in the chain. When you select and transform a joint assigned an end effector, you are actually transforming the end effector, and an IK solution transforms the joints.
Update group The options in this group determine how the IK calculation is solved during the transformation of the end effector. Precise Solves the entire chain precisely for all frames from the Start time to the current time. When you release the mouse button, the chain will not move. Since all frames must be solved from Start to current time, the solution takes longer if the current frame is 1000 rather than 100. Fast Solves the chain only for the current frame while the mouse is moved.
When Selected Displays the axis rod and joint limits only on selected joints. TIP The joint icons can be difficult to see when the bones are linked to mesh objects. When animating a bone-based hierarchy, you can hide all of the objects and display and animate only the bones, which makes the joint icons more visible. This is easily done by hiding geometry by category in the Display branch.
End Effector Parent Links an end effector to another object in the scene. Since end effectors are not, in themselves, objects, you won't see this linkage in Track View, but the linked end effector will inherit the transformations of its parent. NOTE Apart from the root object, you can't link an end effector to an object in the hierarchy because it would create an endless loop.
HD Joint Settings You control a joint's resistance to motion, and its tendency to return to its original position, by setting Ease, Damping, and Spring Back options. Moving telescopes with and without damping Easing a Joint at Its Limits An organic joint, or a worn mechanical joint, moves freely in the middle of its range of motion but moves less freely at the extremes of its range. Use Ease to cause a joint to resist motion as it approaches its From and To limits.
For example, a telescope with no damping at all allows each cylinder to move to its maximum limit before the next cylinder moves. If the cylinders have damping values assigned, then each cylinder causes its parent to begin moving before it reaches full extension. Setting a Joint to Spring Back When a joint resists motion, it also has a tendency to return toward its at-rest position. You simulate this by setting Spring Back tension in the joints.
The hoof (a child) has precedence over the leg (its parent). The hoof (a child) has precedence over the leg (its parent).
For any given position of an end effector, there are many possible IK solutions. The three joint precedence controls in the Object Parameters rollout are: Precedence Sets joint precedence manually. Child->Parent Automatically sets joint precedence to decrease in value from child to parent. Parent->Child Automatically sets joint precedence to decrease in value from parent to child.
Using Default Joint Precedence (HD Solver) The default joint precedence is suitable for many HD IK solutions. It assumes that joints closest to where a force is applied (the end effector) will move more than joints farther from the force. The default joint precedence is a value of 0 for every joint: all joints have the same precedence value. This default starts calculations with the end effector and progresses up the IK chain until the base object is reached.
The first figure shows values for child-to-parent precedence. The first figure shows values for child-to-parent precedence. Assigning Child->Parent Precedence Clicking Child−>Parent sets joint precedence based on a child having a higher precedence than its parent.
the entire hierarchy to a precedence value of 0 and each child to a value equal to 10 times its depth from the root. You almost always assign Child->Parent precedence to an entire kinematic chain. The chain for the structure in the figure uses the body as the root object and the duck as the end effector. Each object receives a value equal to its depth from the root of the hierarchy times 10.
The figure shows values for parent-to-child precedence. The figure shows values for parent-to-child precedence. Assigning Parent->Child Precedence Clicking Parent->Child sets joint precedence based on a child having a lower precedence than its parent.
the entire hierarchy to a precedence of 0 and each child to a value equal to -10 times its depth from the root. You almost always assign Parent->Child precedence to an entire kinematic chain. The chain for the structure in the above figure uses the body as the root object and the duck as the end effector. Using Parent->Child precedence, the feet are assigned a precedence of -50 and the duck is assigned a precedence of -140.
The figures show precedence values that were assigned manually: the chain for the structure uses the body as the root object and the duck as the end effector. The figures show precedence values that were assigned manually: the chain for the structure uses the body as the root object and the duck as the end effector.
Terminating Chains (HD Solver) The kinematic chain is automatically defined using the object you select as the end effector and working up the hierarchical tree to use the root object as the base of the kinematic chain. Sometimes you might not want the kinematic chain to go all the way to the root of the hierarchy. This is especially true when you are animating multi-limbed or branching structures, such as an octopus or a tree.
With a terminator in the neck, the body of the bird is not affected. With a terminator in the neck, the body of the bird is not affected.
IK Limb Solver The IK Limb solver is specifically meant for animating the limbs of human characters; for example, the hip to the ankle, or the shoulder to the wrist. Each IK Limb solver affects only two bones in a chain, but multiple solvers can be applied to different parts of the same chain. It is an analytical solver that is very fast and accurate in viewports. To use the IK Limb solver, a bones system must have at least three bones in the chain.
3 From the Animation menu, choose IK Solvers > IK Limb Solver. 4 In the viewport, move the mouse. You will see a dotted line attached to the cursor as you move the mouse. 5 Click the third bone in the chain, or any bone after the third bone. The IK Limb solver displays on the bone chain. The IK Limb solver only affects two bones in the chain, but you need to select the third bone to put it on the other two bones.
You can move and animate the spline vertices to change the curvature of the spline. Usually, a helper is placed at each vertex to assist in animating the spline. The spline curvature is then passed on to the entire linked structure. The bones themselves do not change shape. Normally the number of spline vertices and bones are the same, but you can use fewer vertices for easier posing and animating a long multiple-bone structure with just a few nodes, as opposed to animating each bone individually.
NOTE Moving the Spline IK helpers to curl the spline can sometimes cause bones to rotate or flip unexpectedly. If this happens, you can try choosing a different upnode object with the IK chain's Pick Upnode option in the IK Solver Properties rollout (see Spline IK Solver Rollouts on page 3455), or use a different IK method for your hierarchy. Applying a Spline IK Solver The Spline IK solver can be applied at the time bones are created, or after the bone structure has already been made.
3448 | Chapter 15 Animation
This procedure automatically draws the spline based on your dialog selections and sets up the Spline IK system to work with the spline. The software automatically assigns a Path constraint to the root bone to constrain it to the helper/vertex at that end of the spline. To apply a Spline IK solver to an existing bone structure: 1 Create a bone structure without an IK chain. 2 Draw a spline or NURBS curve to be used by the bones.
The bone structure jumps to the spline and takes its shape, and a helper is created on the spline at each vertex. A Path constraint is automatically assigned to the root bone to constrain it to the helper/vertex at that end of the spline.
To specify a spline after the spline IK solver is applied: You can also apply a Spline IK solver to an existing bone structure without selecting a spline, then choose the spline later. 1 Create a bone structure without an IK chain. 2 Select the bone or object where you want to the solver to start. 3 Choose Animation menu > IK Solvers > Spline IK Solver. In the viewport, move the cursor to the bone or object where you want the chain to end and click that bone.
With this method, the position constraint is not automatically assigned to the root bone, so it must be assigned manually. 6 Select the root bone. Choose Animation menu > Constraints > Path Constraint, and then click the spline. This moves the bone structure to the spline, if they're apart, and creates a Position List controller for the bone with the Path Constraint as the second (active) constraint. NOTE This also animates the bones along the path. If you don't want this, delete the second animation key.
This dialog sets parameters for the spline that will be created to control the bone structure. The spline, in turn, is shaped by the positions of helper objects at each knot (control point).
Interface Spline Options group IK Name Sets the name of the IK chain object. This object appears as a set of blue cross hairs at the end of the chain after you click OK. Auto Create Spline Automatically creates the spline used for the Spline IK solver based on the parameters on this dialog. When off, no spline is created and a spline must be manually created and assigned to the spline IK solver in order to use the solver.
Number of Spline Knots Vertices on the spline, or control points and CVs on the NURBS curve. You alter the spline or curve by moving and animating the knots. The number of knots sets the degree of refinement on the curve as well as the number of points that can be selected and moved to change the shape of the curve. The default value is the number of bones in the Spline IK chain.
When a Spline IK chain is selected, the options on the Motion panel can be used to change the starting and ending bones, and twist angles for the entire linked structure. To create a Spline IK Solver, see Animating with the Spline IK Solver on page 3445. See also: ■ Animating with the Spline IK Solver on page 3445 Interface Spline IK Solver rollout The options on this rollout allow you to pick a new spline for the spline IK chain, or pick new start and end joints for the chain.
Bone Joints group Pick Start Joint Picks the start joint for the Spline IK Solver and displays the object name. Pick End Joint Picks the end joint for the Spline IK Solver and displays the object name. IK Solver Properties rollout The options on this rollout set the start and end twist angles for the spline IK chain. The twist manipulators on each end of the chain show the degree of twist. Twist Start Angle Sets the twist angle for the entire chain, rotating all bones in the chain.
TIP To see and adjust the twist manipulators, turn on Select And Manipulate on page 2613. Twist Start group Enabled Turns on the display of the start twist manipulator. Default=on. Size Sets the size of the start twist manipulator. Default=1.0. Length Sets the length of the start twist manipulator. Default=75.0 Twist End group Enabled Turns on the display of the end twist manipulator. Default=on. Size Sets the size of the end twist manipulator. Default=1.0.
Size Sets the size of the IK goal. Default=30.0. IK Solver Display group Enabled Turns on the display of the IK chain object. Default=off. Interactive and Applied IK Animating with Interactive IK Select the end of a hierarchy > Hierarchy panel > IK > Interactive IK. With Interactive IK and the Auto Key button turned on, you position your model on keyframes, and the IK solution is interpolated between those keyframes.
For information about making the end effector precisely follow the motion of the box, see Animating with Applied IK on page 3462.
Results of animating the box and IK structure Behavior of Objects in IK Mode As you move and rotate objects using interactive IK you notice that some objects might not be able to move or rotate about all axes. This is because the objects are constrained by the joint parameters you have set. If the joint parameters specify that motion cannot occur in a certain axis, the end of the chain will not move.
If you decide you want root objects to always use their joint parameters, you can turn off the Always Transform Children Of The World option. Single, unlinked objects are hierarchies of one. An unlinked object is its own root and is also a child of the World. Turning Always Transform Children of the World will prevent you from transforming single objects in IK mode.
Example of Applied IK IK structure Inverse Kinematics (IK) | 3463
Animating the lamp with applied IK The illustration demonstrates how an applied IK animation works. Just as in the example in Animating with Interactive IK on page 3459, the figure shows an IK lamp structure with its head positioned over a spider. To maintain the offset distance between the lamp head and spider, the actual end effector is an invisible Dummy helper object, placed within the spider and linked to the lamp head as a child. The spider moves in a straight line over 100 frames.
Clearing Keys from Previous Animation If you have animated any members of the IK chain interactively, or run Apply IK previously, the existing animation keys will affect the new IK solution. Sometimes that is exactly what you want. You can use manual animation to subtly nudge the IK solution toward a particular result. However, it is more likely that you want to remove old keys in order to begin the IK calculations with a clean slate.
Joint Controls Setting Joint Parameters You set whether a joint behaves as a hinge, a drawer slide, or another type of joint by setting joint parameters on page 3418 for each object in the kinematic chain. Joints control the rotation and position of an object with respect to its parent. Any object has a maximum of two joint-type rollouts: One rollout contains settings to control the object's position, and the other controls the object's rotation.
Surface joints Control the position of objects using Surface constraint on page 3293. The parameters control how the object travels along its assigned surface. Path joints Control the positional motion of objects using Path constraint on page 3297. The parameters for path joints control how far an object can travel along its assigned path. Using Joint Parameters The way the children behave toward one another is governed by the inheritance of the transforms down the chain.
1. Base 2. Post 3. Cap 4. Ring 5. Holder 6.
In the figure, the bead uses a path constraint to hold it to the ring. The IK chain from parent to child is Post->Cap->Bead->Handle. The ring is a child of the Cap but is not part of the IK chain. Copying and Pasting Joint Parameters You can copy and paste at the bottom of the Object Parameters rollout in the Hierarchy panel to copy and paste a complete set of joint parameters from one object to another. There are separate copy and paste functions for sliding joints and rotational joints.
TIP Choose one of the Mirror Paste options if you want to mirror the joint parameter settings as you paste them. This is very useful when pasting from one side of an object to another, such as left arm joints to a right arm. You can also copy joint settings from a non-IK controller to an IK controller, but you can't copy from an IK controller to a non-IK controller. Activating Joint Axes You set whether an object can move or rotate about a given axis by using the Active check box in the joint rollouts.
■ Set the transform managers to Parent coordinate system and Use Pivot Point Center, while setting joint parameters. This helps you see the orientation of the joint axes by displaying the parent axis icon at the selected object’s pivot point. ■ When activating joint axes, drag the From spinner up and down. This causes the object to move or rotate about the active axis and is a quick check that you chose the right axis. Activating Rotational Joints 1.
Activating Sliding Joints 1. Sliding axis When you turn on Active for one of the X, Y, Z axes of a sliding joint the object can move along that axis of its parent’s coordinate system. Most sliding joints are active only along a single axis. A telescope is an example of a sliding joint active on a single axis. You rarely see a sliding joint active along all three axes. If a sliding joint is active along all three axes, it moves independently from its parent.
Path and Surface Joints Circular path When you turn on Active for Path or Surface joints you are setting whether the object can move along the assigned path or surface. A house key on a ring is an example of an active path joint. See Path Constraint on page 3297. Limiting Joint Action Most joints are limited in their range of motion along an active axis. For example: a hinge might open only to 120 degrees; a piston slides only within the length of its cylinder.
Limiting Rotational Joints Limits for a rotational joint define how far the object can rotate about its parent’s axes. The values in the From and To fields represent the rotation angle about the active axis measured from 0 degrees on the parent object. For example, an elbow joint rotates the forearm with respect to the upper arm. In the figure the limits on X axis rotation are from 0 to 135 degrees. The Y, Z axes are inactive because an elbow joint rotates about a single axis.
IK on page 3485 Link Info on page 3500 You use the Pivot tab to adjust the pivot points of objects in the hierarchy. You use the IK tab to manage the behavior of inverse kinematics (IK). You use the Link Info tab to apply locks or inheritance to movement within the hierarchy.
Every object has a pivot point that represents its local center and local coordinate system. The pivot point of an object is used for the following: ■ Functions as the center of rotation and scaling when you use the Pivot Point transform center on page 976. ■ Sets the default location of a modifier center. ■ Defines the transform relationship for the object's linked children. ■ Defines the joint location for inverse kinematics (IK) on page 3374.
Pivot point sets hand to the center of the clock face. Procedures To reposition an object's pivot point: 1 Select an object and then turn on Adjust Pivot rollout > Affect Pivot Only. 2 Move or rotate the pivot. You can also use Align on page 1009, Quick Align on page 1015, and Align to View on page 1021 on the toolbar to align the pivot. See Adjust Transform Rollout on page 3483 for related information.
Affect Pivot Only Affects only the pivot point of the selected objects. NOTE A Scale transform has no effect on the pivot. Affect Object Only Affects only the selected objects (and not the pivot point). Affect Hierarchy Only Applies only to the Rotation and Scale tools. It applies the rotation or scale to the hierarchy by rotating or scaling the position of the pivot point without rotating or scaling the pivot point itself.
Align to Object Rotates the pivot to align with the object's transformation matrix axes. Align to World Rotates the pivot to align with the world coordinate axes. If you chose Affect Object Only, the buttons work as follows: Center to Pivot Moves the center of the object to its pivot location. Align to Pivot Rotates the object to align its transformation matrix axes with the pivot. Align to World Rotates the object to align its transformation matrix axes with the world coordinate axes.
Moving an object along the working pivot Z axis IMPORTANT Most Working Pivot tools are best used in working contexts other than the Hierarchy panel. For example, you can use it in the Modify panel context while editing mesh sub-objects. For this reason, it’s highly recommended that you use Customize User Interface on page 7697 > Main UI group > Working Pivot category actions to create a set of controls that you can use anywhere in the 3ds Max interface.
By default, this sets the geometric center for rotate and scale transforms to Use Transform Coordinate Center on page 979; that is, the working pivot position. To specify a different transform center, use the Use Center flyout on page 975. ■ From the main toolbar > Reference Coordinate System list on page 967, choose Working. This keeps the current Use Center on page 975 setting.
NOTE While Edit Working Pivot is active, the current selection is locked to the working pivot and cannot be changed without exiting this mode. Use Working Pivot When on, lets you transform the current selection (objects or sub-objects) with respect to the working pivot. The transform gizmo, when visible, moves to the working pivot location. In this mode you typically transform the selection by manipulating the gizmo rather than the selection.
of the surface as you move the cursor over it. Clicking places the pivot to the surface and aligns it to the normal (unless Align To View is on; see following). Align To View When on, automatically aligns the working pivot to the current view when you place it with View or Surface. This is useful to prepare for transforms in the screen plane. Adjust Transform Rollout Make a selection.
Interface Move/Rotate/Scale group Don't Affect Children Limits transforms to the selected object and its axis, not to its children. This is very useful when working with bones and other hierarchies. If you need to make a particular bone or object longer or shorter, select the object and then turn on Don't Affect Children. You can readjust it and any parent objects in the hierarchy will stretch or shrink to compensate to the new dimension of the selected bone.
There is also a Reset XForm utility on page 957 to do the same tasks. Skin Pose Rollout Make a selection in the viewport. > Hierarchy panel > Pivot button > Skin Pose rollout These controls function as a copy/paste system for setting up character animation. For more information, see Skin Pose Commands on page 304. Interface Skin Pose Mode Poses the character in its skin pose and allows the skin pose to be refined.
The rollouts on this panel are: Inverse Kinematics Rollout (Interactive, Applied, and HD IK) on page 3497 Object Parameters Rollout (HD Solver) on page 3486 Auto Termination Rollout (Interactive IK) on page 3499 Position XYZ Parameters on page 3219 Key Info (Basic) on page 3127 Key Info (Advanced) on page 3131 Rotational Joints (HD Solver) on page 3495 NOTE The rollouts for the HI IK and IK Limb solvers are not available while IK is chosen in the Hierarchy panel.
Position/Orientation/Bind to Follow Object (HD Solver) on page 3487 Precedence (HD Solver) on page 3491 Copying, Pasting, and Mirroring Joint Parameters (HD Solver) on page 3493 Sliding and Rotational Joints Rollouts (HD Solver) on page 3495 Procedures To create a terminator in any hierarchy or HD IK chain: 1 Select an object in any hierarchy or HD IK chain that you want to be the terminator. 2 In the Object Parameters rollout, turn on Terminator.
Use the R (Relative) buttons to establish a relative offset with Bind Position and Bind Orientation. Binding an Object to the World Binds an object to the world if you want the object to hold its position and orientation as long as possible during IK operations. Binding an Object to a Follow Object Binds a selected object in your IK chain to any other object that is not a descendant of the selected object. This other object is called the follow object.
NOTE As you drag, a dotted line is drawn from the pivot point of the selected object to the cursor. When the cursor is over a valid follow object, it changes to a push-pin cursor. Release to set the follow object. The name of the follow object will appear in the text area. To unbind an object: ■ Select the object to unbind, and then click Unbind. In the text area, the name of the follow object is replaced with the word "None.
assigned. If a follow object has been assigned, then the rotation of the follow object affects the IK solution. NOTE This check box has no effect on the HD IK Solver Rotation end effectors, which are always bound to their assigned joints. R Establishes a relative position offset or rotation offset between follow object and end effector. This button has no effect on the HD IK Solver Position end effectors. They are created on top of the joint to which they're assigned, and are automatically absolute.
Bind To Follow Object group Controls to bind and unbind an object in an inverse kinematic chain to a follow object. (Label) Displays the name of the selected follow object. Displays the word "None" if no follow object is set. Bind Binds an object in an inverse kinematic chain to a follow object. Unbind Unbinds the selected object in a HD IK chain from its follow object. Precedence (HD Solver) Make a selection with an HD IK Solver applied.
Procedures To assign a precedence value to an object manually: 1 Select an object in an HD IK Chain. 2 Open the Object Parameters rollout in the Hierarchy panel. 3 Enter a value in the Precedence field. To assign Child->Parent precedence to all objects in a kinematic chain: 1 Select all objects in an HD IK chain. 2 Open the Object Parameters rollout in the Hierarchy panel. 3 Click Child>Parent.
Child->Parent Automatically sets joint precedence to decrease in value from child to parent. Causes joints closest to where a force is applied (the end effector) to move more than joints farther away from the force. You almost always assign Child>Parent precedence to an entire kinematic chain. Child>Parent behaves like the default precedence settings but is more flexible if you want to go back and manually change the settings.
3 Click Copy in either the Sliding Joints or Rotational Joints group on the Object Parameters rollout. 4 Select a different object in the inverse kinematic chain. 5 Select an axis to mirror in the Mirror Paste group. 6 Click paste in either the Sliding Joints or Rotational Joints group on the Object Parameters rollout. Both Sliding Joints and Rotational Joints maintain separate clipboards. The copied joint parameters are saved in the clipboard until you replace them with new copied parameters.
Sliding and Rotational Joints Rollouts (HD Solver) Make a selection. > Hierarchy panel > IK > Sliding and Rotational Joints rollouts In inverse kinematics, joints operate by allowing motion on one or more axes and restricting motion on the remaining axes. You set whether an object can move (slide) on or rotate about a given axis with the Active check box in the joint rollouts. Joints have a maximum of six possible axes: three for position and three for rotation.
the field or release the spinner, the object returns to its original position. You can also view joint limits in the viewport by pressing and holding the mouse button on the From or To label of a limit field. The object will move or rotate to the limit value until you release the mouse button. Interface Sliding/Rotational Joints rollouts The Sliding Joints rollout and Rotational Joints rollout contain similar controls for position and rotation, respectively.
Spring Back Activates Spring Back. Each joint has a rest position. As the joint moves further from the rest position, an increasingly larger force pulls the joint back to its rest position, like a spring. Spring Back (spinner) Sets the rest position for the joint. For rotational joints, this is the orientation of the joint in degrees; for sliding joints, it's the position in units. Adjusting this is similar to adjusting the From/To spinners.
all objects in an IK chain (the IK chain must include a follow object). By default, keys are created at every frame. ■ Applied IK requires that one or more parts of your IK structure be bound to animated follow objects. Once bound, you can select any object in your kinematic chain and click the Apply IK button. ■ The Apply IK method of animation works best when you want objects in the kinematic chain to match the motions of other objects exactly.
Interface Interactive IK Allows for IK manipulation of hierarchies without applying an IK Solver or using a follow object. Apply IK Calculates the IK solution for each frame of the animation and creates transform keys for every object in the IK chain. A bar graph appears on the prompt line to indicate progress of the calculations. Apply Only To Keys Solves the IK solution for keyframes that already exist for one of the end effectors.
The Auto Termination controls temporarily assign terminators a specific number of links up the hierarchical chain from the selected object. This only works with Interactive IK; it does not work with applied IK or with IK solvers. Procedures To use auto termination: 1 In the Auto Termination rollout, turn on Auto Termination. 2 Enter a value in the # of Links Up field. Turn on the IK button on the toolbar. 3 Select any object in an IK chain to move or rotate.
Interface The Link Info panel has two rollouts: Locks rollout on page 3501: Locks an object's ability to Move, Rotate, or Scale about any of its local axes. Inherit rollout on page 3502: Limits what transforms a child inherits. Locks Rollout Make a selection. > Hierarchy panel > Link Info button > Locks rollout The Locks rollout contains controls that prevent transforms along particular axes.
Interface X, Y, Z Turn on any axis in the Move, Rotate, or Scale group box to lock the axis. For example, if Rotate > X and Y are turned on, you'll be able to rotate the object only around the Z axis. All locks are relative to an object's local coordinate system. Inherit Rollout Make a selection. > Hierarchy panel > Link Info button > Inherit rollout The Inherit rollout constrains the links between a selected object and its parent for any axis of position, rotation, or scale.
Interface X, Y, Z Turn off any axis in the Move, Rotate, or Scale group boxes to prevent inheritance. When you turn on an axis, transform information passes from the parent to the child for that axis. When you turn off an axis, transform information on that axis is ignored by the child.
With Track View, you can view and edit all the keys that you create. You can also assign animation controllers to interpolate or control all the keys and parameters for the objects in your scene. Track View uses two different modes, Curve Editor and Dope Sheet. Curve Editor mode lets you display the animation as function curves. Dope Sheet mode displays the animation as a spreadsheet of keys and ranges. Keys are color-coded for easy identification.
Typical Uses for Track View Track View can perform a variety of scene management and animation control tasks. Use Track View to: ■ Display a list of objects in your scene and their parameters. ■ Change key values. ■ Change key timing. ■ Change controller ranges (see procedure). ■ Change interpolation between keys. ■ Edit ranges of multiple keys. ■ Edit blocks of time. ■ Add sound to your scene. ■ Create and manage notes about the scene.
■ Assign Controller on page 3593 ■ Copy Controller on page 3590 ■ Paste Controller on page 3591 ■ Make Controller Unique on page 3600 ■ Parameter Curve Out-of-Range Types on page 3601 ■ Add Note Track on page 3604 ■ Remove Note Track on page 3606 ■ Edit Keys on page 3607 ■ Track View Utilities on page 3619 ■ Select Time on page 3630 ■ Edit Ranges on page 3642 ■ Curve Editor on page 3650 ■ Status Bar/View Controls on page 3668 ■ Track View Hierarchy on page 3531 ■ Animation Contr
4 On the Dope Sheet, click the Edit Ranges button. 5 Adjust the range duration by dragging its endpoints, or its position in the animation by dragging between endpoints. For more information, see Dope Sheet on page 3519. To select keys in Track View (either mode), do any of the following: 1 Click the key to select an individual key. 2 Drag a selection rectangle around keys to select multiple keys. 3 Hold down the Ctrl key and click to create discontinuous multiple key selections.
4 Save the script and restart 3ds Max. This should open the Track View in a new session over the right half of the desktop. Assuming that a dual-monitor setup reports twice the width, this will force the Track View on the second monitor. On a single monitor, it opens it over the right half of the monitor. Of course, you could enter your own numbers like pos:[1024,0] height:768 width:1024 in case you are running two monitors at 1024x768.
■ Dope Sheet on page 3519 ■ Dope Sheet Toolbars on page 3578 Understanding Track View Concepts The left side of Track View, called the Controller Window, presents a Hierarchy list of everything in your scene. Every object and environment effect appears in the list, along with its associated animatable parameters. Choose items from this list to apply changes to the animation values. Expand or collapse the list using manual navigation, or allow the Auto expand to determine the display in this window.
(a horizontal orange line at 0) can be moved during scale value operations as a reference point for scaling. Interface The two main sections of the Track View workspace consist of the Key window and the Controller window. Controller Window The Controller window displays object names and controller tracks, and determines which curves and tracks are available for display and editing.
Controller window Key window The Key window displays the keys as either curves or tracks. The tracks can be displayed as a box graph of keys or range bars.
Keys displayed as box graph (Dope Sheet - Edit Keys mode) Key Creation Keys are created using a variety of methods. Keys can be created by turning on Auto Key, moving the time slider, and then transforming the object or adjusting its parameters. Keys can also be created by right-clicking the viewport time slider to access the Create Key dialog. Keys can be created directly in Track View using Add Keys.
Colored keys with subframe display Keys are also displayed on the track bar below the viewport. Keys displayed on the function curves have tangency types. The tangency buttons found on the Key Tangents toolbar can be used to change the function curve keys. Use Custom tangency to show editable curve handles. Use Step tangency to freeze motion or create classic storyboard pose-to-pose blocking. Function curves can also be displayed below the track bar.
Custom Tangency handles Range Bars In the Dope Sheet - Edit Ranges mode (when animation keys have been created), range bars display to indicate the range of time the animation occurs. Tools specific to working with ranges (position ranges and recouple ranges) can be found on the Ranges toolbar (off by default). Right-click the toolbar, choose Show Toolbars, and then select Range-Track View to access these tools.
Keys displayed as range bars (Dope Sheet - Edit Ranges mode) Function Curves Function Curves display the values of keys, and the interpolated values between keys, as a curve. These curves express how a parameter varies over time. Only animation tracks can display function curves. You can edit the curves using tangency handles on the keys to change the shape of the curve.
Multiple curves can be viewed simultaneously by selecting tracks in the Controller window. This is especially useful when using Multiplier or Ease Curves. You can adjust the multiplier or ease curve point tangencies and watch the final result in the controller curve at the same time. Time Ruler The time ruler measures time. Markings on the ruler reflect the settings in the Time Configuration dialog. Move the time ruler up to the keys for more accurate key placement.
Scale keys using time slider Scale Values Origin Line When you choose to scale key values (that is, scaling in space rather than time), a horizontal orange line appears at the 0 value on the vertical graph axis. This orange line is a scale values origin indicator, which you can move verticall to use as a reference point for scaling values. Horizontal line at the top of the illustration is the moveable scale origin line.
Curve Editor Menu bar > Graph Editors > Curve Editor Menu bar > Graph Editors > New Track View > Modes > Curve Editor Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) Right-click the selected object in the viewport. > Curve Editor The Track View - Curve Editor is a Track View mode that allows you to work with motion expressed as function curves on a graph. It lets you visualize the interpolation of the motion, the object transformations that the software creates between the keyframes.
See also: ■ Track View Menu Bar on page 3547 ■ Curve Editor Toolbars on page 3572 Dope Sheet Menu bar > Graph Editors > Track View - Dope Sheet Menu bar > Graph Editors > New Track View > Modes > Dope Sheet Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Modes menu > Dope Sheet Right-click the selected object in the viewport > Curve Editor > Modes > Dope Sheet The Track View - Dope Sheet editor displays keyframes over time on a horizontal graph.
The 3ds Max Dope Sheet editor is similar to the classic X sheet. It displays keyframes over time, only using a horizontal graph (rather than vertical). This provides tools for adjusting the timing of your animation. Here, you can see all the keys in a spreadsheet-type interface. You can select any or all of the keys in a scene, scale them, move them, copy and paste them, or otherwise work directly here, rather than in the viewport.
Colored keys Dope Sheet keys are now displayed as rectangles within boxes so you can easily spot sub-frame keys, keys that fall in-between frames. Keys that fill the boxes are on the frame, keys that are small rectangles are sub-frame. Sub-frame keys Dope Sheet, just like the Curve Editor, allows you to use soft selection on keys.
such as in motion-capture data files. Combine this with scaling keys for a means to manipulate motion data. Soft selection of Dope Sheet keys Edit Ranges Mode When Edit Ranges is turned on, the animation tracks are displayed as range bars; no individual keys are visible. Use Ranges when you only want to change how long something happens, or when it starts and ends, rather than when you need to manipulate particular keys within an action.
Time Editing Dope Sheet offers you a variety of tools for working directly with time. You can select a period of time, which includes all the keys within that period, and then perform different operations on that time segment. You can copy and paste time to loop animations, or reverse time so the animation plays backward. You can insert time to add a space to an animation, or delete time to shorten a motion. NOTE For Dope Sheet procedures, see the individual tools and menu choices within the links below.
The time ruler at the bottom of the Track View Key window measures time. Markings on the time ruler reflect the settings in the Time Configuration dialog on page 7565. You can drag the time ruler vertically in the Key window to align it with any track. Track View Shortcuts Track View functions for which keyboard shortcuts can be set are listed below. Where there is no default keyboard listed and no button shown in the action list, a short description appears in the right column.
Track View Function Default Keyboard Shortcut Access Value Field Add Keys Description Accesses the value field at the lower left of Track View window A Add Note Track Add Visibility Track Align Keys Apply Ease Curve Ctrl+E Apply Multiplier Curve Ctrl+M Assign Controller C Auto Expand Animated Auto Expand Keyable Auto Expand Limits Collapse All Collapse Objects Collapse Tracks Copy Controller Ctrl+C Copy Time Track View Shortcuts | 3525
Track View Function Default Keyboard Shortcut Cut Time Delete Controller Delete Ease/Multiplier Curve Delete Note Track Delete Visibility Track Draw Curves Ease Curve Out-of-Range Types Ease/Multiplier Curve Enable Toggle Edit Keys Mode Edit Ranges Mode Edit Time Mode Edit Track Set Exclude Left End Point Toggle Exclude Right End PointToggle Expand Object Toggle 3526 | Chapter 15 Animation O (letter "o") Description
Track View Function Default Keyboard Shortcut Description Expand Objects Expand Track Toggle ENTER, T Expand Tracks Filters Q Freeze Nonselected Curves Function Curves Mode Ignore Animation Range Insert Time Keyable Properties Toggle Lock Selection Spacebar Lock Tangents Toggle L Make Controller Unique U Modify Subtree Toggle Move Highlight Down Down Arrow Move Highlight Up Up Arrow Move Keys M Move Keys Horizontal Track View Shortcuts | 3527
Track View Function Default Keyboard Shortcut Description Move Keys Vertical Move Object Down Moves an object down in the hierarchy display Move Object Up Moves an object up in the hierarchy display Multiplier Curve Out-ofRange Types Nudge Keys Left Left Arrow Nudge Keys Right Right Arrow Pan P Parameter Curve Out-ofRange Types Paste Controller Paste Limit Only Paste Time Position Ranges Mode Properties Reduce Keys Remove Limit Respect Animation Range 3528 | Chapter 15 Animation Ctrl+V
Track View Function Default Keyboard Shortcut Description Reverse Time Scale Keys Scale Time Scale Values Scroll Down Ctrl+Down Arrow Scroll Up Ctrl+Up Arrow Select All Select Children Select Invert Select None Select Time Select Lower Limit Set Tangents to Auto Set Tangents to Custom Set Tangents to Fast Set Tangents to Linear Set Tangents to Slow Track View Shortcuts | 3529
Track View Function Default Keyboard Shortcut Set Tangents to Smooth Set Tangents to Step Set Upper Limit Show All Tangents Show Keys on Frozen Curves Show Selected Key Stats Show Tangents Toggle Slide Keys Snap Frames S Toggle Limit Track View Utilities Zoom Z Zoom Horizontal Extents Zoom Horizontal Extents Zoom Region Zoom Selected Object Zoom Time 3530 | Chapter 15 Animation Alt+X Description
Track View Function Default Keyboard Shortcut Description Zoom Value Extents Zoom Values Track View Hierarchy Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Track View Controller Window Graph Editors menu > Track View - Curve Editor/Track View - Dope Sheet The Track View Controller window displays all objects in your scene in a hierarchical fashion. You select objects in the Hierarchy list to: ■ Select object and track labels for Track View operations. ■ Select object icons to select objects in the scene.
Procedures To select objects in the scene using the Track View Controller window: 1 Do one of the following to select the first object: ■ Click an object's icon to select a single object. ■ Double-click a parent object's icon to select an object and its descendants. 2 Do one of the following to select additional objects: ■ Press Shift and click an object icon to select all objects between the object and the previously selected object.
To select items in the Controller window with the right-click menu: ■ Right-click an item in the Controller window, then do any of the following: ■ Choose Select All to select all items visible in the Hierarchy list. Collapsed items are not selected. Press Ctrl and choose Select All to select only visible transform items. ■ Choose Select Invert to reverse the selection pattern. ■ Choose Select None to clear all items from the selection.
To highlight all tracks containing animation: 1 Create a box and a sphere. 2 Click Auto Key, go to frame 10 and move the sphere in X. 3 Go to frame 20 and move the sphere in Y. 4 Go to frame 30 and move the sphere in Z. 5 Deselect the sphere by clicking in a blank area of the viewport. 6 Open the track View — Curve Editor and press Ctrl+A. Locate in the Track View Controller window the box and sphere objects. Notice that both their icons are highlighted as well as the sphere's XYZ position tracks.
Interface Scene Hierarchy World World is the root of the scene hierarchy. This track collects all keys in your scene as a single range for quick global operations. By default, the World track shows the range of the Sound, Environment, Medit Materials, and Scene Materials branches. Modify Subtree in Edit Ranges mode causes the World track to include the range of all tracks in the Objects branch as well.
NOTE The default location of the time ruler covers the World animation track. Move the time ruler to see the World track. Sound Allows you to synchronize your animation to a sound file or to a metronome. If you use a sound file, a Wave Form track is displayed in the Hierarchy list, and a waveform is displayed in the Edit window. A sound file plays on your installed sound card. You set the Metronome and the Wave Form parameters in the Sound Options dialog on page 3545.
Scene Materials Contains the definitions for all materials in the scene. It is empty until you begin assigning materials to objects. When you select materials in this branch, you are working with instances of materials assigned to objects in your scene. These materials might not be in any of the Material Editor samples. Medit Materials Contains global material definitions. The Medit Materials branch contains the 24 material definitions in the Material Editor on page 5284.
NOTE Controllers that have been applied to objects via the Animation menu > Controllers or Constraints submenus automatically have list controllers assigned. Controllers assigned using the Track View Controller menu or right-click Assign Controller choice on the quad menu do not apply list controllers automatically. Maps Indicates map definitions. All branches below a map definition are part of that map. This includes values used by parametric maps and other map definitions that are part of a map tree.
The Hierarchy right-click menu contains quick-access commands for expanding and collapsing the hierarchy. TIP Use Alt+right-click with quad menu tools to expand and collapse selected tracks individually. TIP The Hierarchy right-click menu displays commands related to the highlighted item while the Alt+right-click menu displays commands related to the item currently located under your mouse cursor. Interface Select All Selects all tracks that are visible in the Hierarchy list.
TIP Inverting an empty selection is the same as selecting all. Select None Deselects all visible object tracks in the Hierarchy list. Does not apply to selected objects in the scene (object icons remain highlighted). Select Children Selects all objects descending from the selection by highlighting their icon in the Hierarchy list. Collapsed children are also selected. TIP You can also select an object's children by double-clicking its icon.
NOTE If you are using Auto Expand on page 3557 with the Children option turned on, all objects branches are automatically expanded. Expand Tracks Expands all branches of the selected item. Expand All Expands all branches for all descendants of the selected object. Collapse Objects Collapses only the object branch for all descendants of the selected object. Collapse Tracks Collapses all branches of the selected item. Collapse All Collapses all branches for all descendants of the selected object.
Auto Expand Expands the Hierarchy list automatically based on submenu selection choices. Submenu choices are: Selected Objects Only, Transforms, XYZ Components, Limits, Keyable, Animated, Base Objects, Modifiers, Materials, and Children. Manual Navigation Turns off Auto Expand. Allows you to manually decide when you will collapse and what you will expand. A small minus button in a circle to the left of an item lets you collapse it. This button disappears when Auto Expand is on and Manual Navigation is off.
Copy Makes a copy of the controller held in the Track View clipboard. Paste Pastes the copied controller to another object or track. Copies can be pasted as instances or as unique copies. Make Unique Changes an instanced controller into a unique one. Changes made to instanced controller are reflected in all versions of the controller, unique controllers can be individually edited without affecting anything else.
Properties (Track View Hierarchy) Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Select an item in the Track View controller window > Hierarchy Right-click menu > Properties Graph Editors menu > Track View - Curve Editor > Track View toolbar > Controller > Properties Right-click an animated object in the viewport. > Curve Editor > Right-click the Key window. > Properties Motion panel > Assign Controller rollout > Right-click a controller track.
To display the Sound Options dialog for adding a sound track: 1 In the Track View Hierarchy, select the Sound item. 2 Right-click and choose Properties. The Sound Options dialog is displayed. You can use this dialog to assign a sound file to the animation, which can be displayed in Track View or the track bar. To display the Sound Options dialog for adding a sound track: 1 In the Track View Hierarchy, select the Sound item.
The Sound Options dialog is displayed. 2 Click Choose Sound, select a sound file, and then click OK. A Wave Form branch appears in the Track View Hierarchy. A waveform appears in the Track View Key window. 3 Turn on Real Time in the Time Configuration dialog to hear the sound track when you play your animation. Interface Audio group Choose Sound Displays a file selector where you choose a sound file. Remove Sound Deletes the waveform from Track View. Reload Sound Reloads the last loaded file.
Beats per minute Sets the frequency of beats. The beats display in the Metronome tracks as black vertical bars. Default=60. Beats per measure Sets which beat is emphasized with a higher pitch tone. Emphasized beats display in the Metronome track as black pluses. For example, a setting of 4 generates a higher pitched tone every fourth beat. Default=4. Active Plays the beats during animation playback.
Utilities Randomizes or creates out-of-range keys. Also selects keys by time and current value editor. See Utilities Menu on page 3566. Modes Menu Track View > Modes menu Graph Editors menu > Track View - Dope Sheet > Modes menu Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Modes The Modes menu lets you switch between the Curve Editor and Dope Sheet when working in Track View. Curve Editor Displays and allows for editing of animation function curves.
Collapse Controller Converts procedural animation tracks to Bezier, Euler, Linear, or TCB keyframe controller tracks. Can also be used to convert any controller to these type of controllers. Allows for key reduction by using a Samples parameter. See Collapse Controller on page 3549 Enable Anim Layer Assigns a Layer controller to each highlighted track in the hierarchy window. See Animation Layers on page 3164. NOTE You must first set keys on the desired tracks before they can be layer-enabled.
You can also use this tool to convert any controller track to a simple keyframed track. You can convert rotation tracks to either Euler or TCB, and collapse Position and Scale tracks to either Bezier or Linear controllers. You can collapse an entire track, or collapse a range of frames within a track by setting the Start and End frames. A Samples parameter lets you define how many frames will be placed between keys. Collapse Controller can be used to collapse any number of selected tracks at once.
The Key window displays the curves for the collapsed animation. The track bar displays the keys, as does the Track View – Dope Sheet. TIP If you want to collapse the controller into a weighted list controller, turn on Add To New Layer. The original controller will be stored on a layer with a weight of 0.0. It will have no effect, but will be available for future use, if need be. Interface Start Frame Sets the first frame of the range of animation to be collapsed.
■ Linear or TCB Controller When this is chosen, Position, Scale, and scalar parameter tracks will be assigned Linear controllers. Rotation tracks will be assigned TCB controllers. NOTE TCB controllers will not display function curves. Add to New Layer When this is turned on, the collapsed controller is added as a new layer in a weighted list controller on page 3194. Default=off. This option is useful because it keeps the old controller on another layer with a weight of 0.0.
Reduce Keys Reduces the amount of keys on curves, or in edit keys mode in Dope Sheet. See Reduce Keys on page 3640. Move Moves keys either vertically (in value) or horizontally (in time). See Move Keys (Dope Sheet) on page 3613 or Move Keys (Curve Editor) on page 3652. Slide Moves keys, and adjacent keys slide away to make room for the move. See Slide Keys on page 3614. Scale Values Proportionally increase or decrease the key values (in space, not time).
To adjust the Soft Selection range and falloff, choose Soft Select Settings on the Keys menu. TIP Keys are “soft-selected” across time only (horizontally). See also: ■ Soft Selection Settings on page 3554 Procedures To soft select keys in Track View: 1 In either Dope Sheet > Edit Keys mode or in the Curve Editor, select a single key in the middle of the animation curve or graph. 2 From the Keys menu, choose Use Soft Select.
Range Determines the range of keys affected by the soft selection. Falloff Determines the distribution of the strength of the soft selection over the range of keys. Curves Menu Graphic Editors menu > Track View - Curve Editor > Curves menu Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Curves menu The Curves menu is only available when working in Track View's Curve Editor mode. The tools on this menu facilitate curve adjustments.
Select Select a time range. Insert Add blank periods of time into a selected range. Cut Remove a time selection. Copy Copy a time selection. Includes any keys within the time selection Paste Duplicates a copied or cut selection. Reverse Rearranges the order of keys within a time range, flips time from back to start. Options Menu Track View > Options menu The Options menu contains a series of toggles and switches that control how items are handled in the Track View window.
For example, if you're at frame 10 and there are position keys at frame 0, 20, 30, and 50, then editing either a key at frame 0 or 20 with Interactive Update on potentially lets you see the changes in the viewport as you drag the key. However, editing a key at frame 50 is unlikely to cause a position change at the current frame, so you won't see any difference with Interactive Update on or off.
When you are working on a specific animation task, turn off the unnecessary options to focus the controller window on what you need to see. NOTE The default auto-navigation setting for the Dope Sheet editor auto-expands only to the node track for the currently selected object. This reduces the number of tracks whose keys need to be displayed and also helps enforce the top-down workflow for which the Dope Sheet editor is designed.
Auto Select Track View > Options menu > Auto Select Provides options to determine which types of tracks are selected when a Track View window is opened, or node selection changes. Options include Animated, with submenu choices of Position, Rotation and Scale. When this is turned on, animated curves are automatically selected when opening the controller window, using the submenu choices as well.
NOTE Modify Child Keys on page 3561 works similarly, but for child nodes of the current object. Modify Subtree lets you edit timing for a subset of tracks for an object, while Modify Child Keys lets you edit the timing of an entire linked structure, group, or character. Procedures To drag the ranges and linked descendants of an object: In the Dope Sheet Editor, click Edit Ranges. 1 Modify Subtree is on by default. 2 Drag the World range bar or the Objects range bar.
Modify Subtree (Edit Range) Affects the tracks of an object and all of its descendent objects. When you edit the range of a parent object, the child objects are also affected. Modify Child Keys Track View - Dope Sheet > Options menu > Modify Child Keys Track View - Dope Sheet > Track View toolbar > Modify Child Keys button Provides the ability to turn changes on and off down the hierarchy when working in Dope Sheet mode.
When Manual Navigation is engaged, buttons appear in the Controller window next to the tracks, that allow you to expand or collapse individual containers such as objects or materials. TIP Use Alt+right-click to quickly access tools for expanding and collapsing selected tracks. To collapse individual components in the Controller window: 1 On the Graph Editors menu, choose Track View - Curve Editor. 2 Right-click the controller window and turn on Manual Navigation.
Hide Non-Selected Curves When this is on, if you deselect the object in the viewport, the function curve will also disappear from view in the Curve Editor. Default is on. See Hide/Show Non-Selected Curves on page 3565. Show Non-Selected Curves Turn this on so you can deselect an object in the viewport and still see its curves. Default is off. See Hide/Show Non-Selected Curves on page 3565 Freeze Non-Selected Curves Displays nonselected curves, but doesn't allow you to edit them.
You can also use the Track View Controller menu > Keyable command to make tracks keyable in a single operation. You can define keyboard shortcuts for making tracks keyable. By combining the use of keyable icons with key filters, you can use Set Key animation mode to add keyframes to just the tracks you want to work with, and avoid keyframing other tracks. Red key icon means a track is keyable. When the keyable icons are visible, click the red icon to turn off the track.
The tracks are changed, now marked with a black key in a circle. These tracks will not receive keyframes. Only the tracks marked with red keyable icons will. NOTE Keyable tracks work with both Auto Key and Set Key animation modes. To make multiple tracks keyable: 1 In Track View, with the object selected, hold down the Ctrl key and click each track to create a selection set of tracks for which you want to prevent animation.
When Hide Non-Selected Curves is on (the default), the curve will disappear when another track is chosen. When Show Non-Selected Curves is on, the curve will still be visible in the Key window when another track is chosen. If you turn on Show Non-Selected Curves, then you can also use Freeze Non-Selected Curves. This allows you to see the other curve but not edit it inadvertently. View Menu Track View > View menu These commands replicate those found on the Navigation toolbar in Track View.
The Utilities menu on page 3619 gives you access to the Track View Utilities dialog. The dialog shows a list of tools you can use when working with keys. This menu is available in both Curve Editor and Dope Sheet modes. Randomize Keys Changes the values of selected keys randomly based on range thresholds. Use this on either values or time. For details, see Randomize Keys Utility on page 3620. Create Out of Range Keys Creates new keys for selected tracks based on Out-of-Range Parameters.
Select Keys by Time Allows you to select the keys within a time range. Turn off Clear Previous Selection to create discontinuous selection sets. For details, see Select Keys By Time Utility on page 3624. Soft Selection Settings Manager Displays a soft selection dialog at the bottom of the Track View window. For details, see Soft Selection Settings on page 3554. Euler Filter Corrects rotation anomalies by filtering Euler rotation tracks. For details, see Euler Filter on page 3625.
This utility starts a floating Current Value window that works for either Dope Sheet – Edit keys mode or Curve Editor. It doesn't work for Edit Ranges. Not for use with object parameters, the current value editor is intended for use primarily with Transform controllers. Track View Quad Menu Right-clicking the Key window or Hierarchy list brings up a quad menu that offers instant access to tools. The menu is context-sensitive, so its contents vary, depending on what is highlighted.
Controller window quad menu When the keys window is active you can draw curves, add keys, move keys and scale values. You can also reduce keys.
Key window quad menu In the Controller window, if you hold down Alt+right-click you can display an alternate quad menu, which is also integrated with the main quad menu. This menu was available in earlier versions of the program as a default right-click menu in Track View. Alt+right-click for alternate quad menu for Controller window You can add additional commands to these quad menus. You can customize the Track View quad menu the same as any other quad menu.
3 From the Quad pull-down menu, choose Track View Quad, or Track View Key Quad. 4 Change the Group to Track View, and then drag items from the table of actions on the left to the window in the lower right. Track View Toolbars Curve Editor Toolbars Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Curve Editor toolbar Track View - Dope Sheet > Modes menu > Curve Editor > Curve Editor toolbar The Curve Editor toolbars contain tools that are also available from the Track View menu bar.
Move Keys — Vertical Moves keys constrained vertically on the function curve graph. See Move Keys on page 3613. Slide Keys Use Slide Keys in the Curve Editor to move a group of keys and slide adjacent keys away as you move. See Slide Keys on page 3614. Scale Keys Use Scale Keys to compress or expand the amount of time between keyframes. Works both in Curve Editor and Dope Sheet modes. See Scale Keys - Time on page 3616.
and out tangents individually using the flyout. Use the Shift key to break continuity when using handles. Set Tangents to Fast Sets key tangency to fast in, fast out, or both in and out, depending on your choice from the flyout. Set Tangents to Slow Sets key tangency to slow in, slow out, or both in and out, depending on your choice from the flyout. Set Tangents to Step Sets key tangency to step in, step out, or both in and out, depending on your choice from the flyout.
Out-of-Range types, you can later create keys using Track View > Utilities > Create Out-of-Range Keys. See Parameter Curve Out-of-Range Types on page 3601 and Create Out of Range Keys Utility on page 3622. Show Keyable Icons Displays an icon that defines a track as keyable or not. Use this to set keys only on the tracks you want to keyframe. Turning off a track in Track View also restricts the movement in the viewport. Red keys indicate keyable tracks, black keys are not keyable.
Show Biped X Curves Toggles the X axis of the current animation or position curves. Also toggles the X button of the Animation Workbench Toolbar on page 4487. Default=on. Show Biped Y Curves Toggles the Y axis of the current animation or position curves. Also toggles the Y button of the Animation Workbench Toolbar on page 4487. Default=on. Show Biped Z Curves Toggles the Z axis of the current animation or position curves. Also toggles the Z button of the Animation Workbench Toolbar on page 4487. Default=on.
TIP You can use commas (,) to include multiple names in your selection. Track Set List Allows you to assign a name to the current track selection (referred to as a track set), and then later reselect those tracks by choosing the respective track set from the list. Also available in Dope Sheet mode. See Track Set List on page 3672 for details. You can edit track set lists via the Edit Track Set button, which opens the Track Sets Editor dialog on page 3674.
Dope Sheet Toolbars Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Modes menu > Dope Sheet > Dope Sheet toolbar These are the default toolbars that are visible when you open the Dope Sheet. Keys: Dope Sheet Toolbar Edit Keys Displays a Dope Sheet Editor mode that shows the keys as boxes on a graph. Use this to mode to insert, cut, and paste time. See Edit Keys on page 3607. Edit Ranges Displays a Dope Sheet Editor mode that shows the keyed tracks as range bars. See Edit Ranges on page 3642.
Time: Dope Sheet Toolbar Select Time Lets you select a time range. Time selections include any keys that might be included within the time range. Use Insert Time, then Select Time to choose the time range. See Select Time on page 3630. Delete Time Removes selected time from the selected tracks. Cannot be applied globally to shorten the time segment. This removes keys but leaves “blank” frames behind. See Delete Time on page 3631.
Display: Dope Sheet Toolbar Lock Selection Locks the key selection. Once you have created a selection, turn this on so that you cannot inadvertently select something else. See Lock Selection on page 3609. Snap Frames Restricts key movement to frames. Keys that are moved will always snap to frames when this is on. When this is off you can move a key so it falls between frames and become a sub-frame key. Default=on. See Snap Frames on page 3608.
Editors menu > Saved Track View submenu. Also available in Curve Editor mode. Track Selection Toolbar Zoom Selected Object Puts the currently selected object at the top of the Hierarchy list. Also available in Curve Editor mode. See Zoom Selected Object on page 3669 for details. NOTE If multiple objects are selected, the Hierarchy list zoom is based on an alphabetical sorting. Select By Name Highlights filtered tracks in the Controller window based on the current field value.
Navigation Toolbar Navigation Track View provides tools to pan and zoom the Key window. You can zoom to the extents of the time or the values. Also available in Curve Editor mode. See Status Bar/View Controls on page 3668. Key Stats Toolbar Key Stats Track View provides tools for the display and type-in transform of key values. Also available in Curve Editor mode. Controller Toolbar Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Right-click the starting area of a toolbar (containing two vertical bars).
Copy Controller Use this to copy a controller and its animated tracks from a selected object. Paste Controller Pasts the copied or cut controller onto a new object or selection of object tracks. Assign Controller Use this to assign a new controller to an object. All objects have a default controller assigned; use this to change the default controller to a different one. Select the controller track in the Controller window, then use Assign Controller to select a new one.
Edit Ranges Changes Dope Sheet to display range bars rather than tracks of keys. See Edit Ranges on page 3642. Position Ranges Adjusts the relationship between a range bar and its keys. Turning this on will allow you to see the keys while moving the range bar. Recouple Ranges Resizes the range bar to fit the first and last key of the selected track.
Filters lets you determine which categories of items appear in Track View. When you click the Filters button, Track View's Filters dialog on page 3585 is displayed. You can also right-click the Filters button for quick selection of items. TIP You can set up a default filter configuration. Open a single Track View, set the filters the way you want them to come up, and close the Track View. Save the (empty) scene as maxstart.max. This scene file is automatically loaded when you start the program.
This dialog also controls function curve display and transform display for Position, Rotation, Scale, and X, Y, and Z axes individually. Procedures To choose filter options: 1 On the Track View toolbar, click Filters. 2 Choose any of the filter options from the dialog.
■ Objects ■ Space Warp Bindings ■ Transforms (Position, Rotation, Scale, X/Y/Z/W axes in any combination) ■ Modified Objects ■ Base Objects ■ Controller Types (off by default) ■ Note Tracks ■ Visibility Tracks ■ Sound ■ Materials/Maps ■ Material/Parameters ■ Static Values ■ Global Tracks: non-object tracks All Sets all Show check boxes to on. None Sets all Show check boxes to off. Invert Reverses the state of all Show check boxes.
Hide By Controller Type contains a window displaying a list of all controller types in 3ds Max. Choose one or more controller types to prevent them from appearing in the Hierarchy list. You can use the standard multiple-selection methods of Ctrl+click, Shift+click, or drag. All/None/Invert Selects either all items in the list, none of the items in the list, or inverts the current selection. NOTE When you hide a controller, its subcontrollers (if any) are hidden as well.
Keyable Tracks Displays only tracks that can receive keys. This property is toggled using the Keyable property available on the Track View Controller menu, or by clicking the keyable icon displayed using Show Keyable Icon. Default=off. Active Layer For each object listed in the hierarchy window with animation layers on page 3164 enabled, displays only the active layer, along with all nested controllers.
Check boxes in this group, when active, specify which transforms are suppressed, for which axis, and which RGB color values are suppressed. This is only used for controllers such as the Bezier Position controller that displays all three axis with one track selected. NOTE The “W” and “A” Filters are for use with the Point4 controller. The W is simply a fourth filter for position, and the A is for use with the floating-point RGBA controller, which is based on the Point4 controller.
3 Click the object track for an object in the Track View Hierarchy. 4 From the Controllers menu, choose Paste. The Paste dialog is displayed. 5 Set the options in the Paste dialog, and click OK. The pasted modifier is inserted above the object track you selected. Note that it does not replace any of the tracks in the target object. To copy and paste a controller: 1 In the Track View Hierarchy, highlight a controller track. 2 On the Track View Controllers menu, click Copy Controller.
Toolbars > Controllers: Track View to display the icons for Assign, Copy, Paste. Delete Controller and Make Controller Unique. TIP If you need a gizmo to follow a dummy object, use Copy Controller and Paste Controller to copy the animation from the dummy to the gizmo. Procedures See Copy Controller on page 3590. Interface Paste Controller Pastes an item from the Track View clipboard.
Assign Controller Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Select the controller track in the controller window. > Controller menu > Assign Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Select the controller track in the controller window. > Right-click the controller track and choose Assign Controller. Keyboard > C Use Assign Controller to assign animation controllers to any animatable parameter or track in Track View. Animation controllers provide powerful tools for animating all the objects and materials in a scene.
Slave Controllers can be assigned manually, but is also automatically applied to selected tracks when a Block controller is created in Track View Global Tracks. A Slave controller transfers key data to a Block controller. Slave controllers are described in the Block controller topic. Available Animation Controllers and Constraints Attachment Constraint on page 3288: A Position controller that attaches an object's position to a face on another object.
LookAt Constraint on page 3312: Forces that object to constantly look at another. Formerly a Transform controller, this is now a rotation controller. Master Point Controller on page 3201: Automatically assigned when animating vertices, control points, or vectors in sub-object mode. This controller simplifies managing potentially hundreds of tracks in Track View. Motion Capture Controller on page 3203: Controls and records an object's motion or parameter using an external device.
Waveform Controller on page 3265: A float controller that provides regular, periodic waveforms. For example, blinking lights and rhythmic object motion. XRef Controller on page 3269: Lets you externally reference any type of Transform controller from another scene file. Procedures To assign an animation controller in Track View: 1 In the Track View Hierarchy, select one or more parameter items of the same type. 2 From the Controller menu, choose Assign.
Interface Assign Controller Choose a controller type from the Assign Controllers dialog. Depending on the type of track you have selected, the Choose Controller dialog displays a subset of the different types of controllers. Delete Controller Main toolbar > Curve Editor (Open) > Select a deletable track in the Controller Window. > Right-click the toolbar > Show Toolbars > Controllers: Track View > Delete Controller. Main toolbar > Open Track View > Select a deletable track in the Track View Hierarchy.
Procedures To delete a deletable controller: 1 In the Controller window, select a deletable controller. 2 On the Track View Controllers menu, choose Delete Controller. The controller is deleted. NOTE Most controllers cannot be deleted, only replaced. The Delete Controller menu item is available only if the controller track selected is an applicable type.
4 The Noise Controller dialog opens. Keep the current settings and close the dialog. 5 Select the sphere, and then right-click it. From the quad menu, choose Dope Sheet. 6 Expand the hierarchy items in the Controller window until you find the sphere's Position track. 7 Drag the track's range bar until it starts at frame 10. 8 Play the animation. Because Ignore Animation Range is on by default, the sphere moves randomly even before entering the track's animation range.
4 The Noise Controller dialog opens. Keep the current settings and close the dialog. 5 Select the sphere, and then right-click it. From the quad menu, choose Dope Sheet. 6 Expand the hierarchy items in the Controller window until you find the sphere's Position track. 7 On the Controllers menu, choose Respect Animation Range. The background color of the track changes to gray. 8 Drag the track's range bar so it starts at frame 10. 9 Play the animation.
All the Controller tools can also be found on the Controllers: Track View toolbar which is hidden by default. Right-click any blank area of the Track View toolbar, then choose Show Toolbars > Controllers: Track View to display the buttons for Assign, Copy, Paste. Delete Controller and Make Controller Unique. Procedures To convert an instanced controller to a unique one: 1 Select an instanced controller. 2 On the Controllers menu choose Make Unique, or press U on the keyboard.
2 In the Curve Editor select the track you want to loop. 3 Click Parameter Out-of-Range Types to select how your animation behaves outside the time covered by the range bar. 4 Choose the type of out of range type you want in the dialog, then close it and play the animation. The Curve editor will display the loop or cycle with a dotted line. TIP You can create keys from the out of range type by using the Track View Utilities > Create Out of Range Keys.
Interface Select from the options for repeating your animation and options for applying a linear value. Constant Holds the value of the end key of the range for all frames. Use constant when you want no animated effect before the first key of the range or after the last key. Constant is the default out-of-range type. Cycle Repeats the same animation as within the range. If the first and last keys in the range have different values, the animation will show an abrupt "jump" from the last key to the first.
Linear Projects the animation value along a line tangent to the function curve at the end of the range. Use Linear when you want the animation to enter and leave the range at a constant velocity. Relative Repeat Repeats the same animation as within the range but offsets each repetition by the value at the end of the range. Use Relative Repeat to create animations that build on each other as they repeat.
2 Highlight one or more item labels in the Hierarchy list. 3 From the Tracks menu, choose Note Tracks > Add. A note track is inserted as a branch directly below each highlighted item. To add a note key to a note track: 1 Select the Note track (in Dope Sheet Edit Keys mode). 2 Click Add Keys. 3 Click a note track in the Keys Window to place a note at that particular frame. To edit notes: 1 Right-click a note key to display the Notes dialog. 2 Click inside the edit box, and then start typing.
Note Number Indicates which note key you are working with. Click the left arrow to move back to the previous note or the right arrow to move forward to the next note. Time Sets the time position for the note key. Change the value to move the note to a new time. Lock Key Locks the key to the Time field. When set, the key ignores all operations performed with Move, Slide, and Scale. The only way to change the key's time is to use the Time field in the Notes dialog.
2 From the Tracks menu, choose Note Track > Remove. Editing Keys Topics in this section relate to editing animation keys in Track View.
Procedures To turn on Edit Keys mode, do one of the following: 1 If you are in Curve Editor, choose Modes > Dope Sheet. 2 If you are in Dope Sheet > Ranges, click Edit Keys on the Track View toolbar. To delete keys in Edit Keys mode: 1 Highlight the keys in the Key window. 2 Press DELETE on the keyboard to delete the selected keys.
WARNING Don't turn off Snap Frames unless you have a reason to, such as the need for more precise animation timing. If you do turn off Snap Frames and move keys in Curve Editor you will create sub-frame keys, but they won't be noticeably different in Curve Editor. In some cases, sub-frame keys can lead to animation “popping,” or overly fast changes due to keys being too close together.
locked you don't have to click it to move the keys, you can click anywhere in the window to more or scale the keys. NOTE To use the Spacebar keyboard shortcut, the Keyboard Shortcut Override Toggle on page 7858 must be on. Procedures To use Lock Selection in Track View: 1 In either Dope Sheet or Curve Editor Key window, highlight one or more keys. 2 On the Track View toolbar, turn on Lock Selection, and then click and drag inside the Track View Key window.
3 Highlight one or more keys using Move Keys, Slide Keys, or Scale Keys. 4 From the Keys menu choose Align To Cursor. The leftmost selected key in each track is moved to the current time. Multiple selected keys on the same track maintain their relative distance from the leftmost key. Add Visibility Track Right-click an object in the viewport.
On and Off Visibility When you first assign a visibility track to an object, a Bezier float controller is automatically assigned; this allows gradual visibility. You can make an object appear or disappear suddenly by changing the interpolation of the visibility keys to Step tangency. Variable opacity is supported in the shaded viewports. For ease of use, the object never completely disappears from the viewports.
A visibility track appears below the selected object(s). Add and edit keys in the visibility track to control the object's visibility. To add visibility keys: 1 Once you have a visibility track assigned to the object, highlight the track. 2 On the toolbar, click Add Keys. 3 On the Track View Key window, click in a visibility track to add a key at that time location. Example: To create and animate a visibility track using the Object Properties dialog: 1 Create a box. 2 Turn on Auto Key.
You can clone highlighted keys by moving them while holding down the Shift key. NOTE You can use any button on the Move Keys flyout to move keys in Dope Sheet mode, but you can move keys horizontally only. Procedures To move a selection of keys: 1 On the Keys: Dope Sheet toolbar, click Move Keys if it isn't already highlighted. It should be on by default. 2 Highlight the keys you want to move in the Key window by dragging a selection rectangle around the keys.
Slide Keys is a way to split the animation at the highlighted keys and spread the ends apart. Slide Keys is available in Edit Keys mode. You can clone keys and insert them elsewhere in your animation curve while offsetting existing keys by the length of time occupied by the cloned keys by dragging while holding down Shift.
5 Hold Shift while dragging to slide the keys to the right. The keys following your selection move to the right by the length of time occupied by the cloned keys. Scale Keys - Time Track View > Curve Editor or Dope Sheet > Track View toolbar > Scale Keys Track View > Curve Editor or Dope Sheet > Keys menu > Scale Keys - Time Scale Keys - Time moves all selected keys proportionally toward or away from the current frame.
Drag away from or toward the current time line for the following results: ■ Dragging away expands the keys from the current time. Expanding the selection increases time between the selected keys and slows that part of the animation. ■ Dragging toward shrinks the keys toward the current time. Shrinking the selection reduces time between the selected keys and accelerates that part of the animation. ■ Dragging through the current time reverses the keys and expands the keys away from the current time.
The value of the new key is set by one of the following conditions: ■ Keys added before the first key of a track receive the same value as the former first key. ■ Keys added between two keys receive an interpolated value based on the values of the original keys. ■ Keys added after the last key in the track receive the same value as the former last key. If you are unable to add keys to a track, check the following conditions: ■ Only animated tracks can accept keys.
Access the Properties dialog through the controllers quad of the right-click menu, or on the Controller menu > Properties. The same dialog is also accessible through the Motion panel. You can also display the Key Info dialog by right-clicking a key in the Key window. Parametric controller dialogs can also be displayed by right-clicking their range bars. The Properties button is unavailable in ambiguous cases, for example, when a key and a Parametric controller item are both selected.
Constant. Thus, it converts the specified out-of-range area to a keyed area that you can edit and adjust. Select one or more tracks, set the parameters of the utility, and click Apply. In Function Curve display mode, you must select the curve as well as the track. ■ Select Keys by Time on page 3624: Selects keys within a specified start and end range of time. Lets you select a large range of time when using the mouse might be awkward--for example, if keys are not visible in the Track View Key window.
Procedures To use Randomize Keys: 1 Highlight one or more keys, or a block of time, in one or more tracks. In Dope Sheet > Edit Keys mode, all selected keys are affected. In Edit Ranges mode, the keys in the selected tracks that are within the selected range of time are affected. In Curve Editor mode, the selected keys on selected curves are affected. 2 From the Utilities menu, choose Track View Utilities, and then choose Randomize Keys. The Randomize Keys utility is displayed.
- The amount of random shift in a negative direction. Randomize Value Randomly shifts values, based on the spinner settings. + The amount of random shift in a positive direction. - The amount of random shift in a negative direction. Randomize group box You can apply randomization either with selected keys or with selected time. When applying to selected keys, this displays the message: "All selected keys.
5 Click Apply. Keys are created in the out-of-range areas of the position track. The track bar expands to the boundaries of the newly created keys. Interface Time Range group Sets the time after the range for generating keys. For example, if your range of keyed animation is from frame 31 to 54, the out-of-range animation might be from 0 to 30 and from 55 to 100. Before Specifies the number of frames before the range for generating keys.
NOTE Keys are generated only for non-constant out-of-range types. If the area before or after the range is the default, Constant type, no keys are generated in that area. Select Keys By Time Utility Track View > Utilities menu > Track View Utilities > Select Keys by Time The Select Keys By Time utility lets you select keys within a specified start and end range of time. You can select a large range of time, which might be difficult to select using the mouse in the Track View Key window for example.
Interface Start Time Specifies the start range for selecting keys. End Time Specifies the end range for selecting keys. The Start Time and End Time spinners are activated to match the current time selection. Clear Previous Selection Clears all keys before keys within the specified time range are selected. In Dope Sheet mode, highlight a single track to select all keys in the descendants of the track. Modify Subtree must be on for this to work.
of the animation, change the Start Time and End Time settings. Any changes made to the utility remain active during the current 3ds Max session. TIP The utility works in Dope Sheet mode, but it's much easier to see what it's doing if you use Curve Editor mode. Procedures To use Euler Filter: 1 Select an object animated with Euler rotation on page 3151. 2 Right-click the object, and from the quad menu choose Curve Editor. Track View opens in Curve Editor mode, with the animated tracks highlighted.
two keyed axes but require correction, resulting in X, Y, and Z keys at those frames. OK Performs the filtering using the current settings. Cancel Closes the dialog without performing the filtering. Current Value Editor Track View > Utilities menu > Track View Utilities > Track View Utilities Dialog > Current Value Editor The Current Value Editor gives you a way to use numeric input to affect the values of the keys inside the Track View windows.
Interface Absolute Applies world space values to the keys. The numbers you enter are the numbers that are applied. Relative Increments the values relative to their existing value. The numbers you enter are added to the existing value. Controller type Displays the name of the controller about the X, Y, and Z fields. X, Y, Z Use these fields to input numbers for relative or absolute value editing.
Edit Time Mode Controls In Edit Time mode you can perform the following tasks for one or more tracks: Select Time on page 3630 Delete Time on page 3631 Cut Time on page 3631, Copy Time on page 3632, Paste Time on page 3633 Reverse Time on page 3635 Insert Time on page 3635 Scale Time on page 3636 Exclude Left End Point on page 3637 Exclude Right End Point on page 3638 Reduce Keys on page 3640 Procedures To edit time: 1 Select the animated object in the viewport, then right-click and choose Curve Editor.
Select Time Track View > Dope Sheet > Time menu > Select Time Track View > Dope Sheet > Time: Dope Sheet toolbar > Select Time button With Select Time you can specify a block of time by dragging in the Key window.
After specifying a time range, you can perform other time- and key- related operations. Delete Time Track View > Dope Sheet > Specify a time block. > Time: Dope Sheet toolbar > Delete Time button Use Delete Time to delete a selected block of time and any keys inside the selected block. Keys to the right of the deleted time move to the left. NOTE The deleted block is not copied to the clipboard.
the clipboard. After specifying a block of time, place it in the clipboard with Cut Time or Copy Time on page 3632. Procedures To cut time from tracks: 1 In Dope Sheet mode, highlight one or more item labels in the Controller window to specify tracks for time editing. 2 Use Select Time on page 3630 to specify a block of time. 3 Click Cut Time, or, from the Time menu, choose Cut Time. The block of time is deleted from the selected tracks and stored in the time clipboard.
3 Click Copy Time, or choose Time menu > Copy. The block of time is copied to the time clipboard. The original block remains unchanged. Paste Time Track View > Dope Sheet > Specify a time block. > Cut or Copy Time > Specify a different time block. > Time menu > Paste Track View > Dope Sheet > Specify a time block. > Cut or Copy Time > Specify a different time block. > Time: Dope Sheet toolbar > Paste Time Use Paste Time to paste a block of time from the clipboard into one or more tracks.
keys at frame 50, the first key has a value of 20, but the insertion point has a value of 10. 3ds Max subtracts 10 from the pasted key to maintain the value at the insertion point. 3ds Max then subtracts 10 from the remaining pasted keys, resulting in three pasted keys valued at 10, 20, and 30. In addition, any keys after the insertion range are also adjusted by the net change over the range being pasted. The net change is the value of the last key pasted minus the value of the first key pasted.
Paste Relative Adds the animation values in the clipboard to the current animation values. Use this method when you want to layer animation onto an existing effect. Reverse Time Track View > Dope Sheet > Specify a time block. > Time menu > Reverse Track View > Dope Sheet > Specify a time block. > Time: Dope Sheet toolbar > Reverse Time Reverse Time flips the order of keys within the selected time.
Procedures To insert time into tracks 1 In Dope Sheet mode, highlight one or more item labels in the Controller window to specify tracks for time editing. 2 On the Dope Sheet toolbar, click the Insert Time button. 3 Drag in the Key window to insert time into the tracks. TIP To insert time globally, highlight the World track, turn on the Modify Child Keys button, then insert time into the World track.
5 Do one of the following: ■ Drag to the right within the selection to expand time from the left edge of the selection. All keys to the right of the selection slide right as the selection expands. ■ Drag to the left within the selection to reduce time towards the left edge of the selection. All keys to the right of the selection slide left as the selection shrinks. ■ Drag past the left edge of the selection to reverse time and expand it with a negative scale factor.
At least one track in the block should start with a keyframe. Also, for a smooth loop, the first and last frame of the selection should be the same. 3 Right-click an empty section of the toolbar area and choose Show Toolbars > Extras: Dope Sheet. The Exclude Left End Point and Exclude Right End Point buttons appear. 4 On the Track View toolbar, click Exclude Left End Point. 5 On the Track View toolbar, click Copy Time. The selection is copied to the clipboard, minus the first frame.
NOTE By default, the Extras: Dope Sheet toolbar doesn't appear in the Dope Sheet Editor. You'll find a method for displaying it in the following procedure. Procedures To animate a loop by copying and pasting keys: 1 In Dope Sheet mode, highlight one or more item labels in the Controller window to specify tracks for time editing. 2 Use Select Time on page 3630 to specify a block of time. At least one track in the block should end with a keyframe.
Reduce Keys Track View > Curve Editor or Dope Sheet > Highlight the keys to reduce in the Key window. > Keys menu > Reduce Keys Track View > Curve Editor > Highlight the keys to reduce in the Key window. > Keys: Track View toolbar > Reduce Keys Use Reduce Keys to decrease key density. Animating with inverse kinematics, or creating any complex animation, can result in many keys, which can make editing the animation difficult.
5 From the Keys menu, choose Reduce Keys. The Reduce Keys dialog appears. This dialog has a single Threshold parameter. Raising the Threshold setting will increase the number of keys that are reduced. The higher the threshold, the greater the reduction. 6 Click OK to reduce the keys. Observe the results. If you are left with too few keys, press Ctrl+Z to undo, then lower the threshold and reduce the keys again. If too many keys remain, increase the threshold and reduce keys again.
Edit Ranges Track View > Dope Sheet > Track View toolbar > Edit Ranges Edit Ranges displays all tracks as range bars. This mode is useful for quickly scaling and sliding complete animation tracks. ■ Drag the range bar of an animation track to change all animation in that track. ■ Drag range bars in higher-level tracks to change all animation in multiple tracks. NOTE You cannot access individual key values in this mode. The Ranges: Dope Sheet toolbar contains tools for working with Ranges.
Dragging a parent-object range bar with Modify Subtree on affects all tracks subordinate to the object and all tracks of all of its linked descendants. Position Ranges Track View > Dope Sheet > Ranges: Dope Sheet toolbar > Position Ranges Position Ranges mode allows you to position range bars independently from their associated keys and produce special effects. The process of adjusting a range bar independent of its keys is called decoupling the range.
2 On the Track View toolbar, click Position Ranges. 3 In the Track View Key window, drag the entire range bar left or right of the keys, or drag either end of the range bar to make it longer or shorter than the keys. Using Out-of-Range types on page 3601 in conjunction with this procedure allows you to change the behavior of an animated loop. Positioning either end of a range bar changes the loop.
Position Ranges mode allows you to decouple the range bar from the animation keys. Recouple Ranges is a quick way to realign the range bars. Editing Tracks: Copying, Pasting, and Handling Instances and References Copying and Pasting Items You can copy and paste geometry, lights, materials, and animation controllers between items in the Track View Hierarchy list of the controller window.
Whether you copy objects, materials, or controllers, the same basic principles apply. Here are restrictions for using Copy and Paste: ■ You can copy only a single highlighted item. ■ You can paste a copied item only into another item of the same type. An exception to this restriction involves pasting Object and Modified Object containers. ■ You can paste a copied item into a selection of multiple items only if all the items are of the same type.
Instance Pastes the item in the clipboard as an instance of the copied source item. The target item will be an instance of the source item. Any change you make to either item affects the other. Replace All Instances Controls whether existing instances of the target item are also converted to the paste source or left as they are. Making Instances Unique You can convert instanced items to unique items by clicking Make Unique on page 3600 on the Controller menu.
3 Highlight the object track you wish to copy, then right-click and choose Copy from the quad menu. 4 Navigate to the object track for the target object, highlight it, and then right-click and choose Paste. Set options in the Paste dialog, then click OK. The object is replaced with the new one in the viewport as well as in the Hierarchy list of the controller window. WARNING The original target has been completely replaced by the pasted object.
Unlike pasting other items, modifiers do not replace the highlighted item when you click Paste. Instead, the pasted modifier is inserted above the selected item. Making Instance and Reference Controllers and Objects Unique You can convert instanced and referenced objects into unique objects by clicking Make Controller Unique on the Track View toolbar or by choosing Make Unique on the Controller menu.
Making a Selection of Multiple Instances Unique If you select multiple objects that are instances of each other, or share instanced modifiers, you can choose how to make them unique. After you click Make Unique, the Make Unique dialog appears, with the question, “Do you want to make the selected items unique with respect to each other?” ■ Click Yes to make each object in the selection completely unique.
Slide Keys on page 3614 Scale Values on page 3655 Add Keys (Curve Editor) on page 3655 Draw Curves on page 3657 Reduce Keys on page 3640 Show All Tangents on page 3563 Show Tangents on page 3658 Lock Tangents on page 3660 Apply Ease Curve / Apply Multiplier Curve on page 3660 Remove Ease/Multiplier Curve on page 3662 On/Off (Curves) on page 3662 Ease Curve Out-of-Range Types on page 3663 Multiplier Curve Out-of-Range Types on page 3665 Freeze Non-Selected Curves on page 3667 Bezier Tangent Handles Custom
Procedures To display function curves: 1 Select an animated object in a viewport. 2 Right-click the active viewport and choose Curve Editor. The function curves for the object's animation are displayed in the Key window of the Function Curve Editor. 3 To display additional curves at the same time, from the Track View menu choose Settings > Manual Navigation. 4 Navigate the controller window until you see the additional tracks, and then hold down the Ctrl key and click them.
You can also clone keys to replace existing keys by holding down Shift+Alt while dragging. TIP When you select keys to clone and replace others, you can include the key before the first selected key to preserve the tangent of your first copied key. Procedures To move a selection of keys: 1 In the Hierarchy list, highlight one or more tracks. Only keys in highlighted tracks appear in the Key window. By default, the Move Keys button is yellow, showing it is already on.
Scale Keys Track View > Curve Editor or Dope Sheet > Track View toolbar > Scale Keys Track View > Curve Editor or Dope Sheet > Keys menu > Scale Keys - Time Use Scale Keys to scale keys horizontally, changing the horizontal location and amount of time covered by selected keys. The horizontal location of the keys represents the frame in time at which the key action takes place. The scale center for scale time is the current time set by the time slider.
Scale Values Main Track View > Curve Editor > Track View toolbar > Scale Values Track View > Curve Editor > Keys menu> Scale Values Scale Values is used to proportionally increase or decrease the vertical distance between selected keys on the function curves in Curve Editor. It uses the Scale Origin Line on page 3517 as a movable reference point for the scale operation. Practically speaking, scaling values always creates spatial adjustments, rather than temporal.
Track View > Curve Editor > Keys menu > Add Keys When Add Keys is active, you can click anywhere on a function curve to add a key at that location on the curve. Add Keys stays active until you click another mode. If the curve is part of a multicurve controller, vertices are added to each curve at the time location where you clicked. For example, adding a key to the red X curve of a TCB Position track simultaneously adds keys to the green Y curve and the blue Z curve.
Draw Curves Track View > Curve Editor > Keys: Track View toolbar > Draw Curves button Use this tool to draw new curves, or revise existing ones by sketching directly on the function curve in the Curve Editor Key window. The speed with which you draw determines how many keys are added to the curve. If there are too many keys, use Reduce Keys to make fewer keys on the curve. Procedures To draw a curve: 1 On the Curve Editor toolbar, click Draw Curves. 2 Select the track of the curve you want to draw on.
Show Tangents Track View > Curve Editor > Curves: Track View Toolbar > Show Tangents button Show Tangents lets you view adjust the tangents of highlighted vertices in Curve Editor. Custom Tangent You can assign the Custom Tangent type to any controller that displays keys on a curve. Highlight the key on the curve and then click the Set Tangents To Custom icon on the Key Tangents: Track View toolbar to display the handle controls. The tangent handles can be either continuous or discontinuous.
could adjust the tangents for frame 8 so that their length pulls more of the curve towards its keyframe and away from the keyframes on frame 1 and 16. When rendered, the ball will be more visible on screen near the top of its bounce and blurrier near the points where it touches the ground. Procedures To assign a Custom tangent type: 1 Open the Curve Editor. 2 In the Hierarchy list, highlight a track that uses any controller that displays keys on the curve. 3 Highlight one or more keys on the curve.
By holding down the Shift key, you can edit the tangents handles separately. Lock Tangents Track View > Curve Editor > Select keys on curves. > Curves: Track View Toolbar > Lock Tangents Lock Tangents lets you manipulate handles of multiple vertices simultaneously. When Lock Tangents is active, dragging a tangent handle affects the handles of all highlighted keys. When Lock Tangents is inactive, dragging a tangent handle affects only that handle's key.
■ An ease curve shifts the time of the original track left or right. Adjusting the ease curve changes time. The value of the ease curve at a particular frame is a frame value from the original track. For example, if the ease curve is 0 at frame 0 and 10 at frame 10, the original track plays at its original speed. If the ease curve value at frame 10 increases to 20, the original track plays to frame 20 by frame 10: it has been sped up by a factor of two.
Interface Apply - Ease Curve Applies a curve to alter the timing of the selected function curve. Ease curves vary the timing of a superior function curve. A normal function curve charts an animated parameter value over time. An ease curve charts changes to the timing of a function curve over time. Apply - Multiplier Curve Applies a curve to scale the value of the selected function curve. The value of a multiplier curve is a scale factor applied to the value of its superior function curve.
Procedures To toggle the active state of an ease or multiplier curve: 1 In the Hierarchy list, highlight one or more ease or multiplier curves. 2 From the Curves menu choose On/Off. If you also have the parent track selected (the transform that has the ease applied), you will see the difference in the curve when you turn the ease or multiplier off.
Interface Constant Holds the values at the ends of the range for all frames. Use Constant when you want no animated effect before or after the range. The time value at start of the range is held for all frames before the range, and the time value at the end of the range is held for all frames after the range. Constant is the default out-of-range type for multiplier curves. Cycle Repeats the same animation as within the range. Use Cycle when you want an animation to repeat exactly.
Identity for an ease curve produces an effect similar to constant for other types of curves. Identity is not available for multiplier curves; it is the default Out-of-Range type for ease curves. Multiplier Curve Out-of-Range Types Track View > Curve Editor > Curves menu > Multiplier Curve Out-of Range Types Multiplier Curve Out-of-Range Types displays a dialog that lets you assign out-of-range types for the current multiplier curve on page 8056.
Interface Constant Holds the values at the ends of the range for all frames. Use Constant when you want no animated effect before or after the range. The time value at start of the range is held for all frames before the range, and the time value at the end of the range is held for all frames after the range. Constant is the default out-of-range type for multiplier curves. Cycle Repeats the same animation as within the range. Use Cycle when you want an animation to repeat exactly.
Freeze Non-Selected Curves Track View > Curve Editor > Display menu > Show Non-Selected Curves > Freeze Non-Selected Curves Freeze Non-Selected Curves makes all non-highlighted curves uneditable. Default=On. Freeze Non-Selected Curves is a selection modifier and has the following properties: ■ Non-highlighted curves display as dashed lines. ■ You can manipulate vertices on highlighted curves only in the Edit window. ■ You highlight other curves by clicking their icons in the Hierarchy list.
7 Position the mouse cursor over a vertex on the Y Position or Z Position curve. The cursor doesn't change to a crosshair, indicating that you can't modify the vertex. 8 In the Hierarchy list, click the Y Position track icon and then Z Position track icon. All three remain visible, but in each case the two non-highlighted tracks display as dashed lines, and are not editable.
Key Stats:Track View Toolbar Key Time Display on page 3679 Value Display on page 3680 Show Selected Key Statistics on page 3680 Navigation:Track View Toolbar Pan (Track View) on page 3681 Zoom Horizontal Extents on page 3682 Zoom Value Extents on page 3683 Zoom Track View Key Window on page 3684 Zoom Region (Track View) on page 3685 Zoom Selected Object With Track View already open to navigate to a particular object, select the object in the viewport.
2 Open Track View, and then click Zoom Selected Object. The object is placed at the top of the Hierarchy list. This option is handy to quickly find an object in a hierarchy, such as a character's finger, and place it at the top of the Hierarchy list.
Notes ■ The name selection is not case-sensitive, except for text within parentheses. ■ Only those tracks that are open and displayed can be selected. ■ You can use wildcard characters. For example: Seat selects all objects with Seat in the beginning of the name. (Cone01)Position selects only the Position track under Cone01.
3 In the Track View Hierarchy list, expand box01's hierarchy to see all Transform children tracks. 4 In the Select By Name field, type x pos,y rot,scale. The box's X Position, Y Rotation, and Scale tracks are highlighted. The commas placed between each name act as Boolean addition (“OR”) operators, allowing multiple names in one selection.
Only the track set members specified in the Key Filters list are keyable. Procedures To assign a name to a track set: 1 Highlight one or more tracks in the Track View Controller window. 2 Click in the Track Set List field on the Track View toolbar on page 3572. 3 Enter a name for your track set. The name can contain any standard ASCII characters, including letters, numerals, symbols, punctuation, and spaces. NOTE Names are case-sensitive. 4 Press Enter to complete the track set.
The respective tracks are highlighted in the Track View Controller window. To edit a track selection: You can change a track selection using track sets and the Ctrl and Alt keys. 1 Highlight one or more tracks in the Track View Controller window. 2 Open the Track Set List by clicking the arrow. 3 Press and hold Ctrl, and then click a name in the list. The track set members are added to the current track selection. 4 Press and hold Alt, and then click a name (either the same or another) in the list.
Procedures To create a track set from selected tracks: 1 In the Track View Controller window, highlight tracks to group as a track set. 2 3 Click Edit Track Set. In the Track Sets Editor dialog, click Create A New Track Set. 4 Expand the new track set. A new track set appears containing your selected tracks. To edit the contents of a track set: This procedure follows from the previous procedure, and focuses on adding and removing tracks to/from your track set.
2 In the Track Sets Editor dialog, highlight your track set or any of its members, and then click Add The Track View Selection To The Current Track Set. The highlighted tracks are now members of your track set. 3 Click Remove The Track View Selection From The Current Track Set. The highlighted tracks are now removed from the track set.
The respective track in the Controller window is highlighted. Interface The Track Sets Editor dialog window displays all current track sets. To expand or collapse the track list for a set, click the plus (+) or minus (-), button next to the track set name. Create A New Track Set Adds a new track set comprising any highlighted tracks in the Hierarchy list. Only leaf on page 8002 tracks can be part of a track set.
A track set created from a non-leaf parent track contains all children leaf tracks. NOTE If no tracks are highlighted, an empty set is created. Delete Track Sets Or Tracks Removes a highlighted track set or track set member. NOTE Deleting a track set member does not delete it in the Track View. Add The Track View Selection To The Current Track Set Combines a highlighted track from the Controller window to the current track set. Only leaf tracks can be added to a track set.
Key Time Display Track View > Curve Editor or Dope Sheet > Key Stats: Track View toolbar > Key Time Display (field on left) The Key Time editable field (the field on the left) displays the frame number (position in time) of the selected key. You can enter a new frame number or enter an expression to move the key to a frame. Using Expressions in the Time and Value Fields You can enter any expression in the time and value fields. The variable n stands for the key time or value.
Value Display Track View > Curve Editor or Dope Sheet > Key Stats: Track View toolbar > Value Display (field on right) Value Display (the field on the right) displays the value, or position in space, of a highlighted key. This is an editable field. You can enter a new number or expression to change the value of selected keys. Procedures Example: To move an object in space using Value Display: 1 In the Track View (either mode) Hierarchy list, expand the Position track of an animated object.
Show Selected Key Statistics displays the statistics represented by the currently selected keys in the Key window of the Curve Editor. The frame number and value are displayed to the right of the key in the Key window. For example, 68, 40.620 (frame=68, value=40.620). Procedures To show selected key statistics: 1 On the Key window of the Curve Editor, select any key or set of keys. 2 On the Key Stats: Track View toolbar, click Show Selected Key Stats. The key statistics are displayed next to each key.
Procedures To pan in the Key window: 1 On the Navigation: Track View toolbar, click Pan. 2 Position the mouse cursor over the Key window, and then press and drag to pan. Zoom Horizontal Extents Track View > Curve Editor or Dope Sheet > Navigation: Track View toolbar > Zoom Horizontal Extents Zoom Horizontal Extents is a flyout containing the Zoom Horizontal Extents and Zoom Horizontal Extents Keys buttons.
Zoom Horizontal Extents Keys Scales the Track View Key window horizontally to display the full range of all animation keys. Depending on your animation, this view could be larger or smaller than the active time segment. Zoom Value Extents Track View > Curve Editor > Navigation: Track View toolbar > Zoom Value Extents Zoom Value Extents is a flyout containing the Zoom Value Extents and Zoom Value Extents Range buttons.
2 On the Track View status bar, click Zoom Value Extents Range. The Key window scales vertically to the height of the keyframes in view. This is useful if you want to focus on working with one section of your animation curve. Zoom Track View Key Window Main toolbar > Curve Editor or Dope Sheet > Navigation: Track View toolbar > Zoom In Track View, the Zoom controls are available from a three-button flyout.
Your view of time expands horizontally in the Key window. Interface Zoom Zooms your view of time and values simultaneously. Zoom remains active until you right-click to cancel or click another option. The Zoom button is yellow while active. Zoom Values In Curve Editor, zooms the contents of the keys window vertically. Drag upward to increase magnification, or downward to decrease magnification. Zoom Time Zooms the contents of the Key window horizontally.
TIP There is no undo for view changes in the Track View windows. Use the Zoom, Zoom Region, and Zoom Extents tools to navigate the Key window. Managing Track View Windows New Track View Graph Editors menu > Track View > New Track View New Track View opens a new, untitled Track View on page 3503 window. A scene in 3ds Max can have up to 13 Track View windows. You can choose these by name from the Graph Editors > Saved Track Views on page 3688 submenu.
Procedures To delete a Track View window: 1 From the Graph Editors menu, choose Delete Track View. The Delete Track View dialog opens. 2 In the Delete Track View dialog, highlight one or more Track View windows. 3 Click OK to delete the Track View windows you chose. Delete Track View Dialog Graph Editors menu > Delete Track View The Delete Track View dialog lets you delete one or more stored Track View on page 3503 windows by choosing their names from a list.
Interface Drag a selection, use Shift+click to select additional adjacent Track View windows, or Ctrl+click to toggle a selection. Saved Track Views Graph Editors menu > Saved Track Views > Choose the named Track View from the list. Saved Track View lets you recall various Track View windows that you save by naming them.
It is different from saved Track View layouts, which are recalled by right-clicking the toolbar and choosing Load layout. Saved Track View windows are saved with the MAX file. Procedures To save a Track View window: 1 In either Dope Sheet or Curve Editor, enter a name in the Name: Track View field at the upper right. TIP If the Name field is not visible, right-click the toolbar and choose Show Toolbars, then choose Name: Track View from the list. This toolbar can float or dock, as you like.
2. Menu bar 3. Key window (Hierarchy list hidden) 4. Floating toolbar 5. Scroll bar 6. Toolbar docked right You can hide or display UI elements as you need to use them. Customization tools are available from the Track View menu bar or from several Track View toolbars. You can float or dock the toolbars to the top, bottom, left, or right of the application window, for example, floating a toolbar so it is closer to where you are working.
Use the Pan hand button to scroll when these are not visible. The middle mouse button can also be used to activate the pan hand to scroll this window. Windows There are two side-by-side display areas in Track View. They are the Controller window and the Key window. The Controller window contains the Hierarchy list with labeled tracks. The Key window displays the keys either as curves in the Curve Editor, or as boxes or ranges on a grid in Dope Sheet mode.
■ Key Stats toolbar Track View provides tools for the display and type-in transform of key values on page 3679. This option is also available in Dope Sheet mode. ■ Key Tangents toolbar Track View gives you quick access to different tangency types of keys on page 3573. This toolbar is most useful when floating near the curves. This option is also available in Dope Sheet mode. ■ Controllers Track View has tools to copy, paste, assign, delete, and make controllers unique on page 3582.
■ Curves Track View provides tools to select and lock keys and curve handles on page 3574, as well as to make tracks keyable on page 3563, and to apply parameter curve out-of-range types on page 3601. ■ Tools Track View gives you tools to create or remove Note and visibility tracks, snap frames, lock selection, properties, and Track View utilities. This toolbar is hidden by default. Dope Sheet Toolbars There are 11 toolbars that can be displayed when in Dope Sheet mode.
■ Ranges Here are the tools to edit on page 3642, position on page 3643, and recouple ranges on page 3644. ■ Display Dope Sheet holds tools to modify subtree on page 3559 and modify child keys on page 3561, lock selection on page 3609, snap frames on page 3608, and display keyable icons on page 3563. Soft Selection Toolbar Both the Curve Editor and Dope Sheet Edit Keys mode take advantage of soft selection of keys.
Procedures To save a Track View layout: 1 Customize the Track View layout as you want. 2 When you want to save it, right-click the Track View menu bar or the blank area at the right of the Track View toolbar, and choose Save Layout As. 3 Enter a name you will remember. To reload a saved Track View layout: 1 Right-click the Track View menu bar or the blank area at the right of the Track View toolbar and click Load Layout. 2 Choose the layout you want to display in Track View.
TIP You can also right-click the Track View title bar and choose Load Layout > Default to return to the default layout. This works only if you have not saved over the default. To add a new menu bar name to a custom Track View layout: 1 From the Customize menu, choose Customize User Interface. 2 On the Menus panel, click New to create a new menu. Enter the name of the menu in the New Menu field and click OK. 3 Using Notepad, open ui/trackview.ini, and navigate to the layout section.
right of the Track View toolbars and right-click. This shortcut menu's customization tools are as follows: ■ Dock Snaps the toolbars into position horizontally above or below the window, or vertically along the left or right window edge. Once toolbars are horizontally docked, they can be reordered by dragging and dropping them as you like. Also used to dock the window beneath the viewports. ■ Float Floats the selected toolbar. You can float toolbars anywhere you like.
Motion Mixer The Motion Mixer allows you to combine motion data for biped and non-biped objects. The Motion Mixer takes its design from the world of audio. When a song is recorded in a studio, each instrument is played and recorded separately. Each recording is called a track. The tracks are then put together in a sound mixer so they play simultaneously, or overlap one another.
(BIP files on page 7923, XAF files). You can trim clips to use only part of a motion, make the clips play slower or faster, or create transitions from one clip or set of clips to another. You can also use the Motion Mixer to animate some body parts with one set of clips, and other body parts with other motions. For example, suppose you have two clips, one where the biped runs with its arms pumping by its sides, and another where the biped stands and cheers with its arms in the air.
The Motion Mixer is comparable to an audio mixer. Motion clips can be cross-faded, stretched, layered, and finally, mixed down to a single clip. The Motion Mixer works by placing motion files on tracks on page 8150. With the Motion Mixer, you can: ■ Transition or fade between motions. ■ Move motions in time. ■ Trim a motion so only part of it is used. ■ Vary the speed of a motion over time. ■ Use animation from selected biped or non-biped body parts within a motion clip.
Blending Motions in the Mixer The Motion Mixer provides these types of motion blending. ■ You can blend motion from one clip to another with a transition on page 8157. Transitions in the Mixer are similar to those used in the motion flow system on page 4508. The optimization feature can automatically find the best timing for a transition between two clips.
■ Mixdowns allow for precise elimination of the foot sliding with the aid of knee limit filtering to unnatural knee poppimg artifacts. In short, the goal of the mixer is to assemble seamless, coherent character motion using building blocks composed from other motion fragments. For non-biped rigs and other 3ds Max objects, the Mixer provides velocity blends and sub-blends to maintain smooth and coordinated motion.
Opening the Motion Mixer You open the Mixer by either clicking the Mixer button on the Motion panel > Biped Apps rollout on page 4330 or choosing Motion Mixer from the Graph Editors menu on page 7493. When you open the Mixer while a biped is selected, a trackgroup on page 8151, a clip track, and a balance track on page 7919 are assigned to that biped. If a non-biped object is selected, the Mixer opens empty. 1. Trackgroup 2. Clip track 3.
To display the Motion Mixer in a viewport: 1 Activate the viewport in which you want to display the Motion Mixer. 2 Right-click the viewport label, and choose Views > Extended > Motion Mixer from the pop-up menu. NOTE When the Motion Mixer is displayed in a viewport, its menu bar is not accessible. However, you can access each menu by right-clicking the corresponding element in the Mixer.
This section discusses clip tracks. To learn about trackgroups, see Filtering Mixer Tracks on page 3715. For information on the balance track, see Adjusting Track Weight on page 3730. Adding and Merging Non-Biped Object to a Mix When you add a non-biped object to a mix, its keyable controllers are replaced by mixer controllers, which store the object's original animation as well as the Mixer animation.
Transition track Each biped in the Mixer is automatically given a balance track on page 7919, used for adjusting balance between clips in Layer and Transition tracks. Clips cannot be added to the balance track. NOTE Balance tracks are only available for mixed biped objects. Procedures To add a Transition or Layer track to a trackgroup: ■ Right-click an existing track and choose one of the options for adding tracks from the pop-up menu.
To convert a clip track from one type to another: ■ Right-click an existing track, and choose one of the options from the pop-up menu for converting tracks.
To add a biped to the Motion Mixer: 1 On the Motion Mixer toolbar, click Add Biped. 2 From the Bipeds dialog, choose the biped(s) you want to add to the Motion Mixer. Several bipeds can be added to the mixer at once. When you click OK, highlighted bipeds are added to the mixer. Each is automatically assigned a trackgroup, a clip track, and a balance track. To add a non-biped object to the Motion Mixer: 1 On the Motion Mixer toolbar, click Add Max Objects.
are blue. The color distinction makes it easier to work with multiple bipeds and non-biped objects in the Motion Mixer. Biped rollout > Mixer Mode must be turned on in order to see the motion on the biped in viewports. This option is turned on by default when you open the Mixer from the Biped rollout on page 4331. The Motion Mixer might not display the entire active segment when it is first opened. To set the Mixer display to the extent of clips in the Mixer, click Set Range on the Motion Mixer toolbar.
Other information can appear on the clip, such as the start and end frames, and the clip scale on page 3722. You can change the information that displays on the clip by clicking Preferences on the Motion Mixer toolbar, and changing the Clips options on the Mixer Preferences dialog on page 3791. You can use the same clip numerous times in the Mixer. Each version of the clip displays the name of the BIP file, followed by a number, such as 1 or 2.
is an adaptation, and the displayed name is followed an incremental number: in this case, the number 2. If you then clone the adaptation to another track for the same object, the new clip is an instance of that clip, and will be displayed with the number 2. These numbers can help you determine which clips are instances of one another, and which are adaptations. The ability to tell instances from adaptations becomes important when you replace a clip in the Mixer with another clip.
2 From the Motion Mixer menu, choose Tracks > New Clips > From Reservoir. You can also right-click the track and choose New Clips > From Reservoir from the pop-up menu. 3 Select one or more BIP or XAF files. To import clips from a motion flow script: Motion flow scripts can be imported to a track in the Mixer. Both clips and transitions from the script are imported to the track.
Working with Clips in the Mixer Once you have created tracks and imported clips to the Motion Mixer, you can adjust your animation mix by moving, cloning, and replacing clips. Within the Motion Mixer, you can: ■ Move clips in time within the same track. ■ Move clips to other tracks. ■ Clone clips. ■ Slide all clips in time on a track. ■ Replace a clip with motion from a biped, a motion flow script, or another clip.
To move a clip to another track: 1 Click Slide Clips on the Motion Mixer toolbar. 2 Move one clip on a track to slide all clips on the track. To replace one clip with another: After a clip is placed on a track, you can replace the clip with another clip. The new clip is scaled to fit the time of the original clip. 1 Select the clip(s) you want to replace. 2 Right-click a selected clip and choose Load Source > From Files from the pop-up menu. Select a BIP file to replace selected clips.
2 Select the clips you want to replace with biped motion from the scene. 3 From the Motion Mixer menu, choose Clips > Load Source > From Biped. The Copy Biped Animation to Clip dialog on page 3750 appears. 4 Highlight the biped from which you want to copy the animation. 5 Enter a filename for the new clip. 6 Click Copy to replace clips with the biped motion. The name of the clip in the track is replaced with the new filename.
■ Filter each trackgroup (set it to use some body parts but not all), and name the trackgroup appropriately. This is accomplished with the Trackgroup Filter dialogs (biped and non-biped objects). The Trackgroup Filter dialog for biped objects.
The Trackgroup Filter dialog for non-biped objects. When a trackgroup is created, it is given one Layer track by default. However, you can add more tracks to each trackgroup, making it possible to mix motions for each set of body parts. For example, you could create a trackgroup for the arms, and have two tracks within this trackgroup. Then you could put two completely different sets of motions on each track, and use weighting to use one track or the other at different times during the motion.
Trackgroups for Spine, Legs and Arms. The Arms trackgroup has two tracks. NOTE Create only one trackgroup for each filtered set of body parts. For example, don't use two trackgroups that both filter the spine. If you do so, the trackgroup highest in the Motion Mixer is used, and the other trackgroup is ignored. Instead, use multiple tracks within the trackgroup to achieve the animation you want. Procedures To add a new trackgroup for the biped: 1 Highlight the name of an existing trackgroup.
A new trackgroup and Layer track are added above or below the existing trackgroups. You can add more tracks to the trackgroup by right-clicking the existing track and choosing one of the options from the pop-up menu. To filter and name a trackgroup: 1 Highlight the trackgroup label at the upper left corner of the trackgroup you want to filter. By default, the trackgroup label is All, denoting that the trackgroup currently affects all biped parts. 2 From the Motion Mixer menu, choose Trackgroups > Filter.
3 Click on body parts in the diagram to select or deselect them. You can also use the buttons below the diagram to help make the selection. For example, if the trackgroup will affect only the arms, click None to deselect all biped parts, then click the four arm boxes to select the arms. 4 Enter an appropriate name for the trackgroup at the bottom of the Trackgroup Filter dialog, such as Arms.
5 Click OK to close the dialog. The new trackgroup name appears at the upper left of the track display.
Adjusting Clip Timing In the Motion Mixer, you can shorten clips or change their timing interactively within the track display. You can change the timing of motion clips in a number of ways: ■ Change the length of a clip without changing its speed by trimming the clip at the start or end. ■ Change the speed of an entire clip by stretching it out or shrinking it. ■ Cause varying changes in speed throughout the clip with time warps. See Adding Time Warps on page 3733.
A gray bar appears on a trimmed end of a motion clip. 3 Turn off Trim Clips. The gray area disappears. TIP At any time, you can view original clip lengths in gray by turning on Trim Clips. To remove scaling or trimming from a clip in the Motion Mixer, select the clip, right-click and choose Remove Scale/Trim.
To change the speed of an entire clip: You can cause a motion to slow down or speed up by changing the length of the clip in the Mixer. Lengthening a clip will slow down the motion, while shortening the clip will speed it up. 1 On the Motion Mixer, click Move Clips. 2 Drag either end of the clip to extend or shorten it in time. TIP To see the ratio of the original motion time to the new time, click Preferences. In the Mixer Preferences dialog, turn on Scales.
Clips and transitions on Transition track. Transitions are shown as dark areas between clips. To learn how to create a transition track, see Adding Tracks to the Mixer on page 3704. If you want to make a less linear blend between clips than the blend created by a transition, see Adjusting Track Weight on page 3730. Adjusting Transitions Transitions are automatically created between clips when you load the clips into a Transition track.
Hatched parts of the clips are not used in the mix. The Motion Mixer will allow you to extend a transition into an area where two clips do not overlap. However, this transition will most likely result in undesirable motion in the mix. Transitions extending into areas where clips don't overlap can create unpredictable results.
For the best results, make sure all your transitions cover only areas where two clips overlap completely. To aid in making your transitions as smooth as possible, you can select transitions and use the Transitions menu > Optimize option. This feature searches the two clips to find the start and end time that will result in the smoothest transition, and adjusts the transition accordingly.
quick and easy to load a long series of clips into a transition track with correct transitions. Working with Foot-Based Transitions Much like Motion Flow, transitions in the Mixer between foot-based motion clips (clips where IK constraints keep the feet planted at various times) must be carefully placed and adjusted to make the animation look as natural as possible. The workflow depends on whether you are animating a biped, or 3ds Maxobjects such as a rigged character.
Foot-Based Transitions with 3ds Max Objects For foot-based motions, follow this overall workflow: 1 Find a good place to start and end the transition. 2 Create the transition with this timing. 3 Choose the parent object to be a velocity blend object. 4 Choose the model's feet to be sub-blend objects. 5 Optimize the transition. Procedures To create a transition between two clips: 1 Right-click an existing track to insert a Transition track or convert the current track to a Transition track.
3 Choose Search Near Existing Transition and click OK. The best transition is calculated, and the transition changes position and/or length in the Mixer to reflect the change. TIP If you aren't sure where you want the transition to take place, you can choose Search Entire Clip. This option can place the transition anywhere in the two clips. Check the motion afterward to ensure the transition takes place at an appropriate time.
With weight curves, you can create several full or partial transitions between all the tracks in a trackgroup. Compare with transitions on a transition track on page 8158, which can only create a full transition between two clips. Weight curves are useful for: ■ Creating transitions between two tracks in a trackgroup. ■ Creating random motion. ■ Experimenting with transitions quickly and easily. Each track's weight curve appears as a thin black line across the top of the track.
the motion on the track below it. For example, if you set the weight curve for two tracks in a trackgroup to 0.5, the two clips will be mixed equally. Several tracks can be stacked in a trackgroup with varying weight curves on each one. For each frame in the animation, the Motion Mixer evaluates the curve on the topmost track. If its weight curve is less than 1.0 at that frame, the Mixer evaluates the next track down, and so forth. The Motion Mixer adds up the weight curve values until the sum reaches 1.
Adding Time Warps Select a biped. > Motion panel > Biped Apps rollout > Mixer > Motion Mixer menu bar > Clips > Add Time Warp Graph Editors menu > Motion Mixer... > Clips > Add Time Warp You can cause varying changes in speed throughout a clip with a time warp. Adding a time warp to a clip allows you visually to squash and stretch time over different parts of the clip. You can use a time warp to: ■ Cause the object to do some parts of the motion quickly and others slowly.
Procedures To prepare to warp a clip's time: 1 Open the Motion Mixer, add a biped to the Mixer, and load a clip on a track. See Adding Tracks to the Mixer on page 3704. 2 Scrub the time slider to find a motion you would like to occur earlier or later in the clip. Note the frame number. This frame number is the original time. 3 Scrub the time slider to find the frame on which you would like the motion to occur, and note the frame number. This frame number is the warped time.
5 Move the cursor over the clip's horizontal center line until an arrow cursor appears. 6 At the approximate original time, click the clip to set a time warp bar. A time warp bar actually consists of two parts, a top and a bottom. 7 Click the top half the bar. The top half turns white to indicate it is selected. 8 Drag the top half of the bar to the left or right to set it to the warped time noted in step 3 of the previous procedure.
The lengths of the dashed lines change to indicate the new timing. Where lines are shorter, the motion will play faster. Where lines are longer, the motion will slow down. 9 Select and move the bottom bar to change the original time. Either bar can be moved to change the effect of the time warp. The length of separation between the two bars sets the degree of time-warping that will occur. When both bars are aligned, no warping occurs.
2 When you have finished warping the clip's time, turn off Editable Time Warps. When Editable Time Warps is turned off, the bars and the dashed line between them remain displayed on a clip to indicate it has been time-warped. Adjusting Biped Balance in the Mixer When you use different motions on the upper and lower parts of the biped, you can create a situation where the balance in the two clips do not match one another.
By default, the Mixer compensates for differences in upper and lower body motion by making slight alterations to the spine and pelvis motions. If the biped bends over at the waist, for example, the pelvis will be moved to compensate for the weight shift, and the spine rotation will be lessened to help the biped keep its balance. Balance compensation is intended to make the biped's motion look as natural as possible.
Procedures To adjust balance using the balance track: 1 Add a biped to the Mixer, and create at least two trackgroups for the biped. See Filtering Mixer Tracks on page 3715. 2 Filter one trackgroup to use motion only from the spine, arms and head. See Filtering Mixer Tracks on page 3715. This trackgroup will hold the upper body motion. 3 Filter a different trackgroup to apply only to the legs, pelvis and COM tracks. This trackgroup will hold the lower body motion.
When the weight is set to 0.0, the Mixer will not adjust the spine and pelvis motion to compensate for differences in the upper and lower body motion. Values between 0.0 and 1.0 will adjust the balance to some degree. To fine-tune balance compensation on the pelvis and spine: The values on the Balance Parameters dialog can be used to make subtle adjustments to the biped's balance. 1 In the Motion Mixer, select the biped by clicking its name at the upper left corner of its trackgroups.
Bipeds with same upper and lower body motion. Biped on left has Propagation set to 0.0, biped on right with Propagation at 1.0. Exporting Animation to the Biped Once you've worked with the Motion Mixer to create an animated sequence for the biped, there are several ways to work with the finished mix.
■ If transitions between different foot/leg motions have created small pops or jerks near the transition area, you will want to create a mixdown on page 8045 for the biped and check the mixdown before copying it to the biped. A mixdown can correct many continuity problems with feet and legs. You can correct transitions and recompute the mixdown as many times as you like. When the mixdown is satisfactory, you can copy it to the biped.
To have an effect on a mixdown, these options must be set before the mixdown is computed. If Prompt for options at each Mixdown is turned on, you will be prompted to set these options each time you compute a mixdown. Otherwise, the mixdown uses the settings on the Mixer Preferences dialog. The options in the Mixdown Options group determine if and how the mixdown affects transitions between clips with planted feet.
2 From the Motion Mixer menu, choose Bipeds > Compute Mixdown. If Prompt for options at each Mixdown is turned on in the Mixer Preferences dialog, you will be prompted for mixdown options. Click OK to start the mixdown. A progress bar at the bottom of the Mixer shows the progress of the mixdown process. After a few moments, a new track called Mixdown is created as the last track in the biped’s mix. You can turn the track on and off by clicking the track.
Using the Reservoir The Reservoir serves as a storage facility for motion clips on page 8051 (BIP and XAF files) that you use with the Motion Mixer. You can load clips directly into the Reservoir, and all clips that you load directly in the Motion Mixer also show up in the Reservoir. For each motion file used in the Motion Mixer, the Reservoir list shows the source (disk path and name of the file), and, under the source, shows the name of each clip or set of clips derived from that file.
The Motion Mixer can apply multiple adaptations on page 7900 (occurrences of the clip for different-sized bipeds) to different bipeds. In the Reservoir, the various clip adaptations are listed under the clip name. If you click a clip in the list, the window under the list displays information about the clip, including structural differences between the figure it's applied to and the figure from which the file was originally saved.
NOTE The preview window is available only for BIP files. TIP For best results when loading animation clips that might require remapping into the Motion Mixer, load the clips directly into Mixer tracks, rather than going through the Reservoir. This always gives you the opportunity to remap the animation data. Saving Clip Adaptations The Reservoir lets you save a unique version of an adapted clip to a new BIP file.
To replace a clip in the Reservoir: Use the Load File command to replace a highlighted source or clip. 1 In the Reservoir list, click a single item. The software permits replacing only one source or clip at a time. 2 On the toolbar, click Load File. The Open dialog appears. 3 Find the directory containing the clip files to load, highlight the desired file, and then click the Open button. The file loads and replaces the highlighted item in the Reservoir list and the Motion Mixer.
Optionally turn on Reset Names After Saving. 3 Click Save to save the specified items. To remove clips not used in the Motion Mixer from the Reservoir: If you delete all instances of a clip from the Motion Mixer, it appears in the Reservoir with a Refs value of 0. ■ On the Reservoir toolbar, click Clean to remove these clips from the Reservoir. The motion file is saved under the new name. Motion Mixer Interface Select a biped. > Motion panel > Biped Apps rollout > Mixer Graph Editors menu > Motion Mixer..
Interface The Motion Mixer interface contains the following: ■ The Motion Mixer menu bar on page 3750, with five menus. ■ The Motion Mixer toolbar on page 3775, containing button-activated commands for adding bipeds, transitions, and other settings for creating a mix. ■ The Motion Mixer editor on page 3783, showing a graphical interface where the mix is built. The Motion Mixer is normally opened as a floating window. It can also be opened in a viewport, like the Asset Browser and MAXScript Listener.
Interface Mix menu The Mix menu provides tools for managing your bipeds and non-biped objects when they are selected. If an object is already added to the Motion Mixer, right-clicking its name displays the menu. Use commands on this menu to load and save MIX files, adjust track colors and balance parameters, and activate and deactivate the Mixer mode. Edit Max Mix Object Opens the Edit Max Mix Object dialog, which lets you modify the content of the highlighted non-biped object mix.
Balance Parameters... Opens the Balance Parameters dialog. These values influence the effects of balance compensation on the biped's pelvis and spine when you use different motions on the upper and lower parts of the biped. See Adjusting Biped Balance in the Mixer on page 3737. NOTE This dialog is available only for biped object mixes. ■ Lateral Ratio Decreasing the Lateral Ratio to 0.0 will cause balance compensation to use only forward/backward motion on the pelvis. Increasing Lateral Ratio to 1.
A Propagation setting above 0.0 is appropriate when the upper body motion causes the spine to bend over a great deal during a large part of the animation. Range=0.0 to 1.0; Default=0.0. Delete Clears the selected object(s) from the Mixer. Load Mix File Opens a dialog where you can select a MIX file on page 8045 to load into the Mixer. Save Mix File Opens a dialog where you can save the current object's mix on page 8044 to a MIX file.
Effect Raw Mix When this option is turned on, Mixer mode is turned on for the biped. Default=active. Effect Mixdown When this option is turned on, the mixdown track is activated. This option is available only if a mixdown has been computed. Effect Biped When this option is turned on, Mixer mode is turned off for the biped. Click Effect Raw Mix to turn Mixer Mode on again. Trackgroups menu When a trackgroup is selected, you can access the commands in the Trackgroup menu.
The Trackgroup Filter dialog for non-biped object mixes. Add Trackgroup Above Adds new trackgroups above the currently selected ones. Add Trackgroup Below Adds new trackgroups below the currently selected ones. Add Layer Track Adds a Layer track at the top of the selected trackgroups. Layer tracks hold clips to be mixed without transitions. Add Transition Track Adds a Transition track at the top of the selected trackgroups. Transition tracks hold clips that are mixed with transitions.
Add Layer Track Above Adds a new Layer track above the currently selected tracks. Add Layer Track Below Adds a new Layer track below the currently selected tracks. Add Transition Track Above Adds a new Transition track above the currently selected tracks. Add Transition Track Below Adds a new Transition track below the currently selected tracks. Convert to Layer Track Converts the selected Transition tracks to Layer tracks. Convert to Transition Track Converts the selected Layer tracks to Transition tracks.
NOTE If the selected track contains clips and transitions when you choose this option, these clips are removed from the track when the motion flow script is imported. Delete All Clips Deletes all the clips residing on the selected track. Delete Deletes a selected track or tracks. Clips menu The Clips menu is active when a clip is selected or when you right-click a clip in the Mixer. Some menu commands are not available when multiple clips are selected.
Load Source > From Reservoir Opens the Reservoir File Groups dialog on page 3763, where you can choose a clip from the Reservoir to replace selected clips. Copy to Biped Puts the clip’s animation onto the base state of the selected biped, evident when not in Mixer or any other mode. This option is available only when a single clip is selected. NOTE This dialog is available only for biped object mixes. Collapse Saves a collapsed version of the selected clip to a new BIP file.
Motion Mixer Dialogs Mixer Clip Source Options Dialog Select a biped. > Motion panel > Biped Apps rollout > Mixer > Select clip(s). > Motion Mixer menu bar > Clips > Load Source > From File Select non-biped clip(s). > Motion Mixer menu bar > Clips > Load Source > From File The Mixer Clip Source Options dialog opens when you select one or more clips on a track and choose Load Source > From File Clips menu on page 3757. The new clip you choose replaces the selected clips.
Interface Load Animation Into: ■ The selected clips only specified clip. ■ All instances of the selected clip Replaces instances of the clip (any occurrence of the selected clip within tracks for the same biped, or other bipeds of the same size). ■ All instances and adaptations of the selected clip Replaces adaptations (any occurrence of the selected clip on all bipeds' tracks).
Method to Fit Animation to Clip: ■ Scale animation to fit clip Scales the length of the loaded clip to match the length of the clip it replaces in the track. ■ Trim animation to fit clip Trims the length of the loaded clip to match the length of the clip it replaces in the track. ■ Set clip length to animation length, shifting remaining clips in time For selected clips, changes the animation length to the loaded clip length.
Interface Copy Animation Into: ■ The selected clips only Only the selected clip in the track is replaced by a new clip chosen from the reservoir. ■ All instances Replaces instances on page 8015 of the clip (any occurrence of the selected clip within tracks for the same biped, or other bipeds of the same size) with the clip selected from the Reservoir.
■ Set clip length to animation length, shifting remaining clips in time For selected clips, changes the animation length to the loaded clip length. All clips on the track after the selected clip are shifted depending on the length of the newly loaded clip. Remove Weights Removes any existing weight curves from clips selected to be replaced. Remove Warps Removes any existing time warps on page 3733 from clips selected to be replaced. Reservoir File Groups Dialog Select a biped.
Copy Animation Into: ■ The selected clips only Only the selected clip in the track is replaced by a new clip chosen from the reservoir. ■ All instances Replaces instances on page 8015 of the clip (any occurrence of the selected clip within tracks for the same object, or other objects of the same size) with the clip selected from the Reservoir.
Interface Length Sets the number of frames for the duration of the transition. Transitions are calculated by matching velocities in both clips. Smooth out abrupt velocity changes using longer transitions. Ease In Ease-in value for the source clip. Ease Out Ease-out value for the destination clip. Transition Focus Lets you specify a focus point on the biped where the transition takes place. The Mixer will attempt to match movement based on this selection.
■ Center Of Mass The transition focus is based on the center of mass position of the biped as it transitions from one clip to the next. ■ Left Foot The transition focus is based on the left foot position of the biped as it transitions from one clip to the next. ■ Right Foot The transition focus is based on the right foot position of the biped as it transitions from one clip to the next.
Options in the Transition Optimization dialog allow you to search for the location for the transition. Go To Start Frame Moves the time slider to the first frame of the transition. The number field shows the start frame number. Start Frame Set the transition start frame for the source and destination clips in their respective fields. Duration for the source and destination clips displays above the Start Frame fields. Rolling Keeps the clip in motion during the transition.
Mixer Transition Editor Dialog (Non-Biped Object) Graph Editors menu > Motion Mixer... > Select a non-biped object clip transition. > Motion Mixer menu bar > Transitions > Edit The Mixer Transition Editor controls transitions on page 8157 on transition tracks on page 8158. You can use this dialog to change the start and end times of transitions, change the transition focus, and perform other functions.
Interface Length Sets the number of frames for the duration of the transition. Transitions are calculated by matching velocities in both clips. Smooth out abrupt velocity changes using longer transitions. Ease In Ease-in value for the source clip. Ease Out Ease-out value for the destination clip. Source Clip and Destination Clip groups The following options let you set different parameters proper to both source and destination clips involved in the transition.
Velocity Blends group A Velocity Blend object is one that has its positions blended based on velocity (like a biped's COM). Objects used for Velocity Blending are most commonly the roots of the mix hierarchy.
X/Y/Z When on, accumulates position in the specified axis during the transition. When off, the position is simply blended with the next clip. Default=on. Sub-Blends group In order for other world-space objects to transition within the space of the velocity blend or a child of the velocity blend, you need to specify a sub-blend. For example, think of a rig that has a root moving through world space, and also has world-space IK foot controls.
Displays the next transition in the Transition Editor, moves the time slider to the start frame of the next transition and highlights the next clip in the Scripts list. Current Frame Displays the current frame number. Go To Start Frame Moves the time slider to the first frame of the transition. Optimize Transition Displays the Transition Optimization dialog on page 3774. Options in the Transition Optimization dialog allow you to search for the location for the transition.
Interface Search field To find an object in the list, enter the object's name and then press Enter. Node list Lists all the available objects. All Selects all objects in the list. None Selects no objects in the list. Invert Inverts the current list selection. Subtree group Display When on, the object hierarchy is shown by indenting. When off, all objects appear at the same level. Default=on. Select When on, selecting an object selects that object's children.
Transition Optimization Dialog Motion Mixer > Create a transition track. > Place clips on the track. > Right-click the transition. > Optimize > Transition Optimization dialog Motion Mixer > Create a transition track. > Place clips on the track. > Select the transition. > Transitions menu > Optimize > Transition Optimization dialog Options in the Transition Optimization dialog allow you to select the range over which the optimize algorithm will search for a transition.
Search Entire Clip Search the entire clip for an optimized transition start frame. Search Near Existing Transition Allows animators to find good transitions that "are in the ballpark" of their existing transitions. Transitions can be fine tuned without drastically changing the animation's timing. In general, there may be several "good transitions", so this feature narrows the range of search to the ones that are near to the current settings.
This dialog is comparable to the Select Objects dialog on page 232. NOTE The default mix name is the root node with the most children in the list. NOTE Objects can be added to only one mix at a time. Once an object is part of a mix, it is removed from the list. Add Bipeds Opens the Bipeds dialog listing all the bipeds in the scene. Highlight one or several bipeds to load them into the Motion Mixer window.
TIP You can click-drag over all, or several adjacent bipeds in the list if you want to add multiple bipeds to the Motion Mixer. If the bipeds you want to add are not next to one another, hold down the Ctrl key while choosing the bipeds you want to add. Delete Deletes a selected biped from the Motion Mixer window. Select Lets you select bipeds, trackgroups, tracks, and clips. Move Clips Allows selection and movement (including Shift+Clone) of bipeds and trackgroups, keeping clips and transitions intact.
a clip, you can use both the Frame and Offset fields to tell you how many more or fewer frames the clip will have. Trim Clips Clips can be trimmed from their original lengths interactively. When using this mode, you can grab the edge of a clip and drag it to a new frame within the clip’s original length. This mode will display all trimmed portions of clips in the Motion Mixer as gray. See Adjusting Clip Timing on page 3722.
Snap Frames An on/off toggle that sets the Motion Mixer to snap all adjustments to single frames. Snap Clips An on/off toggle that causes clips residing on the same track to snap together. The end frame of one clip will match the start frame of the next clip. If the first clip ends at frame 100, the start frame of the next clip will snap to frame 100. When Snap Clips is on, transition edges snap to clip edges when dragged.
Mode button on the Motion Mixer toolbar acts as a global switch that toggles the Weight Mode buttons on every track in the Mixer. The Weight Mode button at the right end of each track toggles weighting only for that track. For more information on how weight curves work, see Motion Mixer Editor on page 3783. To find out how to use weight curves, see Adjusting Track Weight on page 3730. Trackgroup Filter Dialog (Biped Object) Select a biped.
The Trackgroup Filter dialog consists of a rough diagram of a biped. Selectable components display in the color specified for the trackgroup by the Track Color command on the Mix menu on page 3751. If the biped does not include parts like ponytails or props, they are unselectable. Body parts can be individually activated or deactivated by clicking them, or you can use the buttons across the bottom of the Trackgroup Filter diagram to expedite selections.
easy for you to assign one set of XAF files to control the motion of an object's upper body, while another set controls the lower body. For more information and procedures on the use of trackgroup filters, see Filtering Mixer Tracks on page 3715. Interface Search field To find an object in the list, enter the object's name and then press Enter.
Subtree group Display When on, all body parts are listed following a hierarchy structure. Otherwise, body parts are listed on the same level. Default=on. Select When on, highlighting a body part automatically select all its children. Named selection sets drop-down list This list shows the scene's named selection sets on page 239. Choosing a set from this list selects its members in the Object list. OK Confirms selection and closes the dialog. Cancel Disregards current selection and closes the dialog.
Biped/Trackgroup/Track Controls The left-most section of the editor is the Biped/Trackgroup/Track Controls section. The Biped/Trackgroup/Track Controls set the number, order, display, and characteristics of those features in the mix. Bipeds and trackgroups can be selected, added, removed and repositioned. The “-” and “+” buttons collapse and expand the display of bipeds and trackgroups. The “m” button mutes a track, taking its influence out of the mix.
The overall length of all clips and transitions in a track can be stretched or squeezed by dragging the white ends of the gray range bars along the top of each trackgroup. Drag from the middle of the range bar if the entire mix of a trackgroup needs to be moved. Likewise, clips can be moved by dragging from the middle of a clip. Clips and transitions can be shortened or lengthened by dragging either end. The range bar for each biped can also be moved or scaled to move or scale the entire mix for the biped.
Note the corresponding changes in the frequency of the time ticks down the center of the clip. Time warps are used to speed up or slow down a motion. Weighting Controls The weighting controls at the rightmost end of the editor let you set the weight with which a clip or track will be blended with other tracks within the same trackgroup. When Weight Mode is turned on, weights can be adjusted with a red weight curve on a clip or track. On a Layer track, each clip has its own weight curve.
You can change the weight by moving the node or by changing the spinner value. When you have mulitple weight nodes selected, and you use the spinner to set a new value, weight node values are changed relative to their original values. In this case, you cannot spin the spinner lower than 0 or higher than 1 on any one spin. If you have more than one weight node selected and you type in a weight, the weights of all nodes are changed to the new value. Weighting is evaluated across tracks in a single trackgroup.
Interface The Reservoir comprises four parts: ■ The Reservoir toolbar on page 3789, where all the commands are located. You can choose between listing biped clips and non-biped clips. ■ The Source/Clipname list on page 3790, where motion clips (BIP and XAF files) are listed. Instances on page 8015 are grouped together in one listing, while adaptations on page 7900 are listed separately.
■ The Clip Status field on page 3790, where you can gather information about the clips used in the Motion Mixer. ■ The Motion Preview on page 3791, where you can see what a motion looks like before you use it. NOTE The Motion Preview is available only when you choose the Biped Clips option. Reservoir toolbar The commands on the main Reservoir toolbar allow you to manage the clips you have in the Motion Mixer and also build up a collection of clips that you may want to use in the future.
Delete Removes a highlighted clip from the Reservoir. All instances of the clip are also removed from the Motion Mixer. Clean Similar to Delete, but only removes clips from the Reservoir that are not used in the Motion Mixer. Auto Clip Names Names the clip based on the name of the motion file. Turn off to name a clip yourself. Source / Clipname list The Source / Clipname List displays all the clips you have in the Motion Mixer Reservoir.
information is also displayed, like the name of the clip reference as it appears in the Motion Mixer. Information about the biped structure is also listed along with the bipeds to which the clip has been adapted. Motion Preview The Motion Preview at the lower right side of the Reservoir shows a thumbnail of the selected clip. Moving the slider across the bottom gives you an idea of what the motion looks like before you add it to a track.
Interface Show / Hide group These settings affect how clips appear in the Motion Mixer tracks. ■ Names When turned off, clip names do not appear on the colored clip bars in the Motion Mixer. Default=On. ■ Scales Displays the clip scale. Since clips can be resized by using tools like Move Clips, displaying the scales quickly lets you know if a clip is two times its original length or half its length. Default=Off.
Show / Hide Transitions group The two settings affect how transitions appear in the Motion Mixer tracks. ■ Inpoints Toggles the beginning transition frame on the transition clip bar. Default=On. ■ Outpoints Displays the end transition frame on the transition clip bar. Default=Off. Show / Hide Other group These settings indicate if range bars and balance curves appear in the Motion Mixer tracks. ■ Trackgroup Rangebars Hides the gray range bar that appears along the top of each trackgroup. Default=On.
■ Enforce IK Constraints When a transition occurs between two clips where the same foot or feet are planted with footsteps or planted keys, this option forces the foot/feet to stay planted during the transition. Default=On. ■ ■ Continuity Range Sets an additional transition time after the actual transition, giving the foot time to get from its planted position to its keyframed location in the next clip. Range=0 to 100; Default=6.
Load File Loads a Motion Mixer file (.mix). These files include the following, which display in the Motion Mixer window when a MIX file is loaded: Groups of tracks on page 8150 for selected parts of the biped. ■ Trackgroups ■ Tracks Layer tracks on page 8021 and transition tracks on page 8158 where clips and transitions reside. ■ Clips ■ Transitions References to BIP animation files used in the mix. Connections between clips on transition tracks.
Follow/Bank Utility Utilities panel > Utilities rollout > More button > Utilities dialog > Follow/Bank The Follow/Bank utility applies rotation keys to an object that already has a motion trajectory. The settings are similar to those found in the Path constraint. Use this when you have an object for which you've already assigned motion and want it to follow or bank along its trajectory, but don’t want to use a Path constraint. The utility aligns the object's X axis to the direction of motion.
Interface Selected Object group Displays the name of the current selection. If more than one object is selected, "Multiple Selected" displays. Apply Follow button Apply Follow Applies the settings and generates rotation keys. Each time you click this button, rotation keys in the specified range of frames (set in the Samples group) are deleted and regenerated.
Follow Options group Contains the parameters that specify whether or not to use banking, and the banking settings. Bank Turn on to cause the objects to bank as well as follow the trajectory. Bank Amount Adjusts the amount of the banking to one side or the other, depending on whether the value is positive or negative. Smoothness Controls how rapidly the roll angle changes as an object moves through bends in the trajectory.
2 After assigning the Motion Capture controller, open the Properties dialog for the track and bind the type of peripheral device(s). As an example, the Rotation Motion Capture controller has three rotational axes to which you can bind one device each. 3 After binding devices, adjust their settings and parameters in the lower portion of the Track Properties dialog. These controls vary depending on the type of device. 4 On the Utilities panel, open the Motion Capture utility.
When you assign a Motion Capture controller, the previously assigned controller is maintained as a child of the Motion Capture controller. This lets you continue to adjust the object using standard transform controls, while still making motion-capture control available. To bind and adjust devices: 1 After assigning a Motion Capture controller, determine the type of device that will drive the motion. Depending on the type of controller, you might be able to bind one or more devices.
have three devices, one for each axis of rotation. On the other hand, a controller for the radius of a cylinder would have only one device to control the radius value. 2 Bind the devices in the Properties dialog for the track. To specify a device: 1 Click the Properties button while the Rotation track is selected. The Properties dialog for rotation motion capture includes three binding buttons (one for each axis.) 2 Click the Y Rotation button.
Example: To set up the Position controllers of a camera for moving with a joystick: The rotation of the camera about its world Z axis will be controlled by the X motion of the joystick. You'll set up the Position controllers of the camera to move the camera forward and back with the Y motion of the joystick. 1 Assign a Position Motion Capture controller to the camera's Position track, and access its Properties dialog. 2 Assign a Joystick Input Device to both the X Position and Y Position buttons.
9 Open the Motion Capture utility, turn on both tracks in the list, click the Test button, and move the camera while observing it in the Top viewport. As you move the joystick in the Y direction, the camera moves forward or backward. Moving the joystick in the X direction rotates the camera, but then, as you continue moving the joystick in the Y direction, the camera moves forward and back along its local axis.
Interface 3804 | Chapter 15 Animation
Record Controls group Tests and records your animation. The first three buttons let you control the recording directly, while the Start/Stop button lets you use a MIDI device to control the recording. Start Starts a recording using the values set under Record Range below the Track list. Stop Stops the recording before the Out frame is reached. You can also stop a recording by pressing Esc, or by pressing the right mouse button. Test Tests your motion. No recording takes place.
Start/Stop Trigger Setup dialog Presets Choose the type of MIDI device. If you choose Media Control Station 2, you can use its buttons to Stop, Play, and Record. (The Media Control Station is a MIDI device containing standard VCR-style playback buttons along with a jog wheel.) By choosing Custom, you enable the remaining spinners in the dialog, where you can set specific channels and note numbers. You can also use Custom to customize the controls used by the Media Control Station.
Tracks group The Tracks area displays all tracks that have been assigned Motion Capture controllers. You select the tracks that will be affected by the three buttons in the Record Controls group. Click a track to toggle its selection box on or off. Only the selected tracks displaying the red box are affected by the Record Controls group. You can select the tracks either by clicking them, or by using the All, Invert, None buttons. In addition, you can create named selection sets of tracks.
Sphere01\Angle is an Angle parameter applied to one of the modifiers assigned to a sphere. You can rename the tracks in the Properties dialog, which you can access in Track View, or by double-clicking the track name in the Motion Capture utility. The upper rollout of each Properties dialog includes a Track Name field.
Samples group When the motion data is captured, it’s sampled at a rate relative to the current frame rate, which defaults to 30 frames per second. Increasing the frame rate increases the sample rate. The two radio buttons in this section allow you to choose one or two samples per frame. This is a shortcut that lets you sample at a field rate. If you're rendering to fields, you don't need to capture at 60 frames per second. Controllers will interpolate between the samples.
Scale Scales the relative effect of the mouse movement to the animation response (Spinner Value: float, 0 to 999,999) Flip Flips the direction of the response relative to the mouse movement. For example, if moving the mouse horizontally to the right produces a clockwise effect on a Rotation controller. Activating Flip will reverse the rotation to counterclockwise. Keyboard Input Device rollout Lets you assign most keyboard keys to drive the animation.
Envelope Graph group Displays a representation of the amplitude curve over time. Envelope Parameters group Specifies the time over which the envelope of the action takes effect, relative to the key pressing and release. Attack Displays the time it takes after pressing the key for the value to reach its maximum level. Decay Displays the time it takes after having reached maximum for the value to fall to that specified by the Sustain spinner.
Joystick Axis group X, Y, Z Specifies which joystick direction drives the animation. (Standard joysticks provide X and Y axes only. The Sidewinder provides the Z axis when you twist the joystick.) Throttle On the Sidewinder, this is a slider next to the stick. Scale Scales the relative effect of the joystick action to the animation response (Spinner Value: float, 0 to 999,999) Flip Flips the direction of the response.
joystick. When the joystick returns to its rest position, the value generated returns to zero. When this is turned on, the joystick represents a change in the current position. Moving the joystick forward, for example, can cause an object to start moving, and it will continue to move until you return the joystick to its rest position. Joystick Buttons group Point-of-View Hat (Left-Right, Up-Down) The Sidewinder includes a mini-joystick on the tip of the main joystick.
Clear Removes the assigned controller. Direction X/Y/Z Specifies the local axis that will be used as the direction. For a Free Camera, for example, this would be Z because the camera points in the Z direction. However, if you had a car that pointed along its Y axis, you'd use Y. Component X/Y/Z Specifies the edit binding to use. Match this to the Edit Binding button under Device Bindings. For example, if the Y Edit Binding button is selected, choose the Y Component option.
MIDI Channel group Contains 16 buttons. Click to specify the channel to which your MIDI device is assigned. MIDI Trigger group Defines the type of MIDI event (message) that will drive the motion. There are four options. NOTE When you choose this option, the note number or pitch defines the output value. The value is derived from where the note falls within the Note Range, specified in the Note Range group.
Parameter Scaling group Contains the Min and Max spinners, which specify the range of generated values. See Note and Velocity. MIDI Channel Viewer Clicking MIDI Channel Viewer at the bottom of the MIDI Device rollout displays a dialog that lets you test your MIDI device to see which MIDI channel is receiving events, and which notes are being triggered. MIDI Channel group Provides a column of 16 buttons and progress bars representing the 16 MIDI channels.
Note Number Displays the corresponding note number for the event. When you're using a non-keyboard MIDI device, such as a slider box, you can use this to identify the note number of a specific slider, for example. MACUtilities Utility Utilities panel > More button > MACUtilities You can use the Motion Analysis Corporation utility to convert motion data originally recorded in TRC format into CSM. This allows you to easily map the motion onto a biped.
9 Either highlight an existing CSM file to overwrite or enter a new filename. Click OK to confirm your selection. Your file is converted into CSM format. You can now load it onto a biped. Interface MNM Mapping File Displays the path and name of the chosen MNM file. Create Launches the MNM Creator/Marker Selection dialog, which creates a MNM file to use in the conversion process. Browse... Lets you pick a custom mapping file to use in the conversion process.
NOTE If Use TRC Filename is turned off, a second dialog opens so you can pick an existing CSM file to overwrite or create a new one. Options group Use MNM Filter File When on, the MNM file is used in the conversion process. Default=on. NOTE Turn off if the TRC marker names already follow the CSM standard naming convention. Batch File Conversion Enables you to pick multiple TRC files to convert. TIP Use this option to save time when you need to convert multiple TRC files.
Camera Tracker: Movie Stepper Rollout on page 3835 Camera Tracker: Batch Track Rollout on page 3838 Camera Tracker: Error Thresholds Rollout on page 3837 Camera Tracker: Position Data Rollout on page 3841 Camera Tracker: Match Move Rollout on page 3842 Camera Tracker: Move Smoothing Rollout on page 3845 Camera Tracker: Object Pinning Rollout on page 3847 For additional information on using the Camera Tracker Utility see: Requirements for Camera Tracking on page 3825 Camera Tracker: Troubleshooting on page 3
Real-world camera films a scene (the white dots will be tracking points). 2 Open the movie file in the Camera Tracker utility and create a set of feature tracking gizmos for each of the tracking features in the scene.
Resulting footage to be tracked and used as a background. 3 Position the Feature Selection box and Motion Search box for each gizmo so that they’re centered on the features and have motion search bounds large enough to accommodate the biggest frame-to-frame move of the features throughout the frames that will be tracked. 4 Associate each tracker with its corresponding scene point object.
The associated scene point objects are set up in 3D space based on real-world dimensions. 5 (Optional) Use the Movie Stepper rollout to set the start and stop frames for each tracker if it’s out-of-view for any of the frames that will be matched. These specify the frame range during which the tracker is visible in the scene and will be tracked as part of the matching process.
builds a table of 2D motion positions for each feature. You can save this to disk using the Save button on the Movie rollout. 8 Choose the camera that will be matched in the Match-Move rollout, select which camera parameters you want to estimate, set the movie and scene animation frame ranges and perform the match. This generates a keyframed animation of the selected camera parameters. After camera tracking, scene geometry (the character) matches the filmed background.
Requirements for Camera Tracking To use the camera tracker, you need the following: ■ Movie footage in one of the file formats that 3ds Max supports, such as AVI or MOV. If you have sequential still images, you can use an IFL (Image File List). The file selector can automatically generate an IFL file by selecting the file name and turning on the sequence button. Or use the IFL Manager Utility on page 7344 to create an IFL file.
Interface Movie file Selects and opens the movie that will be tracked. You can open any image file format that 3ds Max supports. If you use sequential still-image files, you will use an .ifl (image file list) file. You can create the .ifl file using the IFL Manager or using any bitmap selector dialog by choosing Sequence. When you open the movie file, it’s displayed in a Movie window. Display Movie Reopens a closed or minimized Movie window.
Odd Interpolates using the odd lines. Even Interpolates using the even lines. Fade Display Fades the movie in a Movie window by 50 percent. Use this to see the tracker gizmos more clearly. Auto Load/ Save Saves the state of a tracking setup and any position data you’ve produced to a special file associated with each movie. Selecting Auto Load/Save Settings causes the tracker to keep this settings file up-to-date automatically as you work in the tracker.
You should make the feature bounds box large enough to enclose the feature and some of the surrounding images enough to give the feature a contrasting background of several pixels. The motion search bounds defines the are in which the feature will be searched for from frame-to-frame. This bounds box moves with the feature box, so the area is relative to the current feature at each frame. It’s important to estimate this search area well.
Working with the Tracker Gizmos There are several ways to work with gizmos in the Movie window. ■ Selecting: You need to select a gizmo to work on it. You do this by clicking anywhere inside its bounds in the Movie window or by clicking its entry in the tracker list box in the Motion trackers rollout. The selected gizmo displays positioning handles at the corners of both its bounds boxes. You can also select a gizmo by typing its number on the keyboard.
Typically when setting up tracker gizmos you should create and position them all roughly in a zoomed-out view, then zoom in on one of them, fine-tune its position and bounds, then tab to the next gizmo and repeat. Movie Window Keyboard Shortcuts You can use the following keyboard shortcuts in the Movie window: ■ I, i: Zooms in on a selected gizmo. ■ O,o: Zooms out on a selected gizmo. ■ R, r: Resets zoom level to 100 percent.
Interface On When turned on, the feature will be tracked in the image when the movie is stepped through in the Movie Stepper, or when a full track is performed. An X appears in the tracker list when turned on. Off When turned off, the tracker will sit at the closest known position prior to the current frame. Because feature tracking is computationally intensive, sometimes it’s useful to disable the trackers you’re not working on to speed up movie stepping. All Enables all the trackers.
Scene object Associates a tracker with a scene point object that corresponds to the image feature in the Movie window. Pressing this button puts 3ds Max into standard object picking mode. When you’ve selected the object, the entry in the tracker list and the text in the button change to the name of the selected object. You can change the connected object at any time by pressing this button. It’s recommended that you use point or CamPoint helper objects, although you can use any 3ds Max object.
the error in favor of that tracker, reducing the distance between that tracker's feature and object projection, while possibly increasing the error in other trackers. If you bump weights on two or more features, the locking may progressively lessen, since the algorithm distributes the improvements between the high-weight trackers. Use weights of two to six to get a good lock.
■ Feature searching is performed on internally scaled-up versions of the target image feature and portions of the search window. These versions are scaled up in inverse proportion to the subpixel level using bicubic interpolation, which allows the feature tracker to search at this scaled pixel level. When manually positioning gizmos at keyframes, it’s crucial that you zoom in enough so you can place the gizmo in the center of the feature to the degree of accuracy allowed by the selected subpixel level.
During tracking, the selected feature at a keyframe is sampled and that feature becomes the search target for subsequent frames. Using any adjusted search bounds up until the next keyframe, provides the start point, target feature, and search bounds box for the frames that follow. The position data for each frame in each gizmo can be one of three possibilities: ■ A keyframe defining a new start position, target feature image, and search bounds box. ■ A tracked position. ■ Unknown.
Interface Movie Frame Counter Advances the Movie window to the designated frame. VCR controls Navigates through the movie in the Movie window: << Steps to the start frame of the selected tracker. <10 Steps back 10 frames. < Steps back one frame or keyframe if Step Keyframes is turned on. > Steps forward one frame or keyframe if Step Keyframes is turned on. >10 Steps forward 10 frames, either directly or one frame at a time if the Master Track Enable check box is turned on.
NOTE Make sure this button is turned off if you just want to step through the movie without tracking, such as when browsing through the movie to find and place Start and Stop frames for trackers that come on screen or go off screen during the tracking range. Clear Tracking to End Removes all tracked positions and keyframes from the current stepper frame onward for the currently selected tracker.
used both during a manual tracking review (see Batch Track Rollout on page 3838) or during actual tracking to correct errors using the Resample On Error control in the Motion Trackers setup rollout on page 3830. Interface Match Error A sum-of-differences-squared measure in RGB space of the best match in the current frame to the feature target from the previous keyframe. The error shown is a percentage of the maximum possible image difference. Good matches are usually below 0.05 percent.
Procedures To review and correct tracking errors: 1 Select an error in the list. 2 Browse through the errors in sequence by repeatedly clicking Next, under the list. 3 When you’ve selected an error, the associated tracker gizmo is selected and brought into view and the movie is set to the frame at which the potential error was detected. 4 If there is indeed an error, adjust the gizmo in the Movie window to correct it, and place a new keyframe.
Interface Complete Tracking Searches for unknown positions in enabled trackers and undertakes tracking for those frames. It performs this optimally, and only tracks the frames for which enabled trackers have no position data. Tracking Status group Check Status Scans for tracking errors and untracked frames. It displays two lines of information underneath it in the Status box: Incomplete Lists the tracker numbers with untracked frames in their active frame ranges.
Vd Color variance delta threshold exceeded. Jd Jump delta threshold exceeded. In each case, the number following the code is the actual error measure. You can see how the error measure compares to the current thresholds in the Error Thresholds rollout. If you adjust the thresholds in this rollout and then rerun the Check Status again, the list is refilled with those points in the tracking that exceed the newly adjusted thresholds. Next Moves to the next error in the list.
Clear to End Clears the position data in the trackers specified in the Apply To group from the current Movie Stepper frame onward. This is useful for clearing out and redoing a portion of the tracking. Clear All Clears all the position data in the trackers specified in the Apply To group. Show Data Opens a text window that displays the position data for the trackers specified in the Apply To box.
Interface Camera Enters an object-picking mode for you to select the camera that you will match-move. You can either select the camera directly in the scene or press H to open the Select Objects dialog on page 232. Once selected, the camera name is placed in the picker button, and other buttons and controls are enabled in the utility. The selected camera is remembered in the MOT settings file and restored on reopening the movie in the camera tracker.
the match camera with known moves or parameter settings and have the matcher estimate just the missing parameters. The accuracy of the estimation process increases substantially as the number of parameters that need estimation decreases. FOV Camera FOV (field-of-view). Pan Rotation about the local camera Z axis. Tilt Rotation about the local camera X axis. Roll Rotation about the local camera Y axis. Dolly Movement along the local camera Y axis. Truck-H Movement along the local camera X axis.
Track View or by stepping through the 3ds Max animation a frame at a time after the match. Generate Keyframes Generates keyframes for the estimated parameters on each frame. Match-Move Starts the match process. Max. Pixel Error Displays the running maximum tracking error and frame. The error is shown in pixel fractions, and gives the largest distance between any feature and the viewed position of its associated tracking object over all the frames matched.
Interface Channel To Smooth group Lets you choose which parameter or set of parameters to smooth. You can choose to smooth the entire Rotation or all the Position tracks at once, or you can smooth individual parameters or axes. Rotation Pan, Tilt, and Roll. Position Dolly, Truck-H, and Truck-V. FOV Camera FOV (field-of-view). Pan Rotation about the local camera Z axis. Tilt Rotation about the local camera X axis. Roll Rotation about the local camera Y axis. Dolly Movement along the local camera Y axis.
Smooth Type group Straight line average Causes Move smoothing to generate a straight line average for each of the selected parameters. This is useful when you know a parameter is fixed, but don’t know its actual value. Examples might include field-of-view or vertical position.
features in the scene with 3D objects when the movement is approximately planar. After the tracking data is created you can use this function to do such things as synchronizing the movement of 3D objects with feature movements in the background movie. If the 3D objects directly cover the background features, they will appear to replace them.
Interface Choose Tracker Shows all the current trackers as set up in the Motion Trackers rollout. Use this to select the tracker whose feature movements you will use to control the pinned 3ds Max object. The feature must have been tracked already over the frames you want to use, with the Track and/or Movie Stepper rollouts. Note that the accuracy of the pinning is determined by the accuracy of the match, so subpixel tracking is highly recommended.
Reset Ranges Reloads the maximum frame number and count ranges into the above spinners from the current movie and 3ds Max scene settings. Pin Space group Lets you select the plane of motion in which the keyframed pinning will occur. Screen Moves and animates the pinned object in the plane of the screen at its current depth in the scene. This is equivalent to dragging an object around in the Screen reference coordinate system in 3ds Max.
Camera Tracker:Troubleshooting Feature Tracking Halts Immediately If the feature tracker attempts to match the first couple of frames but halts immediately, check these steps: 1 One of the enabled error thresholds might be set too low. Perform a Check Status in the Batch Track rollout and look at the reports in the Tracking Error Review list. Also try disabling the thresholds in the Error Thresholds rollout one at a time and see if this fixes the problem. Adjust the problematic threshold as needed.
3 If you’ve disabled any parameters in the Match section of the Match-Move rollout prior to a match-move, the camera being matched must be already set correctly in the scene for those parameters. For example, if you disable roll and FOV, you must already have set the camera to the correct FOV and roll orientation, either directly in 3ds Max, or as a result of a previous match-move.
on the sphere and solving the simulation. The result is that the sphere falls under the force of gravity. You can use dynamics objects on page 880, dynamics space warp deflectors (PDynaFlect on page 2738, SDynaFlect on page 2745, and UDynaFlect on page 2748), and space warp forces such as Gravity on page 2721 and Wind on page 2724 to add complexity to a simulation.
You can use the Spring and Damper objects for dynamics effects. ■ Create panel > Space Warps on page 2685 > Particles and Dynamics. Effects (forces) are special space-warp objects that emulate natural phenomena, such as wind or gravity. In a dynamics simulation, you must place gravity in the scene if you want the objects in your simulation to fall. ■ Create panel > Space Warps on page 2685 > Dynamics Interface.
3 On the Create panel > Space Warps > Particles and Dynamics > Object Type rollout, click Gravity. 4 Drag in the Top viewport to create a Gravity gizmo. 5 On the Utilities panel, click Dynamics. 6 On the Dynamics rollout, click New. Dynamics00 appears in the Simulation Name field. 7 Click Edit Object List. The Edit Object List dialog displays. 8 Select all the boxes in the dialog and click the > button, then click OK.
The ground will "move" during the simulation. 19 Click Solve. The keyframed "ground" box moves up and collides with the boxes. The ability of a keyframed object to be part of a simulation is one of the useful features in 3ds Max. You could use this capability to strike a ball with a bat, for example. For further experimentation, create a spring object in Create panel > Geometry > Dynamics Objects and attach the ends of the spring object to two of the boxes and then solve the simulation.
Repeat the above steps with the Rotation track. To set up dynamics: 1 Assign materials to the objects included in the simulation and adjust the surface characteristics in the Dynamics Properties rollout of the Material Editor. (For a bouncing ball, you'd use this to create a rubber-like surface.) 2 If you're using a linked hierarchy, set the Move and Rotate locks in the Hierarchy/Link Info panel to limit the motion and rotation of the linked objects. 3 Create space warp effects in the scene where needed.
3 In the Dynamics panel > Objects in Simulation group, click the Select Objects In Sim button. All objects included in the simulation are selected. 4 Open a Track View window, and then set its filter to show Animated Tracks Only and Selected Objects Only. 5 Right-click the top object in the Hierarchy list (Objects), and choose Expand All. Track View now shows all tracks in the simulation that have keys.
combinations. An asterisk (*) indicates those combinations that are more typically useful. The format of this list is as follows: X=check box on. O=check box off. One group of settings is made up of the three Move check boxes over the three Rotate check boxes. Here's an example: XXO=X and Y Move check boxes on, and Z off. OXO=Y Rotate check box on, and X and Z off. 1 1 Move Lock: Turn on any single Move. (This is like a long pin sliding in a loose, long slot.
orthogonal to the axis of rotation. The possible check box combinations are: XOX XXO OXX OXO OOX XOO 7 3 Moves + 1 Rotate: Turn on three Moves plus one Rotate. (This is a universal joint without the sliding.) It's typical of automotive applications where the rear axle is located with the trailing drive shaft. This is an uncommon application. 8 * 1 Move (complementary) + 2 Rotates: Turn on one Move that's complementary to two Rotates. (This is like a hockey puck on ice.
Simulation Name Displays the name of the current simulation. You can edit the name to rename any existing simulation. You can create any number of simulations in your scene. Each must have a unique name and is stored in the .max file. For example, you might have a simulation named Bouncing Ball that bounces a ball down a flight of stairs, while another simulation named Paper Airplane flies a paper airplane across the room.
one from the list to make it current. All remaining panel settings are specific to the current simulation. New Creates a new simulation. Its name consists of the word "Dynamics" appended by a number, starting with 00. This number is incremented by one for each new simulation. Remove Deletes the current simulation. Dynamic simulations can use a lot of memory. Removing old or unused simulations reduces the size of your .max files. When you remove a simulation, all timings and other settings are deleted.
Select effects (space warps) in the list on the left and use the > button to move them to the list on the right. Effects thus chosen affect all objects in the simulation except unyielding ones. The Assign Global Effects dialog functions similarly to the Edit Object List dialog on page 3873. Collisions group Specifies which collisions are included in the dynamics calculation.
Timing group Controls how keys are generated over time. Start Time Specifies the first frame to generate keys, which is the first frame to be considered for the solution. Default=0. TIP If you set a start time that's later than a keyframe-animated object's last animation frame, you may get unexpected motion during the interim frames.
simulation. For example, if your active segment ends at frame 200, when you click New to create a new simulation, End Time is set to 200. Calc Intervals Per Frame Specifies how many calculations are performed for each frame of the simulation time range. Range=1 to 160. Finding the right number for this spinner is a matter of experimentation. As a general rule, the faster things are moving in the simulation, the higher you should set this value.
Use IK Joint Damping Uses the IK damping settings as constraints for hierarchies in the simulation. Air Resistance group Density percent Sets the air density in the simulation. A setting of 100 is the air at sea level. A setting of 0 is a total vacuum. When anything moves, it hits air resistance (except in space). The faster it moves, the higher the relative air resistance with the square of the speed.
Static Friction Determines how difficult it is for an object to start moving along a surface (the higher this value, the more difficult the movement). If something weighs 10 pounds and sits on Teflon (a static friction of near zero), it takes almost no force to make it move sideways. On the other hand, if it sits on sandpaper, then the static friction might be very high, around .5 to .8.
Interface Object Displays the name of the object for which you're setting the dynamic properties. All settings in the Edit Object dialog affect the object listed here. To change the object you're affecting, open the list, and choose from a list of all objects assigned to the simulation.
This Object is Unyielding Lets you use keyframe-animated objects in dynamics simulations. Objects with this option turned on are immovable relative to other objects that collide with them, but can be animated (keyframed). You can animate objects with this option turned on by themselves or as part of a keyframed hierarchy. For collisions, objects with Use Initial State turned on cannot move objects with This Object is Unyielding turned on.
Assign Object Collisions Displays a subdialog that lets you choose which objects in the scene are considered for collision with the current object. This dialog works the same as the Assign Object Effects dialog, except that it lists only objects in the simulation. Objects included for collision in this dialog can collide with the current object. NOTE For every potential collision, you should explicitly specify both colliding objects.
Every Frame The object's properties are recalculated for every frame. Every Calc Interval The object's properties are recalculated at each "Calc Interval." You set the Calc Interval (interval of calculation) in the Time Parameters rollout; it specifies how many calculations are performed for each frame of the simulation time range.
Copy to Object's Material Copies the value in the Sliding Friction spinner to the material assigned to the object. Physical Properties group Provides controls that specify the physical properties of the current object. Density Specifies the density of the object in grams per cc. A setting of 1 is the equivalent of water, and useful for anything wooden, plastic, or organic. The more dense an object, the slower it will react to forces.
Surface Treats the object as a hollow shell whose thickness is 1 centimeter. The mass is derived from the surface area and the 1-centimeter thickness, but the object has no volume. Bounding Box A bounding box surrounding the extents of the object is used to calculate both the volume (of a solid bounding box) and the mass (based on the volume). Bounding Cylinder Similar to the Bounding Box option, except that a bounding cylinder is used, whose Z height axis is aligned with the local Z axis of the object.
The Exclude and Include option buttons above the right window determine whether the items listed are excluded from or included in the simulation. NOTE All the selection and inclusion dialogs in the Dynamics Utility are displayed and function similarly. Interface Objects in the Scene To add scene objects to the simulation (assuming Include is chosen), select objects from the list on the left, then use the > button to move them to the list on the right.
Objects in the Simulation To exclude objects from the simulation (assuming Include is chosen), select objects from the list on the right, then use the < button to move them to the list on the left. Exclude/Include Choose whether the simulation will exclude or include the objects named in the list on the right. If you choose Exclude, only objects in the list on the left are included in the simulation. All/None/Invert Affect the list on the left.
Procedures To use Skin Utilities: 1 Load a scene that contains two skinned meshes, one from which you want to extract the skin data, the other to which you want to paste it. 2 Select the source mesh, the mesh with the correct envelopes and vertex weights. 3 Choose Utilities panel > More button > Skin Utilities. 4 Click Extract Skin Data to Mesh. A new object is created, identical to the selected object. This is a new mesh with all envelope-assigned and manually-assigned vertex weights “baked” into the mesh.
Interface Extract Skin Data to Mesh Extracts the skin data from the selected mesh and embeds it in a new mesh named SkinData_ followed by the original object name. NOTE The skin data is stored in channels. To see the data, select the SkinData_ mesh and use the Channel Info Utility on page 6047. Import Skin Data From Mesh Opens the Paste Skin Data dialog. Before clicking this option, you must select the SkinData_ mesh and the mesh to which you want to paste the data.
Paste Skin Data dialog To use the Paste Skin Data dialog, highlight matching Target Bones and Source Bones, and click the left arrow to match them. Only matched sets of bones listed under Target Bones will be mapped when you click OK. Target Bones Lists target bones available for matching, and lists matches moved from the Source Bones listing with the left arrow. Source Bones Lists source bones available for matching. Add Adds removed bones back to the source or target list.
Remove Suffix If bone names end with an underscore followed by text, this removes the suffix from the displayed bone names from the underscore to the end of the name. Use this option to remove suffixes and make source and target bone names match, which will allow you to use the Match by Name option. Remove Prefix If bone names start with text followed by an underscore, this removes all characters from the displayed bone names up to and including the underscore.
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reactor 16 reactor is a toolset that allows animators and artists to control and simulate complex physical scenes in 3ds Max. reactor supports integrated rigid and soft body dynamics, cloth simulation, and fluid simulation. It can simulate constraints and joints for articulated bodies. It can also simulate physical behaviors such as wind and motors. You can use all of these features to create rich dynamic environments.
Getting Started This section shows you where to find the various reactor options in 3ds Max, as well as introducing you to reactor's helper icons. You'll see how to use each of the options in the relevant section of this guide. Command Panel You can use the reactor options on the Create panel to create various reactor elements. To find most reactor objects, go to the Helpers sub-panel, and then, from the drop-down list, choose reactor.
Once you've created a reactor object, selecting the object and opening the Modify panel allows you to configure its properties.
There are also three reactor modifiers, used to simulate deformable bodies on page 4024: 3884 | Chapter 16 reactor
You'll find most of the remaining reactor functions on the Utilities panel. This provides access to functionality such as previewing the simulation, changing world and display parameters, and analyzing the convexity of objects. It also lets you see and edit the rigid body properties associated with objects in the scene.
NOTE The reactor menus and toolbar provide shortcuts for many of the reactor functions provided in the command panel.
The reactor Toolbar The reactor toolbar is a handy way to access much of reactor's functionality. It has buttons that let you quickly create constraints and other helpers, display physical properties, generate animations, and run the real-time preview. To display the reactor toolbar: 1 Right-click an empty area of the main toolbar to display a list of available toolbars. 2 Click reactor.
The main reactor submenu, available from the Animation menu, is another way to access reactor functionality. The reactor Quad Menu A further quick way to access reactor options is the reactor quad menu. To open this menu, press Shift+Alt and right-click in the active viewport. Helper Icons Many reactor elements, such as constraints and the Rigid Body Collection, have their own special helper icon that appears in the viewport when you add them to the scene.
Although the helper icon doesn't appear in your rendered scene, the icon's appearance (and in some cases, its position and orientation) will help you to set up your reactor scene correctly. When selected, reactor icons are white and are also larger than when not selected. When not selected, the icon for a valid element is blue, and for an invalid element is red. What constitutes validity depends on the particular reactor element.
calculates the position of each object as time passes. In much the same way that a motion picture is composed of many individual images or frames, physical simulation splits time into small discrete steps and predicts the motion of each object during each step. The cumulative effect of all these steps is fluid, continuous, believable motion.
Given that we are talking about simulating a continuously evolving state (in other words, objects are moving and colliding and reacting all the time in general), we need to map this to a series of snapshots in order to generate an animation. In a computer game, for example, we typically want to display the world 60 times per second, because this is how frequently many graphics systems can redraw the screen.
■ We assume that in the time period h all the external forces acting on the ball are constant, so air resistance and wind and gravity do not change during this time. ■ We assume that the math we use to calculate the new position is accurate In general, the first assumption is usually valid, except at relativistic or quantum scales, which we can assume should be handled by other systems.
time t2 we find the ball in the middle of the windy region. This region causes a large wind force to act on the ball which is taken into account during the next time step. At that point we reevaluate the math and determine a new position for the ball at time t3. This is different from the position determined in the simulation on the left, even though the same amount of time has been simulated in each case.
Substeps In the previous section, we said that the physics engine passes on the necessary information to update the display after it determines the new positions for all its objects. However, what if you don't want to update the display in each simulation time step? Let's say we absolutely need to update the application once every 1/60th of a second, either because we're playing a real-time game that refreshes the screen at 60Hz. or we're creating a keyframe every frame for a 60FPS movie.
In this figure, we have specified that the physics simulation should step at intervals of 1/240th of a second, but that we create a keyframe only once every 1/60th of a second. The red spots indicate a keyframe and simulation step, the yellow spots are simulation steps only. This was achieved by instructing the physics engine to employ four substeps per key. Thus, for each four simulation steps we create only keyframe.
time; the physics engine can make certain assumptions when detecting collisions based on the fact that the objects' shapes don't vary from simulation step to simulation step. Both the Havok 1 and Havok 3 engines can simulate rigid bodies, but Havok 3 simulations are faster and more accurate. Deformable Bodies To simulate cloth, rope, or other material whose shape changes over time, you need to use a different type of body: a deformable body.
about the numbers. So you could, for instance, work in inches. However, for realistic (or at least predictable) results, it's important to be consistent. So, for instance, if you're working in meters, make sure gravity is set to an appropriate value in meters. To produce Earth-like gravity, use 9.8 m/s2. Otherwise objects might appear to fall faster or slower than you expect.
If your reaction involves cloth, rope, or soft bodies, you'll need to stick with Havok 1, the version included with previous releases of 3ds Max. However, if you're using rigid bodies only, you can take advantage of the enhanced accuracy available in Havok 3. For more information, see The reactor Utility on page 4083 and Havok 1 World/Havok 3 World Rollout on page 4087. Integrated User Interface The reactor interface is fully integrated in 3ds Max.
Cooperative Constraints reactor includes a number of cooperative constraints on page 3943 that facilitate the simulation of articulated bodies and machinery.
The Rag Doll constraint on page 3948 allows the simulation of constrained bodies with relative rotation and twist angles limits similar to those found in human and animal joints The Hinge constraint on page 3969 allows the simulation of hinges (limited or not) and hinge-like joints where movement is limited around a specified axis, like elbows and knees The Prismatic constraint on page 3982 allows the simulation of translation-only joints (limited or not) like those found in robots and machinery The Car-Whe
Fracture Object The Fracture on page 4010 object in reactor offers excellent usability and behavior. Objects inside Fracture are standard Rigid Bodies and, as such, you can add them to constraints, assigned initial velocities, etc. You can tell pieces to break at a specific time.
In reactor, you define the effect of constraints by the specifying and manipulating two constraint spaces on page 3927. Limits, such as minimum and maximum rotation angles, are defined and displayed around those spaces, which you can modify using sub-object manipulation. reactor provides tools for automatically aligning and manipulating those spaces. Storage and Access of Collision Information reactor can store information of all rigid body collisions occurred during the simulation.
For more information, see Storing and Accessing Collisions on page 4019. Support for Global Collisions In reactor, you can enable or disable collisions globally instead of inside the Rigid Body Collection on page 3922. The software stores disabled collisions inside the reactor Utility on page 4083. You can disable collisions not only for rigid bodies, but also for cloth, soft and rope. And you can access disabled collisions through MAXScript.
Animatable Wind You can animate most parameters in the reactor Wind on page 4079 object, including wind speed and direction. Range and Falloff parameters let you set up the range of action for the wind. Cloth/Soft/Rope Attachments to Deforming Meshes (Skin) The Attach to DefMesh on page 4069 deformable constraint allows vertices in cloth, soft bodies, and rope to follow a non-rigid mesh such as skin.
Soft Selection for Cloth/Soft/Rope The deformable on page 4024 (cloth/soft/rope) modifiers in reactor can now use the soft selection flowing to that modifier and blend the current vertex animation with the reactor animation, facilitating the transition between skin-driven and reactor-driven animation Special Features in reactor | 3905
Floating Rigid Body Property Editor In reactor you can change the rigid body properties on page 3909, like mass, elasticity or friction without having to use the reactor Utility on page 4083. You can open a floating MAXScript window to modify rigid body properties from the reactor menus, quad menus, and toolbars at any time.
MAXScript Access Virtually all parameters and functionality in reactor are accessible through MAXScript. Animation Features reactor can automatically create list controllers (or character studio layers) to store the animation of rigid bodies. For more information, see Preview & Animation Rollout on page 4085.
Animation menu > reactor > Create Object This topic simply provides links to the various helper objects that are part of the reactor system.
Soft Body Collection on page 4046 Fracture on page 4010 Motor on page 4001 Plane on page 3999 Spring on page 3930 Toy Car on page 4003 Wind on page 4079 Rigid Bodies The rigid body is the basic building block of reactor simulations. You can use a rigid body in reactor to simulate any real-world object that doesn't change its shape, from a pen to a boulder hurtling down a mountainside. You can create a rigid body using any geometry in a 3ds Max scene.
bodies. You can also restrict the possible movement of your rigid bodies in the simulation using constraints such as hinges and springs. This chapter shows you how to create and work with rigid bodies in reactor.
■ simulation geometry on page 3914 ■ display properties on page 3920 Rigid Body Properties Utility panel > reactor > Properties Animation menu > reactor > Open Property Editor reactor toolbar > Open Property Editor button You assign physical properties, simulation geometry, and display properties to a rigid body using the Rigid Body Properties rollout or dialog. The interface consists of three rollouts or sections, each of which is described in detail in this topic.
Interface Physical Properties Mass A rigid body’s mass governs how the object interacts with other objects. When its mass is set to 0.0 (the default value), the object remains fixed in space during the simulation, although other objects will be able to collide with it. For example, you could use a fixed rigid body to create a slope for other objects to roll down. Other values allow the object to move during the simulation, depending on other circumstances.
before it becomes active in the simulation. For example, if you place an object in midair, give it a mass and set it to Inactive, when the simulation starts it sits in midair until something interacts with it. Inactive objects require less computation during simulation. Disable All Collisions When on, the object doesn’t collide with other objects in the scene; it simply passes through them.
IMPORTANT Applies to Havok 3 only. Quality Lets you set individual settings for each object based on the desired level of interaction. Default=Moving. IMPORTANT Applies to Havok 3 only. The available Quality settings are: ■ Debris ■ Moving ■ Critical ■ Bullet Low-importance objects used for adding visual quality. Regular objects that populate the world, such as furniture, etc. Essential objects that are never allowed to interpenetrate. Fast-moving projectiles.
Convex and Concave Objects A rigid body primitive is defined as convex if, given any two points inside the object, you can always go in a straight line from one to the other without leaving the object. Convex objects include spheres, cylinders, and boxes. For example, a sphere is convex but a golf ball is concave because of the concavities (dimples) in its surface. Also, by definition, non-closed meshes (planes, hollow hemispheres) are always concave.
Bounding Sphere The object is simulated as an implicit sphere. The sphere is centered on the object’s pivot point and then minimally encloses the object’s geometry.
Mesh Convex Hull This is the default option. The object’s geometry is passed through an algorithm that creates a convex geometry using the geometry’s vertices, completely enclosing the geometry’s vertices. To visualize this, imagine shrink-wrapping a teapot: The teapot is concave but its shrink-wrap forms a convex hull.
Proxy Convex Hull The convex hull of another object is used as the physical representation of the object in the simulation. For instance, you could use the convex hull of a low-poly teapot to simulate a high-poly teapot. The proxy object’s pivot point is aligned with that of the rigid body.
Concave Mesh The actual mesh of the object is used for simulation. Although the convex hull of an object and the object’s actual mesh may be exactly the same shape, using the convex hull simulates much more quickly, as reactor can make certain assumptions for convex objects. If you try to use Concave Mesh for a convex object you will get a warning. Not heeding such warnings could dramatically reduce the speed of your simulation. In some cases, though, you might want to ignore that warning.
Not Shared This option is active only when multiple objects with different Simulation Geometry settings are selected, and cannot be chosen by the user. Display Use Display Proxy When on and you specify a proxy object by clicking the Proxy button, reactor displays the specified proxy In the Preview Window in place of the object. Compound Rigid Bodies Rigid bodies can be made of one or more objects, or primitives.
can also simulate a rigid body made up of more than one primitive. To do this, you need to group objects together using the 3ds Max Group menu. You can then add the group to the collection, and the objects in the group then become the primitives that make up the rigid body. Creating such compound rigid bodies can be useful, as it is much faster to simulate a rigid body made up of convex pieces than to simulate a more complex concave shape.
Your objects are now all child objects of a new group parent. You can add this parent object to a Rigid Body Collection. To edit compound rigid body properties: 1 With the compound rigid body selected, choose Group > Open. 2 To edit the compound rigid body’s properties, select the parent (dummy) and go to the properties rollout of the utility or open the Rigid Body Properties dialog. You cannot edit the Mass or Simulation Geometry values for a group parent because they are primitive properties.
Procedures To create and use a Rigid Body Collection: 1 Choose any of the above commands, and then click in any viewport to add the Rigid Body Collection. NOTE The icon’s position has no effect on the collection’s behavior. The collection icon is added to the scene. You can add rigid bodies to the collection in two ways: by picking or by using a selection list.
Interface RB Collection Properties rollout Highlight Cause the objects in the Rigid Bodies list to display momentarily in the viewports as if selected. Rigid Bodies Lists the names of the objects in the Rigid Body Collection. Pick Lets you add an object to the Rigid Body Collection. Click this button, then in the viewport move the cursor over the object you would like to add to the collection.
Disabled When on, the collection and the bodies it contains are not added to the simulation. Advanced rollout ODE Solver Lets you choose the method by which reactor simulates the collection: ■ Euler The collection calculates the behavior for its rigid bodies using an Euler ODE (Ordinary Differential Equation) solver. Euler is a fast method that provides good results in most cases. ■ Runge-Kutta This method is more accurate in some cases but requires more computation.
constraint you use, you can hinge objects together, attach them together with springs that will snap back if the objects are pulled apart, or even simulate the movement of a human body joint. You can constrain objects to each other or to points in space. This section shows you how to work with constraints in reactor.
objects attached by a spring is limited by the deformation of the spring. A train can move only along the path defined by a rail due to the collisions of its wheels with the rail. In many cases, though, it is preferable to specify explicitly the effect of those objects (hinge, spring, rail) rather than model them and simulate them. This is what constraints are for. A constraint lets you limit the way an object can move. Once you specify a constraint, reactor tries to enforce it during the simulation.
a Rag Doll constraint, the objects not only have no linear freedom, but their possible relative orientation is also restricted. In each constraint, these angular and linear limits are defined in terms of the constraint’s coordinate system or constraint space. Because a constraint restricts the movement of its objects relative to each other, a constraint also needs to maintain a mapping from each object’s local space to the constraint space.
You can move the constraint space relative to each of the bodies by going to the constraint's Parent Space or Child Space sub-object level in the modifier stack, and then using the Move and/or Rotate tools. The space will then maintain its position and/or orientation relative to the corresponding object during the simulation. reactor also provides some quick shortcuts for aligning constraint spaces, available with each constraint.
Simple Constraints The simple constraints provided with reactor are: ■ Spring on page 3930 ■ Linear Dashpot on page 3934 ■ Angular Dashpot on page 3939 Unlike cooperative constraints, the simple constraint does not require you to add it to a Constraint Solver on page 3945 helper. Instead, reactor adds all valid simple constraints in a scene to the simulation by default.
Procedures To create a spring: ■ Choose one of the above options, and then click in any viewport to add the Spring. NOTE The icon’s position has no effect on the constraint’s behavior. To attach objects to the spring: 1 Create the Spring and the object(s) to connect using it. 2 If you do not want to assign a second body to the spring, turn off the Parent check box on the spring's Properties rollout if necessary.
large box markers and the rest length denoted by small box markers. The difference between the two is displayed in red. 5 To reset the attachment point to the object’s pivot, reattach the object to the Spring. Alternatively, if you click the Align Spaces To Each Body button, both attachment points will be reset to their respective body's pivot. To align the parent and child constraint spaces: 1 Ensure that the constraint is selected in one of the viewports.
it maintains its new position relative to the parent. If the spring is single-bodied, then the Parent Space's attachment point represents the point in the world where the spring is attached. Properties rollout Parent When on, the Spring has two bodies and you can designate an object to be the parent body. When off, the Spring is single-bodied and the point occupied by the Parent Space sub-object is the parent.
Align Spaces To Use these options to align the bodies' local constraint spaces. You can find out more about each option in the Working With Constraint Spaces on page 3928 section. Lock Relative Transform When on, the relative transform between the child and parent constraint spaces is locked: If you move either space in the viewport, the other space moves along with it.
reactor toolbar > Create Linear Dashpot button Dashpots typically server to cushion impact. An example of a real-world linear dashpot is the hydraulic cylinder in an automobile shock absorber. The Linear Dashpot constraint lets you constrain two rigid bodies together in the simulation, or to constrain one body to a position in world space. It behaves like a heavily damped spring with zero rest length. You can specify the strength and damping, and whether collisions between the attached bodies are disabled.
To create the constraint and attach objects in a single step: ■ See the Scripts on page 4103 topic. To change the attachment positions for the bodies: 1 With the dashpot selected, open the Modify panel. 2 In the modifier stack open the dashpot’s sub-object list. 3 Highlight the sub-object corresponding to the object in whose space you want to move the attachment point: Parent Space or Child Space. If the dashpot is single-bodied, Parent Space allows you to move the world attachment position.
Interface Modifier Stack Child Space At this sub-object level, you can select and move the dashpot attachment point for the child body. When you assign a child body to the dashpot, the Child Space attachment point is set to the child object’s pivot point. If you alter the position of the Child Space attachment point, it maintains its new position relative to the child during the simulation. Parent Space At this sub object level, you can select and move the dashpot attachment point for the parent body.
Properties rollout Parent When on, the dashpot has two bodies and you can designate an object to be the parent body. When off, the dashpot is single-bodied and the point occupied by the Parent Space sub-object is the parent. You assign the parent object by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid body from any viewport. Thereafter the button displays the name of the parent body. Child Displays the name of the second rigid body attached to the dashpot.
Strength Governs the size of the impulse the dashpot applies to each attached body, taking into account the distance between the attachment points. The strength value is mass-dependent. For example, a Strength value of 10 generates a different behavior when connecting two 5 kg bodies than when connecting two 50 kg bodies. Values greater than or equal to 0 are valid for this property. Default=1. Damping Determines how quickly the oscillation of the linear dashpot settles down.
a world rotation. In a simulation, the dashpot tries to maintain a common rotation for these axes. You do not need to add angular dashpots explicitly to a simulation, as all valid dashpots in a scene are added to the simulation by default. A dashpot is valid if it has the correct number of rigid bodies attached and is enabled. When not selected, invalid dashpots are colored red in the viewport.
4 The selected axis sub-object becomes active in the viewports and can be rotated using the Rotate tool. The axis maintains its offset rotation so that if you rotate the object it’s linked to, it also rotates. 5 To realign the rotation to the child body's local space, reattach the object to the dashpot. Alternatively, click the Align Spaces To Child Body button. To align the parent and child constraint spaces: 1 Ensure that the constraint is selected in one of the viewports.
to the parent. If the dashpot is single-bodied, this rotation represents the world rotation to which the dashpot tries to align the Child Space axis. Properties rollout Parent When on, the dashpot has two bodies and you can designate an object to be the parent body. When off, the dashpot is single-bodied and the point occupied by the Parent Space sub-object is the parent. You assign the parent object by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid body from any viewport.
Lock Relative Transform When on, the relative transform between the child and parent constraint spaces is locked: If you move either space in the viewport, the other space moves along with it. Strength Governs the size of the impulse the dashpot will apply to each attached body, taking into account the difference in their relative offset rotations (Child Space and Parent Space).
■ Prismatic constraint on page 3982 ■ Rag Doll constraint on page 3948 Common Properties The following properties are shared by all cooperative constraints: Strength and Tau These properties govern the impulses applied to the constraint's bodies in order to maintain the constraint, and so how strongly the constraint works to restrict their movement.
Breakable Turn on to make the constraint breakable. The Linear and Angular parameters apply only to Havok 1, and the Theshold parameter applies only to Havok 3. Linear The maximum linear impulse the breakable constraint can apply before it breaks. Available in Havok 1 only. Angular The maximum angular impulse the breakable constraint can apply before it breaks. Available in Havok 1 only. Threshold A generic impulse parameter that governs the overall breakability of the constraint.
NOTE The icon’s position has no effect on the constraint’s behavior. To assign a Rigid Body Collection to the solver: 1 On the Properties rollout click the RB Collection button. This enters a pick mode in which you can choose only a Rigid Body Collection. 2 In one of the viewports click the collection to assign to the Constraint Solver. The collection should contain the rigid bodies for the constraints in the solver.
Interface Properties rollout RB Collection button Displays the name of the Rigid Body Collection assigned to the solver, if any. To assign a Rigid Body Collection to the solver, click this button and then selecting a collection in any viewport. Highlight Click this button to cause the constraints in the Constraints list to momentarily display in the viewports as if selected. Constraints Lists the names of the constraints currently in the solver. Pick Lets you add a constraint to the solver.
Add Lets you add one or more constraints from the scene to the solver. Click the button to open up the Select New Constraints To Add dialog. Make a selection in the provided list, and then add the constraints to the solver by pressing the Select button. Delete Lets you remove constraints from the solver. Highlight the constraints to remove from the solver in the Constraints list and then click this button.
The Rag Doll constraint uses the parent body as a reference when defining the limits for the motion of the child body. For example, when your torso moves, your arm always moves with it. So when modeling a shoulder joint, you would usually designate the torso as the parent body and the upper arm as the child body. You can then specify limits on the arm's movement relative to the torso, as in the above illustration: The arm is allowed to rotate relative to the torso within the grey limited cone.
■ A twist axis, which is the axis around which the child body can twist relative to the parent body. You use this axis to specify twist limits and the child body's permitted cone of movement. ■ A plane and plane normal centered on the attachment point; the plane serves to define further limits that restrict the child body's movement within the cone. reactor provides special limit visualizations to help you choose appropriate values for the Rag Doll.
3 If you do not want to assign a parent to the constraint, turn off the Parent check box. 4 If the constraint is two bodied, repeat Step 2, using the Parent pick button to set the parent body for the constraint. By default, the constraint space in the parent's local space is also aligned with the child body. To create the constraint and attach objects in a single step: ■ See the Scripts on page 4103 topic.
in the viewport and can be moved and rotated using the Move and Rotate tools respectively. The space maintains its position and rotation relative to its corresponding object. For example, if you move or rotate the child, Child Space moves relative to it. 5 To reset the space for an object to its default, reattach the object to the rag doll or use the Align To Child Body button. 6 You can also rotate the plane normal independent of the twist axis.
is not at 90 degrees to the twist axis, non-intuitive cone rotations can result. The rotation of the twist axis for the attached object is limited to the volume of this cone. You can view the cone on its own by ensuring that only the Show Cone option in the Properties rollout > Display group is on. 4 You can also try changing the Plane > Min and Max settings. These are limited between [-90, 0] and [0,90] respectively.
NOTE Cone and plane limits limit the movement independently. As a result, it is possible to have ineffective plane limits, where the cones generated by the plane limits do not intersect the cone generated by the cone limits. Use the plane limits to reduce the level of movement provided by the cone. To change the Twist limits: 1 Select the Rag Doll helper object and open the Properties rollout. 2 The Twist settings limit the rotation of the child object about the twist axis relative to the parent object.
Interface Modifier Stack Parent Space At this sub-object level, you can move and rotate the representation of the Rag Doll for the parent body. The constraint axes are defined in the parent body's space, which means that if you alter the position or rotation of the parent, the space moves as well and maintain its offset rotation and translation with respect to the parent.
Properties rollout 3956 | Chapter 16 reactor
Parent When on, the Rag Doll has two bodies and you can designate an object to be the parent body. When off, the Spring is single-bodied and the point occupied by the Parent Space sub-object is the parent. You assign the parent object by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid body from any viewport. Thereafter the button displays the name of the parent body. Child Displays the name of the second rigid body attached to the Rag Doll.
between the limits (–10+20 )*0.5=5. This results in the effective limits being [–15,15] rotated by 5 degrees, thus final limits of [–10, 20]. Cone Max The maximum value, in degrees, used to specify the limit cone. This is combined with the Cone Min value to generate a symmetrical cone. This cone is rotated about the plane normal by an offset calculated by combining these limits. The rotation of the child’s twist axis is then limited to being within this cone with respect to the parent.
Size Allows you to change the size of the limit visualization in the viewport. Reset Default Values Resets the parameters for this constraint to their default values. Defining Rag Doll Limits The Rag Doll constraint on page 3948 is useful for simulating complex joints, like those found in some human and animal joints (shoulders, hips), that cannot be properly simulated by simpler constraints like Hinge on page 3969 or Point-Point on page 3975 constraints.
1. Parent Body 2. Child Body The illustration shows three axes of importance: the Twist Axis, the Plane Axis and the Twist X Plane Axis. The twist axis is probably the easiest to visualize and you can do so by simply stretching out your arm and rotating it so that your thumb changes from pointing upwards to downwards. Your movement is just a series of rotations along the twist axis of the shoulder and elbow. In general, the twist axis should follow the length of the child body in a joint.
A. Twist Axis B. Plane Axis C. Twist X Plane Axis 1. Twist Range The other two axes are interlinked and together control the volume the child body may occupy.
A. Twist Axis B. Plane Axis (inward) C. Twist X Plane Axis 1. Cone Min. 2. Cone Max.
A. Twist Axis B. Plane Axis C. Twist X Plane Axis If you imagine the constraint representing your shoulder, then the green volume is the range of allowed positions your upper arm may occupy. However, we can refine the allowed volume further by using the plane axis to enforce plane limits.
A. Twist Axis B. Plane Axis C. Twist X Plane Axis (outward) 1. Plane 2. Plane Min. Cone 3. Plane Max. Cone 4. Plane Min. 5. Plane Max.
A. Twist Axis B. Plane Axis C. Twist X Plane Axis 1. Plane 2. Plane Min. Cone 3. Plane Max.
A. Twist Axis C. Twist X Plane Axis 1. Plane Min. Cone 2. Plane Max.
A. Twist Axis C. Twist x Plane Axis (outward) 1. Plane Min. Cone 2. Plane Max. Cone If the volumes do not intersect, the plane limits have no effect in the constraint.
A. Twist Axis B. Plane Axis C. Twist X Plane Axis Back to Rag Doll Constraint on page 3948.
Hinge Constraint Create panel > Helpers > reactor > Hinge Animation menu > reactor > Create Object > Hinge Constraint reactor toolbar > Create Hinge Constraint button The Hinge constraint allows you to simulate a hinge-like action between two bodies. reactor lets you specify an axis in local space for each body, with a position and a direction. During the simulation, the two axes attempt to match position and direction, thereby creating an axis around which the two bodies can rotate.
3 If you do not want to assign a second body to the Hinge, turn off the Parent check box if necessary. 4 If the Hinge is to be two-bodied, repeat step 2, using the Parent pick button to set Parent for the Hinge. To create a Hinge and attach objects in a single step: ■ See the Scripts on page 4103 topic. To change the Hinge positions and rotations for the bodies: 1 With the Hinge helper object selected, open the Modify panel. 2 In the modifier stack open the sub-object list for the Hinge.
To limit the rotation between the attached objects: 1 With the Hinge selected, open the Properties rollout. 2 Turn on the Limited check box. The Hinge limits display around the Parent Space axis. The default angle limits are –90.0 and 90.0. This means that in a situation where the sub-objects are fully aligned for the objects, the objects will be able to rotate 90 degrees in either direction about the shared hinge axis.
Interface Modifier Stack Parent Space At this sub-object level, you can move and rotate the representation of the Hinge for the parent body. The Hinge axes are defined in the parent body's space, which means that if you alter the position or rotation of the parent, the space moves as well and maintains its offset rotation and translation with respect to the parent.
Properties rollout Parent When on, the Hinge has two bodies and you can designate an object to be the parent body. When off, the Hinge is single-bodied and the point occupied by the Parent Space sub-object is the parent.
You assign the parent object by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid body from any viewport. Thereafter the button displays the name of the parent body. Child Displays the name of the second rigid body attached to the Hinge. You assign the child object by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid body from any viewport. Align Spaces To Use these options to align the bodies' local constraint spaces. You can find out more about each option in Working With Constraint Spaces on page 3928.
Breakable group Breakable When on, the constraint is breakable. If its breakable limits are exceeded during simulation, it ceases to exert impulses on the attached objects. You can find out more about breakable constraints in Breakable Constraints on page 3944. Display group Size Lets you change the size of the Hinge limit display in the viewport. Reset Default Values Returns the Strength, Tau, Min Angle, Max Angle, Friction, Linear, Angular, Threshold, and Display settings to their default values.
The constraint is simulated when it has the correct number of rigid bodies attached and is included in a valid Constraint Solver on page 3945. When not selected, an invalid Point-Point constraint is red in the viewport. Procedures To create a Point-Point constraint: ■ Choose one of the above options, and then click in any viewport to add the Point-Point constraint. NOTE The icon’s position has no effect on the constraint’s behavior.
4 The corresponding point becomes active in the viewports and can be moved using the Move tool. The attachment point maintains its position relative to its corresponding object. For example, if you move the child object, its space, and hence its attachment point, moves with it. The attachment point doesn't have to actually be on either object. 5 To reset the attachment point to the child object’s pivot, reattach the objects to the constraint, or click the Align Spaces To > Child Body button.
5 You can also change the orientation of the axis to be limited by rotating the Child Space and Parent Space sub-objects. To create a Stiff Spring constraint: 1 With a Point-Point constraint selected, open the Properties rollout. 2 In the Constraint Type group, choose Stiff Spring. 3 You can now specify a Length value for the stiff spring. The default is 0.0: the same as a Point-Point constraint.
Interface Modifier Stack Parent Space At this sub-object level, you can select and move the constraint attachment point in the parent body's local space. When you assign a parent object to the constraint, the Parent Space attachment point is set to the child object’s pivot point. If you alter the position of the Parent Space attachment point, it maintains its new position relative to the parent during the simulation.
Properties rollout 3980 | Chapter 16 reactor
Parent When on, the constraint has two bodies and you can designate an object to be the parent body. When off, the constraint is single-bodied and the point occupied by the Parent Space sub-object is the parent. You assign the parent object by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid body from any viewport. Thereafter the button displays the name of the parent body. Child Displays the name of the second rigid body attached to the constraint.
Length (Stiff Springs only) The distance that reactor should maintain between the constraint attachment points. Set Sets Length to the current distance between the attachment points. Breakable group Breakable When on, the constraint is breakable. If its breakable limits are exceeded during simulation, it ceases to exert impulses on the attached objects. You can find out more about breakable constraints in Breakable Constraints on page 3944.
NOTE The icon’s position has no effect on the constraint’s behavior. To attach objects to the prismatic constraint: 1 Create the Prismatic constraint and the objects to connect using it. 2 On the constraint’s Properties rollout, click the Child pick button and then, in one of the viewports, select the object to use as the child. This attaches the constraint to the body at the body’s pivot point. The constraint's sliding axis is aligned to the Z axis of the object.
2 Turn on the Limited check box. Both Limit parameters (Min and Max) are set by default to 0.0. This means that from a situation where the sub-objects are fully aligned for the objects, the child can move 0 units in either direction along the shared sliding axis relative to the parent. The limits are displayed as a line in Parent Space. 3 Change the Min Limit and Max Limit settings as necessary.
Parent Space At this sub-object level, you can move and rotate the representation of the Prismatic constraint for the parent body. The constraint axes are defined in the parent body's space, which means that if you alter the position or rotation of the parent, the space moves as well and maintains its offset rotation and translation with respect to the parent.
Properties rollout Parent When on, the constraint has two bodies and you can designate an object to be the parent body. When off, the constraint is single-bodied and the point occupied by the Parent Space sub-object is the parent.
You assign the parent object by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid body from any viewport. Thereafter the button displays the name of the parent body. Child Displays the name of the second rigid body attached to the constraint. You assign the child object by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid body from any viewport. Align Spaces To Use these options to align the bodies' local constraint spaces. You can find out more about each option in Working With Constraint Spaces on page 3928.
Breakable group Breakable When on, the constraint is breakable. If its breakable limits are exceeded during simulation, it ceases to exert impulses on the attached objects. You can find out more about breakable constraints in Breakable Constraints on page 3944. Display group Size Lets you change the size of the constraint space display in the viewport. Reset Default Values Returns the constraint's parameters to their default values.
Procedures To create a Car-Wheel constraint: ■ Choose one of the above options, and then click in any viewport to add the Car-Wheel constraint. NOTE The icon’s position has no effect on the constraint’s behavior. To attach objects to the Car-Wheel constraint: 1 Create the constraint and the objects to connect using it. 2 On the constraint’s Properties rollout, click the Child pick button, and then, in one of the viewports, select the object you want to use as the wheel.
object. For example, if you move or rotate the wheel, Child Space moves with it. 5 To reset the attachment point to the child's pivot, reattach the objects to the car-wheel constraint or choose the Align Spaces To Child Body option. 6 You can also rotate the suspension axis independent of the spin axis. To do this, highlight the Suspension Rotation sub-object level; this lets you rotate the suspension axis with respect to the chassis’s spin axis.
to move 10 units away from chassis along the suspension axis in the direction of the icon’s arrow and 5 units in the opposite direction. 2 Change the limits and observe the difference in the simulation. 3 You can also change Friction for the Car-Wheel constraint; this inhibits the wheel’s motion along the suspension axis. To spin the wheel: These controls are found in the Spin Parameters group. 1 Set the Velocity value to the required value. This is specified in radians per second. 2 Set the Gain.
Interface Modifier Stack Parent Space At this sub-object level, you can move and rotate the representations of spin and suspension axes for the chassis. This describes where on the chassis the wheel is attached and also the directions of the spin and suspension axes for the chassis. This is defined in chassis space, which means that if you alter the position or rotation of the chassis the axes will move as well and maintain their offset rotation and translation with respect to the chassis.
Properties rollout Parent When on, the constraint has two bodies and you can designate an object to be the optional chassis rigid body attached to the Car-Wheel Constraints | 3993
constraint. When off, the constraint is single-bodied and the point occupied by the Parent Space sub-object is the parent. You assign the chassis by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid body from any viewport. Thereafter the button displays the name of the chassis object. Child Displays the name of the second rigid body attached to the constraint. You assign the child object by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid body from any viewport.
Damping The damping value of the suspension spring. Higher values suppress vertical oscillation. Available with Havok 3 only. Spin Parameters group Velocity This value indicates the angular velocity in radians per second that the constraint will seek to achieve for the wheel. Gain This value indicates the maximum angular impulse the constraint can apply to attain the specified angular velocity. Breakable group Breakable When on, the constraint is breakable.
The constraint is simulated if it has the correct number of rigid bodies attached, a specified path shape, and is included in a valid Constraint Solver on page 3945. When not selected, invalid constraints are red in the viewport. Procedures To create a Point-Path constraint: ■ Choose one of the above options, and then click in any viewport to add the Point-Path constraint. NOTE The icon’s position has no effect on the constraint’s behavior.
4 The space, represented by a set of axes and the path, becomes active in the viewport and can be moved or rotated using the Move or Rotate tool, respectively. The space maintains its position and rotation relative to its corresponding object. For example, if you move or rotate the child body, Child Space moves with it. Interface Modifier Stack At this sub-object level, you can move and rotate the representation of the constraint for the parent body.
Properties rollout Parent When on, the constraint has two bodies and you can designate an object to be the parent body. When off, the constraint is single-bodied and the point occupied by the Parent Space sub-object is the parent. You assign the parent object by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid body from any viewport. Thereafter the button displays the name of the parent body.
Child Displays the name of the second rigid body attached to the constraint. You assign the child object by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid body from any viewport. Align Spaces To Use these options to align the bodies' local constraint spaces. You can find out more about each option in Working With Constraint Spaces on page 3928.
reactor toolbar > Create Plane button The reactor Plane object is a type of rigid body that acts as a fixed, infinite plane in the simulation. It shouldn't be confused with the standard 3ds Max plane, which can also be used as a rigid body provided its simulation geometry property on page 3914 is set to Concave Mesh. Like other rigid bodies, the Plane can have display proxies assigned to it and can be contained in a compound rigid body. You can also assign friction and elasticity values to it.
Interface Properties rollout Show Normal When on, the Plane normal is displayed as an arrow in the viewport. Motor Create panel > Helpers > reactor > Motor Animation menu > reactor > Create Object > Motor reactor toolbar > Create Motor button The Motor helper lets you apply a turning force to any non-fixed rigid body in the scene. You can specify the angular velocity for the target and the maximum angular impulse the Motor can apply to achieve this velocity.
To set the rigid body for the motor: 1 Create the motor and the rigid body to attach the motor to. 2 On the Properties rollout, click the Rigid Body pick button and then, in one of the viewports, select the object you would like to motor to act on. The motor can apply rotational forces about one of the object’s axes. The default rotation axis is the object's Z axis. The rotation axis and rotation direction are displayed in the viewport.
Gain The maximum angular impulse that the motor can apply to the rigid body in order to achieve the target velocity. Rotation Axis The local axis for the rigid body about which the motor applies impulses. This axis has a visual representation when the motor helper is selected. Disabled When on, the motor is not added to the simulation. Size The size of the rotation axis in the viewport. Reset Default Values Returns Ang Speed, Gain, and Rotation Axis to their default values.
Procedures To set up a toy car, follow these procedures in order, and make sure the car has a surface to travel on, such as a level plane. For getting started, we suggest you use Icon Orientation and ignore the procedure about Common Local Orientation. To create a Toy Car helper: ■ Choose one of the above menu options, and then click in any viewport to add the Toy Car. NOTE The icon’s initial position has no effect on the car's behavior.
and the density of the bodies should be such that the Analyze World utility generates no warnings. To assign rigid bodies to a Toy Car: 1 Create the Toy Car helper and the objects to connect using it, as described above. 2 On the Properties rollout, click the Chassis pick button, and then, in one of the viewports, select the object to use as the chassis. The Toy Car icon moves to the chosen rigid body. By default, the icon is aligned with the chassis's local space.
The initial world space orientation of the wheels relative to the chassis/icon is unimportant when using this option, as reactor reorients the bodies so that their local spaces continue to match during the simulation. 2 On the Toy Car Properties rollout, set Toy Car Orientation to Common Local Orientation. 3 Use the radio buttons to change the Suspension and Spin directions relative to the bodies' local spaces.
Interface Toy Car Properties rollout Chassis Displays the name of the rigid body that serves as the chassis. You assign the chassis object by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid body from any viewport.
Wheels Lists the names of the toy car's wheels. Pick Lets you add a wheel to the car. Click this button, and then in the viewport position the cursor over the object you would like to use as a wheel. If the object can be used as a rigid body, the cursor changes from an arrow to a cross and you can select the object to add it to the toy car. Add Lets you add one or more rigid bodies from the scene to act as wheels for the toy car. Click the button to open the Select Car Wheels dialog.
Common Local Orientation With this option, you align the bodies' local spaces in world space, and specify the Spin and Suspension axes relative to this common orientation. The orientation of the rigid bodies in world space before simulating is unimportant. This means, for instance, that you can set up your car with its wheels turned sideways and they still spin around the correct axes when simulating. This option allows you to change the spin and suspension axes separately.
These parameters replicate the Car-Wheel constraint parameters of the same names on page 3994.
The Fracture helper object simulates the breaking of a rigid body into a number of smaller pieces as the result of an impact. To do this, you need to supply the pieces that are glued together to create the whole object. This is known as "pre-fracturing." reactor does not break the pieces you supply into smaller pieces. TIP An excellent tool for pre-fracturing your objects is the ProCutter compound object on page 862. Rigid bodies that are part of a Fracture helper move together as a single body.
helper, can move independently as separate fracturable objects. As a result, you can get the effect of multiple fracturable objects in a single Fracture helper. After a fracture event occurs, reactor once again analyzes this connectivity graph to create new chunks if they exist. If you see floating disconnected bodies moving strangely because they are invisibly still part of a larger fracture object, be sure to turn on connectivity.
2 With the Fracture helper selected, use either (or both) of the following methods: ■ Click the Pick button on the Properties rollout and then select the select the rigid body to add to the helper. ■ Click the Add button and then use the dialog to select one or more objects to use as fracture elements. The names of rigid bodies you add appear in the helper's Pieces list. To create the Fracture helper and add objects in a single step: ■ See the Scripts on page 4103 topic.
Interface Properties rollout Highlight Click this button to cause the objects in the Pieces list to momentarily display as if selected.
Pieces Lists the names of the objects currently part of the Fracture object. To highlight multiple contiguous list items, click and then Shift+click. To highlight multiple non-contiguous list items or remove highlighting, use Ctrl+click. Pick Lets you add an object to the Fracture helper. Click this button, and then in the viewport position the cursor over the object to add to the helper.
current frame. Thus, if you set a piece to break at frame 5, the Broken check box is on at frame 5 and later, and off at frames before 5. Use Connectivity When on, groups of pieces that are connected to each other move independently of pieces that they are not connected to. This is like having multiple fracture objects contained in one fracture helper.
World rollout > Fracture Penetrations group Several additional values govern fracture behavior. These are global in that they apply to every rigid body added to a Fracture object, and are found in the Utility panel > reactor > World rollout. These values control the behavior of penetration depth collision detection and response, and apply only to objects that are included in a Fracture helper.
Fracture pieces are allowed to exist in a state of interpenetration, where restoring forces are applied to separate them. Many objects sitting in penetrating states next to each other can result in an unstable system. To make the system more stable and less prone to exploding: Try one or more of the following: 1 Reduce the Scale Tolerance value on page 4017 in the Fracture Penetrations group of the reactor utility World rollout. This value can be as low as –1.0, but –0.1 should suffice in most cases.
Storing and Accessing Collisions Utility panel > reactor > Collisions rollout reactor lets you store information about all rigid body collisions that occur during the simulation. You can access this information via MAXScript or save it to a text file. The information includes the objects involved, the point of collision, and the relative velocity during collision. You can then use it to generate particles or other effects in your animation when objects collide, trigger sounds, and so on.
can record the simulation time at which the collision occured, the objects involved, the point of collision, and the relative velocity during the collision. ■ Do not store ■ Store once ■ Always store animation. reactor stores no collision data. reactor stores collision data next time an animation is created. reactor always stores collision data when creating an # collisions stored This read-only field reports how many collisions were stored in reactor last time an animation was created.
Stored Collisions Dialog Collisions List Box This list box shows all the information stored about the collisions ocurred during the last animation. The information is organized in different columns: ■ Ticks The time, in ticks (1/4800th of a second) when the collision happened. ■ Frame / SMPTE / MM:SS:Ticks The time, in the current time units (which can be frames, ticks, SMPTE, etc.), when the collision happened. ■ Object A The first rigid body involved in the collision.
■ Phantom Specific information generated by phantom rigid bodies on page 3913. There are three possible values: ■ Not Phantom body. This collision wasn't generated by a phantom rigid ■ Entering The time the phantom rigid body started penetrating (entered) the other rigid body. ■ Leaving The time the phantom rigid body finished penetrating (exited) the other rigid body. Close Closes the dialog. Save Allows you to save the stored information in a text file. This is an example of the format: ....
.... Filter Bodies In Collisions dialog Bodies Lists the names of the reactor bodies in the scene. Highlighting an object populates the Store Collisions and Do Not Store Collisions lists for that object with respect to the other bodies in the scene. If you highlight more than one object in this list, how the lists are populated depends on the value of Common Collisions.
Do Not Store Collisions Collision data is not stored for these pairs of objects. > Moves the pairs that are highlighted in the Store list to the Do Not Store list. >> Moves all the pairs in the Store list to the Do Not Store list. < Moves the pairs that are highlighted in the Do Not Store list to the Store list. << Moves all the pairs in the Do Not Store list to the Store list. OK Closes the dialog, saving any changes. Cancel Closes the dialog without saving your changes.
■ Soft Body on page 4037, a deformable three-dimensional closed triangular mesh ■ Rope on page 4049, a deformable one-dimensional chain of vertices. ■ Deforming Mesh on page 4058, a deformable mesh whose vertices have already been animated, for instance the skin on a character rig. As with rigid bodies, you must add deformable bodies to a collection in order to be added to the simulation. Each deformable body type has its own corresponding collection type.
Cloth Cloth objects in reactor are two-dimensional deformable bodies. Using cloth objects you can simulate flags, curtains, clothing (skirts, capes, shirts), banners and even materials like paper and sheet metal. This section contains two topics: ■ Cloth Modifier on page 4026: Apply it to each mesh to be deformed as cloth. ■ Cloth Collection on page 4034: A container for cloth objects.
metal sheets, and flags. You can specify a number of special properties for cloth objects, including stiffness and how the object folds. To add a cloth object to the simulation, you need to add it to a Cloth Collection on page 4034. Procedures To create a Cloth object: 1 Create the mesh object that you would like to simulate as cloth. NOTE In reactor the underlying topology of this object can influence the cloth's behavior.
Different tessellation produces different cloth behavior. 2 With the object selected, choose one of the above options. The Cloth modifier appears in the object's modifier stack. To edit a cloth object's physical properties: 1 Select the appropriate object in the scene. 2 On the Modify panel, ensure that the reactor Cloth modifier is highlighted in the modifier stack. 3 Use the Properties rollout to edit the properties, which are described in the Interface section, following.
Interface Modifier Stack Vertex Allows you to select individual vertices of the cloth object to apply and modify deformable constraints on page 4061.
Cloth Properties rollout Mass The Cloth object's mass in kilograms.
bodies on page 4067: the higher the mass of the cloth, the less stretching induced by the rigid body. Friction The coefficient of friction for the cloth's surface. As with rigid bodies, this affects how smoothly the cloth moves relative to surfaces it contacts. The Friction values for both objects in contact combine to produce a coefficient for the interaction. Rel Density Cloth has no volume, so reactor cannot calculate its density.
■ Spatial Model This more-complex model of fold stiffness can be useful if you are simulating a complicated piece of cloth, such as a dress. It allows you, for instance, to add fold stiffness only to sections of the cloth that are flat. ■ Stiffness The fold stiffness value. ■ Distance The degree of fold stiffness per unit area. A Distance value of 2 refers to twice the average triangle edge length in the cloth, so a large Distance value results in a large concentration of fold stiffness per unit area.
Use Soft Selection Allows you to use soft selection to smooth the transition between keyframed and simulated vertices for this deformable object. For more information, see Soft Selection on page 4071. Reset Default Values Resets the values for the Cloth object to their defaults. Constraints rollout These options allow you to create different types of deformable constraints for the body. For more information, see Constraining Deformable Bodies on page 4061.
Cloth Collection Create panel > Helpers > reactor > CLCollection Animation menu > reactor > Create Object > Cloth Collection reactor toolbar > Create Cloth Collection button The Cloth Collection is a reactor helper object that acts as a container for Cloth objects. Once you have added a Cloth Collection to your scene, you can add Cloth objects (object with a Cloth modifier on page 4026) in the scene to the collection.
Interface Cloth Collection Properties rollout Highlight Causes the objects in the collection to flash momentarily in the viewports. Cloth Entities Lists the names of the objects currently in the Cloth Collection. Pick Adds an object to the cloth collection. Click this button, then in the viewport move the cursor over an object to add to the collection. If it is a Cloth object, the cursor changes from an arrow to a cross and you can select the object to add it to the collection.
Advanced rollout Internal Steps Because deformable objects are more complex to simulate, it is usually necessary to perform more simulation steps on page 3892 to increase stability. This parameter specifies the number of steps reactor performs internally to simulate objects in this collection for each simulation substep taken globally during the simulation.
Soft Bodies Soft bodies are three-dimensional deformable bodies on page 4024. Like Cloth on page 4026 objects, they modify meshes. The main difference between cloth as soft bodies is that soft bodies have a notion of shape : a soft body tries, to some extent, to keep its original shape. You can use soft bodies to simulate squashy objects like a partially deflated beach ball, a water bottle, jelly, or fruit.
Depending on the complexity of your objects and the desired effect, you can use either method. The following sections go into more detail about them. ■ Soft Body Modifier on page 4038: Apply it to each mesh to be deformed as soft body. ■ FFD-based soft bodies on page 4043: Soft bodies deformed by an FFD modifier ■ Soft Body Collection on page 4046: A container for soft bodies.
To edit a soft body's physical properties: 1 Select an appropriate object in the scene. 2 On the Modify panel, ensure that the reactor SoftBody modifier is highlighted in the modifier stack. 3 Use the Properties rollout to edit the properties, which are described in the Interface section, following. Interface Modifier Stack Vertex Allows you to select individual vertices of the soft body to which to apply and modify deformable constraints on page 4061.
Soft Body Properties rollout Mass The mass of the soft body in kilograms.
the higher the mass of the soft body, the less stretch induced by the rigid body. Stiffness The stiffness of the soft body: the stiffer it is, the harder it is to deform. Damping The damping coefficient for the oscillation of the soft body's compression and expansion. Friction The coefficient of friction for the soft body's surface. As with rigid bodies, this affects how smoothly the soft body will move relative to surfaces it’s in contact with.
■ FFD-Based Uses the FFD version of the Soft Body modifier. For more information about FFD bodies, including descriptions of these parameters, see FFD Soft Bodies on page 4043. Reset Default Values Restores the default values for parameters in the modifier. Constraints rollout These options let you create different types of deformable constraint for the body. For more information, see Constraining Deformable Bodies on page 4061.
FFD Soft Bodies reactor provides two different types of soft body: mesh-based soft bodies, where the underlying mesh is directly deformed, and Freeform Deformation (FFD) bodies. With an FFD body, reactor encases the original shape in a simpler FFD lattice. Then the simulation uses the lattice, rather than the object itself, as the soft body's shape. As the lattice deforms, it updates the original shape so that it, too, appears to deform.
Procedures To create an FFD soft body: 1 Create the mesh to use as the basic, non-deformed state of your soft body. 2 Apply an FFD modifier: the FFD 2x2x2, 3x3x3, 4x4x4 on page 1454 or FFD(box) on page 1460 modifier. Different FFD dimensions produce different behavior. When using FFD(box), set the dimensions to a number that leaves the FFD vertices evenly distributed over the lattice. You can also use the Conform To Shape command to make the FFD lattice better represent the underlying geometry.
Stable Configuration Here you can specify which configuration (position of vertices) reactor considers to be the stable (non-deformed) configuration. The FFD soft body will tend to maintain that configuration. ■ Original Box The stable configuration for an FFD soft body is the original, non-deformed FFD box; any animation or modification of the lattice is ignored. This is the default option.
Animating the object transform (turning on Animate Transform) fixes the problem. Soft Body Collection Create panel > Helpers > reactor > SBCollection Animation menu > reactor > Create Object > Soft Body Collection reactor toolbar > create Soft Body Collection button The Soft Body Collection is a reactor helper object that acts as a container for soft bodies. Once you have created a Soft Body Collection, you can add any soft bodies in the scene to the collection.
The collection icon is added to the scene. You can add soft bodies to the collection in two ways: by picking or by using a selection list. 3 Add objects to the collection using either (or both) of these methods: ■ On the Properties rollout, click the Pick button, and then in the viewport click an object to add. ■ On the Properties rollout, click the Add button, and then use the Select Soft Bodies dialog to specify one or more objects to add.
Pick Adds an object to the Soft Body Collection. Click this button, and then in the viewport move the cursor over the object to add to the collection. If it is a soft body, the cursor will change from an arrow to a cross and you can select the object to add it to the collection. Add Adds one or more objects from the scene to the collection. Click the button to open the Select Soft Bodies dialog. Highlight one or more items in the list, and then click the Select button to add the objects to the collection.
Rope The reactor Rope is a one-dimensional deformable body on page 4024. You can use it to simulate rope, string, hair, etc. Only shapes on page 606 can be simulated as ropes.
You can create a reactor Rope using any spline object in 3ds Max. The Rope modifier turns the object into a deforming, one-dimensional chain of vertices. You can use rope objects to simulate ropes, as well as hair, chains, fringing, and other rope-like objects. A rope must be added to a rope collection on page 4055 in order to be simulated. Procedures To create a rope: 1 Create the spline-based shape to use to create the rope.
Interface Modifier Stack Vertex Allows you to select individual vertices of the rope to apply and modify deformable constraints on page 4061.
Rope Properties rollout Mass The rope's mass in kilograms. This affects the rope behavior on collisions against other objects, its buoyancy when interacting with water, and the stretching caused by attached rigid bodies on page 4067: the higher the mass of the rope, the less stretching induced by the rigid body.
Thickness Lets you specify a thickness for the simulated rope, as the shape used to create the rope has no inherent thickness. A rope with a thickness of 0.0 will not be visible in the simulation. Friction The coefficient of friction for the rope's surface. As with rigid bodies, this affects how smoothly the rope will move relative to surfaces it’s in contact with. The Friction values for both objects are combined to produce a coefficient for the interaction.
# Stored Keyframes The number of keyframes, if any, stored for the rope. reactor stores keyframes for the rope if you create an animation, or if you use Update MAX in the Preview Window. Clear Keyframes Clears any stored keyframes for this rope. Use Soft Selection Allows you to use Soft Selection to smooth the transition between keyframed and simulated vertices for this deformable object. For more information, see Soft Selection on page 4071.
These options let you create a different types of deformable constraint for the body. For more information, see Constraining Deformable Bodies on page 4061. Rope Collection Create panel > Helpers > reactor > RPCollection Animation menu > reactor > Create Object > Rope Collection reactor toolbar > create Rope Collection button The Rope Collection is a reactor helper object that serves as a container for ropes.
Interface Rope Collection Properties rollout Highlight Causes the objects in the collection to flash momentarily in the viewports. Rope Entities Lists the names of the objects currently in the Rope Collection. Pick Adds an object to the Rope Collection. Click this button, and then in the viewport move the cursor over an object. If it is a Rope object, the cursor changes from an arrow to a cross and you can select the object to add it to the collection.
Advanced rollout Internal Steps Because deformable objects are more complex to simulate, it is usually necessary to perform more simulation steps on page 3892 to increase stability. This parameter specifies how many steps will be taken internally to simulate objects in this collection for each simulation substep taken globally during the simulation.
Deforming Meshes (Skin) A deforming mesh is a mesh whose vertices' behavior has been keyframed. The skin of a skinned character, where any deformation comes from the underlying animated character rig, could be used as a deforming mesh in reactor. Why use deforming meshes? Firstly, rigid bodies on page 3909 and deformable bodies on page 4024 can collide with a deforming mesh as if it was another reactor body. The deforming mesh won't be affected by the collision, but the rigid body/deformable body will.
Unlike the other reactor deformable body types, you do not need to apply a special modifier to a deforming mesh or set physical properties for it. You just have to add the shape to a Deforming Mesh Collection on page 4059. This is because reactor itself does not deform the mesh's vertices during the simulation: The deforming mesh is simply controlled by its current animation. For information about how to attach objects to deforming meshes , see Constraining Deformable Bodies on page 4061.
3 Add objects to the collection using either (or both) of these methods: ■ On the Properties rollout, click the Pick button, and then in the viewport click an object to add. ■ On the Properties rollout, click the Add button, and then use the dialog to specify one or more objects to add. To create the collection and add objects in a single step: ■ See the Scripts on page 4103 topic.
If it can be used as a deforming mesh, the cursor will change from an arrow to a cross and you can select the object to add it to the collection. Add Adds one or more objects from the scene to the collection. Click the button to open the Select Deforming Meshes dialog. Highlight one or more objects in the list, and then click the Select button to add the objects to the collection. Delete Removes objects from the collection.
Instead, when you work with deformable bodies, you need to specify the vertices to constrain in the deformable mesh. You can then constrain the vertices using one of four deformable constraint types, which you can choose from the deformable body's deformable Constraints rollout.
Interface Constraints rollout Fix Vertices Creates a Fix Vertices to World constraint on page 4064 that fixes the chosen vertices to their current position in world space. Keyframe Vertices Creates a Keyframe constraint on page 4065 that makes the chosen vertices follow their current animation in 3ds Max. Attach to Rigid Body Creates an Attach to Rigid Body constraint on page 4067 between the chosen vertices and a rigid body.
Attach to DefMesh Creates an Attach to Deforming Mesh constraint on page 4069 between the chosen vertices and a deforming mesh. The vertices will follow the animation (deformations) of the deforming mesh on page 4058. [constraints list] Displays a list of the deformable constraints for the deformable body. To highlight a constraint for changing its parameters or deleting it, click its name in the list. Delete Constraint Deletes the highlighted constraint in the list.
Procedures To fix points in a deformable body in world space: 1 On the Modify panel, click Vertex in the deformable body modifier's sub-object list. This lets you select individual vertices in the deformable body. 2 On the Constraints rollout, click Fix Vertices. A new Constrain To World constraint appears in the constraints list. 3 Ensure the constraint is highlighted in the constraints list. 4 Select the vertices to constrain.
Procedures To keyframe points for a deformable body: 1 On the Modify panel, click Vertex in the deformable body modifier's sub-object list. This lets you select individual vertices in the deformable body. 2 On the Constraints rollout, click Keyframe Vertices. A new Keyframe constraint appears in the constraints list. 3 Ensure the constraint is highlighted in the constraints list; this makes the Keyframe rollout available. 4 Select the vertices to constrain in the deformable body.
Interface Keyframe rollout Use Current Stored Keys When on, the animation used for these vertices is that after the reactor modifier is applied. In other words, if the modifier contains any keyframes, reactor uses those for the animation. When off, reactor evaluates the animation before the reactor modifier is applied, thus ignoring any stored keyframes.
Procedures To fix vertices in a deformable body to a rigid body: 1 On the Modify panel, click Vertex in the deformable body modifier's sub-object list. This lets you select individual vertices in the deformable body. 2 On the Constraints rollout, click Attach To Rigid Body. The new constraint appears in the Constraints list. 3 Ensure the constraint is selected in the Constraints list; this makes the Attach To RigidBody rollout available.
6 When finished, it's advisable to exit the Vertex sub-object level, to keep from accidentally deselecting some of the constrained vertices before simulating. Interface Attach To Rigid Body rollout Rigid Body Displays the name of the rigid body to which the vertices are constrained. Choose a rigid body by clicking this button and then selecting a rigid body in one of the viewports.
The Attach To Deforming Mesh constraint allows you to fix vertices in a deformable body to a particular deforming mesh on page 4058. This option is useful for adding physically simulated elements such as hair and clothing to an skinned character. Procedures To fix vertices in a deformable body to a deforming mesh: 1 On the Modify panel, access the Vertex sub-object level of the deformable body's modifier. This lets you select individual vertices in the deformable body.
During the simulation, these vertices will maintain their position relative to the deforming mesh. 6 When finished, it's advisable to exit the Vertex sub-object level, to keep from accidentally deselecting some of the constrained vertices before simulating. Interface Attach To DefMesh rollout Deformable Mesh Displays the name of the deforming mesh to which the vertices are constrained. Choose a deforming mesh by clicking this button and then selecting the object in one of the viewports.
The following illustration shows the effect of using this option. The cloth tube on the left has a keyframed top and a simulated bottom, with a visible join. The cloth on the right uses soft selection to blur the line between the two. Procedures To use soft selection when animating a deformable body: 1 Before you apply the reactor modifier to a deformable body, apply a modifier that has a Soft Selection option to your object, such as Edit Mesh on page 1353 or Mesh Select on page 1527.
might want only the bottom vertices to appear to be fully affected by the physical simulation. 5 On the Soft Selection rollout, turn on Use Soft Selection. 6 Set the Falloff value to specify a smooth falloff from the selected vertices to the unselected ones. This is represented visually in the viewport. 7 Now open the reactor modifier and turn on Use Soft Selection. When you run the animation, your specified falloff will be used to blend smoothly between the keyframed and simulated vertices.
Water Simulation The reactor Water object allows you to simulate the behavior of a water surface. Objects can interact with the water in physically realistic ways, creating waves and ripples. reactor calculates a buoyancy value for any objects that fall into the water using their mass and size, so that some objects sink and others float. You can even change the density of a water object, which affects how objects float in it. Water in reactor is a space warp on page 8132 that is simulated as water.
Water Space Warp Create panel > Space Warps > reactor > Water Animation menu > reactor > Create Object > Water reactor toolbar > Create Water button You can use the Water space warp to simulate the behavior of a liquid surface in your reactor scene. You can specify a size for the water, and physical properties such as density, wave speed, and viscosity. You don't need to add the water to a collection for it to take part in the simulation.
Interface Water Properties rollout 4076 | Chapter 16 reactor
Size X/Y The dimensions for the water object. Subdivisions X/Y The tessellation for the water's mesh. Landscape button Although water is defined using a rectangular area, you can simulate non-rectangular surfaces and obstacles inside the water by defining a landscape geometry. Once you designate landscape geometry, any vertex in the Water space warp that are contained in the landscape are fixed during the simulation and waves and ripples will be reflected at those points.
Rendering Water Water in reactor is defined using a space warp. Space warps don't render, so if you want the water to appear in your final animation, you need to provide reactor with a geometrical representation of the water. To do this, you need to bind a plane or any other planar geometry to the water. The plane will deform according to the Water space warp on page 4075, and you can then render it as part of your scene.
Scale Strength Acts as a multiplier for the geometry's deformation by the water. Increases or decreases the deformation applied by the Water space warp on page 4075. Reset Default Values Returns Scale Strength to its default value: 1.0. Wind Create panel > Helpers > reactor > Wind Animation menu > reactor > Create Object > Wind reactor toolbar > Create Wind button The Wind helper object lets you add wind effects to reactor scenes, allowing you, for instance, to make curtains flap in the breeze.
weathervane arrow. You can also animate this direction by animating the icon's orientation. Procedures To add wind to a scene: 1 Choose one of the above commands, and then click in any viewport to add the Wind helper. NOTE The icon’s position has no effect on the wind's behavior unless you activate the Use Range option. 2 Use the Rotate tool to rotate the icon and set the wind direction. The wind blows in the direction indicated by the weathervane arrow.
Interface Wind Properties rollout Wind | 4081
Wind On [Animatable] Defines whether the wind forces are applied or not. Wind Speed [Animatable] The strength of the wind force. The direction is specified by the icon's orientation, which is also animatable. Perturb Speed When on, the strength of the wind varies over time, using the following parameters. ■ Variance The maximum amount of change in the speed. ■ Time Scale How quickly speed change occurs, with small values producing slow changes, and large values producing rapid changes.
■ Fall Off The extent to which the wind effect falls off towards its range limit. You can choose from None, Inv (strength decreases proportionally to distance), and Inv Sq (strength decreases proportionally to the square of the distance). Enable Sheltering [Animatable] When on, objects can be sheltered from the wind by other objects. Applies To These check boxes allow you to specify the types of objects that are affected by the wind. You can choose from Rigid Bodies, Cloth, Soft Bodies, and Ropes.
The utility is divided into a number of rollouts. For more information, follow the links. More information about the two different Havok versions is available later in this topic, in Differences between Havok 1 and Havok 3 on page 4084.
Following is a more detailed list of differences: Feature Havok 1 Havok 3 Simulation Discrete only Discrete or Continuous on page 4090 extra parameters Supported bodies Rigid/Cloth/Soft/Rope/Deforming Mesh/Water Rigid only Rigid Body Properties on page 3911 Standard Standard + Shell/Penetration/Quality page 3913 Cooperative Constraints > Breakable Constraints on page 3944 Linear, Angular Threshold Cooperative Constraints > Strength settings on page 3944 Strength, Tau Strength only Preview
Interface Start Frame When creating a world to be simulated or previewed, reactor needs to access the objects in 3ds Max at a fixed point in time. This parameter defines this point in time (in 3ds Max frames). Initial shapes, positions and velocities are taken from the actual shapes, positions and velocities of the objects in the scene at this particular frame. When creating an animation, keyframes are created starting from this frame to the End Frame time. End Frame The last frame to simulate.
Substeps/Key The number of reactor simulation substeps per keyframe (that is, per time step). The higher this value, the more accurate the simulation will be, although it will also require more computation to simulate. For information about time steps and substeps, see Time Steps on page 3892. Time Scale This parameter maps between time in the simulation and time in 3ds Max. Changing the value lets you slow down or speed up the animation. Values less than 1.
Gravity The acceleration, in world units, the objects in a scene have due to gravity. It is an important value because it affects the overall feeling of scale in a dynamics simulation. reactor will generate a warning if you specify a non-standard Gravity value compared to World Scale (see following); that is, if you set the value much higher or lower than –9.8 m/s2, where m is World Scale’s representation of one meter.
colliding, and then updating the scene accordingly. If objects are closer together than the Collision Tolerance value, reactor considers them to be colliding. A high Collision Tolerance value results in a stable simulation, but it can also cause gaps between "colliding" objects. The default value is 1/10th of World Scale (10 cm if you are modeling using real-world sizes), and it is a good rule of thumb to always keep it above 1/40th (4 mm), due to floating point precision limits in the processor.
Do Not Simulate Friction When on, reactor ignores all Friction values during the simulation, and objects slide easily across each other. Fracture Penetrations These parameters let you adjust how reactor simulates Fracture objects. For details, see World rollout > Fracture Penetrations group on page 4017. Simulation group These controls are available only with the Havok 3 engine.
These settings let you store collision details from your scene, and enable and disable collision detection for specific pairs of objects. Pairs of objects with collisions disabled pass through each other during the simulation. Disabling collisions can be useful when you have objects that are attached together, such as the wheels of a car and its chassis. This means reactor doesn't check for every small collision between the objects, which can slow down the simulation.
are part of a collection (not necessarily the same collection) and their collisions are currently enabled (the default condition). Define Collisions Dialog Entities Lists the names of the reactor bodies in the scene (any object added to a collection). Highlighting one object populates the Enabled Collisions and Disabled Collisions lists for that object with respect to the other bodies in the scene.
Enabled Collisions Lists pairs with collisions enabled. Disabled Collisions Lists pairs with collisions disabled. Disable Selection (Right Arrow) Moves pairs highlighted in the Enabled list to the Disabled list. Disable All (Double Right Arrow) Moves all pairs in the Enabled list to the Disabled list. Enable Selection (Left Arrow) Moves the pairs highlighted in the Disabled list to the Enabled list. Enable All (Double Left Arrow) Moves all pairs in the Disabled list to the Enabled list.
Interface Camera Click this button and then pick a camera from the viewports to use as the initial view for the display.
button. If you don’t assign a camera, the settings on the current Perspective viewport (if any) are used initially in the Preview Window. Camera Clipping Planes If a camera is assigned, the display tries to use the camera to generate clipping planes. If no camera is assigned, reactor uses default values for the clipping planes in the display. Use Defaults It is possible that the clipping planes for your specified camera are not sufficient to display everything in the scene.
Animation menu > reactor > Utilities reactor provides a number of helpful utilities that you can use to analyze and optimize your simulation. For instance, you can check your reactor world for the presence of any unusual physical states that might cause problems with the simulation, such as excessive gravity, and you can remove redundant keyframes from a generated animation. You can also access these utilities from the reactor menu.
Analyze World This utility begins by creating a simulation. If it finds any errors while constructing the simulation, such as invalid numbers of objects in systems or invalid meshes that would stop the simulation from running, it reports these in a dialog. These error checks are always carried out when creating a simulation, and if any of the tests fail the simulation cannot continue. If your simulation passes the initial error checks, the world analysis begins.
Suppress Animation Warning When off, and you click Create Animation, reactor opens an alert warning you that animation creation cannot be undone, and asking you to confirm. When off, reactor simply creates the animation without warning you. Default=off. Key Management group After generating an animation with reactor, you often end up with a number of redundant keyframes. For instance, in a scene with a rolling rigid body, creating the initial animation might result in a keyframe for every frame.
For details of this rollout, see Rigid Body Properties on page 3911. The Real-Time Preview Utility panel > reactor > Preview and Animation rollout > Preview Animation button Animation menu > reactor > Preview Animation reactor toolbar > Preview Animation button It's useful to be able to preview reactor simulations from within 3ds Max. The Preview Window lets you view and interact with a simulation in real time.
This drags the object, letting you pull it around, unless it's a fixed object, or attached to one, and interact with other objects in the scene. 3 To release the object, release the right mouse button (Havok 1) or the Spacebar (Havok 3). To update 3ds Max from the Preview Window: 1 Preview the simulation as described above.
Timing At the bottom of the window, profiling and timing information is shown : The information presented is: ■ The current time step (simulation step) on page 3892 used for the simulation. This value is initially taken from the Preview & Animation rollout on page 4085 but can also be changed by using the Performance menu on page 4102. ■ The number of substeps on page 3892 used for the simulation.
Display menu IMPORTANT When About rollout > Choose Solver is set to Havok 3, only Camera Settings is available from this menu. Camera Settings Opens a dialog that allows you to specify the near and far clipping planes for the camera, and to change the camera’s field of view (F.O.V.). The clipping planes can also be set externally from the reactor utility Display rollout. Faces When on, the faces (and not the edges) of the display bodies are rendered.
Otherwise the spring is attached to the point on the object where you first right-clicked. Mouse Help This option shows some help regarding the use of the mouse to control the camera and mouse picking. MAX Update MAX Takes the position and rotation of the objects in the simulation and uses them to update the objects in 3ds Max. Use MAX parameters Resets the substeps and time step (FPS) values to the values set in the reactor utility's Preview and Animation on page 4085 rollout.
If you select more than two objects, reactor will create constraints between them. If you link the objects together hierarchically in 3ds Max before creating the constraints, reactor will create constraints between link parents and children. Otherwise, reactor will examine the scene and try to choose appropriate pairs of objects. 2 Create the constraint(s) by using the reactor toolbar, menu or quad menu.
Procedures To create the sample rag doll: 1 Run this script: ■ menu bar > MAXScript > Run Script > rctRagDollScript.ms ■ Utilities panel > MAXScript > Run Script > rctRagDollScript.ms The Ragdoll dialog opens, with two rollouts: Create Humanoid and Constrain Humanoid. 2 On the Create Humanoid rollout, ensure that your chosen creation options are on, and then click Create Humanoid. A humanoid figure appears in the viewport.
CSolver are on, the script creates these helpers and adds the bodies and constraints to them. To turn your own humanoid figure into a constrained rag doll: 1 Create your figure using the naming conventions described in How It Works on page 4109. 2 Run the script as described above. The script searches the scene for geometry that follows the naming conventions and adds your figure to the Humanoids list. 3 Ensure your figure is highlighted in the list and then click Constrain Humanoid.
Add Hands When on, reactor creates boxes for the character's hands. Add Feet When on, reactor creates boxes for the character's feet. Link Parts When on, reactor links the created parts as a 3ds Max hierarchy. Create Humanoid Click to create the humanoid objects and add them to the scene.
Constrain Humanoid rollout Humanoids Displays a list of potential humanoids found in the current scene that could be used for creating rag dolls. In generating this list only the root node is examined so it is, in effect, a list of valid root nodes in the scene. If the rest of the hierarchy does not exist for a given root, when you use the root to create a rag doll the software outputs errors to the MAXScript listener.
Vertebra The maximum number of Rag Doll constraints that the script creates for the character's spine. If this value exceeds the number of valid vertebrae in the selected humanoid, the script won't create the excess constraints. Create RBCollection When on, the tool creates a Rigid Body Collection on page 3922 and places all the parts of the newly created rag doll character into it.
The script scans the selection for geometry with names that include one of the following: ■ _R_UpperArm ■ _R_ForeArm ■ _L_UpperArm ■ _L_ForeArm ■ _R_Thigh ■ _R_Calf ■ _L_Thigh ■ _L_Calf ■ _Pelvis ■ _Spine ■ _Head The script assumes that there is only one of each type of part, except in the case of the spine, which can have up to five parts. At this point the adjoining parts are connected, using mostly Rag Doll constraints on page 3948.
Frequently Asked Questions See also: Troubleshooting on page 4115 Can I assign initial velocities to objects? How? Yes. At the start of the simulation, reactor assigns to each object the velocity it currently has in 3ds Max. In other words, if an object is moving during the frame range A to B, and you start the reactor animation setting Start Frame on page 4085 in between A and B, the object will start with the velocity it had in your animation.
Is it possible to modify the animation in Cloth/Soft/Rope/Water? The animation for Cloth, Soft (mesh), and Rope is internally stored in the respective modifier using a memory-optimized format. Unfortunately, there is no direct access to those keyframes. However, you can use the Point Cache modifier on page 1604 to do some manipulations. There is some MAXScript access to Water keyframes. For details on MAXScript, choose Help > MAXScript Reference.
Can reactor store collisions for deformable bodies (Soft, Cloth, Rope)? No. The storing collisions on page 4019 functionality applies only to rigid bodies. What are the limitations of Water on page 4074 in reactor? Water in reactor is simulated as a height field (points are displaced vertically only). This can produce effects like ripples and waves, but it cannot reproduce certain other effects: ■ Wakes ■ Splashes.
Can I attach Cloth/Rope/Soft Bodies to other Cloth/Rope/Soft Bodies? No. However, once a piece of, say, cloth has been simulated, you can take it out of its Cloth Collection and add it to a Deforming Mesh Collection on page 4059. By doing so, the cloth will still be part of the simulation the next time, but reactor won't recalculate its animation. You can then attach other pieces of Cloth/Soft/Rope to it by using the Attach To Deforming Mesh on page 4069 constraint.
■ Use very low mass for the objects, and add wind on page 4079 blowing in the up direction. You might want to also decrease the strength of gravity. Troubleshooting Check also : Frequently Asked Questions on page 4111 General Troubleshooting Analyzing the World Whenever you get unexpected behavior from reactor, it is advisable to perform a world analysis on page 4097 to get a report of anything detected by reactor as suspicious, unexpected, or prone to error in your scene.
Need to know how to do something? Having a problem? Just want to show off your work? Post your questions to the appropriate forums. Simulation takes too long. General tip: ■ Before performing a CPU-intensive operation such as Create Animation or Reduce Keys, make sure you don't have any object selected in the scene. Having an object selected during some calculations can force 3ds Max to evaluate the selected object many times in order to update its UI, slowing down the calculations.
■ If you are using Fracture, slowdowns can be caused by reactor trying to avoid instability. Follow some of these tips on page 4017 to help reduce the chances of instability happening ■ Try decreasing the number of substeps on page 4085 used in the simulation. Be aware that this will reduce the accuracy of the solution and therefore may cause instability. Water doesn't render. The reactor Water on page 4074 is a world-space modifier and therefore it is not a renderable object.
■ Usually, increasing the number of substeps on page 4085 in the simulation improves the stability of the simulation. ■ Also for springs and dashpots, avoid attaching objects with very different masses. Using a Strength value similar to the mass of the objects attached, and a Damping value of 1/10th of that Strength usually give good results. ■ If you are using constraints on page 3925, make sure you have aligned the constraint spaces on page 3926 properly.
changing its topology. While 3ds Max lets you animate the topology of objects (e.g., change the number of vertices or faces over time), reactor can simulate only objects with fixed numbers of vertices. If, during a simulation, reactor detects a topology change, it ignores the object in question and reports the problem as a warning. Objects interpenetrate. There can be different reasons for this: ■ Check that you haven't disabled collisions for those bodies.
the properties of the primitives inside the group, you'll need to open it and selected the individual primitives inside it. Rigid bodies don't bounce enough. Increase the Elasticity property on page 3911 of the object. Try also increasing the Elasticity of the other object involved in the collisions, as the elasticity of a collisions is a function of the elasticity property on page 3911 of the two objects involved. Objects stop moving unexpectedly in the middle of a simulation.
I can't I disable collisions between two bodies. If your objects don't appear in the Define Collisions dialog on page 4092, make sure you've added the two bodies to a collection; only objects in collections are shown in that dialog. Rigid bodies don't sink/don't float in the water. Objects sink or float depending on their density and the density of the water. You define water density explicitly in the Water space warp on page 4074. The density of a rigid body is defined as its mass divided by its volume.
Constrained objects snap at the beginning of the simulation. During a simulation, reactor tries to match the two constraint spaces (sub-objects) defined in the constraint (see Constraint Concepts on page 3926 for more info). When you create a constraint those spaces are aligned by default. After setup, each space moves with the corresponding attached object.
Using FFD-Based Soft Bodies to animate a part of a mesh, the whole object seems to be rotated by the simulation. If you are using FFD Soft Bodies on page 4043 to animate just a subpart of a mesh, make sure the Animate Transform on page 4045 check box is off, as this option works only for FFD animating the whole mesh. Using FFD-Based Soft Bodies to animate a whole mesh, some weird squashing happens on occasion.
Check also the Rigid bodies become unstable on page 4117 section above. There is a visible gap between rigid bodies in the simulation. Try reducing the Collision Tolerance on page 4088 of the simulation. reactor complains about a no longer existing node. This can happen if you rename an object that is used as geometry or display proxy on page 3914 for a rigid body; proxies are stored by name, so if you change the name of the proxy you'll have to manually update the rigid bodies that use it.
objects or, if that's not possible or desirable, create a copy or snapshot of the bodies and make sure that a suitable controller is assigned to the snapshot copies. Use these copies for the reactor simulation instead. Rigid bodies in animation flicker and jump when playing the animation but not when moving the time slider. This is usually a problem with the subframe interpolation of the Euler (XYZ) rotation controller.
■ Try to increase the strength of the wind, or decrease the weight of the objects it should affect.
character studio 17 The character studio functionality in 3ds Max provides professional tools for animating 3D characters. It is an environment in which you can quickly and easily build skeletons and then animate them, thus creating motion sequences. You use the animated skeletons to drive the movement of geometry, thus creating virtual characters. And you can generate crowds of these characters using character studio, and animate crowd movement using a system of delegates and procedural behaviors.
What is character studio? character studio is a set of components that provides a full set of tools for animating characters. character studio lets you create skeletal hierarchies for two-legged characters (called bipeds) that can be animated quickly using a wide variety of methods. If your character walks on two legs, the software provides unique footstep animation on page 4176 that automatically creates movement based on gravity, balance, and other factors.
■ The Physique® on page 4603 modifier associates a skeleton with the character-mesh objects, so you can control the mesh with the skeleton. ■ Crowd provides tools to create and animate crowds of animated objects, including bipeds. What You Should Know to Use character studio character studio provides you with a broad range of tools for animating virtually any type of character.
■ Use of the Track View - Dope Sheet and Track View - Curve Editor, and the trackbar to view and edit animation tracks and keys For information on these areas, consult the remainder of this reference. If you are not familiar with 3ds Max, do some of the introductory tutorials found online in Help > Tutorials. Understanding Biped Biped on page 4147 is a 3ds Max component that you access from the Create panel. Once you create a biped, you animate it using the Biped controls on the Motion panel.
Biped Properties The biped skeleton has some properties designed to help you animate faster and more accurately. ■ A human structure—Joints on the biped are hinged to follow human anatomy. By default, the biped resembles a human skeleton and has a stable inverse kinematics hierarchy. This property means that when you move a hand or foot, the corresponding elbow or knee orients itself accordingly, and produces a natural human posture.
Understanding Physique Physique is a modifier that, when applied to a mesh, allows the movements of an underlying skeleton to move the mesh seamlessly, like bones and muscle under a human skin. Physique works on all point-based objects including geometric primitives, editable meshes, patch-based objects, NURBS, and even FFD space warps. For NURBS and FFDs, Physique deforms the control points, which in turn deform the model.
Biped and Physique When the biped pelvis is selected in the viewports and Attach To Node on page 4671 is turned on, Physique traces its way from the pelvis down the legs to the toes. From the pelvis it also traces its way up through the spine and branches at the collar to the arms, hands, and fingers, and up the neck to the head. A link and associated envelopes are created for each link found.
runs through the joints in the hierarchy, and can be deformed using bulge angles, tendons, and link parameters. Rigid envelopes determine vertex-link assignment based upon the linear 3ds Max link and move in an immobile relationship to the link. Vertices in a rigid envelope, however, are deformed (blended) in the overlap area of other envelopes. Typically you use deformable envelopes; however, game developers with game-engine restrictions might want to use rigid envelopes exclusively.
See also: ■ Physique on page 4603 ■ Physique User Interface on page 4670 Understanding Track Editing There are several places to view your animation represented as tracks in 3ds Max. These views include: ■ Track View - Curve Editor ■ Track View - Dope Sheet ■ Track Bar The tracks can be displayed as function curves, or as keys and ranges on a box graph.
You can combine accelerator keys, like Ctrl and Alt, with left, middle, and right mouse buttons to extend or stretch the range displayed in the track bar. You can expand the track bar to display the keys on function curves. From there, you can select and manipulate keys. Biped Curve Editing in Track View The same function-curve editing controls are found in Track View. Track View has two modes: Curve Editor and Dope Sheet.
frame, so curve manipulation becomes cumbersome and awkward. It is difficult to pinpoint the trouble spots visually. The Animation Workbench offers automatic functions to reduce keys or apply filters to the motion curves to smooth animation. The Animation Workbench See also: ■ Working with the Workbench on page 4476 ■ Animation Workbench on page 4483 Understanding Motion Flow Motion Flow is a tool that graphically arranges clips (motion files), flowing from one motion to the next.
Motion Flow graph with transitions between motion files You can also create a network of clips on the graph, where each clip has a transition to two or more clips. With this type of graph, you can tell character studio to generate the actual motion sequence for you based on random selection.
A crowd simulation can also be used to generate a motion sequence from this type of graph. Each biped in the crowd chooses from the motions and transitions in the graph based on its desired destination and speed. These factors, in turn, are determined by the crowd parameters you set.
At the heart of the system are the Crowd and Delegate helper objects. A single Crowd object can control any number of delegates, which serve as stand-ins for crowd members. You can group delegates into teams, and assign behaviors such as Seek, Avoid, and Wander to individuals or teams. You can combine behaviors with weighting, so that, for example, a crowd member could seek a goal while wandering slightly. Crowd simulations can range in sophistication from simple and straightforward to highly complex.
Understanding character studio Workflow Biped, Physique, and the Crowd system work together within 3ds Max to provide a complete set of character animation tools. Although these components can be used in a variety of ways, it is helpful to approach character studio with a basic understanding of how a typical character animation is created. The following sections provide a brief summary of the basic workflow and related benefits to creating a character with Biped and Physique.
■ Use Physique to attach the skin geometry automatically to the biped or a 3ds Max bones hierarchy. The attachment is typically made to the root node in the hierarchy: the pelvis object on the biped or the root node on a bones hierarchy, not the center of mass. The attached skin is deformed as the biped or bones hierarchy moves. ■ The links in the bones hierarchy are used to create a system of 3D envelopes that enclose nearby vertices. Envelopes typically overlap at the parent and child ends of links.
TIP Physique skin deformation can slow down playback of your Biped animation. To improve performance, you can hide the skin object temporarily or reduce its resolution in the modifier stack. You can also choose to develop Biped animations in a separate scene entirely, and apply them to your final skinned character when you are satisfied with your final motion. A biped on page 4147 character is essentially an integrated hierarchy of bones that you can position freely using keyframes, IK goals, and footsteps.
or choose Spline Dynamics on page 8135 for keys generated by newly created footsteps. Convert Between Animation Types Once you are satisfied with a particular footstep animation and its corresponding dynamic behavior, you can convert it on page 4231 to a freeform animation consisting of a simple combination of keyframes and IK goals. This intelligent conversion gives you control of animation behavior at every frame, for every joint of the character.
Motion-capture files can be imported with key reduction, making for more manageable tracks for subsequent editing. Use Track View for Keyframe Editing Track View on page 4461 allows you to edit keys and footsteps relative to the animation time line. Footstep editing in Track View - Dope Sheet allows you to move footsteps in time. If you need a character to jump higher between footsteps, move the landing footsteps further down in time.
Use the Motion Mixer to Mix Animations You can use the Motion mixer on page 3699 to combine motions on a biped. For example, you could combine a walking motion with a cheering motion, and cause the biped to walk while cheering.
transition smoothly between sequences. And you can use cognitive controllers in Crowd to transition between behaviors based on a variety of criteria. For more on crowd behaviors, see Creating a Crowd System on page 4762. Biped To work most efficiently with bipeds, it is important to follow the general workflow described in this topic. Create Skin Geometry Before you create a skeleton for a character, you should already have a character skin to put the skeleton into.
Create a Biped Skeleton Once you have a character mesh, you can create a biped skeleton to fit inside. Use Figure mode on page 4420 to set up your biped. Before you position the skeleton, use controls on the Structure rollout on page 4424 to alter the biped to match your mesh, setting the number of links for the spine, arms, neck, or fingers, or adding props to represent weapons or tools. TIP You can use ponytails to create animated jaws, ears, or horns.
■ To create a biped with knees that bend backwards, rotate the biped calves or thighs of both legs 180 degrees about their local X-axis (along the length of the limb). When you exit Figure mode, the biped walks, runs, and jumps with reversed knees. ■ When working with a mesh in a symmetrical pose, pose one side of the skeleton, and use controls on the Copy/Paste rollout on page 4389 to paste the posture to the opposite side of the biped.
When you are satisfied with your pose, check the alignment in all viewports to make sure that the skeleton is positioned correctly in the mesh. Once you have successfully positioned a skeleton inside your character mesh, you are ready to attach the mesh with Physique. For more on this workflow, see Understanding Physique on page 4132.
Creating a Biped A biped model is a two-legged figure: human or animal or imaginary. Each biped is an armature designed for animation, created as a linked hierarchy. The biped skeleton has special properties that make it instantly ready to animate. Like humans, bipeds are especially designed to walk upright, although you can use bipeds to create multi-legged creatures. The joints of the biped skeleton are limited to match those of the human body.
If you turn on Most Recent .fig File, the biped you make will use the parameters stored in the last FIG (figure) file you’ve loaded. Changing Biped Parameters Like other 3ds Max objects, you can change biped parameters on the Create panel at creation time. However, to modify or animate a biped, you use parameters on the Motion panel. For more information on changing biped parameters, see Structure Rollout on page 4424.
By turning on AutoGrid in the Create Panel > Object Type rollout, biped creation will respect the AutoGrid, letting you build bipeds with their feet on top of geometry. Procedures To create a biped on a surface: 1 On the Create panel > Systems, click Biped. 2 Turn on AutoGrid. 3 Move your cursor over any geometry in the viewport. A Transform gizmo moves with your cursor to indicate the location of the AutoGrid. 4 Drag out a biped. The biped feet will be in contact with the geometry.
Center of mass object You can select the center of mass by choosing Bip01 with the Select From Scene dialog on page 228. You can also select the center of mass by clicking Body Horizontal, Body Vertical or Body Rotation on the Track Selection rollout on page 4348. Changing the Biped Hierarchy The biped hierarchy is a little different from a standard 3ds Max hierarchy in that you can’t delete any of the components of the skeleton.
Biped's structure also includes an option to add twist to any and all limbs. This feature uses a variable number of links to transfer twisting animation into the biped's associated mesh via Physique or Skin. Props The biped structure includes an option to add up to three props. Props appear next to the biped’s hands and body by default, but can be modified or animated throughout the scene like any 3ds Max object.
Succeeding bipeds have the same name except that the two-digit number is replaced by another number in sequence: 02, 03, 04, and so on. Since the parent of the biped hierarchy is the biped’s center of mass object, that is also the object selected when you choose Bip01. You can link the biped center of mass to other objects or dummies for additional animation control. For more information on the biped’s hierarchy, see Understanding Biped Anatomy on page 4153.
TIP Give the center of mass selection the same name as your character in the Named Selection Sets field, "John," for example. With multiple characters, you can quickly select the character you want to edit by choosing the character's name in the Named Selection Sets dropdown. Posing the Biped After creating the default biped, you will often need to change the proportions of the skeleton to fit your model. Use Figure mode to change the biped structure in its rest pose.
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Biped proportioned to fit inside of Dr. X character geometry You might rotate the spine objects to create the figure for a hunchback or a dinosaur. Use the move tool to change the position of the thumb or the arms. You can even apply modifiers to the biped skeleton pieces, such as using an FFD on the biped head to adjust its shape.
FFD Modifier used to shape spine and head Once you have a default biped, you’ll need to match its proportions to the character’s geometry. It is quite typical to find the character’s geometry with the arms outstretched. The common workflow is to freeze the character and then in Figure mode, reposition the biped, so the center of mass is at the base of the torso. The spine objects, legs, and feet are scaled and rotated to fit within the confines of the mesh, then the arms and hands, neck and head.
Once your biped proportions are correct, you can save them in a FIG file. Because Biped saves the character in the FIG file and animation in the BIP file, you can change the character’s proportions without affecting the animation. Changing the Biped Structure Bipeds don't have to appear human. You can change their elements and form to create other kinds of characters.
or even walk on two legs. Any number of bipeds can be in Figure mode at the same time, though you can only work on one biped at a time. When you select a biped, the Figure mode button indicates whether or not the biped is in Figure mode. In Figure mode you can: ■ Specify the number of links in each part of the biped. ■ Define the position of the base of the fingers, toes, clavicles, spine, tail, ponytails, and props relative to the body. ■ Define the position of the feet relative to the ankles.
Working with Both Arms or Legs As you pose your biped, there are two different methods for posing both arms or legs symmetrically. The first method involves using Symmetrical on the Track Selection rollout on page 4348 to select both limbs simultaneously. With both limbs selected, you can rotate and scale the objects, and they will maintain a mirror-image relationship. You can also move the limbs, however they will not retain a symmetrical pose (with respect to the body) if you move them laterally.
To fit biped legs to the skin: 1 Turn on Figure mode on the Biped rollout. 2 Use the Scale Transform gizmo to scale the Z-axis of the biped’s pelvis so the biped’s leg links are centered in each leg of the skin. 3 Select the biped’s two thigh links (LLeg and RLeg) and scale the X-axis of the thigh links so they end at the knees of the skin. 4 Select the biped’s two lower leg links (LLeg1 and RLeg1), and scale the X-axis of the lower leg links so the biped’s ankles are level with the ankles of the skin.
3 Scale the other spine links in their local X-axis so they fit the upper part of the skin’s torso. The neck link should begin where the skin’s neck begins. If the torso of the skin curves, you should also rotate spine links about their local Z-axes, to align the spine with the longitudinal center of the torso. 4 Scale the biped’s neck in its local X-axis to match the length of the neck of the skin. The top of the last neck link (also the base of the head link) should be where you want the head to pivot.
2 Select the biped's left or right hand. 3 On the Track Selection rollout, click Symmetrical. The opposite hand is also selected. 4 Move, rotate, and scale the hands until you have the position and size you want. Use PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN to move the different parts of the arm. NOTE If you move limbs laterally, they will both move in the same direction, and will no longer be symmetrical about the body.
To scale a link, select any scale icon from the Scale flyout on the Main Toolbar. When you select a body part to scale, use the Transform gizmo to scale along one axis at a time. Use Scale and the Transform gizmo to scale links. If your character is symmetrical, select body parts in pairs and scale them at the same time.
Select one body part and then click Symmetrical in the Track Selection rollout. Now both are selected. You can also scale one and then use Copy Posture and Paste Posture Opposite from the Copy/Paste rollout. This approach ensures symmetry in your character. TIP Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to move through your hierarchy as you work. For example, after you scale the thighs, press Page Down to select the calves.
Using Rubber Band to resize an arm without changing the hand position Rubber-Banding Arms and Legs | 4169
Procedures To rubber band an arm or leg link: 1 On the Motion panel > Biped rollout, turn on Figure mode. 2 Select the arm or leg link you want to rubber band. 3 Turn on the Move transform. 4 On the Biped rollout > Modes group, turn on Rubber Band mode. NOTE This button is unavailable if you are not in Figure mode, or if a part of the biped other than the upper or lower arm or leg, or the center of mass is selected. NOTE The Modes group is hidden by default.
TIP Another way to adjust the biped’s balance is to change the value of Balance Factor. Balance Factor displays on the Key Info rollout when a Body Horizontal key is current. Balance Factor can be keyframed. Biped Display Options For greater speed in displaying bipeds, or to make your viewports less cluttered while you edit your scene, Biped lets you turn off the display of some biped elements.
Procedures To delete a biped: 1 Use any selection tool to select the entire biped or any part of the biped. 2 Press Del or Delete on your keyboard. Linking Character Body Parts to the Biped With the Physique component, you can use Biped to animate a deformable skin, usually a mesh object. However, some animations don't require deformation. For example, a knight clad entirely in rigid metal armor doesn't need to deform as skin does.
Jointed character linked with biped skeleton Characters available commercially often come in two varieties: jointless and jointed. Jointless characters have a seamless mesh at limb joints. Jointless characters should be attached to the biped using Physique. A jointed character has separate objects with ball joint geometry for the limbs, and lends itself to the linking technique described in this topic.
■ Link 3ds Max bones to the biped to automate mechanical assemblies when the biped is keyframed. ■ Link particle emitters to the biped hands or feet to create smoke or dust. NOTE If you've linked particle emitters or 3ds Max bones (with the IK controller) to the biped, the Animate button must be on when you reposition the biped.
Select a biped. > Motion panel > Biped rollout > Save File (in Figure Mode) Figure files save all information about a biped's anatomy: links, link positions, twist links, and Figure mode posture, and the scale of geometric elements. Figure (FIG) files have a .fig file name extension. Figure files do not contain the actual biped skeleton, or any animation. They are used strictly for setting or saving a biped's pose in Figure mode.
2 3 On the Motion panel, activate Figure mode. On the Motion panel > Biped rollout, click Save File. 4 In the file dialog, enter a name for the figure file, and then click OK. TIP While you work on creating a biped pose, save your work frequently in a figure file. To load a biped figure: 1 Select the biped to replace with a saved figure. 2 3 Activate Figure mode in the Motion panel. On the Motion panel > Biped rollout, click Load File. 4 In the file dialog, choose the figure file to load.
Footsteps The language of footsteps allows you to more directly describe and compose the complex time and space relationships that are found in different forms of locomotion. While the placement of footsteps appears in viewports, the timing appears in Track View - Dope Sheet Editor. There, each footstep appears as a block of time, with each block representing the time when the foot is planted in a footstep.
Footstep keys in Track View Footsteps are appropriate for animation where the biped is on the ground or uses the ground a great deal, such as walking, standing, jumping, running, dancing, and athletic motion. For movement that does not require the biped to interact with the ground, such as swimming or flying, freeform animation on page 4232 is more appropriate. Footsteps are used to lock the foot to the ground.
When you first create them, footsteps are inactive. They exist in the scene but don't yet control the biped's motion. 4 Create the footstep pattern in viewports. You can create footsteps in a few different ways, each available in the Footstep Creation rollout: ■ Automatically create a number of footsteps with Create Multiple Footsteps, or ■ Individually place each footstep with Create Footsteps (append) or Create Footsteps (at current frame). Use Auto Grid to create footsteps on a surface of a mesh.
footstep appears as a block that represents a support period in time for each of the biped's feet. You can move footsteps in time in Track View. The footstep position and orientation in the viewport controls where the biped will step. There are three ways to create footsteps for the biped: ■ Place footsteps individually. ■ Use the footstep tools to automatically create a walking, running or jumping animation. ■ Import motion-capture data to footsteps.
Footstep Mode When Footstep mode is active, footstep creation controls appear in the Motion panel.
Footsteps displayed in Track View - Dope sheet editor Using the default keyframes as a starting point, you can interactively insert, replace, or delete keyframes in order to refine the motion of the biped and fill in the details of movement that are unique to your animation.
with changes to footstep timing, except in cases where default leg keys must be regenerated to account for timing edits that alter the basic gait pattern, such as creating a hop in the middle of a walk. Use Footstep mode to create and edit footsteps. Use Keyframe mode (Footstep mode off ) to create and edit your character's keys. You can always edit the timing of both footsteps and keyframes in Track View. While the biped's feet are airborne, you can animate its legs as you do its upper body.
Creating Footsteps Automatically on page 4187 Creating Footsteps Manually on page 4188 Activating Footsteps on page 4192 Deactivating Footsteps on page 4193 Understanding Footstep and Body Keys on page 4196 Planning for Footsteps Spend a little time planning your footstep animation with pencil and paper first. This will make the task of setting up footsteps much easier. Answering the questions below can help orient your planning.
■ Is each footstep a left or right footstep? Planning for Footstep Timing ■ What is the support relationship between left and right footsteps? In other words, does the timing of the footsteps resemble a walk, run or jump pattern? A character doing a foxtrot or waltz, for example, is actually moving with “walk” timing – the character shifts weight from one foot to the other.
Run Gait With running, both feet are never on the ground at the same time. Either one foot is on the ground during the support period, or the body is airborne. While it is airborne, the body moves forward horizontally at a constant speed. In general, the longer the body is in the air, the higher it must fly after lifting off from the supporting foot to stay airborne for the specified period of time. Turn on Run before creating footsteps to create this type of gait.
If creating footsteps manually with Create Footsteps (append) or Create Footsteps (at current frame), the gait parameters on the Footstep Creation rollout on page 4434 are used. ■ Changing these values changes the timing for any footsteps placed after the values are set. Changing the Gait After Creating Footsteps After creating the footsteps, you can change the gait by editing footstep timing in Track View's Dope Sheet mode. See Editing Footstep Timing on page 4200.
3 In the Footstep Creation rollout, choose the gait you want to use for the footsteps: Walk, Run, or Jump. The selected gait determines the timing pattern of the automatically placed footsteps. 4 In the Footstep Creation rollout, click Create Multiple Footsteps. The Create Multiple Footsteps dialog on page 4441 appears. This dialog determines various aspects of the footstep sequence, such as how far each footstep will be placed from the previous footstep.
footstep on the same side, an alert appears and you are not allowed to create the footstep. ■ You can also append footsteps onto the end of the existing footsteps with Create Footsteps (append) in the Footstep Creation rollout on page 4434. Then Biped computes the frame at which the first footstep should be created based on the chosen gait and the existing footsteps. This option is disabled if there are no existing footsteps.
Automatic Time Extension During manual footstep creation, your display remains at the current frame. However, footsteps are created sequentially in time. If the footsteps you create require more frames than are in the active time segment, the footstep creation process extends the active time segment, which can create new frames.
2 Click Create Footsteps (at current frame). 3 Click in a viewport to create a footstep. Move the cursor and click again to create another footstep. Repeat until you have created all the footsteps required. TIP Use the Top viewport to create the footsteps. Watch the footstep cursor to see whether a left or right footstep will be placed next. If you want to place two left or two right footsteps sequentially, place one footstep, then press Q once before placing the next one.
To create footsteps using AutoGrid: The AutoGrid feature creates objects on a surface other than the default construction plane. You can use this feature to place footsteps on an irregular surface. 1 Using any 3ds Max modeling method, create a surface as the terrain for the biped to step on. 2 On Create panel > Systems, click Biped. In the Object Type rollout, turn on AutoGrid. 3 If you already have a biped to use, return to the Motion panel without creating a biped.
move naturally through the footsteps. Keys are not created for the head, ponytails or props. When keys are created for footsteps, a generic type of motion is generated for the biped's body based on footstep placement and timing. This movement is intended as a starting point for your own animation, not as a final setup. There are times when it is appropriate to deactivate footsteps, make changes, and activate footsteps again. See Deactivating Footsteps on page 4193.
Footsteps should be deactivated when you make substantial changes to footstep timing or placement. Footsteps are deactivated by selecting footsteps and clicking Deactivate Footsteps in the Footstep Operations rollout on page 4438. After making changes to the footsteps, click Create Keys for Inactive Footsteps in the Footstep Operations rollout on page 4438. This will recreate keys for the biped and cause it to follow the footsteps.
Activation/Deactivation Workflow The fastest workflow with footsteps is to deactivate footsteps and make changes, reactivate footsteps and play the animation to check your work, and repeat this process until the footstep timing and placement are correct. However, deactivating and reactivating footsteps replaces any biped keys with the default animation for the current footstep pattern and timing.
Procedures To deactivate footsteps: 1 Select the footsteps to deactivate. The footsteps you select must be in sequence; you cannot deactivate a nonsequential set of footsteps. 2 Click Deactivate Selected Footsteps in the Footstep Operations rollout. The footsteps are deactivated. Viewports and the Dope Sheet display them in bright colors again. Understanding Footstep and Body Keys When you activate footsteps, keys are created for biped body parts.
■ Move occurs while the foot is in the air, and is always in the intervals between footsteps in Track View. In walking, while one foot moves, the body is supported by the other leg. In running or jumping, there are periods where the body is not supported and moves in midair. For more information on these keys, see Editing Footstep Timing on page 4200. You can display the current state of each leg by turning on Leg States in Biped rollout > Display group.
Keys for these tracks are generated automatically when you activate footsteps. You can view the keys for each track on the Track Bar by turning off Footstep Mode and clicking the corresponding button listed above. These tracks are also visible in Track View's Dope Sheet mode. NOTE When you select the COM, only the keys corresponding to the selected track are displayed. If you select the COM and do not select a track, no keys are displayed on the Track Bar, even if the COM is animated.
Editing Footstep Placement After you've created footsteps, there are several ways to edit their placement in the scene. ■ You can use standard 3ds Max controls to select, move, rotate, or delete footsteps. NOTE The 3ds Max scale transform will not scale the footstep icons themselves; the size of the icons is set by the size of the biped's feet. The biped foot size is originally set by the biped's height, then later by any scaling you perform on the feet in Figure Mode. See Posing the Biped on page 4157.
Editing Footstep Timing You can edit footstep timing in Track View. Footstep keys have their own display in Track View's Dope Sheet mode. Footstep keys are displayed as blocks of color, each indicating a period of time when one of the biped's feet is in a footstep. Footsteps in Track View The footstep key colors match the colors of footstep icons in viewports. Just as with footstep icons, inactive footsteps are brightly colored, while active footsteps are displayed with pale colors.
■ Deleting footstep keys. You must select footstep keys before you can change their timing. Selecting Footsteps for Time Editing Selecting footstep keys is the same as selecting footstep icons; when one is selected, the other is selected as well. Footstep keys can be selected in a number of ways for editing in Track View. NOTE ■ To select footsteps, you must have Footstep Mode turned on. Select footsteps in viewports as you would any 3ds Max object.
Left edge of footstep key selected in Track View ■ To select an edge, right-click the footstep track in Track View to display the Footstep Mode dialog on page 4457. Select one or more footstep keys, and use the controls in the Footstep Edge Selection group to select an edge. Editing Footstep Timing Editing the timing of footsteps is a simple matter of moving selected footsteps or selected edges in time. Moving an entire footstep changes the time at which it starts and ends, but not its duration.
■ To scale time of footsteps and body keys together, you can use Scale Time on the Track View toolbar. WARNING Do not use the Re-scale Time option in the Time Configuration dialog to scale an animation that contains active footsteps. If you do so, biped keys might not adapt appropriately. Instead, use Scale Time on the Track View toolbar.
To change the display of numbers of footstep keys: 1 In Track View, right-click the footstep track to display the Footstep Mode Dialog on page 4457. 2 Choose the values to display from the Footstep Number Display group. To scale keys in time: 1 On the Track View toolbar, click Scale Time. 2 In the Track View window, click and drag to indicate the beginning and end of the time period you want to scale. 3 Move the cursor over the selection region until a scale cursor appears.
■ Right or left leg keys in a Move state (when the leg is not in a footstep) are adapted to step between new locations Other keys are preserved in the adaptation process. For example, if you animate the body to kneel while turned to the right, altering a nearby footstep will maintain the biped's height and turning motion as much as possible. Key Adaptation for Footstep Timing Edits To edit active footsteps in time, follow the methods described in Editing Footstep Timing on page 4200.
Procedures To prevent keys from changing when active footsteps are edited: 1 On the Motion panel, on the Dynamics & Adaptation rollout, in the Footstep Adapt Locks group, select the types of keys you want to lock. 2 Move, rotate, scale, or bend active footsteps. The tracks you lock are unaffected by footstep editing. Splicing Footsteps You can copy the motion of a biped footstep sequence, and paste it either at the end or into the middle of another footstep sequence.
To edit the footstep buffer: You can edit the footstep buffer only when footsteps have been copied to the buffer, as described in the previous procedure. 1 On the Biped rollout > Modes group, click Buffer Mode. This button is active only when there are footsteps in the buffer. The viewports now display the footsteps in the footstep buffer, rather than the footsteps in the currently activated footstep sequence.
The contents of the footstep buffer are placed over the active footsteps. The first footstep in the buffer replaces the footstep that turned red, and the rest of the buffer footsteps follow. 4 The footstep that turned red and the remaining original footsteps now appear in the viewports. They will be near the activated footsteps, in their saturated colors. They can now be moved and pasted onto the end of the spliced motion, which will, in effect, perform an insert of the buffer motion.
When the foot is in a footstep, you can animate or reposition the leg and foot to some degree: ■ You can rotate the foot around its pivot point within the footstep. ■ You can animate the pivot point with the Select Pivot option in Key Info rollout > IK bar. See Animating Pivots on page 4272. ■ You cannot move a foot out of a footstep. If you do not want the foot to be in the footstep at a particular frame, change the timespan of the footstep key so it does not include that frame.
the biped jump higher or lower during airborne periods, see Freeform Animation Between Footsteps on page 4227. Working with Existing Keys Because keys are created for the spine, arms, and tail when footsteps are activated, you will want to take care when creating new keyframes. As with 3ds Max animation, placing keyframes one or two frames apart creates jerking or popping motions.
This ability to preserve interdependent relationships allows you easily to experiment and improvise with motion, since you are assured that edits to one body part will not corrupt the integrity of other parts. In general, changes to the center of mass, spine, and pelvis cause the legs to adjust. Changes to the legs do not affect the center of mass's vertical position. Adjusting Body Keys in Track View When you activate footsteps, keys are created for biped body parts.
The following rules apply to the editing biped body key timing in Track View: ■ You cannot move existing keys outside the area between the first and last footsteps, or to negative frames. ■ You can use Add Keys to add keys to any biped body track. You cannot add keys outside the area between the first and last footsteps, or to negative frames. ■ You can clone keys the same way you clone 3ds Max object keys, by selecting keys and holding down Shift as you drag them.
Rubber-Banding the COM When Rubber Band mode is active, you can move the biped's center of mass in relation to the rest of the body, changing the biped's overall balance. Rubber-banding the center of mass defines your character's balance point in at-rest pose and in any resulting motion. When a character is standing at rest, with feet side by side, the center of mass should be directly above the area where the feet touch the ground.
Center of mass moved behind the biped in rubber-band mode 4214 | Chapter 17 character studio
Center of mass moved in front of the biped in rubber-band mode For a tutorial that uses this technique, see “Creating the Illusion of Weight”. Balance Factor The balance factor on page 7919 is an animatable parameter that determines how the biped's hips and spine will compensate when the biped bends forward or backward.
The balance factor determines the degree and direction in which the head and/or hips swing out from their original vertical alignments when the biped bends over. Results when balance factor is set to 0.0, 1.0 and 2.0 before the spine is animated to make the biped bend over.
In order to affect the animation, the balance factor must be set before you animate the biped. The balance factor can be animated to give the biped different reactions to bending motions over the course of the animation. The Balance Factor parameter appears in the Key Info rollout > Body section. Procedures To set the balance factor: 1 On the Motion panel, turn off Footstep Mode if it is turned on. NOTE The Key Info rollout is accessible only when Footstep Mode is turned off.
landing speed into account. The parameters described in this section affect Body Vertical keys created in this manner. Airborne Dynamics With footsteps, each airborne period always begins and ends with Body Horizontal and Body Vertical keys. These keys define the position of the biped at lift-off and touchdown. When the biped is airborne and Biped Dynamics is turned on, the vertical motion is governed by physically based dynamics.
Jump height increases with time in air character studio uses the latter method for calculating the height of a biped's jump. It knows from footstep timing how long the biped will be in the air, and it has a method for determining the “gravitational pull” in your scene. The default gravity setting in character studio is based on the standard equation for calculating the Earth's gravitational pull, which is an acceleration of approximately 32 feet/sec/sec.
There are two solutions to this problem. You can change the amount of time the character is airborne between footsteps (see Editing Footstep Timing on page 4200), or you can accelerate gravity with the GravAccel parameter. Accelerating Gravity The GravAccel parameter on the Dynamics & Adaptation rollout on page 4417 alters the degree of gravitational pull imposed on the biped during its airborne periods between active footsteps.
GravAccel values increase height of jump. (Left=500, Middle=1000,Right=1500). You can change GravAccel at any time during the animation process to affect the biped's vertical airborne motion, both for keys already created and for animation not yet created. This value cannot be animated; the current GravAccel value is used throughout the biped's footstep sequence. Changes to the GravAccel parameter have no effect whatsoever on the amount of time the biped spends in the air.
NOTE If there is not enough gravitational acceleration or time in the air to account for differences in vertical height (such as a biped falling from footsteps on a ledge in slow motion), the biped is placed on the ground at the touchdown frame, causing a discontinuity. You can fix this by either increasing GravAccel or increasing the amount of time between footsteps in Track View. See Editing Footstep Timing on page 4200.
Ballistic tension determines springiness of landing. (Left = 0.0, Right = 1.0) Dynamics Blend The Dynamics Blend parameter in the Dynamics & Adaptation rollout on page 4417 determines whether biped dynamics or spline dynamics will be used during airborne periods. With biped dynamics on page 7923, the height and trajectory of the biped during airborne periods is determined by gravity calculations and other biped-specific information.
When Dynamics Blend is set to 1, biped dynamics are used. At 0, spline dynamics are used. You can animate this value to switch between the two during your animation. Procedures To locate vertical center of mass keys: 1 2 3 Select any part of the biped and access the Motion panel. On the Track Selection rollout, click Body Vertical. Use the Next Key and Previous Key buttons on the Key Info rollout to jump to the next or previous center of mass Body Vertical keyframes.
2 in the Track Selection rollout, select the biped's Body Vertical track. 3 Move to the Vertical track keyframe you want to adjust, either a Touch or Lift key. The Ballistic Tension parameter is available only on Touch and Lift keys. 4 In the Key Info rollout, expand the Body bar to access the Ballistic Tension parameter. 5 Adjust the Ballistic Tension value. Adjusting the ballistic tension changes the amount of crouch before a jump, and the amount of dampening that occurs after landing.
To save a either type of file, click Save File in the Biped rollout. Choose the desired file type from the Save as type pulldown. For more detailed information on these file formats and how to work with them, see Loading and Saving BIP Animation on page 4300 and Loading and Saving STP Files on page 4308. Footstep and Freeform Animation character studio provides two distinct modes of animation, footstep and freeform.
Freeform animation also provides animated pivot points on the feet and hands. This makes it possible for you to simulate the roll of a foot from heel to toe, or create detailed finger animation. You can convert back and forth between footstep and freeform animation within some limitations. While it is easy to convert any footstep animation to freeform, there are limitations on the conversion from freeform animation to footsteps.
See also: ■ Track View (Biped) on page 4461 Procedures To convert an airborne period to freeform mode: 1 Create a footstep animation with at least one airborne period, and activate the footsteps. For the simplest method of creating a footstep pattern with an airborne period, see Creating Footsteps Automatically on page 4187. 2 Access Track View by choosing Graph Editors menu > Track View - Dope Sheet from the 3ds Max menu. 3 Expand the footstep key display for the biped.
7 Play the animation. The biped uses vertical dynamics during all footstep motions except the freeform period.
No vertical dynamics during freeform period, then return to vertical dynamics during next airborne period. NOTE If you activate footsteps after a freeform period has been set between footsteps, the biped might skip footsteps at one end of the freeform period. For this reason, you should activate footsteps before setting up a freeform period. 8 During the freeform period, animate the biped and set keyframes as you like.
Converting Between Footstep and Freeform Animations There might be times when you want to convert a footstep animation to a freeform animation, or vice versa. This can occur when someone gives you an animation file that's animated in one mode, while you prefer to work in the other. Animators tend to develop a preference for either freeform or footstep animation. The ability to convert between the two means you can work in either format without concern for compatibility with other artists.
Procedures To convert between footsteps and freeform animation: 1 On the Motion panel > Biped rollout, click Convert. Depending on which is the current animation method, either the Convert to Freeform dialog on page 4455 or the Convert to Footsteps dialog on page 4455 appears. 2 Change settings in the dialog as necessary, and click OK. If you're converting to freeform animation, the footstep patterns are removed from the viewport, gravity and dynamics are removed, and footstep mode is disabled.
under these controls. You might want the character to fly, swim, or to do something improbable in a physical world. For these situations, Biped supports a comprehensive set of freeform animation controls that allow you to take total creative control over your character's pose, movement, and timing. character studio gives you the option to animate characters using freeform mode exclusively, or to create freeform periods during a footstep animation.
If you are using footstep extraction with motion capture data, you often need a freeform interval to accommodate falling or tumbling motion in the data. The Fit to Existing option on the Motion Capture Conversion Parameters dialog allows for a combination of both methods. Extracting footsteps from motion capture files eliminates sliding feet, a common problem with motion capture data.
Procedures To create a purely freeform animation: 1 Create a biped. 2 Move the time slider to any given frame then do one of the following: ■ Turn on Auto Key, then move or rotate any biped component. This sets a key for that component. ■ Pose any part of the biped, then in the Key Info rollout, click Set Key . ■ Pose the hands and feet and then in the Key Info rollout click Set Planted Key . This will create keys that cause the hands or feet to stick in space.
Creating Freeform Animation The topics in this section deal with the creation of freeform animation for bipeds.
For fast track selection, you can also use the Track Selection rollout. These buttons let you quickly select the motion tracks for the horizontal and vertical movement of the biped center of mass, as well as selection of opposite limbs, or symmetrical limbs. Biped is unique in the way it separates the tracks for the center of mass into three tracks (one each for vertical, horizontal, and rotation).
Note that child objects in the hierarchy are nested below parent objects. You may need to open several parent objects to get to the nested object you want. The biped tracks are grouped as follows: ■ Center of Mass ■ Footsteps ■ Pelvis (branch1) Spine, Neck (branch), Head, Ponytail. ■ Pelvis (branch2) Thigh, Calf, Foot, Toes. ■ Pelvis (branch3) Tail. ■ Neck (branch 1), Head ■ Neck (branch 2), Clavicle, UpperArm, Forearm, Hand, Fingers.
TIP Another feedback device is available once you've made your selection. The selected object's name is displayed in the topmost field in the Modify, Hierarchy, Motion, and Display panels. 4 On the Track View, click Zoom Selected Object. The Track View hierarchy window repositions to show the selected object at the top of the window display. Nested below the object's name are the animation, or transform, tracks for that object, if any exist for the current motion.
As shown in the table below, there are two types of movements you can apply to a biped link: ■ General Move – When you select and move the center of mass object, it and all of its children move; that is, the entire biped moves. When you move the center of mass and one or more legs are planted on the ground with IK constraints (IK Blend=1.0), the Biped tries to maintain the legs' planted position while the body moves.
TIP You can select the children of a hierarchy by double-clicking the parent. To quickly select and move a biped and its entire animation to a new location in space, use Move All mode on page 4331. Biped provides controls to help you give both arms or both legs the same pose. See Copy/Paste Rollout on page 4389 for more information.
Biped Link Link Name Keyframe Mode Figure Mode Fingers Finger 0, 01, and so on IK from finger Positions finger relative to hand (if base selected) Hips (upper leg) R Thigh, L Thigh IK from knee IK from knee Knees (lower leg) R Calf, L Calf IK from foot IK from foot Feet R Foot, L Foot IK from foot IK from foot Toes Toe 0, 01, and so on IK from toe Positions toe relative to foot (if base selected) Animating by Rotating Links Use the standard 3ds Max Rotate transform to adjust a biped
TIP First select the link to rotate, then click Rotate. While the Motion panel is active, Biped sets the transform managers to reflect the degrees of freedom of that link. For example, if you select the pelvis and then click Rotate, Biped changes the coordinate system to Local and turns on the Y axis constraint. (For joints that have more than one degree of freedom, you might later need to change the axis constraint setting.
Biped Link Link Name Free Axes Comments Shoulders (upper arm) R UpperArm, L UpperArm X, Y, Z Rotating pivots from shoulder to wrist Elbows (lower arm) R Forearm, L Forearm X, Z Hinge plus special rotation Hips (upper leg) R Thigh, L Thigh X, Y, Z Rotating pivots from hip to ankle Knees (lower leg) R Calf, L Calf X, Z Hinge plus special rotation Hands R Hand, L Hand X, Y, Z Feet R Foot, L Foot X, Y, Z If feet are planted, adjusts legs to keep feet and toes above ground Fingers Fin
It's important to be aware of the following behavioral changes resulting from this: ■ The three-DOF pelvis motion is displayed as three separate Euler or quaternion (TCB) function curves in the Curve Editor and Workbench. ■ Using key reduction on the biped’s spine produces improved results. ■ Rotations on the new pelvic axes (X and Z) are keyable in layers and supported in MAXScript. ■ The default parametric footstep animation is slightly adjusted to use the three-DOF pelvis.
Rotating the forearm along the X axis rotates the arm elements about an invisible axis between the shoulder and wrist. Balance: Spine Biped uses only the spine, in conjunction with the center of mass, to maintain the biped's balance. Because of this, rotating all of the spine or any one of its links causes the horizontal position of the body to change relative to its center of mass.
rotates independently of the neck, and interpolation of these individually set orientations produces more natural-looking motion. Similar to the head and arms, changing the orientation of the upper or lower leg changes the position, but not the orientation, of the corresponding foot. In this way, the foot orientation remains relative to the ground plane.
Quaternion Rotation curve Procedures To change TCB for a biped arm: 1 On the Key Info rollout, turn on Trajectories. 2 Select a biped arm. 3 Use Next or Previous key to locate an arm key. 4 If the TCB group is not already displayed, click the TCB divider. 5 Change the Tension, Continuity, and Bias spinners. The trajectory changes to reflect the new parameters. Play the animation to see the change.
Rotating Multiple Biped Links Freeform Animation | 4249
Selecting and rotating a hand and all its fingers causes the fingers to curl. You rotate multiple biped links to produce curling effects such as fingers curling around a glass or a tail curling up and down. You can choose from two methods to rotate multiple links: ■ Select and rotate multiple links manually. ■ Enable Bend Links Mode on page 4363 and then select and rotate any spine, neck, or tail link to use the character studio technique of naturally bending the entire spine, neck, or tail.
Typically, you select an object and all of its children; for example, the hand and all of its fingers. Using Bend Links Mode and Twist Links Mode You can use Bend Links Mode on page 4363 to rotate multiple links for the biped's spine, neck, or tail. Bend Links transfers the rotation of one link to the other links in a natural way. When applied to the spine, it is particularly useful for positioning the biped's hips.
Using Controllers character studio lets you add 3ds Max controllers to the biped object tracks. This allows you to mix the biped animation with standard 3ds Max animation techniques. Why Add Controllers Adding controllers to biped body parts lets you create animation that is difficult to do with character studio alone. For example, you can create “stretchy” cartoon arm or leg animation by adding a Scale controller to animate the bipeds arms and legs.
Controllers can also be added in the Animation Workbench on page 4483 using the Controller button to display the controller list. Right-click and choose Assign Controller from the right-click menu. You can assign controllers to multiple objects by using the SubAnims filter. Procedures To add a controller to a biped object: 1 Select the biped object that you want to control, and set a key for that object. 2 In the Motion panel, expand the Assign Controller rollout.
2 On the Motion panel, in the Assign Controller rollout, click the Biped SubAnim controller you want to collapse. 3 Right-click the Biped SubAnim and choose Properties. A dialog appears with the Collapse choices. If a different dialog appears, you don't have the correct selection in the list window. Be sure you've selected the Biped SubAnim entry and not something else. 4 Turn on the tracks you want to collapse in the Enable group. 5 Turn on the options you want to use in the Collapse group.
To animate the weights of an added controller: You can animate the weights of an added controller to determine when the effect takes place. A weight of 0 will yield no effect, a weight of 100 will provide the full effect. See the tutorial “Using Controllers with Biped” for an example of animating the weights. 1 Add a controller to a biped object, using either method outlined above.
Each biped can have up to three props. Prop data will work seamlessly with other advanced features of character studio: in the Mixer, Motion Flow, Unification, and Layered edits. Props are defined in the Structure rollout. Props appear as boxes in the biped hierarchy. They can be moved, stretched, and scaled in Figure mode as other biped parts can. Props are supported by Physique, and are animated using the biped Transform controller in the same way as other objects.
Position and rotation space controls Importing Motion-Capture Prop Data If your motion-capture file includes prop data, character studio can read that data and apply it to a prop object. Upon loading a CSM file on page 7945, the motion data will be applied to the prop. If the prop switches from one hand to another, the program will automatically determine the switch of the prop's coordinate spaces as the prop is exchanged between the hands.
Procedures Example: To animate a biped swinging a prop with one hand: 1 Create a biped with a single prop. The biped appears with a single prop displayed as a box positioned near the biped's right hand. 2 On the Motion panel, on the Biped rollout, turn on Figure Mode. 3 Scale the prop so it is the correct size and proportion to be a sword. 4 Rotate and move the prop so it is in the correct orientation in relation to the right hand. 5 Turn off Figure mode. 6 Set a key for the prop at frame 0.
The prop will now follow the movement of the left hand in the frames that follow. NOTE By default, the prop's rotation remains in Body space. Depending on your animation, you might also want to set keys so the Rotation space is Right Hand before the switch, and Left Hand after the switch. To collapse the transforms of a prop: 1 Animate the prop however you like. You can add list controllers to the prop as you can to any other part of the biped. 2 When the animation is correct, select the prop.
of inverse kinematics. The default blend is 0.0, or full forward kinematics. An IK Blend of 1.0 is full inverse kinematics. ■ Body or Object determines the reference coordinate space of the IK path. This allows you to move the IK path with your character's body or temporarily attach the hands or feet to follow other objects. The default is Body. ■ Join To Prev IK Key determines if the key should be part of the previous key (and have the same reference position as the previous key).
IK group parameters IK Blend can be set per key for any arm or leg track. The IK Blend setting determines whether, at a particular key, an arm or leg is moving through it using inverse kinematics, forward kinematics, or a blending of the two kinematic solutions. An IK Blend value of 0.0 means full forward kinematics. The arm (or leg) is moved by interpolating the rotations of the joints at the keys.
It is best to use forward kinematics when you want the arms to swing, such as when a biped is walking. In the case of a boxer, however, since the hand should follow a directed path when punching, inverse kinematics should be used. To set the IK Blend value of a key: 1 Select a single arm or leg track by selecting one or more parts of a biped's arm or leg. The IK Blend spinner and the other controls in the IK area are enabled only when a single arm or leg track is selected.
Join To Prev IK Key This IK constraint is used to specify if a footstep is sliding or planted. If Join To Prev IK Key is on, then the biped foot maintains a reference position to the previous key, keeping the foot planted. If Join To Prev IK Key is off during a footstep, then the foot can be moved to a new position creating a sliding footstep. Join To Prev IK Key also functions to lock the biped hands in space. Use Set Planted Key on the biped hands to lock their position in space.
Free Key. By clicking one of these buttons, all the necessary IK constraints are applied automatically. For example, by clicking Set Planted Key, all of the IK constraints necessary are applied at once; IK Blend=1.0 with object space and Join To Prev Key turned on. See also: ■ Key Info Rollout on page 4367 Walking Keys Let's examine the IK constraints for one footstep.
Pivot point shifts to ball of foot at frame 16. The next keyframe is also a planted key, as the foot is flat on the ground. In the Key Info rollout, Set Planted Key is clicked. The pivot on the ball of the foot is selected.
Planted key set to lock pivot at frame 17 This key has the pivot on the ball of the foot as well. Click Set Planted Key. Two consecutive keys with the pivot at the ball of the foot are necessary to rotate the foot about the ball of the foot.
Heel lifts, toe remains flat at frame 18 After rotating the foot about the pivot at the ball of the foot, you set another planted key with the pivot on the toe.
Foot rotates off pivot at end of toe at frame 19. Here is another planted key with a pivot at the end of the toe; the foot rotates about the tip of the toe.
Free Key allows foot to travel off the ground at frame 20. Here, Click Set Free Key to set a free key, the foot is off of the ground. The cycle is repeated to create a walk or run cycle in a freeform animation. The pivot points are selected by turning on Select Pivot on the IK Key Info rollout, selecting a pivot in the viewports, turning off Select Pivot and then rotating the foot in the viewports.
that define a foot's coordinate system. A foot can slide and move relative to the footstep. Also, if you delete or add a key in a footstep animation, the footstep duration is changed. Setting Keys for Feet and Hands You can animate biped's body parts as you do other 3ds Max objects: by setting keys for postures at keyframes. character studio provides three different ways to set keys at the current frame: ■ Pose the biped body part, and then click one of the set key buttons in the Key Info rollout.
The Set Key options on the Key Info rollout have the advantage that you can easily experiment with different poses for your character without unintentionally setting keys as a side-effect. Use the Set Key buttons to commit the changes you make to the pose. The Auto Key mode approach is especially useful when you make adjustments to keyframes that have already been set, or if you are used to working with Auto Key in3ds Max and tend to forget to click the Set Key buttons.
Animating Pivots 4272 | Chapter 17 character studio
In both freeform and footstep animation, pivots allow you to rotate the biped’s hands and feet around various points. For example, by activating a pivot on the ball of a foot, you can rotate the foot around the ball of the foot. The biped’s hands and feet have the same number of pivots, and pivot location is similar. Pivots are active only if the biped hand or foot is in world or object coordinate space.
have the most influence and flexibility in positioning tasks. Even the placement of fingers and toes over specific spots is the task of the primary joints. The secondary joints are the wrists, ankles, toes, and fingers. These joints are typically used for grasping and support rather than positioning, so they most frequently exercise independent joint angle control suited to a particular task, such as rotating the foot to raise the heels during walking, or curling the fingers around an object.
the limb, if desired, by rotating the secondary joints and using the special rotation to adjust the primary joints. NOTE During animation playback, the Ankle Tension parameter is used to set the relative importance of the interpolated ankle joint over the interpolated knee joint for intervals in between keyframes. This is relevant only to interpolation on bipeds.
Using IK constraints and pivots on the biped hands and feet allows you to animate quadrupeds. See also: Key Info Rollout on page 4367 ■ Procedures To use pivots: 1 Select a biped hand or foot. 2 On the Key Info rollout, click Set key, and then choose Object. You can also select an object if you like at this point, by selecting a non-biped object in the viewport. 3 Turn on Select Pivot. 4 Select a pivot in the viewports.
Pivots are shown as red dots on the hands and feet. Use wireframe viewport shading if you have problems seeing the choices. 5 Turn off Select Pivot. 6 Rotate the hand or foot around the selected pivot. TIP If you find that you are not rotating around the selected pivot, set two consecutive keys at adjacent keys with the same pivot.
0 if you find the movement of spine links is affecting the biped's hip movements in an undesirable way. Animating IK Attachments A biped can interact with other objects in the 3ds Max scene. Links between objects are usually static, unless you're using the Link controller. In character studio, such attachments are "animatable" as well; during the course of an animation, the links between the hands, feet, and objects in the scene can change as your character interacts with them.
Once a key is set, the IK Blend value and other IK parameters become available. 5 Click Select IK Object, and choose the object for the hand or foot to follow. The object name appears in the field below the Body and Object radio buttons. 6 On frames where you want the hand or foot to start following the object, set a key, set IK Blend to 1.0 and choose the Object option on the Key Info rollout. You can also click Set Sliding Key to set these parameters all at once.
2 On the Keyframing Tools rollout, click the button for the limb you want to anchor: Anchor Right Arm, Anchor Left Arm, Anchor Right Leg, or Anchor Left Leg. NOTE The arm or leg you select beforehand does not actually have to be the same as the arm or leg you are anchoring. 3 Set keys for the arm or leg as described in the previous procedure. NOTE You can also use anchors to hold a foot or hand in position while you render the animation.
As with other 3ds Max objects, you can also move back and forth between keys by turning on the 3ds Max Key Mode Toggle, selecting an element associated with a given track, and then using the 3ds Max buttons Next Frame and Previous Frame. For example, you can view keys, move between them, and set keys for a right arm track if any of the right arm's objects (clavicle, upper arm, lower arm, hand, fingers) are selected. Or use the < and > keys on the keyboard to move back and forth between keys in Key Mode.
You can create and store postures, poses, and tracks in multiple buffers accessed by a drop-down list. You can choose from that list and see a thumbnail image associated with the selection, then paste that selection onto the same biped or any other biped in the scene. You can choose between posture, pose, or track for these operations. Using these tools lets you work in a traditional pose-to-pose method of animating.
NOTE You must create a copy collection before you can copy a biped's posture, pose or track. Using Paste Posture The Paste Posture command is useful for copying a posture in one frame of an animation to another frame of the animation. Copy the posture, then turn on Auto Key and move to another frame, then paste the posture. The Paste Posture and Paste Pose commands are also useful for copying a pose from one biped to another. Copy the pose or posture, select the other biped, and then paste.
Pose shows the whole biped You can create animation using Copy Pose by simply copying different poses to the same biped at different frames, and setting keys for those poses. Copy Pose works with the character studio Set Key buttons found on the Key Info rollout on page 4367, and with Auto Key mode. WARNING Don't use the Set Key Mode toggle or the large Set Keys button next to Auto Key. These will not produce the correct results.
Procedures To copy a posture: 1 Select the set of biped parts that defines the part of the biped's posture you want to copy. 2 On the Copy/Paste rollout, click Create Collection and rename the new collection Biped Posture. 3 Click Posture to toggle Posture mode and then click Copy Posture. The thumbnail image appears in the image window below the Copied Postures drop-down list. 4 Rename the posture by editing the name in the Copied Postures name field.
To paste a limb posture on the opposite limb: 1 On the Copy/Paste rollout, click Posture. 2 Select all of the limb, arm, or leg whose posture you want to copy. 3 Click Copy Posture. The posture thumbnail image is displayed in the image window, and the new posture name appears in the named posture field. 4 Rename the posture. The default names combine the chosen body track with the selected bodyparts.
Mirroring Motion Mirror, on the Keyframing Tools rollout on page 4380, mirrors the motion of the biped through both the X and Y axes of the World coordinate system. The entire biped animation, including all footsteps and keys, is mirrored symmetrically through an axis that joins the center for the biped to the world origin. For example, if a biped is walking from the center of the world grid toward the user, the mirror will change the motion so the biped is now walking away from the user.
Mirrored motion Use Mirror if you want to create the opposite of a motion you've already created. For example, if a biped walks to the left and swings its right arm, mirroring the motion results in a motion where the biped walks to the right and swings its left arm. The mirrored motion replaces the existing motion for the biped. If you want to keep the existing motion and add the mirrored motion, use Paste Opposite in the Copy/Paste rollout.
animation in all the Layers. Layers behave like a freeform animation on page 7988: the biped can adopt any position. Layers allow you to easily adjust raw motion capture data containing keys at every frame. Simply add a layer, and keyframe the biped. You can also use layers to change the global position of the biped in a freeform or footsteps animation by adding a layer and moving the center of mass.
To increment an interval of keys without an envelope (nonblended offset): 1 Create a new named layer. 2 Create an offset by setting two keys. You can use either Auto Key mode, or click Set Key on the Key Info rollout. Set one key before the frame where the increment starts, and another after the frame where the increment ends. 3 4 Use Snap Set Key to create keys before and after the incremented range to clamp the motion to the offset only occurs in the range between the two keys.
TIP You can select the center of mass's horizontal or vertical tracks by clicking the appropriate button in the Track Selection rollout on page 4348. Above: Bending the trajectory Below: Moving a key on the trajectory WARNING Do not use 3ds Max trajectories (Motion panel > Trajectories text button) to edit biped trajectories.
Procedures To bend a biped trajectory: 1 Select an animated biped. 2 On the Biped rollout of the Motion panel, expand the horizontal bar (click the plus sign at the left) to display the Modes and Display groups. 3 In the Display group, turn on Trajectories. The trajectory is displayed in the viewport for whatever biped part is selected. WARNING Don't click the Trajectories button next to Parameters. That is for other scene objects, not bipeds. 4 In the Track Selection rollout, click Body Horizontal.
Working with Biped Animation Working with Euler Curves on Biped Animation You can control a biped's position and orientation using Euler curves in addition to quaternion curves in the Workbench and Curve Editor. Using the Euler XYZ controller is an efficient way to animate your biped because you can use Bezier tangents to change the interpolation of your XYZ curves (quaternion curves do not have tangents).
NOTE Props are not supported with the Euler controller. Rotation curves on a biped (including its center of mass) are always set in local parent space, whether they are controlled in Euler or quaternion. The XYZ function curves of an Euler rotation track are locked together. This means that creating a new key on one axis automatically does so for all axes. Also, moving a key in time drags all three axes with it.
Curve Conversion Between Quaternion and Euler When an animation converts from one controller to the other, its integrity is maintained as much as possible. This means that despite variations in key interpolation results, the keyframed poses are preserved. If you convert a quaternion rotation curve to Euler, the resulting tangent keys are set to Smooth. If, on the other hand, you switch an Euler rotation curve to quaternion, the bezier interpolation from the tangents is maintained as much as possible.
TIP When creating a mixdown, you can preserve your Euler tangents by turning on A Keyframe Per Frame in the Mixer Preferences dialog on page 3741. Motion Flow follows the same rules as the Motion Mixer. If clips brought into Motion Flow contain Euler animations, their tangents are preserved. However, creating an unified motion results in a quaternion animation.
Loading and Saving Biped Assets with Euler Curves When you load an external biped asset file (BIP) onto a biped, they each might contain different animation controllers (for example, a Euler asset loaded onto a quaternion biped). When this happens, the biped animations are converted to match the controller from the biped asset file. When you save a biped asset file, it stores both Euler tangents and quaternion TCB control values.
Example: Modifying the Footsteps of an Xref Biped An integrator externally references a biped into his master scene. He sees the footstep animation but cannot edit it because Footstep Mode is unavailable. The artist currently in the source scene goes into Footstep Mode and alters the animation. This update now reflects in the master scene. Externally referencing a biped automatically creates a new “XREF LAYER” in the Layers rollout on page 4403, whether or not the source biped contains any animation.
■ CSM file (.csm) The Character Studio Marker format. This is an alternative format for recording motion capture data. It stores positional data for various markers on a biped figure. See Motion Capture Rollout on page 4584. NOTE For the CSM file specification, see the CSM.rtf document on the program disc. ■ MIX file (.mix) A MIX file contains data from the Motion Mixer, such as trackgroups, tracks, and transitions. See Using the Motion Mixer on page 3699. ■ MFE file (.
NOTE When you load or save motion flow snippets, or mixer clips through the reservoir, if a file is already specified for that snippet or clip, its directory will appear at the top of the history list, even if that directory was not originally in the history list. If you cancel the load or save of the snippet or clip, that directory will not be added to the history. If you go ahead and load or save the snippet or clip, the directory will be added to the history.
Procedures To load biped motion from an existing BIP file: 1 Select the biped you want to animate, and go to the Motion panel. 2 On the Biped rollout, make sure you are not in Figure mode, and click Load File. NOTE When Figure mode on page 4420 is active, the Load File option loads figure (FIG) files. Anything done in Figure mode changes the basic shape and structure of the biped. When Figure mode is turned off, the Load File tool loads BIP files, which animate the figure.
Importing and Exporting Animation Data You can use character studio with 3ds Max FBX import/export support to simplify the animation of 3ds Max bones. To transform an animated biped into a set of animated bones, export it to FBX on page 7222 and then import your file. Click the Help button on the FBX dialog to view the latest 3ds Max FBX Plug-in Guide.
■ When you load a BIP or STP file, the locations of the footsteps in the file will be scaled to match the leg length and pelvis width of the existing biped. Gravity will be adjusted to be proportional to the gravity stored in the file. (A motion stored in a BIP or STP file has a gravity value associated with it.) ■ When you paste footsteps copied from one biped onto another biped, the locations of the footsteps in the buffer will be scaled to match the leg length and pelvis width of the existing biped.
Merging and Cloning a Character At some point you might need to use the File > Merge command to merge a character into your scene. Also, you can use Merge to clone a biped that has a mesh with the Physique modifier applied, as described in this topic. Cloning a Character To clone a character (that is, a biped with a Physique mesh), save a scene that contains the character, change the original biped's name, and then use File > Merge to merge the copy from the saved file.
NOTE The center of mass is the root object in the biped hierarchy, if this is selected with Select Subtree turned on, then all the child links are selected, including extra bones and the mesh skin (the mesh skin is linked when Attach To Node is used in Physique). Selecting a biped while merging a MAX scene In the illustration, the center of mass object is named Hero. With Select Subtree active, all the children are also selected when you click Hero, including the Physique mesh.
5 Click OK. Probably a Duplicate Name dialog is displayed. If it isn't, the merge is done; if it is, see the following step. 6 On the Duplicate Name dialog, turn on Apply To All Duplicates, and then click Merge. NOTE Even when the bipeds in your scene have different root names from the biped you are merging, the biped finger/toe/head dummies in the file to be merged can have the same names as other biped dummies in your scene. This step merges these dummy objects.
2 At the bottom of the Biped rollout, click the bar by the plus sign to expand the rollout. (If the rollout is already expanded, the bar shows a minus sign at the left, instead of a plus.) 3 In the Display group, turn Objects off and then back on again to hide the biped finger/toe/head dummy objects. To clone a skinned biped: 1 Save a copy of the scene that contains the biped you want to clone. 2 On the Structure rollout, change the original biped's root name, as described above.
time, Mixer scripts can combine the upper-body movement of one biped with the lower-body movement of another, adjust the timing of movements, and provide a number of other effects. The Mixer is especially useful when you work with motion-capture files on page 4574. Mixer scripts are saved as BIP files or MIX files. Loading and Saving STP Files Step (STP) files save footsteps, but don't save body keyframes.
2 On the Biped rollout, make sure you are not in Figure mode, then, click Save File. 3 In the file dialog, choose Step Files (.STP) as the file type to save. 4 Enter a name for the footstep file, and then click OK. Using Motion-Capture Data Besides animating a biped with footsteps or with keyframing (freeform animation), you can import a motion-capture file. The overall workflow for motion capture is straightforward: ■ Import the motion-capture data See Importing Motion-Capture Data on page 4576.
Correcting Posture A particular motion file might position a biped body part inappropriately. For example, the collarbones might be rotated down too far, affecting your mesh deformation. All you need to do is go into Figure mode, rotate the biped collarbones up, and then exit Figure mode: this corrects the collarbone position for the entire animation. The motion references the Figure mode position, if the biped is adjusted, and this adjustment is reflected in your animation when you exit Figure mode.
Talent Figure Mode and Adjust Talent Pose Talent Figure Mode on page 4590 and Adjust Talent Pose on page 4591 on the Motion Capture rollout have a purpose similar to that of Figure mode. They are used to size and position biped body parts to better fit raw motion capture data. After importing motion capture data, you might discover that certain biped limbs or the biped scale need a global adjustment in order to provide a closer match to the figure of the talent who performed the motion.
This section covers the copying and pasting of tracks. For information on the other options on this rollout, see Copying and Pasting Postures and Poses on page 4281. To copy and paste biped tracks, turn on Tracks. The remaining controls in the rollout change to reflect that you are working with tracks: The copy button changes to a Copy Tracks button. ■ ■ The two Paste buttons become Paste Tracks and Paste Tracks Opposite, respectively.
The tracks for all biped parts are applied to the other biped regardless of which parts are selected on the biped. Repositioning the Biped The method you should use to reposition a biped depends on which tools were used to animate the biped: ■ If the biped uses freeform or footstep animation, use Move All mode. This is also the easiest way to move a biped that is not animated.
The Collapse button on the Move All dialog box allows you to reset the position and rotation values in the Move All dialog to zero, but does not change the position of the biped. 3 Turn off Move All Mode. To reposition a biped with limbs attached to an Object Space object (IK attachment): 1 Create a dummy object and position it near the biped's center of mass. 2 On the main toolbar, use Select And Link to link both the Object Space object and the biped's center of mass to the dummy object.
NOTE Depending on the animation, at some of attached object's keys you might need to set IK Blend back to 0.0. Otherwise, the limb can get “stuck” in a posture. To reposition a biped animated with a motion flow script: By default, the biped's position at the beginning of a motion flow script is the position specified by the first BIP or STP file in the script. 1 Turn on Motion Flow mode.
You now have these aids to animation editing: ■ Lower layers show the biped's original position, as does the red stick figure. ■ Clicking Snap Set Key on the Layers rollout snaps the biped to its position on the previous layer, and sets a position key. The animation is blended between the biped's new position and its previous position at frames where the key is set.
playback is chosen in this dialog, Biped plays back at the current frame rate, sometimes skipping frames if necessary. If Real Time is turned off, Biped plays back as fast as it can, depending on the capacity of the graphics card installed on your system. NOTE Hardware acceleration has no effect on Biped playback. If you are using a hardware-accelerated display card, you might find 3ds Max playback to be faster under certain circumstances.
In Place Mode Create or select a biped. > Motion panel > Biped rollout > Expand rollout > Modes group > In Place button on In Place flyout In Place mode on page 8012 allows you to display biped motion as if it were occurring on a treadmill. Regardless of the distance the biped covers under control of the current motion file, the biped stays within the active viewport when you've turned on In Place Mode.
Using In Place Mode to Adjust Keyframes In Place Mode is a good way to adjust keys on a biped that already has animation applied to it. Rather than scrolling the view at different frames to keep a running biped visible, turn on In Place Mode. Now when you scrub the time slider, or use the Next Key and Previous Key buttons, the biped remains visible. A key that needs adjustment can be quickly spotted and corrected. TIP Judging lateral center-of-mass motion using In Place mode is difficult.
Display of the trajectory of a biped's lower spine You turn on trajectory display by clicking Trajectories in either of these user-interface locations: ■ Motion panel > Biped rollout > Expand Biped rollout. > Display group > Trajectories button ■ Motion panel > Key Info rollout > Trajectories button TIP Do not use 3ds Max trajectory controls to display or edit biped trajectories.
See also: Biped Color-coded Keys and Trajectories on page 4467 ■ Procedures To edit biped trajectory keys in a viewport: 1 2 Select an animated biped and go to the Motion panel. On the Track Selection rollout, turn on Body Horizontal or Body Vertical. 3 At the bottom of the Biped rollout, expand the Modes And Display sub-rollout if necessary by clicking its name. 4 In the Display group, turn on Trajectories. 5 Turn on Sub-Object selection level. 6 On the main toolbar, turn on Select And Move.
Use controls on this dialog to change footstep, trajectory, and playback display. In the Trajectories group, you can choose between the Bone Base or Bone tip for trajectory display. You can show the entire trajectory, or define a range of frames for partial trajectory display. In the Footsteps group, you can choose colors for the left and right footsteps, and generate various colors or standard colors in the viewport or Track View. You can also Show or Hide All Footsteps or Footstep Numbers.
Biped User Interface The Biped user interface is split up into “modes” of operation. You activate these modes by selecting the appropriate button in the Biped rollout on the Motion panel, which is visible when a biped is selected. There are four modes available: Figure mode is used to change the biped skeletal structure and to align the biped to a mesh. Footstep mode is used to create and edit footstep animation. Motion Flow mode is used to create scripts that combine motion files into longer animations.
■ Motion Capture Rollout on page 4584 ■ Dynamics & Adaptation Rollout on page 4417 The Assign Controller, Biped Apps, and Biped rollouts are displayed during all modes. The remaining rollouts depend on the mode. In Figure mode, Structure on page 4424 is the only additional rollout. In Footstep Mode, the rollouts displayed are: Footstep Creation on page 4434, Footstep Operations on page 4438, and Dynamics & Adaptation.
Mixer Rollout on page 3794 Key Info Rollout on page 4367 Keyframing Tools Rollout on page 4380 Display group on page 4336 Layers Rollout on page 4403 Motion Capture Rollout on page 4584 Dynamics & Adaptation Rollout on page 4417 Structure Rollout on page 4424 Center of Mass The parent object of the biped is its center of mass, which appears as a blue octahedron near the center of the biped’s pelvis. The name of this object is the root name of the biped (Bip01 by default).
Center of Mass Animation Tracks Unlike other objects and biped body parts, the center of mass has three separate animation tracks: ■ Body Horizontal ■ Body Vertical ■ Body Turning (selected with the Body Rotation button) You can use these buttons, available on the Track Selection rollout on page 4348, to select each track as well as the COM itself. Rotating About a Different Pivot Point You can “decouple” rotation from the COM, and rotate the biped about a pivot point you choose.
Linking the Center of Mass Object Using the Select And Link tool on page 3343 you can link the center of mass object to another object if you need to reposition an animation sequence. An example of this might be a surfer. You could create an animation of a biped running up and down the surfboard, hanging its toes off the end of the surfboard, and so on, and then link the center of mass object to the board. When you animate the surfboard, the biped animation would travel with it.
to it. For example, you might link a camera and its target to the shadow object, to make the camera to follow the character. The center of mass shadow between the biped's feet. Motion Panel Rollouts (Biped) Assign Controller Rollout (character studio) Select a biped's COM. > Motion panel > Assign Controller rollout The Assign Controller rollout assigns and appends different transform controllers to individual objects. You can also assign controllers in Track View.
Interface Assign Controller Displays a selectable list of controllers for a selected track. Once controllers have been added, right-click the Biped SubAnim entry in the list and choose Properties to display the SubAnims dialog.
Enable section Enable Selectively activates or disables the three list controllers. Choose any combination of Position, Rotation, and Scale. Position List When turned on, selects the Position controller to be collapsed into the Biped SubAnim track. Rotation List When turned on, selects the Rotation controller to be collapsed into the Biped SubAnim track. Scale List When turned on, selects the Scale controller to be collapsed into the Biped SubAnim track.
See Using the Motion Mixer on page 3699. Workbench Opens the Workbench, where you can analyze and adjust biped motion curves. See Working with the Workbench on page 4476. Biped Rollout Select the biped > Motion panel > Biped rollout Use controls on the Biped rollout to put the biped into Figure, Footstep, Motion Flow, or Mixer modes, and to load and save BIP, STP, MFE, and FIG files. You'll find other controls on the Biped rollout, as well.
Physique is applied, and to correct posture in motion files that need a global posture change. The Structure Rollout on page 4424 appears when Figure mode is active. NOTE When Figure mode is turned on, the biped jumps from its animated position to its Figure mode pose. Animation is preserved when you exit Figure mode. Footstep Mode Create and edit footsteps; generate a walk, run, or jump footstep pattern; edit selected footsteps in space; and append footsteps using parameters available in Footstep mode.
Load File The Open dialog on page 4342 lets you load .bip, .fig or .stp files. Save File Opens the Save As dialog on page 4339, where you can save Biped files (.bip), figure files (.fig), and step files (.stp) files. Convert Convert a footstep animation to a freeform animation. This works in both directions. Displays the Convert to Freeform dialog on page 4455 or Convert to Footsteps dialog on page 4455 depending on the direction. ■ Convert uses biped foot IK Blend values to extract footsteps.
TIP Paste buffered motion back to the original animation repeatedly to create looping motions. Edit footstep and biped animation that have been copied into the buffer using Copy Footsteps on the Footsteps Operation rollout. The changes can be pasted back by turning off Buffer Mode, turning on Paste Footsteps on the Footstep Operation rollout, and overlapping the buffered footsteps with the original footsteps. The buffered motion is spliced into the original animation.
NOTE Rubber Band mode behaves differently than Non-Uniform Scale. For example, if you "Rubber-Band" the biped thigh, the thigh and biped calf objects scale proportionally to keep the biped foot stationary. Using Non-Uniform Scale, the calf retains its scale and the foot moves. Moving the biped center of mass (blue diamond) behind the character, turns this default walk cycle into a struggle against a high wind.
In Place Mode Use In Place mode to keep the biped visible in the viewports while the animation plays. Use this for biped key editing or adjusting envelopes with Physique. It prevents XY movement of the biped center of mass during animation playback; however, motion along the Z axis is preserved. This is a three-button fly-out. In Place mode is stored with the 3ds Max file. In Place X Mode Lock center of mass X-axis motion.
Display Objects flyout This flyout lets you display bones and objects, together or independently: ■ Objects Displays biped body objects; these will render if you do not turn them off before rendering. Hide the biped objects before scene rendering. You can also hide individual body objects by using the standard 3ds Max Hide controls found in the Display panel and Display Floater. ■ Bones Displays biped bones. Bones, which do not render, are represented as the color of the corresponding links.
Display Footsteps flyout This flyout lets you display or hide footsteps and their numbers: ■ Show Footsteps and Numbers Displays biped footsteps and footstep numbers. Footstep numbers specify the order in which the biped will move along the path created by the footsteps. Footstep numbers are displayed in white and do not render, but do appear in preview renderings. ■ Show Footsteps Displays biped footsteps in the viewport, but no footstep numbers.
TIP You can edit keys on the biped's horizontal and vertical track by turning on Trajectories, turning on Sub-Object, selecting the horizontal or vertical center of mass track and transforming keys in the viewports. Use Trajectories when editing keyframe parameters to visualize their influence, and to compare raw and filtered motion capture data.
Interface Save As dialog for a FIG, BIP, or STP file 4340 | Chapter 17 character studio
History This drop-down list lets you choose directories where you have recently saved Biped motion files. See Motion File History Lists on page 4299. File Name The name of your FIG, BIP, or STP file. Save as type Sets the file type for your saved file. ■ Saves an incremented version of the segment without overwriting an existing file. ■ Figure file (.FIG) Saves the structure and position of a biped in Figure mode. After fitting the biped to a mesh in Figure mode, save a figure file.
Save MAX Objects group Save MAX Objects When on, any IK, Head Target, or linked object in the scene is saved with the BIP file. Object list Each object associated with the biped in the scene is displayed here along with its object type. All When on, all associated objects are saved with the BIP file. Selected When on, only the highlighted objects are saved with the BIP file.
Interface Open dialog for BIP or STP files Biped User Interface | 4343
History This drop-down list lets you choose directories where you have recently opened Biped motion files. See Motion File History Lists on page 4299. File Name The name of your FIG, BIP, or STP file. Files of Type Sets the type of file to load. ■ Figure file (.FIG) Load a Figure file. Figure mode must be active to load a Figure file. Figure files allow you to apply the structure of one biped to another.
mode. If adaptation takes place, the height is set so that the lowest foot at frame 0 starts at the Z=0 height. This lines up clips along the Z axis and creates smooth transitions. TIP Use Load Motion Capture File on the Motion Capture rollout on page 4584 to load the raw version of the motion capture BIP files included with 3ds Max. These files have no footsteps and keys at every frame. Loading files using Load Motion Capture File allows you to filter the data and extract footsteps.
Display Preferences Dialog Select a biped > Motion panel > Biped rollout > Display group> Display Preferences Use the controls in the Display Preferences dialog to change footstep colors and trajectory parameters, and to set the number of bipeds to play back when you use Biped Playback on the Biped rollout. You access the Display Preferences dialog by clicking the Display Preferences button on the Display group in the Biped rollout.
Bone Tip Displays bone tip trajectories (default). Show Entire Trajectory Displays trajectories for all animated frames. Before Trajectory Sets the number of frames to display trajectories before the current frame. After Trajectory Sets the number of frames to display trajectories after the current frame. Using Before and After Trajectory will result in a “traveling” trajectory display that will move with the biped through space. Footsteps group Left Selects the color for left footsteps.
All Bipeds Lists all bipeds in the scene. Select a biped name in the window and click the right arrow to move it into the list of bipeds that will be visible during playback with Biped Playback. Bipeds Visible in Playback Lists bipeds visible during playback with Biped Playback. Select a biped name and click the left arrow to exclude it from this list.
Selection rollout tools is sometimes quicker because selecting the center of mass in your viewports can be difficult if your biped resides inside a bigger rigged model. As long as you select your biped by any limb, activating the COM tools from the Track Selection rollout automatically selects the center of mass with the proper Transform gizmo: ■ Body Horizontal and Body Vertical enable the Move gizmo. ■ Body Rotation enables the Rotate gizmo.
The Transform gizmo centered on the biped's COM. TIP To avoid deselecting the COM inadvertently, you can use Lock Selection on page 3609 to keep your selection on the center of mass, ignoring all other objects in your scene. TIP You can scale the Transform gizmo using the - (hyphen) and = (equal sign) shortcut keys. Scaling the gizmo makes it easier to use, but does not affect the transform values. 3 Select the Move gizmo's Z axis. This turns off Body Horizontal and turns on Body Vertical.
Lock COM Keying allows you to activate all center of mass tracks at the same time. 3 Turn on both Body Horizontal and Body Rotation. 4 Select any other part of your biped. The COM track controls become inactive. Note that Lock COM Keying is storing the selected controls. 5 Reselect the biped COM either by selecting the blue octahedron near the center of the biped's pelvis, or by clicking one of the three COM track controls. Lock COM Keying restores the selected controls.
TIP You can also use a Working pivot on page 3479 in place of one you pick. 5 In a viewport, click the pivot point you want to use. For this example, click a pivot point near the feet. 6 On the Track Selection rollout, click Lock COM Keying to turn it on, then turn on all three tracks (Body Horizontal, Body Vertical, and Body Rotation). IMPORTANT This step is essential if you want to animate the rotation.
TIP You can also set COM positions using the Tension, Continuity, and Bias values on the Key Info rollout on page 4367 (in the TCB group). When you activate Body Horizontal or Body Vertical, you have access to advanced Biped Dynamics parameters on page 7923, such as Balance Factor on page 7919 and Ballistic Tension on page 7919, which you can control from the Key Info rollout on page 4367 and Dynamics & Adaptation rollout on page 4417.
The Body Vertical track uses the Dynamics Blend parameter to control gravity in a footstep animation. A Dynamics Blend value of 1.0 uses the value of GravAccel on page 8000 (global gravity value) to calculate an airborne trajectory for the biped. No keyframes are required to position the biped in the air, a trajectory is calculated automatically. A value of 0.0 uses Spline Dynamics for the vertical position of the biped; you must create keyframes to position the biped vertically.
Quaternion/Euler Rollout Select the biped > Motion panel > Quaternion/Euler rollout This rollout contains options to switch between Euler or quaternion controllers on biped animations. These choices offer alternative ways to control an animation in the Curve Editor. For more details, refer to Working with Euler Curves on Biped Animation on page 4293. Procedures To switch between quaternion and Euler rotation controllers: 1 Create a biped. 2 Turn on Auto Key.
6 On the Biped Apps rollout, click Workbench to open it. The animation is displayed as three separate TCB rotation curves labeled “Quaternion Rotation”. 7 On the Quaternion/Euler rollout, choose the Euler option. The curves have been converted to display Euler controlled rotations. You now have access to the curve's tangent handles to change the curve's interpolation. The animation is displayed as three separate Euler curves labeled “Tangent Euler Rotation”.
The curve display changes to reflect the new ordering while preserving the biped posture. 9 Choose the Quaternion option to convert the curves back to a TCB interpolation. NOTE Converting a curve from Euler to quaternion can affect its interpolation. See Working with Euler Curves on Biped Animation on page 4293 for details. Interface The following options set the rotation controller for biped animations. ■ Quaternion Converts the selected biped animation to quaternion rotation.
reference between the selected's limb relative orientation and the rollout's Twist value of 0 (which means no twist). When more than one reference pose are set for a rotated limb, the limb's twisting is calculated based on the nearest pose. TIP It is suggested that you add twist poses for all major limb rotated poses. This ensures that rotating your biped's limb produces well-calibrated twisting. NOTE You don't technically have to enable twist links on page 4430 to use the Twist Poses rollout toolset.
Procedures Example: To Add and Edit Twist Poses: This procedure takes into account the concept of adding twist links on page 4430 to biped limbs and concentrates on using the tools from the Twist Poses rollout to set up basic poses. 1 Prepare a biped with five twist links on each upper arm. TIP You can use See-Through on page 183 on the biped's limbs to better distinguish the twist links inside. 2 Exit Figure Mode, and then expand the Twist Poses rollout. 3 Select the right upper arm.
TIP You can often use these presets as a starting point for posing your limbs. 5 Choose pose1 from the drop-down list. The biped's arm extends upwards and shows some twisting. 6 Click Set. This assigns the Twist value of 0 to the upper arm's twist links. NOTE A twist change is always reflected on both sides (in this case, both upper arms). 7 Rotate the upper arm locally around its Y axis so it extends on the side.
8 Click Add to create a new pose. Rename it Arm At Side. This new pose resets the current Twist value of the twist links. 9 Rotate the upper arm locally around its X axis. The twisting in the upper arm is calculated based on the limb's proximity to the saved poses. Rotate the upper arm to verify the twist links.
Interface Previous/Next Key Scrolls and selects through the list of twist poses. Twist Poses List Lets you choose a preset or saved pose to apply to the biped's selected limb. By default, five twist poses are available for each three-DOF limb: Up, front, lateral, down, and back. You can also rename the current twist pose. Twist Sets the amount of twist rotation (in degrees) applied to the twist links linked to the selected limb. The twist links from the opposite side are so affected. Default=0.
Bend Links Rollout Select the biped > Motion panel > Bend Links rollout This toolset combines the Bend Links Mode, previously located on the Biped rollout, with other tools to allow an easier control over a chain link, such as a biped spine, neck or tail. NOTE Activating one of the Bend Links rollout modes deactivates any of the others. However, clicking Zero Twist or Zero All maintain any mode currently active. NOTE The Bend Links rollout is displayed in Mixer Mode, Motion Flow Mode or Footstep Modes.
2 Rotate the spine link. Notice that all chain links rotates the same way. 3 On the Bend Links rollout, click Bend Links Mode to activate it. 4 Rotate the spine link. The other links in the chain rotates to match the single link's rotation, creating a natural bend along the spine. To twist a spine naturally using Twist Links Mode: 1 Select any link in the biped's spine. 2 On the Bend Links rollout, click Bend Links Mode to activate it. 3 Rotate the spine link until you reach a pronounced bend.
3 Rotate the link so the spine's shape follows a noticeable curvature. 4 On the Bends Links rollout, click Twist Individual Mode to activate it. 5 Select a link in the middle of the spine and rotate it in local X. The rotation only affects the selected link. To smooth out a spine using Smooth Twist Mode: 1 Select the bottom link in the biped's spine. 2 On the Bends Links rollout, click Twist Individual Mode to activate it. 3 Rotate the link 45 degrees in local X.
Twist Links Mode Similar to Bend Links Mode, this mode takes the rotation in local X applied to the selected link and increment it equally throughout the rest of the chain while maintaining the relationships between the links in the other two axes. NOTE Using Twist Links Mode in Auto Key mode or setting a key after twisting results in keys on all the links of the selected chain. See Separate Tracks on page 4380 for further details.
Key Info Rollout Select the biped. > Motion panel > Key Info rollout Tools in the Key Info rollout allow you to do the following: ■ Find the next or previous key for the selected biped body part. ■ Use the Time spinner to slide a key back and forth in time. ■ Change Tension, Continuity, and Bias for a key and display trajectories. ■ Adjust biped dynamics. ■ Set planted, sliding, or free keys. ■ Set IK constraints and pivots for the biped hands and feet.
NOTE TCB controls are not effective at Body Vertical keys just before and just after an airborne period, between footsteps, if Dynamics Blend=1. Biped Dynamics calculates the airborne trajectory; in this case, lower the value of Dynamics Blend to use the TCB controls. In a walk sequence where footsteps overlap, Dynamics Blend has no effect you can use and TCB controls. ■ If Body Horizontal is selected and a key is current, the Balance Factor parameter, XY Position, Time, and TCB parameters are active.
Next Key-Previous Key Find the next or previous keyframe for the selected biped part. The field displays the key number. Time Enter a value to specify when in time the key occurs. Use this to fine tune keyframe timing on a character by moving a key backwards and forwards in time. Set Key Creates keys at the current frame when you are moving biped objects. This is identical to Set Key on the 3ds Max toolbar.
TIP Right-click to open the Planted Key Defaults dialog on page ?, which lets you set new default values for subsequent TCB keys. Set Sliding Key Sets a biped key with IK Blend=1, Join To Previous IK Key turned off, and Object selected in the IK group. This creates a sliding footstep. Sliding footsteps display in the viewports with a line running through the middle of the footstep. Sliding footsteps are understood as footsteps with moving IK constraints.
Bias Controls where the animation curve occurs with respect to the key. Default=25. Trajectories Shows and hides trajectories for the selected biped object. You can edit keys on the biped's horizontal and vertical track by turning on Trajectories, turning on Sub-Object, selecting the horizontal or vertical center of mass track, and transforming keys in the viewports.
TCB group You can use the TCB controls to adjust easing and trajectories on keys that already exist. XYZ Position Reposition the selected biped part using these spinners. A hand or foot can be repositioned in world coordinate XYZ. The biped center of mass can also be positioned using these spinners. TCB Graph Charts the effect that changing the controller properties will have on the animation. The red mark at the top of the curve represents the key.
Ease From Slows the velocity of the animation curve as it leaves the key. Default=0. High Ease From causes the animation to start slow and accelerate as it leaves the key. The default setting causes no change of the animation curve. Tension Controls the amount of curvature in the animation curve. High Tension produces a linear curve. It also has a slight Ease To and Ease From effect. Low Tension produces a very wide, rounded, curve. It also has a slight negative Ease To and Ease From effect.
IK Blend Determines how the software mixes forward kinematics and inverse kinematics to interpolate an intermediate position. An example of forward kinematics is moving the arm to control the hand. An example of inverse kinematics is moving the hand to control the arm. Activates when a biped arm or leg (hand and foot) key is current. ■ 0 with Body on page 4375 chosen is normal biped space (forward kinematics).
key, the red dot indicates the current location of the pivot. To designate a different pivot, click another dot on the chart. This provides an alternative method to using Select Pivot (see preceding). The dialog is named according to the displayed hand or foot, depicts the actual number of digits and joints in use, and resizes itself accordingly.
Select IK Object Chooses an object for the biped's hand or foot to follow when IK Blend is 1 and Object is selected. The selected object's name is displayed next to the button. This selection cannot be animated; only one IK object can be active for each hand and foot throughout the animation.
These parameters apply to the biped center of mass and are used by character studio to calculate the biped’s airborne trajectory based on gravity (GravAccel) and time between footsteps, the amount of knee bend on landing (Ballistic Tension) and how the biped objects adapt to maintain balance (Balance Factor). Balance Factor Position the biped's weight anywhere along a line that extends from the center of mass to the biped’s head. This center of mass (Body Horizontal track) parameter can be keyframed.
A Balance Factor value of 0 in the first image causes the biped not to compensate for weight. A Balance Factor value of 2 in the second image causes the biped pelvis to move away from the Center of Mass to compensate for weight. The Balance Factor determines how far the biped's hips will shift forward or backward to compensate for forward or backward bending of the spine.
Dynamics Blend Select the Body Vertical track (center of mass vertical track) and control the amount of gravity in an airborne period, as in a running or jumping motion. This parameter has no effect on a walking motion where footsteps overlap. The vertical center of mass track Dynamics Blend parameter is set to 1 for both keys (white squares) in the first jump, and to .5 in the second jump. A value of 1 uses the GravAccel on page 4417 value to calculate gravity.
The Coordinate Space pulldowns will set the Prop to refer to the World, Body, Right Hand or Left Hand coordinate space for position and rotation at the current frame. Position Space Lets you set the prop position space to World, Body, Right Hand, or Left Hand. Rotation Space Lets you set the prop rotation space to World, Body, Right Hand, or Left Hand. Keyframing Tools Rollout Select the biped.
each arm object, use the Separate Tracks group to make these transform tracks available; transform tracks are displayed in Track View. When the Separate FK Tracks options are on for the Arms and Fingers, only these tracks receive keys. When the Separate FK Tracks options are off, all limb tracks receive keys.
TIP Separate Tracks are designed to be used with forward-kinematic (FK) rotations. Using the Move tool to change the position of a biped limb with Separate Tracks requires that you turn on Set Parents Mode. If Set Parents Mode is off, then the limb you move is stored relative to its parent objects, and the new parent positions are not stored. The parent objects will snap back to their originally stored location. Turning on Set Parents Mode ensures that the position of the entire biped limb is stored.
Interface Enable Subanims Enables Biped subanims. For more information about Biped subanims, see Using Controllers on page 4252 Manipulate Subanims Modifies Biped subanims. For more information about Biped subanims, see Using Controllers on page 4252 Clear Selected Tracks Removes all keys and constraints from the selected objects and tracks. Clear All Animation Removes all keys and constraints from the biped.
Mirror and Mirror In Place flyout This flyout offers two options. Both options mirror the animation locally, so that the right side of the biped now does what the left side does, and vice versa. Also, if the spline leaned to the left, it now leans to the right. The same goes for the neck, pelvis, head, and so on. ■ Mirror Reflects the animation about the world-space XZ plane. This option reverses the biped’s position by 180 degrees, so it now faces in the opposite direction.
Left: When you click Mirror, the animation and the biped turn completely around. Right: When you click Mirror In Place, the biped still moves forward, but now it turns to the right. Set Multiple Keys Select keys using filters or apply a rotational increment to selected keys. Use this to change periodic motion keys in Track View.
which the arm or leg follows an object in the scene. Anchors ensure that the arm or leg keeps its alignment until you set the second key that establishes the object-space sequence. TIP An alternative to anchors is to use Set Planted Key on the Key Info rollout on page 4367. When you use Set Planted Key, the limb is positioned to the previous IK key (Join To Previous IK Key). Show All in Track View Shows all the curves for the options in the Keyframing rollout in the track view.
Set Multiple Keys Dialog Select the Biped > Motion panel > Keyframing rollout > Set Multiple Keys > Set Multiple Keys dialog Keys can be selected manually in Track View or the Track Bar and an increment applied to the selected keys. State Filters in this dialog select certain biped keys for you, based on foot states (Touch, Plant, Lift, and Move).
Interface Change Multiple Keys group These controls allow you to apply to a set of keys the rotation or IK translation of a limb at the current frame. First select the keys in Track View, then rotate or move the limb, then click Apply Increment. Apply Increment Adjusts the rotation and/or position of a limb at the selected keys. Use this feature when you need to set the position of a limb over multiple keys.
Scale Tail Keys Exaggerates or tones down the default motion applied to the biped’s tail for three types of rotation. To activate all three spinners, select tail keys in the biped Tail track in Track View. Forward Sets the amount of forward and backward swing in the tail. Sideways Sets the amount of side-to-side swing of the tail. Twist Sets the amount of local X axis rotation of each tail object. Select Multiple Keys group These controls allow you to select keys according to the foot state at that frame.
Copy Collections Copy collections are designed to make it easier to manage copied posture, pose, and track information by grouping it together. This improves the way copied animation data is organized when it is transferred between files within a session: ■ You can display smaller sets of poses, postures, and tracks in the list. ■ You can load more than one CPY on page 7944 file into a single scene. ■ You can either append a loaded set to an existing one or replace it entirely.
Paste and Paste Opposite For each mode, there are two paste options: Paste, and Paste Opposite. These are useful in different situations: ■ Paste In the Posture and Pose modes, Paste is useful for copying positioning from one biped to a different biped, or for restoring a biped's positioning at a different frame of an animation. In Track mode, Paste is useful mainly for copying movement from one biped to a different biped.
4 Create a new collection and rename it Lower. 5 Go to frame 0. Select all of the biped's links from the pelvis down and copy a posture at every 10 frames. 6 Choose the Upper collection from the Copy Collections drop-down list.and save it. Then, select the Lower collection and save it as well. 7 8 9 Save your scene and reset it (File > Reset). Create a new biped and load the Upper collection.
10 11 12 Load the Lower collection and repeat last step with the biped's lower body selected, setting a key for each posture. Delete the Lower collection. Click Max Load Preferences and make sure both options are checked. Close the dialog and load the saved 3ds Max file. Notice that the Copy Collections drop-down list now contains three collections: two Upper collections (one from the current file and one from the incoming) and one Lower collection from the incoming file.
Notice that your snapshot is displayed from a frontal view. 4 Click No Snapshot and copy another posture. The capture has been replaced by a gray canvas. Example: To maintain copied COM data when pasting poses: 1 Create a biped and then create a new collection. Rename it Poses. 2 Make sure you're in Pose mode and click Copy Pose at frame 0. Then, go to frame 30. 3 Using tools from the Track Selection rollout on page 4348, move your biped away from its current position and rotate it in all three axes.
5 Click Paste Pose. The biped resets back to its original position and orientation since its copied COM data is maintained. Undo the step. 6 Disable Paste Rotation but keep the other two buttons enabled. 7 Click Paste Pose. The biped resets back to its original position but remains rotated. This is due to the fact that the copied COM orientation is not maintained on paste. Undo the step. 8 Disabled both Paste Horizontal and Paste Vertical but enable Paste Rotation once again. Click Paste Pose.
Example: To set TCB/IK Values when pasting postures: 1 2 Create a biped and then create a new collection. Rename it Hands. Select the biped's right hand and, on the Key Info rollout on page 4367, set a key. 3 In the TCB group, set Ease To to 10, Ease From to 50, and all three TCB values to 5. 4 In the IK group, set IK Blend to 0.5 and choose the Object Space option. Then, set another key. 5 Make sure you're in Posture mode and click Copy Posture. 6 Create a new biped next to the original one.
The original biped (left) and the new biped with box (right) 7 In the IK group, constrain the biped's hand to the box by clicking Select IK Object and then selecting the box in your viewport. Keep the Body Space option selected. 8 On the Keyframing Tools rollout on page 4380, turn Separate Tracks off for the arms. Then turn Auto Key on. 9 In the Paste Options group on page 4402, set the Auto-Key TCB/IK Values to Default. 10 Click Paste Posture.
11 Go to frame 30 and turn Separate Tracks on. 12 Set Auto-Key TCB/IK Values to Copied and paste the posture. The copied value information is transferred to this new key. The key values are now 10 and 50 for the Ease To/Ease From, 5 for the TCB, and 0.5 for the IK Blend. The box is still the IK Object and Object Space remains selected. Also notice that the hand is the only keyed limb. 13 Go to frame 15, set the Auto-Key TCB/IK Values to Interpolated and paste the posture again.
Load Collections Loads a CPY file and displays its collection name at the top of the Copy Collections drop-down list, making it active. Save Collections Saves all the postures, poses and tracks stored within the active collection of the current session in a CPY file. Delete Collection Removes the current collection from the scene. Delete All Collection Removes all collections from the scene. Max Load Preferences Displays a dialog with options for actions to take upon Max file open.
Delete All Deletes all the buffers in the Copied Postures/Poses/Tracks list. Posture mode Copy Posture Copies the posture of the selected biped objects and saves it in a new posture buffer. Paste Posture Pastes the posture of the active buffer onto the biped. Paste Posture Opposite Pastes the posture of the active buffer onto the opposite side of the biped. Pose mode Copy Pose Copies the current pose of the entire biped and saves it in a new pose buffer.
Copied Postures group Copied Postures/Poses/Tracks list For each of the modes, lists the buffers you have copied. The active buffer is the one that will be pasted by the paste buttons. To make a buffer active, choose it from the drop-down list. To change the name of a buffer, make it active, highlight its name, and enter a new name. Thumbnail buffer view For Posture and Track mode, displays a schematic view of the parts of the biped in the active copy buffer.
Capture Snapshot Automatically When chosen, creates a front view snapshot of the isolated body parts. No Snapshot When chosen, replaces the snapshot with a gray canvas. Show/Hide Snapshot Toggles maximize/minimize of the snapshot view. Paste Options group The Horizontal, Vertical and Rotation copy options found in older versions of character studio have been replaced by the Paste Options. By default, copying poses or postures with the COM selected copies all three COM tracks.
NOTE If part of the pasted biped is linked to an IK object, that object is maintained even while the new pose or posture is honored. In other words, if an incoming pose requires a change in an existing link between a biped limb and an IK object, the link is maintained and adjusted accordingly. ■ Default Sets (on the Key Info rollout on page 4367) the TCB Ease To and Ease From to 0, and Tension, Continuity and Bias to 25. These settings are unrelated to what was copied or where it is pasted.
TIP You can globally translate both footstep and freeform animation by doing a layered edit on the center of mass on page 4325. For example, by adding a layer and moving the center of mass you can move a freeform or footstep animation. With layers, you can easily adjust raw motion-capture data, which contains keys at every frame. Simply add a layer and keyframe the biped. The original layer is displayed as red bones.
You can save an animation containing honored constraints across layers in a BIP on page 7923 file. However, if the layered animation links to another biped as reference, that link is not saved with the animation. Procedures Example: To Maintain IK Constraints Across Layers: This procedure takes into account the fundamentals of animating across layers and expands on the concept of honoring IK constraints. 1 Prepare a biped with IK keys on its feet, and its left hand constrained to an IK object.
4 Turn on Auto Key mode on page 7549. 5 On the Track Selection rollout, turn on Body Vertical. This selects the biped's center of mass. 6 Lower the center of mass on the Z axis until the biped's head is under the base layer's head display (represented as a red box). TIP To avoid deselecting the center of mass, you can lock it by clicking the Selection Lock Toggle on page 7539 (or press the spacebar).
The entire biped is lowered except its left hand, which remains locked to the object because the current layer retargets it to match the respective IK constraint of the base layer. Only the biped's left hand constraint is honored. 7 In the Retargeting group, turn on both Retarget Left Leg and Retarget Right Leg. Then, click Update. The biped's IK feet are adjusted to match those of the base layer. The animation keys are updated to reflect the current layer's retargeted feet.
Both the biped's feet and left hand constraints are honored. 8 You can continue animating the biped to your liking. Collapse your layers when you are satisfied. Example: To Maintain IK Constraints From a Reference Biped: This procedure centers on using an animated biped as a retarget reference for another biped with disproportionate body parts. This method is often used when a motion is imported from raw data and adapted to bipeds with different proportions.
The animated biped on the left and Disproportionate Biped on the right 3 Select Disproportionate Biped and enter Figure Mode on page 4420. You can now change the biped's structure. 4 Scale its upper arms and thighs to make them disproportionate from the rest of its body. TIP You can quickly select body parts on both sides of a biped if you first select the body part, then click Symmetrical on the Track Selection rollout on page 4348.
5 Exit Figure Mode. 6 Keep Disproportionate Biped selected and expand the Layers rollout. 7 Click Select Reference Biped and select your original biped in the viewport. Disproportionate Biped adopts the animation from the reference biped, whose name is now displayed next to the Select Reference Biped button.
8 9 Add a new layer and rename it Retargeted Biped. Turn on both Retarget Left Arm and Retarget Right Arm, and then click Update. Both hands precisely match those from the reference biped. The animation keys are updated to reflect the current layer's retargeted hands.
Both hands are retargeted to honor the base layer IK constraints. 10 Turn on both Retarget Left Leg and Retarget Right Leg. Then, click Update. The feet are correctly retargeted to the reference biped, updating the respective animation keys.
The feet are retargeted to honor the base layer IK constraints. 11 Use Previous layer and Next Layer to switch between the original and Retargeted Biped layers. The base layer displays the non-targeted motion while Retargeted Biped shows an adjusted motion that matches both hands and feet from Disproportionate Biped with the original biped. 12 You can continue animating the biped to your liking. Collapse your layers when you are satisfied.
Interface Load and Save buttons You can load and save individual biped layers as BIP files. Load Layer Click to display a file selector and open a BIP file for t he layer that is currently active. 3ds Max objects and list controllers are loaded only at the base layer (0). When you load into a higher layer, separate tracks are removed, and IK is removed for any limb. If Retarget is on for a limb, the limb keys are removed.
Save Layer Click to display a file selector and save the current layer’s animation in a BIP file. 3ds Max objects are saved only at the base layer (0). Previous-Next Layer Navigate through the layers using the up and down arrows. Level This field displays the current layer (Level). Active Toggles the displayed layer on and off. Name Field Type a name to easily identify a layer. Create Layer Creates a layer, and the Level field increments. Position the biped to create keys in a layer.
Activate All Activates all the layers. Playing the animation shows a composite of all the layers. Visible Before Sets the number of preceding layers to display as stick figures. Visible After Sets the number of succeeding layers to display as stick figures. Key Highlight Displays keys by highlighting the stick figures. Retargeting Group The tools in this group let you animate a biped across layers while maintaining the IK constraints of the base layer.
IK Only When on, the biped's constrained hands and feet are retargeted only during the frames on which they are IK controlled. When off, the hands and feet are retargeted during both IK and FK keys. Default=off. Dynamics & Adaptation Rollout Select the biped. > Motion panel > Dynamics & Adaptation rollout The controls on the Dynamics & Adaptation rollout let you specify the way you want to create biped animation.
Interface GravAccel Sets the strength of the gravitational acceleration used to calculate the biped’s motion. By default, this parameter is set to accurately simulate Newtonian gravity as found on the Earth's surface. At a value of 0, the biped still runs but the feet hardly get off the ground. Biped Dynamics Creates new center-of-mass keys using Biped Dynamics. Keys for the center of mass (COM) Balance Factor and Dynamics Blend parameters are set to a value of 1.
Footstep Adapt Locks group Lock specified tracks to prevent automatic adjustments being made to those tracks when footsteps are moved in space or edited in time. All the locks except for Time work for footstep editing in space. Time locks upper body keys when footsteps are edited in time (Track View). Adapt Locks only applies to a Footstep animation, not a freeform animation.
Time Turn on to prevent adaptation of upper body keys when footstep duration is changed in Track View. NOTE Leg and foot keys for frames in which the foot is in contact with the ground are always automatically adapted. Figure Mode Select the Biped > Motion Panel > Biped rollout > Figure mode While Figure mode is active, you can change biped structure and fit that structure to a character mesh. It can be used for a variety of other procedures as well.
■ Figure mode is used for biped adjustment after a mesh is attached to correct biped joint location. After using Physique to attach a mesh character to the biped, you may want to reposition a biped limb relative to the mesh. For example, if the biped shoulder joint is too far out relative to the mesh shoulder, then the Physique modifier must be inactivated, the biped limbs adjusted, and then a Reinitialize in Physique must be performed before reactivating the Physique modifier.
You can move a biped’s head in Figure mode. Notes on Fitting the Biped to a Mesh in Figure Mode These are quick notes designed to give you a general sense of the issues involved when a biped is fitted to a mesh. ■ Use the Structure rollout to set the number of toes and fingers; specify the number of links per finger and toe. One toe with one toe link is often sufficient if your character wears shoes, or if animating individual toes will not be necessary.
■ Put the lowest biped spine object at the character’s belt-line. ■ Scale the biped fingers to slightly protrude from the character’s hand. ■ Rubber Band mode and scale are used to size the biped limbs to fit the biped to a mesh. ■ Use the options from the Twist Links group on page 4430 to transfer twisting animation in the biped's associated mesh. ■ Use Props to represent weapons or tools attached to your character.
Structure Rollout Select the biped. > Motion panel > Biped rollout > Turn on Figure mode > Structure rollout Turn Figure mode on to enable parameters on the Structure rollout. The Structure rollout provides parameters for changing the biped’s skeletal structure to match your character mesh (dinosaur, robot, human, and so on). You can also add up to three props to your biped, to represent tools or weapons.
TIP To get a better view of your twist links, you can select the forearms and turn on See-Through in the Display Properties rollout on page 183 on the Display panel (or press Alt+X). See-Through turned on for the right forearm only. 5 Add a Skin modifier on page 1672 to the mesh. 6 Unfreeze all the biped twist bones. 7 On the Skin Parameters rollout of the Motion panel, add all the biped bones to the skin except the forearms. 8 Select and freeze the twist bones again.
Interface Body Type group The Body Type group lets you select the biped's body type: ■ Skeleton The skeleton body type provides a realistic skeleton which fits naturally into mesh skins. ■ Male The male body type provides a silhouette mold based on basic male proportions. ■ Female The female body type provides a silhouette mold based on basic female proportions.
■ Classic The classic body type is the same as the biped object from older versions of character studio. Arms Sets whether arms will be generated for the current biped. Neck Links Sets the number of links in the biped neck. Default=1. Range=1 to 25. Spine Links Sets the number of links in the biped spine. Default=4. Range=1 to 10. Leg Links Sets the number of links in the biped legs. Default=3. Range=3 to 4.
the prop’s transform controller for use in Mixer, Motion Flow, and Layer editing. Ankle Attach Specifies the ankles’ point of attachment along the corresponding foot block. The ankles can be placed anywhere along the centerline of the foot block, from the heel to the toe. Ankle Attach=0.25 and Ankle Attach=0.5 A value of 0 places the ankle attachment point at the heel. A value of 1 places the ankle attachment point at the toes. Click the spinner up arrow to move the ankle attach point toward the toes.
Triangle Pelvis creates two links that extend from the legs to the lowest biped spine object. A link from the biped pelvis to the lowest spine object is also created. This provides natural deformation to this area after Physique is applied and the character is moving. If you are working on a new character, turn this on before applying Physique. If Bones is turned on in the Display rollout, links from the legs to the lower spine object are visible.
Right: Triangle Neck. The top segment of the spine (Spine3) is the parent of each clavicle. ForeFeet When on, the biped hands and fingers behave as feet and toes: when you set Planted keys for a hand, rotating the hand does not affect the position of the fingers. Default=off. This option turns the biped into a quadruped. You can think of the name of this option as also meaning “Four Feet.” As with feet, the planted behavior applies only to IK periods of biped animation.
NOTE If a limb has twist links, they control skin deformation while the base link (the biped's forearm, for example) drives the animation. Twist links cannot be animated. Twists Enables twist links for biped limbs. When enabled, twist links become visible but remain frozen. You can unfreeze them using Unfreeze By Name or Unfreeze By Hit on the Freeze rollout on page 181. Upper Arm Sets the number of twist links in the upper arms. Default=0. Range=0 to 10.
Xtras group The Xtras group lets you add extra tails to the biped. Extra tails are like ponytails: they don’t use inverse kinematics, and you must animate them with forward kinematics such as rotation keys. On the other hand, extra tails don’t have to be attached to the head. Animation for extra tails is saved in MAX and BIP files. Create Xtra Click to create a new Xtra tail. By default, the parent of the tail is the biped’s root Center Of Mass (COM) object.
Create Opposite Xtra Click to create another Xtra tail on the opposite side of the biped. First you must use the list to select the original Xtra tail’s name, and the original must not already have an opposite tail. Synch Selection When on, any Xtra tail selected in the list is selected in viewports, and vice versa. Select Symmetrical When on, selecting one tail selects the tail’s opposite as well. Xtra name field Displays the name of the new Xtra tail.
When Footstep mode is active, you can create or edit footsteps to generate a walk, run, and jump footstep pattern. You also edit selected footsteps in space and append footsteps using parameters available in Footstep mode. If footsteps are extracted during motion capture import, turn on Footstep mode to edit footsteps in the viewports. A powerful feature in Biped is the ability to adapt keyframes when footsteps are edited in space or time.
TIP All footsteps created here are inactive; you activate them using Create Keys for Multiple Footsteps on the Footstep Operations rollout on page 4438. The timing parameters at the bottom of the rollout work with Create Footsteps (append) and Create Footsteps (at current frame) to change timing for newly created footsteps. These change depending on whether you select Walk, Run, or Jump mode. Procedures To create multiple footsteps: 1 On the Biped rollout, click Footstep Mode.
To append footsteps onto the existing footsteps: 1 On the Footstep Creation rollout, click Create Footsteps (append). 2 Click in a viewport to create a footstep. Continue clicking to create more footsteps By default, footsteps alternate from foot to foot. The first click creates a right footstep, the next click creates a left footstep, and so on. Look at the prompt line and the cursor to see which type of footstep will be created next. Interface Create Footsteps (append) Turn on Create Footstep mode.
Create Multiple Footsteps Dialog: Walk on page 4441 Create Multiple Footsteps Dialog: Run on page 4447 Create Multiple Footsteps Dialog: Jump on page 4451 Walk: Sets the biped gait to Walk. Any footsteps you add will have walk characteristics until you change to another mode (run or jump). Each new footstep will start before the end of the previous footstep on the opposite side. Run Sets the biped gait to Run.
Footstep Operations Rollout Select the Biped > Motion Panel > Biped rollout > Footstep Mode > Footstep Operations rollout Once footsteps are created on the Footstep Creation rollout, use parameters on the Footstep Operations rollout to activate and deactivate footsteps, and to adjust the footstep path. Interface Create Keys for Inactive Footsteps Activates all inactive footsteps. Activation creates default keys for any footsteps that do not have them.
Deactivate Footsteps Removes the body keys assigned to the selected footsteps, making those footsteps inactive. The footsteps themselves remain in the scene. Delete Footsteps Deletes the selected footsteps. Copy Footsteps Copies the selected footsteps and biped keys to the footstep buffer. Biped will only copy a continuous sequence of footsteps (2,3,4,5...). You can't copy discontinuous footsteps (3,4,7,8...). If any footsteps exist that have not been activated, the Copy button is grayed.
WARNING If any footstep in the buffer overlaps in time with a footstep previous to the one onto which you are pasting, a message appears and the paste is not performed. This can occur if the first footstep you are pasting and the original footstep you are pasting onto both have double support periods during the same duration of the footstep. The second pasted footstep and the footstep prior to the one you are pasting onto may overlap in time.
Length When Length is selected, the Scale spinner changes the stride length of the selected footsteps. Length and Width may both be active at the same time. Length=1 and Length=2 Width When Width is selected, Scale changes the stride width of the selected footsteps. Length and Width may both be active at the same time. Width=1 and Width=2 Create Multiple Footsteps Dialog:Walk Select the Biped.
This dialog displays when you select the Walk gait on the Motion panel's Footstep Creation rollout, then click Create Multiple Footsteps. NOTE The Create Multiple Footsteps dialog appears differently depending on the gait chosen. For other gaits, see Create Multiple Footsteps Dialog: Run on page 4447 and Create Multiple Footsteps Dialog: Jump on page 4451. Procedures To make the biped walk up or down stairs: ■ In the First Step group, set Actual Stride Height to a value other than 0.
Interface Start Left Starts the footstep sequence with a left step. Start Right Starts the footstep sequence with a right step. Alternate Footsteps will alternate between right and left. Alternate is always selected when the Walk gait is selected. You can only clear Alternate when Run or Jump gaits are selected. Number of Footsteps Determines the number of new footsteps to be created. Parametric Stride Width Sets the stride width as a percentage of the pelvis width. A value of 1.
Stride Width=1 and Stride Width=3 Actual Stride Width Sets the stride width in modeling units. Changes to this setting automatically change the Parametric Stride Width. Total Distance Displays the total distance the footsteps will travel with the current settings. This value cannot be changed directly. OK Creates footsteps with the current settings. Cancel Cancels footstep creation. Default Resets the values on the dialog to default values. Timing group Auto Timing Sets timing parameters automatically.
By interpolating between the two, Biped produces a footstep series that changes over time. When Interpolate is cleared, the Last Step parameters are grayed out. Biped creates all the footsteps using only the parameters under First Step. Start After Last Footstep Appends the newly created footsteps to the end of the existing footstep sequence.
Adjusting Actual Stride Length automatically changes the value for Parametric Stride Length. Actual Stride Height Sets the rise or fall between footsteps. You can use this parameter to create a set of footsteps going up or down a slope or a stairway. The value for Actual Stride Height is the difference in height in units between each of the new footsteps. Positive values step up and negative values step down.
Footsteps 3 through 5 are on the ground for 22 frames each Double Support Specifies the number of frames both feet will be on the ground at the same time during a walk. The higher the number, the longer the period during which both feet remain in contact with the ground during each walk cycle and, consequently, the slower the speed of the walking motion.
Alternate Turn on to alternate between right and left footsteps. When this box is cleared, all of the footsteps will be either right or left, producing the effect of a hopping run on one foot. Number of Footsteps Determines the number of new footsteps to be created. Parametric Stride Width Sets the stride width as a percentage of the pelvis width. A value of 1.0 produces a stride width equal to the pelvis width. A value of 3.0 produces a wide, waddling stride.
Interpolate Control acceleration or deceleration of the series of footsteps. When this box is selected, a second set of step parameters under Last Step is enabled. Biped creates the footsteps starting with the values of the parameters under First Step and ending with the values of the parameters under Last Step. By interpolating between the two, Biped produces a footstep series that changes over time. When Interpolate is cleared, the Last Step parameters are grayed out.
Actual Stride Length Sets the stride length for the new footsteps in 3ds Max units. The same rules apply as for Parametric Stride Length (described above). Adjusting Actual Stride Length automatically changes the value for Parametric Stride Length. Stride Height=5 units Actual Stride Height Sets the rise or fall between footsteps. You can use this parameter to create a set of footsteps going up or down a slope or a stairway.
Footsteps 2 and 3 are on the ground for 5 frames each Airborne Specifies the number of frames the body will be in the air between footsteps. The higher the number, the longer the biped hangs in the air for each step and, consequently, the slower the speed of the running motion. Create Multiple Footsteps Dialog: Jump Select the biped.
Stride Width=1 and Stride Width=3 Actual Stride Width Sets the stride width in modeling units. Changes to this setting automatically change the Parametric Stride Width. Timing Auto Timing Sets timing parameters automatically. Auto Timing affects the following timing parameters for the Jump gait: ■ 2 Feet Down, Airborne When Auto Timing is selected, these parameters are automatically adjusted to reasonable values.
Start at Current Frame Inserts the newly created footsteps at the current frame after the existing footstep sequence, allowing you to make a gap in time before the footsteps start again. First Step and Last Step Parametric Stride Length Sets the stride length for the new footsteps as a percentage of the length of the biped’s leg. The default value of 0.75 gives an average stride of normal proportions. A value of 1.
The value for Actual Stride Height is the difference in height in units between each of the new footsteps. Positive values step up and negative values step down. Stride Height=5 units Time to Next Footstep Specifies the number of frames in each foot movement cycle. A cycle starts with the frame a particular foot touches the ground, continues as the foot lifts, moves, and ends with the frame before the foot touches the ground again. This parameter is only enabled if Auto Timing is on.
Airborne Specifies the number of frames the body will be in the air during the jump. The higher the number, the longer the biped hangs in the air for each jump and, consequently, the slower the speed of the jumping motion. The dotted line surrounds the airborne period (13 frames) Convert to Freeform or Footsteps Dialogs Select the Biped.
■ Use Convert if you are working on a footstep animation and want to switch to a freeform animation. ■ Use Convert if you have started a freeform animation and want to covert to a footstep animation. In order to convert a freeform animation to a footstep animation, the file must be properly set up by locking the feet to world space using IK Blend before converting to footsteps. When creating freeform animations, you should set your leg keys to IK Blend=1.
Convert to Footsteps dialog Generate a key per frame Creates a key at every frame, and extracts footsteps based on foot IK Blend values equal to 1. Save Segment in Motion Flow mode stores the active script as a BIP file without footsteps. The biped foot keys are assigned IK Blend values of 1 for the original footstep keys. After loading a BIP file saved using Save Segment in Motion Flow mode, use Convert (on the Biped rollout) to extract footsteps.
Interface Edit Footsteps In this mode (which is the default), you can edit the biped’s footsteps to change their duration; start and end frames; airborne duration; and so on. Edit Free Form (no physics) In this mode, you can edit the biped’s body keys for the frames at which the biped is airborne. Free Form suspends the physically based dynamics that normally control biped motion. This is essential when you want to make the biped fly, or sit down, or fall over.
The freeform area appears as a yellow block between the footsteps. Footstep Number Display group The footstep blocks can have any one of four time settings displayed for them. You can only show one of these at a time. The footstep step number is always displayed on the footstep blocks (in boldface). Start and End Frame Displays the start and end frames of the footstep (from Touch to Lift). Biped displays just the start frame if the footstep block is too small to show both.
Both footsteps 0 and 1 are in contact with the ground for 20 frames. Double Support Displays the number of overlapping frames in which both feet are in contact with the ground. You can also turn on the following two numbers for the intervals between the footsteps. You can display both numbers at the same time by selecting both boxes. Footsteps 0 and 1 share a double-support period of 20 frames.
The foot air duration for the left footstep track between frames 3 and 5 is 31 frames. Footstep Edge Selection group Select Start of Footstep Selects the leftmost key for the current footstep selection. Select Entire Footstep Selects the entire footstep. Select End of Footstep Selects rightmost key for the current footstep selection.
the start and end frames of the footstep. The numbers between the colored boxes represent foot-air duration. Biped and Track View The Dope Sheet can be used to create and adjust biped keyframes, edit biped footsteps, and specify freeform periods. Biped keys display as dots on the tracks. Footsteps display as squares that can be moved in time. Biped dynamics and footsteps work together; if footsteps are moved in time, Biped adapts leg keys and vertical positions to account for the editing.
Right-click a key in Track View to display the TCB dialog. Separate Tracks By default, Biped stores all of the toe, foot, and calf keys in the thigh track. The finger, hand, forearms, and upper-arm keys are stored in the clavicle track. All the spine keys are stored in the spine 01 track. Although you can see all of these objects in the Track View hierarchy, they have no transform track, unless you enable them in the Separate Tracks group of the Keyframing Tools rollout on page 4380.
airborne body position relative to gravity, and leg bend on landing and balance. Biped Dynamics is the reason you do not need a vertical center of mass key at the top of a jumping motion or at the bottom of dip when the biped lands from an airborne period. Click and drag the middle of a footstep to move it in time. Click and drag one edge of a footstep to stretch the footstep in time.
NOTE Changing the duration of footsteps or moving them relative to one another may change the “support relationships” of the footsteps. Whenever the support relationships change, Biped generates new keys and deletes any existing leg keys in the airborne period between the edited footsteps. Because of Biped Dynamics, no keys are necessary for the highest part of this jumping motion or for the dip when the biped lands; character studio calculates the trajectory of the Body.
Here, the center of mass is moved in the Z plane. Now the biped heel never hits the ground; the biped appears to do a jump using just its toes. Here, character studio understands that you want to override the calculated trajectory and position the keyframe yourself. Moving Keys You can use the time slider to move one Biped key past another. The result is as if the original key were deleted from its original frame and copied to the new frame.
in a freeform animation. A completely freeform animation contains no footsteps. To start an entirely freeform animation, simply create a biped and begin keyframing. NOTE Once you initiate a freeform animation, you cannot add footsteps to it in Footstep mode. You can, however, convert your freeform animation to a footstep animation using Convert on the Biped rollout. You will often want a freeform period in a footstep sequence; for a walk then fall type of motion for example.
Color-coded biped keys in Track View and on the track bar Visualizing Pivot Trajectories and Keys To view trajectories for Biped parts in the viewports, go to the Motion panel and on the Biped rollout > Modes And Display sub-rollout, or on the Key Info rollout, turn on Trajectories.
Because pivots are located in all extremes of the hands and feet, their trajectories discontinuous when both FK and IK periods are employed. The following figure shows a simple example of this. During the planted IK periods, the pivot trajectories show just the keys on the heel and toe (because the keys are planted, each pivot stays in place), and during the FK periods the trajectories are derived from the foot’s node pivot location.
Hand trajectory Following is a chart showing the result of going from one key type to another. the last three rows of the chart show transitions between object and body space that produce pure FK. In the past, it was hard to know what type of trajectory these combinations produced. The new trajectory colors clarify the result. In the chart, the letters have the following meanings: ■ O: object space ■ B: body space ■ IK: a key where IK Blend > 0. It is always accompanied by the space: O or B.
OIK -> OIK OIK Pivot Yellow BIK -> BIK BIK Node Blue FK -> FK FK Node Purple BIK -> BFK BIK/BFK blend Node Blue -> Purple OIK -> OFK OIK/OFK blend Node Yellow -> Purple OIK -> BIK FK Node Purple OIK -> BFK FK Node Purple BIK -> OFK FK Node Purple NOTE When separate tracks exist for either a limb or its digits, the FK trajectory of the bone base is always drawn, regardless of whether the trajectory display is set to Bone Base or Bone Tip on the Display Preferences dialog on pa
■ Customize User Interface Dialog on page 7697 Action Shortcut Description Activate Layer (Toggle) Bend Links Mode Body Horizontal Selects the center of mass to edit horizontal biped motion Body Rotation Selects the center of mass to edit biped rotational motion Body Vertical Selects the center of mass to edit vertical biped motion Buffer Mode Change Leg State Alt+Ctrl+S Clear All Animation Clear Selected Tracks Collapse Layer Collapse Move All Mode Changes Alt+M 4472 | Chapter 17 character s
Action Shortcut Description Copy Posture Alt+C Copies the posture of the selected biped objects to the clipboard. Alt+Ctrl+F Searches for any problem in the motion and prompts you whether or not to fix problems it encounters. Problems it looks for include overlapping keys, keys past the end of the footstep range, keys at negative frames, or illegal footstep timing. Click OK when prompted to fix these problems automatically.
Action Shortcut Description Alt+Ctrl+L Toggles locked keys (red) on and off for the selected leg or vertical track key at the current frame. In Track View, you can watch the key turn from red to gray, and back again, as you lock and unlock it. Paste Posture Alt+V Pastes the posture from the clipboard onto the currently selected biped. Paste Posture Opposite Alt+B Pastes Posture Opposite for the currently selected biped. In Place Mode In Place X Mode In Place Y Mode Load .
Action Shortcut Description Play Biped V Toggles Biped playback. Previous Layer Reset all limb keys Alt+K Rubber Band Mode Save .bip File Scale In Transform (toggle) Alt+Ctrl+E This toggle strips the scale from the biped. Developers should use this when exporting biped objects as regular 3ds Max links through the 3ds Max SDK. Animators should not use this shortcut. 0 Sets a biped key. Alt+R Resets the total animation length to the length of the current biped footstep range.
Action Shortcut Description Set Sliding Key Smooth Twist Mode Toggle Biped Keys in Track Bar Alt+T Track View Select end of footstep Alt+D Selects all right edges of the selected footsteps in Track View. Track View Select entire footstep Alt+S Selects both edges of the selected footsteps in Track View. Track View Select start of footstep Alt+A Selects all left edges of the selected footsteps in Track View.
Workbench Workflow Here are the overall steps you would follow to use the Workbench to analyze and fix a biped for problems 1 Create your animation and play it. Visually note anything that jumps out at you as being wrong or incorrect. 2 With the biped selected in the viewport, open the Workbench by clicking the Workbench button in the Biped Apps rollout on the Motion panel. 3 Select the biped body part that seems to have the problem. You can select it in the viewport, or from the list in the Select panel.
If the results aren't satisfactory, try changing the parameters and fixing again. Repeat the process until you find the combination of parameters that correct the movement. Or try a different fixer or filter (these are described later in this topic). Animation Workbench Tools The Animation Workbench provides three types of tools to use with biped animation: analyzers, fixers, and filters. Analyzers These are used to find out-of-the ordinary properties in your animation.
Navigating the Workbench The Animation Workbench, a customized version of Track View, uses some of the standard Track View controls, and adds new ones of its own. The areas of the Workbench interface include: ■ The Tab panels: Select, Analyze, Fix, and Filter ■ The Curve view, with Track View toolbars for key selection, manipulation, and view navigation. ■ The Workbench toolbar, with tools for choosing Coordinate space, display of sub-animations, and tools to hide the Tab area and controller list.
Click the Controllers button in the Workbench toolbar to display the embedded curve editor's Controller window. The biped body tracks shown are in the list are the ones that are selected in the Select panel on page 4489, in addition to any scene objects that are attached to those body parts or are used as IK objects for those body parts. The controller list is similar to the one in the curve editor.
TIP This works best if you change your layout so there is at least one horizontal viewport. NOTE Unlike the 3ds Max Track View – Dope Sheet and Curve Editor, the Workbench cannot be docked below the viewport trackbar. Show Layered Edit You can affect a layered range of keys by turning on Show Layered Edit. This is a special Workbench mode that extends the edit to affect keys surrounding the one you are editing. It works like soft selection in 3ds Max but gives you greater control over the displacement.
page 4489 to select biped parts by name. The functionality of the Select panel is derived from the Selection Floater on page 231; you can invert the selection set or enter a name into the Selection field to find a track. You can also use the controller window as a selection mechanism. With the Controllers list visible you can click on track entries there to work on the curves. NOTE Sometimes a curve will not appear in the display at first.
Results of the Analyze operation can be loaded or saved as a file using the Load or Save buttons at the bottom of the interface. Results of the last analysis can be cleared using the Clear button, also found at the bottom of the panel. Fixing Curves After you have selected curves and analyzed them for error, you can use the tools found on the Fix panel to process the curves and reduce the errors. The fixes are determined by which type of fixer you choose, and the parameters you set for that fixer.
In addition to the standard Track View features, the workbench has tools to help you select curves, analyze them for errors, and automatically fix those errors based on various settings. This is especially useful when working with motion-capture data, or other animation that has many keys. Of course, you can also display and manipulate function curves for bipeds in the standard 3ds Max Track View and expanded track bar, as well.
Only one curve is displayed because the upper spine rotates in local space by default. 5 Select the biped's head. Notice how there are no curves in the workbench because the head doesn't inherit the spine link's rotation and doesn't have an internal rotation of its own. Interface 1. Tab panels (Select, Analyze, Fix, and Filter). 2. Display Tab panels 3. Display Controllers list 4. Workbench toolbar 5. Curve View 6. Curve View toolbars (same as Track View toolbars).
Animation Workbench Tab Panel The Animation Workbench Tab panel consists of four panels: ■ Select panel Provides tools to select curves for biped body parts. For more information on the Select panel user interface, see Select Panel on page 4489. ■ Analyze panel Evaluates the curves for error conditions. For more information on the Analyze panel user interface, see Analyze Panel on page 4492. ■ Fix panel Provides a variety of methods to be applied to the errors located by the analysis.
Animation Workbench Toolbar The Workbench toolbar extends the toolset found in the 3ds Max Track View. The Workbench toolbar includes: ■ Tab Hides or displays the Workbench Tab panel, which contains the tools for automated error analysis and correction fixers and filters. ■ Controllers Hides or displays a controller-window hierarchy list. This is the same list you see in standard Track View with the same right-click menus used to assign controllers.
The X, Y, and Z buttons Choose which curves of the selected object are displayed in the Workbench. NOTE Toggling X, Y, or Z also toggles the corresponding Biped toolbar button of the Curve Editor on page 3572. The 180 limit Sets the Quat Curve to display as “clamped” between 180 and –180 degrees, instead of accumulated. Default=off. Draw While Moving Sets the Workbench to update the curves as you move keys.
Biped Key Manipulation Interactive key manipulation behaves in the Workbench much as it does in Track View. The difference is that you can't move keys beyond other keys. This has always been a restriction of biped animation. Select Panel Select a biped body part. > Motion panel > Biped Apps > Workbench > Select panel The Select panel of the Animation Workbench provides tools for selecting bipeds or biped components.
3 On the Workbench toolbar, turn on Controllers. In the hierarchy list, highlight the body part track whose curve you want to see. To hide or unhide the Tab panel: 1 Click the Tab button on the Workbench toolbar. The Tab panel disappears from view. 2 Click the Tab button again. The Tab panel returns to view.
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Selection field Enter the name of the biped part you want to locate. That name (if found) will be highlighted in the Selection list. This is useful when you can't find an entry by scanning the list. You can use the question mark and asterisk characters as wildcards, in order to select multiple objects at once. Selection list The Selection list displays all the body parts of all the bipeds in the scene. You can use the Shift, Ctrl, and Alt keys to build selection sets, as in the rest of 3ds Max.
Brown lines on the curve show the errors. See also: ■ Fix Panel on page 4498 Procedures To analyze a curve: 1 On the Select panel, choose the biped object whose curve you want to correct. You can select the object from the Select list, in a viewport, or from the Controllers hierarchy. 2 Click the Analyze tab, then on the Analyze panel, choose the analyzer you want to use from the drop-down list. By default, there are two choices: Noise Detector and Spike Detector.
3 If you chose Noise Detector, choose the appropriate Property from the Property drop-down list. 4 Click Analyze. Any errors found are displayed in the error result list at the bottom of the panel. The errors also appear in Curve View as brown lines. 5 If no errors are found, try lowering the standard deviation value or make sure you have used the appropriate property when using the noise detector.
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Parts to Analyze These options choose which parts to analyze: ■ Display Curve Part analyzed. When this is turned on, the curve displayed is ■ Selected Parts When this is turned on, the parts selected in the list or viewport are analyzed. Use this when you want to analyze an entire biped without displaying all of the curves in Curve View. Time to Analyze Sets the range to be analyzed. You can choose either: ■ Entire Animation Analyzes the entire animation.
■ Knee Wobble Finds knees that wobble or shake when a foot is planted. Uses Frame and Fluctuation parameters to determine what is a wobble error. ■ Knee Extension Finds knees that overextend when a foot is planted. Uses a Knee Angle parameter to determine extension errors. Property drop-down list Lets you choose the criterion that the Noise detector uses to evaluate the curves errors.
Save Analysis Saves the results of the latest analysis. Fix Panel Select a biped body part. > Motion panel > Biped Apps > Workbench > Fix panel The Fix panel provides access to the tools that can be used to automatically fix the errors found by the Analyze panel on page 4492. There are a variety of methods available to automatically correct errors found in the curves. Smoothing, blurring, and removing keys are all options.
6 If the error is still visible, try changing the parameters for the fixer, or choosing a different fixer. The Rot and Pos fixers attempt to solve the problem by changing the values of the keys; if they don't give good results, it might be more useful to use the Remove Keys fixer. To fix multiple errors: 1 Highlight all the errors in the Analyze Results list. You can use the Ctrl and Shift keys to add to your selection. 2 Choose the Fixer type you want to use to automatically correct the problem.
Interface Analyze Results error list Displays all the errors the analyzer found for the selected body parts. The name of the Biped object is preceded by the frame number of the error.
frame in the Curve View. Clicking it twice moves the current frame to match the error frame number: the viewports display that frame as well. Sort by: Lets you change the display of the error analysis results. ■ Part: Displays all the errors for each part listed together. ■ Time Displays all the errors sequentially, by frame. Fixers Determines the method used to attempt to correct the errors found by the analyzer. In general, try to match the fixer to the analyzer property.
Fixer parameters Individual fixers display different parameters. These include: ■ Width Determines how much of the curve is affected around the keyframe. All the Fixers except for Remove Keys display this parameter. ■ Damping Determines how the fix is blended into the existing curve. Changes how effective the fixer should be. A higher value, the more dramatic the change. A damping value of 1.0 is normal behavior All the Fixers except for Remove Keys display this parameter.
Filters Panel Select a biped part. > Motion panel > Biped Apps > Workbench > Filters panel Filters are simply operations that can be performed to different biped body parts. They are similar to fixers, but they operate over an interval of time rather than the results of the last analysis. Thus you can use a filter without analyzing. Certain filters share parameter types and functionality as fixers, though the values are not shared and are distinct for each filter.
Interface 4504 | Chapter 17 character studio
Parts to Filter Sets the filter to act on either the display object or the entire selection of objects. ■ Display Curve Part Sets the filter to act on the displayed object curves. ■ Selected Parts Sets the filter to act on the active selection. Especially useful when working on the whole biped. Time to Filter Sets the range to be filtered to either the entire biped animation, the active time segment, or a custom range of frames.
(There is no comparable “advanced position” fixer or filter.) ■ Boosting Boosting filters are the opposite of blurring filters. They increase, rather than decrease, changes in the track. Boosting filters are helpful if you want to make a track have more exaggeration or a little more jerkiness. See Blurring, Smoothing, and Boosting parameters on page 4506. ■ Sub Anims The Sub Anims filter manages sub-animation of biped objects.
Sub Anim parameters Enable Turns Position, Rotation, and Scale subanims on and off for the selected biped parts. Collapse Adds the subanim animation of the selected biped part to that part’s Transform controller. NOTE When you choose the Sub Anims filter, the Filter button at the bottom of the panel disappears. That's because the operations of this filter are immediate. Don’t Delete Maintains the subanim in the list as it’s collapsed onto the biped.
Tolerance Sets the maximum angular or positional deviation for a track (other than a COM track). Default=3.0. Values are in units of translation for position tracks, and in degrees for rotation tracks. Key Spacing Sets the minimum number of frames between keys (other than COM keys). Tolerance is computed first, then Minimum Key Spacing computes further key reduction.
used to associate the network of clips with the biped. To animate one biped, you create a single motion flow script that uses a list of clips to animate the biped. To animate multiple bipeds or a crowd of bipeds, you can either use the random method of clip selection or a delegate–driven approach. The random method simply picks clips at random and creates random scripts for each biped.
Motion Flow Graph The first step in Motion Flow mode is to add clips in the Motion Flow Graph for use in scripts. Clips represent all or part of a BIP file. Transitions represent different paths through the clips in the Motion Flow Graph. A transition looping back to the same clip represents a cycle or loop. If a biped is using a shared motion flow, then the title of the graph dialog says "Shared Motion Flow Graph", followed by the name of the shared motion flow.
3 4 5 Click Motion Flow Mode on the Biped rollout. On the Motion Flow rollout, click the Show Graph button to open the Motion Flow Graph. On the Motion Flow Graph toolbar, click Create Clip 6 Click a few times inside the Motion Flow Graph dialog. Clip icons will appear in the Motion Flow Graph on page 4549 that are named clip1, clip2 and so on. 7 On the Motion Flow Graph toolbar, click Select Clip/Transition. 8 Right-click over a clip in the window. A clip dialog is displayed.
11 Click Select Clip/Transition again and load BIP files for the other clips you created. To create multiple clips in the Motion Flow Graph: 1 2 On the Motion Flow rollout, click the Show Graph button to open the Motion Flow Graph. On the Motion Flow Graph toolbar, click Create Multiple Clips. The Open dialog appears. Use it to choose the location of your BIP files. 3 While holding down the Ctrl key, choose multiple clips in the Open dialog.
NOTE The number of clips you can load depends on the amount of memory you have in your system. Creating Transitions Select a biped. > Motion panel > Biped rollout > Motion Flow Mode > Motion Flow rollout > Motion Flow Graph Transitions, shown as arrows, link motion files (clips) together to create longer character animation and crowd simulations. Transitions can be created manually with the Transition Editor on page 4558 or automatically by the software.
Transitions can also be optimized for better flow. To create optimized transitions, use the Optimize Selected Transition on the Motion Flow Graph toolbar or Optimize Transition in the Transition Editor. By default, minimum motion loss is used to compute transitions. Optimized transitions use an algorithm that minimizes foot sliding. Optimized transitions take longer to compute but yield very fluid results.
Once processed, multiple clips appear in Motion Flow Graph on page 4549. 4 Turn on either Create Transition From -> To or Create Transition To <- From on the Motion Flow Graph toolbar and then drag from one clip to another clip. The top set of clips are linked using Create Transition From->To. The bottom set of clips are linked using Create Transition To<-From. To create transitions using Create All Transitions: 1 2 On the Motion Flow rollout, click the Show Graph button to open the Motion Flow Graph.
5 To create transitions between all the clips, turn on Create All Transitions on the Motion Flow Graph toolbar. 6 At the Biped dialog, click Yes to create transitions from each selected clip to itself. Possible transitions from one clip to the next are automatically generated. To optimize transitions in the Motion Flow Graph: 1 After adding several clips and transitions, click Select Clip/Transition and select one or more transitions.
Selected transitions display in white 2 On the Motion Flow toolbar, click Optimize Selected Transitions . The Transition Optimization dialog is displayed. 3 Click OK. A processing bar scrolls across the top of the Motion Flow Graph on page 4549.
Creating a Motion Flow Script Select a biped. > Motion panel > Biped rollout > Motion Flow Mode A script is a list of clips (BIP files) that control the character you are animating. To create a script, add clips to the Motion Flow Graph on page 4549, then click Define Script in the Scripts section of the Motion Flow rollout on page 4548, and click a sequence of clips in the Motion Flow Graph. Default transitions are assigned if no transitions exist between the clips.
Once a script is put together, you have additional controls that let you adjust the starting frame, the starting X, Y, or Z locations and the starting rotation of the animation. Procedures To create a Motion Flow script: 1 Create a motion flow graph with three or more motion files. For information on how to set up the graph, see To create multiple clips in the Motion Flow Graph on page ?.
NOTE Transitions are automatically made in the Motion Flow Graph as you add clips to the script. 3 Give the script a new, descriptive name. Adding a descriptive name is less confusing if you ever append Motion Flow Editor files together. 4 Click the Play Animation button to see the biped move to the scripted clips. 5 Click Stop Animation. Change the Start Frame setting to 25 and move the frame slider. Now the biped will hold its start position until frame 25, then start moving.
NOTE Each Start setting affects the entire animation. You cannot select a single entry in the script and make a change to affect only that clip. Saving, Loading, and Appending Motion Flow Graphs Select a biped. > Motion Flow mode > Motion Flow rollout Scripts, transitions, and clip references are saved in a Motion Flow Editor MFE, file, for later editing. This format lets you save a Motion Flow and script from one biped and load it onto another biped.
For information on how to create a script, see To create Motion Flow Scripts on page ?. A sample script called Kicking Script containing four clips 3 Click the Save File button to save a Motion Flow Editor MFE file. The Save As dialog opens.
4 Specify a folder on your hard drive where you plan to store your Motion Flow Editor files. To load Motion Flow Editor files: 1 Select a biped. 2 3 4 Open the Motion panel. On the Biped rollout, click Motion Flow Mode. On the Motion Flow rollout, click Load File. The Open dialog opens.
5 Navigate to the folder where your MFE files are stored. 6 Choose the file to load. 7 Click the Play Animation button to see the biped move to the scripted clips. To append Motion Flow Editor files: 1 Select a biped. 2 3 4 Open the Motion panel. On the Biped rollout, click Motion Flow mode. On the Motion Flow rollout, click Load File. The Open dialog opens.
5 Select an MFE file from the folder where your Motion Flow Editor files are stored. 6 Click Append File. The Open dialog is displayed again. 7 Choose a different MFE file. A new script appears in the script drop–down list and the appended sequence of clips appears directly below the original sequence of clips in the Motion Flow Graph dialog, so you may have to scroll down to see it. Customizing Transitions Select a biped.
If you have defined a script, highlight a clip and click the Edit Transition button. ■ Transitions can be edited automatically by using the Optimize Transition features. When you create a script, default transitions are set between the clips. Default transitions use minimum motion loss and are quick to compute. However, the best quality transitions are the optimized transitions. Optimized transitions use a minimum foot sliding algorithm to compute the transition and yield very good results.
A transition duration of 10 to 25 frames is normal. 8 Click OK. 9 Click Play Animation or scrub the time slider to view the transition. To automatically customize transitions between two clips: On the Biped rollout, select a biped and turn on Motion Flow 1 mode . 2 Create or load a script with at least two clips. For information on how to create a script, see To create Motion Flow Scripts on page ? 3 Choose the first clip in the clip list in the Scripts section on the Motion Flow rollout.
7 Choose either Search Entire Clip or Search Near Existing Transition, and click OK. 8 Click OK on the Transition Editor dialog. 9 Click Play Animation or scrub the time slider to view the transition. Creating Random Motion You can randomly traverse clips in a motion flow graph to animate one or more bipeds using controls in the Create Random Motion dialog. You set parameters for random motion in the Motion Flow Graph, in the clip and transition dialogs, as well as in the Create Random Motion dialog.
NOTE If you want to create random motion for multiple bipeds, they must be sharing a motion flow. Details of Random Motions When choreographing a random motion for your biped, the default “weighting” for all clips and transitions is set to 100. This ensures that all clips and transitions have an equal chance of being randomly chosen. You can adjust the weighting of transitions in the Motion Flow Graph or Transition Editor to give transitions a higher probability of being selected.
2 On the Motion Flow rollout, click Show Graph. This displays the Motion Flow Graph. 3 On the Motion Flow rollout, click Load File The Open dialog is displayed. 4 Choose an MFE file from the folder where your Motion Flow Editor files are stored. The clips and transitions appear in the Motion Flow Graph. Each transition displays its “weighting” value, 100 by default. 5 Click Select Clip/Transition and right-click a transition that you want to adjust. The Transtion Editor dialog is displayed.
8 Select the clip you want used as the start clip. The clip turns purple and is assigned a weighting of 100. The selected clip will be used first by any biped using the random motion script. 9 In the Scripts section on the Motion Flow rollout, click Create Random Motion. 10 On the Create Random Motion dialog, set a value for Minimum Animation Length. This should be long enough to include the clips you want in the animation. 11 Click Create.
6 On the Motion Flow Graph toolbar, click Select Random Start Clips. All the transitions linking clips are weighted at 100, meaning all the transitions have a even chance of starting first. 7 Region select all the clips in the Motion Flow Graph. The clips all turn purple and are assigned a weighting of 100. All the clips have an even chance of starting first.
8 In the Scripts section on the Motion Flow rollout, click Create Random Motion. 9 On the Create Random Motion dialog set a value for Minimum Animation Length. This should be long enough to include the clips you want in the animation. 10 Click Create. A random script is created based on clips in the Motion Flow Graph. You can vary clip and transition percentages in the clip dialog or Transition Editor to favor a clip or transition if you like.
Flow Mode button is turned off. This is useful if you want to make changes to the biped like raising its arms or turning its head. Procedures Example: To create a unified motion: 1 Create a biped. 2 3 On the Biped rollout, turn on Motion Flow Mode. On the Motion Flow rollout, click Show Graph. This displays the Motion Flow Graph. 4 5 6 7 On the Motion Flow rollout, click Load File and choose 1flobees.mfe from the Open dialog. Click Create Unified Motion. On the Biped rollout, turn off Motion Flow mode.
8 Activate the Front viewport and turn on Auto Key. 9 At frame 0, select and rotate the biped's upper left arm about the Y axis.
10 Turn off Auto Key and click Play Animation. Sharing Motion Flow Shared Motion Flow on page 4567 allows you to assign one motion flow to multiple bipeds or crowds. Rather than building a motion flow network of clips for each biped, you can create a motion flow with all the clips and transitions to animate multiple bipeds. Random motion creation will use each biped's own motion flow.
There are a few indicators in the user interface that show if a biped is using a shared motion flow. If it is, a white circle surrounds the Shared Motion Flow button when you edit that biped. If you edit that biped's motion flow graph, the title of the graph dialog will say "Shared Motion Flow Graph", followed by the name of the shared motion flow. NOTE All bipeds in a shared motion flow should have the same leg scale and structure.
6 7 Click Select Clip/Transition and region select all the clips. On the Motion Flow Graph, click Synthesize Motion Flow Graph and click Yes when asked if you want to create transitions from each selected clip to itself.
8 On the Motion Flow Graph toolbar, click Select Random Start Clips. All the transitions linking clips are weighted at 100, meaning all the transitions have a even chance of being randomly used. 9 Region select all the clips in the Motion Flow Graph dialog. The clips all turn purple and are assigned a weighting of 100. All the clips have an even chance of starting first. 10 On the Motion Flow rollout, click Shared Motion Flow . The Shared Motion Flow dialog is displayed.
12 On the Shared Motion Flows dialog in the Parameters group, click Add. 13 On the Select dialog, choose all the bipeds. The bipeds are added to the list. If you add clips to the motion flow graph they will be shared by the bipeds. 14 Click OK to close the Shared Motion Flow dialog.
15 In the Scripts section of the Motion Flow rollout, click Create Random Motion. The Create Random Motion dialog is displayed. 16 On the Create Random Motion dialog, turn on Create Motion for all bipeds sharing this motion flow. Failure to do this will result in the motion flow being added only to the selected biped. 17 Click Create. A random script is created for each of the bipeds that shared the motion flow. 18 Click Play Animation or scrub the time slider to view the transition.
5 On the Shared Motion Flow dialog, click New, and then click Load and load the shared motion flow from step 2. The shared motion flow is loaded and applied to the new set of bipeds. The biped names appear in the dialog list. If “(wrong scale)” appears after any biped names, use the Reset Wrong Scales buttons to correct the scales. 6 Click the Put Multiple Bipeds In Motion Flow button to place all of the bipeds in the list in Motion Flow mode, and then click OK to exit the dialog.
■ Find and move the missing BIP file to the specified Motion Flow folder. NOTE When you find the BIP file, you can turn on the Add Directory To .INI File option and the directory is automatically added to your biped.ini file. Since the biped.ini file accepts multiple search paths, the new directory is added as another MoFloDir= line. 3ds Max will search the directories in the order they appear and will use the first instance of the file that it finds.
2 If any of the referenced BIP files are on your local drive, navigate to the folder where they reside and select the BIP file. 3 Turn on the Add Directory To .ini File option, and click Open. Turning on the Add Directory To .ini File option automatically adds another MoFlowDir= line to your biped.ini file. NOTE Turn on Add Directory to Search if you want to search for referenced BIP files during your current session, but do not want to add the directories to the biped.ini file.
Motion Flow Mode Select a biped. > Motion panel > Biped rollout > Motion Flow Mode The Transition Editor uses ghosts to represent the source (yellow) and destination (red) clips. Use these stick-figure ghosts to judge body position and set a likely start frame in both clips for the transition. In Motion Flow mode, you combine BIP files, using either velocity-interpolated transitions or optimized transitions that compute minimum foot sliding, to create longer character animations.
delegate's speed and direction. If the delegate slows to a stop, the software will find and use a clip that slows to a stop, if one exists. In all crowd simulations you must load clips and create transitions before synthesizing the crowd motion. Often, many clips are used to synthesize crowds. Automatic transitions relieve you of having to create transitions between clips manually.
destination clip that the transition starts; a value of 80, for example, starts the transition at frame 80 of the destination clip. In this example, the source clip plays from 0 to 60, there is a 10 frame transition from frame 60 of the source clip to frame 90 of the destination clip (frames 80 to 90 cover the destination clip transition period), then the rest of the destination clip plays.
■ Clip Properties Dialog on page 4572 Motion Flow Rollout Select a biped. > Motion panel > Biped rollout > Motion Flow Mode > Motion Flow rollout The Motion Flow rollout displays when Motion Flow mode is active on the Biped rollout. You can load, append, and save motion flow editor files (MFE), and open the Motion Flow Graph on page 4549 and Shared Motion Flow dialogs using controls on this rollout.
If you load an MFE file onto a biped using a shared motion flow, you will get a warning and the biped will be removed from the shared motion flow. The biped will get the newly loaded motion flow and all its scripts. Append File Append a Motion Flow Editor (MFE) file to the MFE that is already loaded. Displays a load file dialog. The appended graph will appear directly below the bottom of the existing graph in the graph window, so you may have to scroll down to see it.
the current script is red. Transitions are shown as arrows between clips, red arrows represent the path through the active script. Black transition arrows indicate unloaded scripts. A transition looping back to the same clip represents a cycle or loop. If the biped is using a shared motion flow, then the title of the graph window will say "*SHARED* Motion Flow Graph", followed by the name of the shared motion flow. Shared Motion Flows are used to control multiple bipeds with one shared motion flow.
Interface Create Clip Select and click in the dialog window to create clips. The clips are empty. Right-click a clip using the Select Clip tool to display the Clip Properties dialog on page 4572; then select a BIP file and set its duration in the Clip Properties dialog. You can also set the Random Start Probability here. Random Start Probability is used when multiple clips are selected as possible start clips when you generate a random motion flow.
of different sizes. If, for example, the character is jumping off a rock and you want to retain the Z position of the character, you would turn this option off. Leave this option off if Motion Flow motions must be blended that begin and end at different heights, such as three clips that have the character mounting a bicycle, riding the bicycle, and dismounting the bicycle. Turning off this option can, however, cause a jump in the motion during motion flow transitions.
Right-click a clip to display the Clip Properties dialog on page 4572. Right-click a transition to display the Transition Editor dialog on page 4558. Move Clip Moves clips within the Motion Flow Graph. This does not affect the animation. Pan Pans the layout of the clips. Zoom Adjusts the view magnification of the Motion Flow window. Drag up to increase magnification. Drag down to decrease magnification.
Show Random Percentages Displays clip and transition percentages in the Motion Flow Graph window. Random start clips display in purple and display their probability of starting a random script. This also shows the probability (0 - 100) that each transition will be chosen. Create Random Motion in the Scripts group uses clip and transition percentages to generate random scripts. Optimize Selected Transitions Select one or more transitions and then click Optimize Selected Transition to optimize them.
Scripts A Script is a list of clips (BIP files) that you constructed and are executed as you designed to animate a character. To create a script, add clips to the Motion Flow Graph, then select Define Script in the Scripts group and click a sequence of clips from the Motion Flow Graph window. Default transitions are assigned if no transitions exist between the clips. The clip names and starting frame numbers display in the list in the Scripts group.
For more information regarding scripts, refer to Creating a Motion Flow Script on page 4518. Interface Define Script Displays the Biped Motion Flow Script dialog (no dialog displays if there are no scripts; in this case, simply select clips in the Motion Flow Graph). The Biped Motion Flow Script dialog has the following options: ■ Create New Script Names a new script. Select clips in Motion Flow Graph to create the clip list for the new script.
■ Append to End of Script Appends a clip to the end of the clip list. Create Random Motion Displays the Create Random Motion on page 4565 dialog. Controls in the Create Random Motion dialog allow you to create random scripts to animate one or more bipeds. Random motion on multiple bipeds can be used to create a crowd scene. Delete Script Deletes the current script; displays the previous script if one is present. Create Unified Motion Converts a script into a Freeform unified motion.
Edit Transition Displays the Transition Editor on page 4558 for the selected clip. Edit the transition for the selected clip and the clip following it. By default, when a script is created, Minimum Motion Loss is used to find start frames for the source and destination clips. Use Edit Transition to select your own start frames or to try out optimized transitions.
and destination clips are matched during the period of transition producing a seamless result. By default, Minimum Motion Loss is used to find likely start frames in the source and destination clips when clips are appended to a script. Optimized transitions can be computed by using Optimize Transition in the upper right-hand corner of the Transition Editor dialog. Optimized transitions use a minimum foot sliding method to compute transitions.
is located for both clips, use Set Start Frame in the Ghost area to copy the Frame values to the Start Frame fields in the Source and Destination Clip areas. Scrubbing the time slider over the transition period enables you to view the biped's transition from the yellow stick figure (source) to the red stick figure (destination). Other Transition Editor Features Rolling and Fixed specify whether a clip is rolling (in motion) or fixed (single frame) during the transition.
Interface Probability Set a probability value for random transitions. This is used by Create Random Motion when a random script is generated. Length Sets the number of frames for the duration of the transition. Transitions are calculated by matching velocities in both clips. Smooth out abrupt velocity changes using longer transitions. Ease In Ease in value for the source clip. Ease Out Ease out value for the destination clip.
■ Left Foot The transition focus is based on the left foot position of the biped as it transitions from one clip to the next. ■ Right Foot The transition focus is based on the right foot position of the biped as it transitions from one clip to the next. ■ Both Feet The transition focus is based on an averaged foot position of both of the biped's feet as it transitions from one clip to the next.
Start Frame Set the transition start frame for the source and destination clips in their respective fields. Duration for the source and destination clips display above the Start Frame fields. Rolling Keep the clip in motion during the transition. Fixed Freeze the biped at the Start Frame position during the transition.
Set Start Frame Copy the value in the Frame field of the Ghost area to the Start Frame field in the Clip area. The position of the destination clip changes to match the biped body in the destination clip to the biped body in the source clip. Locate an appropriate start frame for the source and destination clips by using the Frame spinner and viewing the positions of both stick figures, then click Set Start Frame. The destination clip is rotated and positioned to match both bipeds.
NOTE Clicking OK saves the displayed transition. Create Transition is used only if you want to work on a new transition. Delete Transition Click to delete a transition. Previous Transition Go to the previous stored transition. This button is grayed if no previous transition exists. Next Transition Go to the next stored transition. This button is grayed if no next transition exists. OK Store transitions and exit the dialog. Create Random Motion Dialog Select a biped.
Interface Script Name Type a name for the script to be generated. Random Start Range Set the start and end frame range over which the new script(s) will start. Minimum Animation Length Set the minimum animation length. When a random motion is created, it is done by making a motion flow script which traverses the clips in the Motion Flow Graph, adding clips based on random calculations. It will add clips until the length of the script is greater than or equal to the minimum animation length, specified here.
Append to existing script Appends random motion to the existing script. Create unified motion Creates a unified motion. The generated motion will be available when you exit Motion Flow mode. If multiple bipeds are in the random calculation, then the motion is unified for each biped. Store as .bip file Stores the random motion as a BIP file. If multiple bipeds are in the random calculation, they are saved separately with incrementing numbers. File Name Type a name for the BIP file. The .
random motion on a biped that shares a motion flow, or create a motion flow script via the crowd system. A white circle around the Shared Motion Flow icon indicates that a biped is using a shared motion flow. If you edit that biped's motion flow graph, the title of the graph dialog will say "Shared Motion Flow Graph", followed by the name of the shared motion flow. Bipeds in a shared motion flow should have the same lower body scale and structure.
Interface Shared Motion Flows list Lists shared motion flows. New Creates a new shared motion flow. Delete Deletes the current shared motion flow. The scripts of the bipeds sharing the deleted motion flow will be deleted. Those bipeds will have an empty motion flow graph and no scripts. Load Loads a shared motion flow (SMF) file.
This file is created with the Save command (see following). The file contains the shared motion flow graph as well as the scripts for all bipeds sharing the motion flow. Save Saves a shared motion flow (SMF) file. The file contains the shared motion flow graph as well as the scripts for all bipeds sharing the motion flow. Use this facility to speed biped/crowd-simulation setup.
Take Multiple Bipeds out of Motion Flow Take the bipeds in the list out of Motion Flow mode. Set Shared Moflow Leg Scale Adapts the shared motion flow to the scale of the biped currently selected in the list. After this operation, the selected biped will have the correct leg scale, although other bipeds may not. Reset Wrong Scales Just Legs: Reset the leg scale only of the bipeds that have the wrong scale, so that they adapt appropriately to the shared motion flow.
Interface Preferred Transition Length Specify the length of the optimized transition. Search Entire Clip Search the entire clip for an optimized transition start frame. Search Near Existing Transition Create an optimized transition near the existing transition. You may search the range about the existing transitions by setting before and after frame values. Clip Properties Dialog Motion Flow Mode > Motion Flow Graph > Right-click a clip in the Motion Flow Graph window.
Interface Clip Name The clip name as it appears in the Motion Flow Graph. File Name The path and file name of the motion clip. Length The length of the clip in frames. Browse Displays a load file dialog. Browse for a motion file. Set lowest starting foot height to Z=0 (.bip files only) Sets the lowest starting foot height to Z=0. This is an option in the Load File dialog. Default=On. In character studio the height of a motion clip can be retained.
Random Start Probability Set a percentage for random start probability. This is used when multiple clips are selected as possible starting clips in a random motion flow. The Create Random Motion command allows you to generate random motion for one or more bipeds. Working with Motion-Capture Data Motion capture is the practice of getting motion data from live actors performing various actions. The motion data is captured (retrieved) via sensors placed at the actors' joints and extremities.
stream therefore consists of 3D position data for each marker. This data is typically applied to an inverse kinematics system, to animate a skeleton. ■ Electro-magnetic sensing technology This is a popular method used for performance capture. Magnetic capture involves the use of a centrally located transmitter, and a set of receivers that are strapped on to various parts of the performer’s body. These receivers are capable of measuring their spatial relationship to the transmitter.
nature of the position data it creates. In general, one would like to see a "snap shot" of the performer’s skeletal position rather than a time-skewed data stream. This position data is typically applied to an inverse kinematics system, which in turn drives an animated skeleton.
with the body motion in the files you have, then use Motion Flow mode to cut portions of these files together to create animation. For example, take a stretch motion in one clip, and combine it with the walking motion in another clip. You can then save the edited script as a BIP file using the Save Segment command on the Biped rollout. Load this BIP file for standard motion editing. This provides a good starting place for you to edit the result to your liking.
Motion Capture rollout Character Studio Marker Files The .csm on page 7945 format is an ASCII file used to import positional marker data from motion-capture systems onto a biped.
The Show Markers command displays marker positions and names. Procedures To import a motion capture file: 1 Select a biped in the viewports. 2 On the Motion Capture rollout, click Load Motion Capture File. 3 Choose the file type: BVH, BIP, or CSM. Search for files in the cstudio\motions\mocap directories. TIP CSM marker files, loaded for the first time, should be imported with no key reduction and no footstep extraction. This enables the calibration buttons. Marker files typically need some calibration.
This step is not required if the marker names in the marker file adhere to the Biped marker naming convention. 3 On the Marker Name File dialog, click Load CSM Marker File, and choose the MNM file from the file open dialog that appears. 4 On the Motion Capture rollout, click Load Motion Capture File and choose a CSM marker file. The Motion Capture Conversion Parameters dialog displays (see Motion Capture Conversion Parameters Dialog on page 4592). 5 Adjust the filter parameters and click OK.
11 Use Save Talent Figure Structure and Save Talent Pose Adjustment as a FIG and CAL file. 12 Load these files in the Motion Capture Conversion Parameters dialog when similar marker files are imported in the future. At this point, you can use Convert From Buffer to extract footsteps and reduce keyframes. Both scale and position adjustments will be incorporated. Save the motion as an optimized BIP file. Sliding Footsteps Motion-capture and marker data typically have keys at every frame.
Sliding Distance Creates a sliding footstep when positional tolerance is reached. This value is a percentage of foot length. By default the foot must slide its own distance (100), before a sliding footstep is created. Use this with motion-capture files that contain sliding feet. A sliding footstep can be created manually by setting IK Blend > 0 for a biped foot at a "touch" state key (biped foot first touches a footstep). NOTE Sliding footsteps display as a footstep with a line through the center.
Prop Bone In 3ds Max, the CSM marker file format supports a prop bone in either or both hands (left, right, or middle). There are nine additional markers for the top, bottom, and middle of the three prop types. If the software detects these tracks, it creates a dummy helper on page 2615 object. The length of the prop is the average distance between the top and bottom prop marker during animation.
Motion Capture Rollout Create or select a biped. > Motion panel > Motion Capture rollout The tools on the Motion Capture rollout on the Motion panel are typically used for working with raw motion-capture data. You can also load standard BIP files using Load Motion Capture File. For example, you might do this if you want to loop the motion. This rollout includes tools for: ■ Batch conversion of motion-capture files. ■ Converting the motion-capture file stored in the motion capture buffer.
■ If you specify Load Buffer Only in the Motion Capture Conversion Parameters dialog on page 4592, the motion file is loaded into the motion-capture buffer without altering the biped animation. Use this to paste posture and limb keys from any file onto the biped animation in your scene. When you load a motion-capture file, the motion-capture buffer is loaded with motion-capture data from that file. This buffer is altered during calibration.
2 On the Motion Capture rollout, click Convert From Buffer to display the Motion Capture Conversion Parameters dialog. 3 Adjust parameters, then click OK. To compare raw and filtered trajectories: 1 Select a biped and turn on Show Buffer Trajectory on the Motion Capture rollout. 2 Click Trajectories on the Display rollout. As you select various biped parts, two trajectories are displayed.
NOTE This step is not required if the marker or joint names in the motion-capture file adhere to the character studio marker naming convention. 3 Click Load Motion Capture File. The Open dialog opens. 4 Choose a file type: BVH, BIP, or CSM. 5 Select a file and click Open. The Motion Capture Conversion Parameters dialog on page 4592 displays. 6 Select the filter options you want, and click OK. The biped adapts itself to the motion data. If Footstep Extraction is turned on, footsteps appear.
11 Use Save Talent Figure Structure and Save Talent Pose Adjustment to save a size and position offset to a FIG and a CAL file, respectively. Load these files in the Motion Capture Conversion Parameters dialog when you import similar marker files in the future. At this point, you can use Convert From Buffer to extract footsteps and reduce keyframes. Both scale and position adjustments will be incorporated. Save the motion as an optimized BIP file.
This option is unavailable when you load a BIP file into a clip or onto a biped that is in Edit Clip mode, because all the clips in the motion flow would have to be adapted. NOTE CSM and BVH files always load with the biped structure stored in the file. Set lowest starting foot height to Z=0 (BIP files only) Sets the lowest starting foot height to Z=0. This is an Open dialog option. Default=on. In 3ds Max, the height of a motion clip can be retained.
Paste from Buffer Pastes a frame of raw motion-capture data to the selected parts of the biped. After importing a motion-capture file, you might discover a subtle movement has been lost in the process of reducing keyframes. Paste From Buffer can add a keyframe from the raw motion-capture data to a selected biped body part to restore this motion. Turn on Auto Key before using Paste From Buffer, or click Set Key after using Paste From Buffer to store the new position in a key.
Use Rubber Band mode on the Biped rollout and Non-Uniform Scale to size the biped in Talent Figure mode. Ideally, you will not need to use this feature. When loading a motion-capture file, 3ds Max attempts to extract the appropriate figure scale from the given data. Use Talent Figure mode only if the extracted scale of the biped doesn’t match the scale of the original talent. Even minor differences in scale will alter the motion.
When a BVH file is loaded, checks for and reports unknown track names, but loads the file anyway. Reports if any required tracks were not in the file and if so aborts the file load Use Uses the marker name file when importing motion capture files If necessary, load a Marker Name File before loading a BVH or CSM file. Marker Name files are bundled with Character Studio to map marker names in popular third-party marker files. Edit these ASCII files if the marker files you have use unique names for markers.
You can create your own library of imported and optimized motion-capture data by saving .bip files for use with other characters or as part of a longer script in Motion Flow mode. Use a biped that has no mesh attached to it with Physique. You import the data, adjust it to your liking, and save it as a .bip file. You can also run standard .bip files through this filtering process to create loops or to extract footsteps from a freeform animation. NOTE Marker files contain position data.
5 Select Motion Capture rollout > Show Buffer to display raw motion-capture data as a red stick figure, then click Play. During the “hand spring” period of the playback, the hands on the red stick figure representing the raw motion data touch the ground. The biped, using the filtered data, is positioned higher and cannot reach the ground. Dynamics calculates the biped higher than the raw motion data because the footsteps before and after the handspring are so far apart in time.
Interface Motion Capture File Displays the file to be imported. Footstep Extraction Motion capture data can be applied to the biped in one of three ways: ■ None: Freeform No footsteps are extracted. For swimming or flying motion data, footstep extraction is not necessary. For a traditional approach to character keyframing, use this option to keyframe the biped without footsteps or Biped Dynamics; this is essentially a freeform animation.
■ On Extracts footsteps. Direction and style of the motion-capture data are easily edited. Allows changes to the toe structure of the biped after import; footsteps will readjust the character’s motion to maintain correct foot-toe-ground contact at all times, a common problem associated with motion-capture import. Inappropriate “sliding feet” in the motion data are corrected. ■ Fit to Existing Fits to existing footsteps.
Footstep Extraction group Options here are active when Footstep Extraction is on. Extraction Tolerance Sets the sensitivity of footstep extraction. character studio determines if the footstep is there by checking that the foot does not move beyond the distance determined by the Extraction Tolerance value. Smaller numbers are more sensitive and extract more footsteps. The value is a percentage of foot length. The default value is 0.15. Increase this value to 0.2 or 0.25 if too many footsteps are generated.
Load Frames group Start Start importing at this frame. Default is frame 0, the first frame. End Stop importing at this frame. Default is the last frame of the clip. Loop Loop the data by the value set here. This is relative. Succeeding loops start where the previous loop left off. The clips are not blended and may require editing unless the original clip was designed to loop. Use this for clips designed to loop. NOTE This often works best if Footstep Extraction is tuned off.
Tolerance Sets the maximum angular or positional deviation for a track. Values are in units of translation for position tracks, and in degrees for rotation tracks. Minimum Key Spacing Sets the minimum number of frames between keys. Tolerance is computed first, then Minimum Key Spacing computes further key reduction. A Minimum Key Spacing value of 10 for the head track ensures that no two keys are closer than 10 frames for this track.
Higher values here can determine how much key reduction is possible while preserving the original motion. Limb Orientation group The biped elbow and knee hinge joints are perpendicular to the triangles formed by the shoulder-elbow-wrist and hip-knee-ankle respectively. Resolve errors in the motion-capture data that break this rule by using either the angle or point method. Angle Moves the knee or elbow position to create the biped joint key.
Figure Structure Loads a .fig file. Pose Adjustment Loads a .cal file. Browse Browses for a .fig or .cal file. Use Use either or both the .fig and .cal files to adjust marker files during a marker file import procedure. Load Parameters Loads a motion capture parameter file (.moc). Save Parameters Saves a motion capture parameter file (.moc). Motion Capture Batch File Conversion Dialog Create or select a biped.
The Marker Display dialog lets you specify how markers from .csm files are displayed in the viewports. For further information on markers and .csm files, see Character Studio Marker Files on page 7934. Interface Show Recognized Markers When on, displays the markers that character studio recognizes. ■ On Selected Objects ■ On All Objects Displays the markers on selected objects only. Displays the markers on all objects. Show Prop Markers Enables the display of markers on prop bones on page 4583.
Physique Physique | 4603
Use the Physique modifier to attach a skin to a skeleton structure such as a biped. The skin is a 3ds Max object: it can be any deformable, vertex-based object such as a mesh, a patch, or a shape. When you animate the skeleton with skin attached, Physique deforms the skin to match the skeleton's movement. Animating the underlying skeleton enables you to animate a single contiguous model of a character that bends, creases, and bulges about an arbitrary number of joints within the attached skeleton.
■ You can add bulges to simulate bulging muscles. Bulges are controlled by editable cross sections of the skin, and by bulge angles that you set. ■ You can add tendons to distribute the effect of one bone's motion to areas of the skin other than those around the bone itself. ■ You can save Physique data to a Physique (.phy) file, preserving data common to all objects sharing a given Physique modifier.
4606 | Chapter 17 character studio
Meshes for Physique A skin used with Physique can be any 3ds Max object that has vertices or control points. Specifically, a skin can be: ■ An editable mesh or editable poly object. This is the most commonly used type of object for Physique. Often, it has been collapsed from an object with modifiers, or a compound object. ■ An uncollapsed object with modifiers or a compound object. ■ A parametric geometry primitive such as a cylinder.
■ A mesh object you import from another application such as AutoCAD®. TIP Although you can apply Physique to a compound object or an object with modifiers, you should collapse the stack before applying Physique, if possible. This will maximize performance and reduce the amount of work you'll need to do to get Physique working properly. An exception is the Optimize modifier, which can be useful for improving performance when applied below Physique on the stack.
Mesh in reference pose for use with bipeds Use the following positions when you create the reference pose: ■ Spread the legs somewhat apart, at a parade rest position. ■ Spread the arms wide, level with shoulder height. The hands should be level with the arms, not dangling: palms facing down, fingers straight and slightly spread apart. ■ Position the head so it will face in the correct direction when you load the biped's at-rest standing pose.
As a general rule, create a reference pose that has the limbs outstretched, but otherwise represents the character's natural at-rest posture. Skin Simplicity The degree of detail on the model makes a difference in how well it works for skinning. On one hand, your skin must have a sufficient number of vertices so Physique can deform it smoothly. On the other hand, the fewer vertices the mesh has, the easier it will be for you to adjust Physique for the mesh.
Same models rendered with MeshSmooth applied If you want to use a particular mesh but its polygons violate these guidelines, use 3ds Max to add or delete edges and polygons as needed before applying Physique to the mesh. Usually, these rules are not so important for the facial area of the model, where little deformation will take place with Physique. For example, the character shown below was originally modeled as designed, but with no regard for the best polygon distribution for Physique.
The model was altered to work better with Physique by deleting edges and vertices, and reshaping many of the polygons in the hip area. The model was also altered to make the character assume the reference pose.
After MeshSmooth is applied to the simplified mesh, renderings of the two models look identical. However, the second model works much better with Physique.
Using Physique with a Biped The skeleton to which you attach a skin using Physique can be a 3ds Max hierarchy, bones in a hierarchy, bones not in a hierarchy and splines. Physique deforms the skin based on the relative position of the bone or links in the hierarchy. Specifically, it uses the length of each link and the angle between two connected links; it can also use the scale of a link. The skeleton hierarchy can also be a 3ds Max system object that defines a behavior as well as a hierarchy.
This Physique hierarchy is created with dummy objects linked to each other. Physique mesh with a biped skeleton.
Physique can use a spline to defrom the mesh. Using Physique with 3ds Max Bones 3ds Max bones with or without the IK Controller can be used with the biped for various effects. They can be used with Physique to add extra links and envelopes for any character, or to animate assemblies on a robot or mechanical character. Bones can also be added to animate extra appendages, a hat, a jaw and so on.
Two examples of compressible bones. In the top image, 3ds Max bones are used to animate the linked piston assemblies. The bottom image shows 3ds Max bones used for added control when Physique is applied. In both cases the bones compress automatically as the biped is positioned.
Bones That Compress One way to use bones with the biped is to use the Select and Link tool on the 3ds Max toolbar to link the root of the bone to one part of the biped and have the bone End Effector follow another part of the biped. As the biped moves these bones compress and expand. In the image of the mechanical leg, piston objects are linked to the bones. As the bones compress and expand, they also animate the linked piston assembly.
create links and envelopes when Physique is applied; these extra Physique links offer localized skin control if necessary. Procedures To make compressible bones (bones with end effectors): 1 Create a bones system with end effectors. 2 Link the root of the bone to the appropriate biped object. 3 On the Motion Panel specify an End Effector Parent. 4 Specify another part of the biped. 5 On the Motion Panel set the Position Threshold to 0.
3 Link the root node of the bone to the biped. 4 On the Physique rollout, click Reinitialize. 5 On the Physique Initialization dialog, click Initial Skeleton Pose and then click Include New Bones. Vertex Link Assignment turns on also. 6 Click Initialize. 7 Adjust envelopes in Sub-Object Envelope. 8 Turn off Figure mode. If you want the end of the bone to follow the biped, select the bone and delete the bone end effector in the Motion Panel This bone is used to animate the character's nose.
2 Add a bone where it is needed. 3 Link the root node of the bone to the biped. 4 On the Physique Bones rollout, click Add. 5 In the viewports, click a bone. Repeat until all bones are added. 6 Adjust envelopes. 7 Turn off Figure mode. Using Physique with 3ds Max Objects The skeleton to which you attach a skin using Physique can be a 3ds Max hierarchy, bones in a hierarchy, bones not in a hierarchy, and splines. Physique deforms the skin based on the relative position of the bone or links in the hierarchy.
This Physique hierarchy is created with dummy objects linked to each other. Floating Bones Floating bones are bones that are not linked together and know nothing about each other. By adding floating bones to Physique, you can deform the mesh by animating the bones. This is in contrast to using Attach To Node and clicking the root of a hierarchy, like the biped pelvis. For Attach To Node to work all the bones should be linked together.
Spline-Based Physique Deformation In addition to the biped and 3ds Max bones, Physique supports spline and NURBS curves for mesh deformation. By animating vertices on a spline, you can animate the mesh. You can use this technique for facial animation or to deform any mesh. To control a mesh with a spline: 1 Place a spline inside a mesh. 2 Select the mesh and add the Physique modifier. 3 In the Physique Floating Bones rollout, click Add and select the spline in the viewports.
See also: ■ Using Physique with a Biped on page 4614 4624 | Chapter 17 character studio
Applying and Initializing Physique After you have created a skin and a skeleton, and fitted the skeleton to the skin, you apply the Physique modifier to the skin.
The Physique Initialization dialog on page 4680 is displayed. 6 Click Initialize, accepting the default settings. When you use Attach To Node to attach a Physique skin to a hierarchy, the Physique Initialization dialog appears. NOTE This dialog also appears when you want to reset Physique settings by clicking Reinitialize in the Physique rollout. Physique initialization settings affect how envelopes are created and blending is handled.
A stray vertex on the right elbow not encompassed by an envelope. See the Envelope Sub-Object on page 4717 topic for procedures and interface. TIP Physique skins are usually too large for 3ds Max to play them back in real time at 30 frames per second. However, speed improvements in character studio will allow fluid motions of many skinned meshes. When you attempt to play back at 30 fps, 3ds Max may drop frames during playback, which makes it hard to see how Physique has animated the skin.
Envelopes and Vertex Assignments Envelopes Envelopes are Physique's primary tool to control skin deformation. Envelopes define an area of influence about a single link in the hierarchy and can be set to overlap adjacent links. Vertices that fall in the overlap area of the envelopes are weighted to produce smooth blending at joint intersections. Each envelope comprises a pair of inner and outer bounds, each with four cross sections.
■ Vertices in a rigid envelope are linked to the node (the bone) and move in an immobile relationship to the link. Vertices in a rigid envelope, however, are deformed (blended) in the overlap area of other envelopes. There is a twist parameter in Link Sub-Object that can be enabled in a rigid envelope. This allows the rigid envelope to twist along the length of the link.
Deformable envelopes (above); Rigid envelopes (below) Typically, you use deformable envelopes when you attach a mesh to the biped pelvis to produce a soft, flexible skin. Later you reassign certain links, such as the character's head, to the rigid envelope to minimize the deformation. For special cases, you can turn on both deformable and rigid envelopes for the same link. This advanced feature allows you to average the effect of the two types of skin deformation for additional firmness in the skin.
Blending Between Links Blending between envelopes controls deformation. Blending controls specify the influence of overlapping envelopes on vertices contained within the overlap area. By the actual shape of adjacent envelopes, you can control the degree of influence each has on blending at the overlap area. You can further control the number of envelopes that participate in the blending effect, or whether no blending takes place at all.
Inner and Outer Bounds Inner and outer bounds Where a vertex falls within the inner and outer bounds determines the percent of influence of the attached link(s). Vertices that fall within the inner bound have a weight of 1. Vertices that fall between the inner and outer bound have a weighted value that falls off to 0 at the outer bound.
is an envelope that istoo small to surround, and thereby influence, certain vertices. This can happen because your biped character misaligns slightly with the mesh, or the link lengths used to create envelopes with unbounded bones systems links were insufficient to surround all vertices attached to the link. Another potential source of problems is overlapping inner bounds. This can sometimes create too strong a deformation at the joint. You'll note problems with vertices as you preview motion.
Stray vertices (above) reassigned to correct link(s) by modifying envelope shape (below). See also: ■ Envelope Sub-Object on page 4717 ■ Fine-Tuning Envelopes on page 4637 Procedures To adjust default envelope shape: 1 In the Selection Level group of the Blending Envelopes rollout, turn on Link. In a viewport, select any link. 2 In the Parameters group, turn on the Inner, Outer or Both option and then increase the value of Radial Scale until the outer envelope just surrounds the character mesh.
3 Increase the Parent Overlap value until the inner (red) envelope appears through the mesh. 4 If necessary, decrease the Falloff value to strengthen this envelope. To adjust envelopes around the biped’s pelvis: The Biped Triangle Pelvis option was used in this model. Triangle Pelvis creates additional links from the legs to the lower spine. Top: The default envelope from the pelvis to the lower spine object is too small.
Bottom: Increasing the envelope size corrects the mesh problem in the pelvis area. 1 In the Selection Level group, turn on Link. In a viewport, select the middle link. 2 In the Parameters group, turn on Both, and then increase the value of Radial Scale until the outer envelope just surrounds the mesh in pelvis area. NOTE With Both turned on, both the inner and outer bounds scale together. 3 Increase the Parent Overlap value until the inner (red) envelope appears through the mesh.
5 To move to the adjacent cross section within the current bound, click Next or Previous. TIP You can also use the Control Point level to individually transform cross section control points. To copy an envelope and its settings to a mirrored link (for example, from one thigh to the other): 1 Select the source link. 2 In the Edit Commands group, click Copy. The envelope settings are saved in a buffer. 3 Select the mirror link, and then in the Edit Commands group, click Paste.
Envelope cross sections can be scaled and moved.
Using Control Points By default, each cross section consists of four control points. You can use these control points to alter the shape of a single cross section. The control points define the shape (perimeter) of the section. Moving one point affects the shape between itself and its neighbors on each side. Rotating and Scaling Control points are internally positioned using cylindrical coordinates, that is a distance from the link at some angle around the link.
By moving a control point the envelope is also scaled. See also: ■ Envelope Sub-Object on page 4717 Customizing Vertex Assignments Use Vertex sub-object controls to: ■ Override vertex-link assignments currently in effect. ■ Change the blending type and weight. ■ Assign vertices to their links yourself, bypassing Physique's envelope method for vertex-link assignment.
in some vertices for the middle finger. You'd use Vertex sub-object controls to remove ring-finger vertices from the middle finger links, in effect reassigning them solely to the ring-finger links. When you choose Vertex as the sub-object to edit in the Physique modifier, the Physique Selection Status and Vertex-Link Assignment on page 4753 rollouts appear. Envelope Display Options Interactive Redraw By default Interactive Redraw, an option in Envelope and Bulge sub-object levels, is turned off.
Working with Deformable Envelopes Once you've got the deformable envelopes working the way you want to control overall skin deformation, you may want to adjust the finer aspects of skin control: ■ Skin bending, twisting, sliding, and scaling about single links are controlled at the Link sub-object level. See Adjusting Link Parameters on page 4644. ■ Link sub-object primarily controls the deformation spline on page 7949.
uniformly transformed. This makes it simple for game engines to move the character's skin. The vertices move equally with the controlling link, so the skin appears rigid. For instance, in the case of a flexing arm, the skin between the wrist and elbow tightly follows the movement of the forearm, with no change in the spacing between vertices. The skin between the elbow and shoulder tightly follows the upper arm.
Adjusting Link Parameters Physique creates a continuous spline through each of the joints in the hierarchy. The spline is represented by an orange line within the object. It maintains continuity through each joint: as a joint angle changes, the spline passing through the joint remains a smooth curve. Physique relies on the deformation spline to obtain smooth bends of the skin object. Physique offers bias and tension controls to adjust the shape of the deformation spline.
You can use controls at the Link sub-object level on page 4725 to adjust the skin behavior about a given link. These link parameters define how the skin deformation behaves, relative to the motion of the underlying skeleton. There are four kinds of link parameters on page 4727: ■ Bend parameters affect the curvature of the deformation spline through the joint at a given link. As a result the skin deformation can range from more angular at the joint to more like a stiff rubber tube.
Partial Blending and Weight Assignments Most often, you will want to use envelopes to correct the way skin behaves as the biped moves. However, you can override envelopes by manually assigning vertex properties. For example, you can remove the influence of inappropriate links from selected vertices. You can also change the weight distribution between links for a single vertex by using type-in weights.
The resulting deformation will be w1*l1 + w2*l2 + w3*l3 + wf*root. The root portion of this deformation is essentially an undeformed portion that simply follows the root of the skeleton. In Cases where Some Envelopes Use Partial Blending and Some Do Not The vertex weight fill-in in overlap areas will be based on the percentage of partial and non partial weights.
At any joint angle, you can define a bulge angle, and you may define as many bulge angles as needed. The bulge angle consists of the current orientation of the joint together with any defined cross sections. In addition, you can adjust the influence of a bulge angle. Physique considers all the bulge angles as the character moves. The resulting bulge is created by interpolating the effects of the various bulge angles having some influence at the current joint angle.
Creating Bulges Bulges simulate bulging muscles. Physique creates bulges based on bulge angles and cross section shapes you specify, not on keyframe settings. You create a bulge by: ■ Reposing the character to a position where the bulge will have its greatest effect. This can just be a matter of using the time slider to scrub to that place in a loaded motion file. ■ Setting a bulge angle between two links, the currently selected link and its child link in the hierarchy.
Bulge shape is interpolated as joint movement approaches a bulge angle. ■ Creating and shaping the cross sections associated with the bulge angle. A link's cross sections and its profile are spline controls of the shape of the skin. To create and shape cross sections, see Shaping the Bulge on page 4652. Each bulge angle affects both neighboring links. Therefore, each link contains a set of cross sections for each bulge at both its parent and child joint angles.
Setting Bulge Angles A bulge angle associates an angle value and a name. By default, each link has one bulge angle whose default name is the name of the link followed by "Bulge 0". The default bulge angle's initial angle value is the angle between the link and its child when you first attach Physique to the skeleton. Bulges are effective because they grow and shrink as the joint moves. The initial bulge angle defines one shape that the skin can deform to; this would normally be like a default musculature.
Fine-Tuning Bulges The Bulge Editor on page 4687 duplicates many of the controls available at the Bulge sub-object level. It gives you a focused, two-dimensional view of the current bulge settings. Shaping the Bulge Once you've inserted the bulge angle, and recorded the angle setting, you then shape the bulge by inserting and adjusting cross sections. You can either move and scale the cross sections, or adjust each one's shape using control points.
see Creating Tendons on page 4653 for more information about creating tendons. See also: Tendons Sub-Object on page 4747 ■ Creating Tendons Like tendons in an actual body, tendons in Physique on page 4747 link one bone to another. They spread the effect of moving one link to the skin around a different link. Tendons can improve the realism of skin movement when it is animated by Physique. Basically, a tendon consists of base points that live on a cross section near the skin.
TIP You can also right-click in a viewport to turn off tendon creation. 7 8 In the Selection Level group, turn on Cross Section. Use the Rotate tool to rotate the cross section so the control points are positioned in useful places. 9 In the Tendon Parameters group, use the Radius spinner to scale the cross section radially so the control points fall close to the surface of the skin. 10 In the Selection Level group, turn on Control Point, then in a viewport, select one or more control points.
TIP The tendon can have fixed attach points that are not connected to another link. These are useful for giving some rigidity to the skin, as when (in an actual body) a bone lies close to the skin's surface. For example, you might leave two fixed attach points on either side of a character's chest area, to simulate the effect of the sternum. When all tendons are attached to other links, the skin over the base link can have a "squishy" appearance when it is animated.
For example, if you've added a new bone to the hierarchy and want it included and influenced by the Physique modifier, use the reinitialization mechanism to effect its inclusion. Or maybe you've repositioned the biped structure relative to the mesh, you'd need to reinitialize Physique settings to recognize those changes. Reinitializing with changed settings applies them as new defaults in the areas you choose.
Initialization Group The Initialization group in the Physique Initialization dialog is where you name the category of settings to reset. (When you applied Physique to the mesh initially, these settings appeared unavailable; in fact, all settings are set at Initialization.) WARNING Select only the check boxes for those settings you need to reset. If you select everything, your model is returned to the state it was in immediately after applying Physique.
Procedures To load a file created with different system units: NOTE If the System Unit Scale has a value that is different from that of the file you are loading, 3ds Max prompts you to rescale the scene. If you do so, any objects that have a Physique modifier exhibit a double scaling. Do the following: 1 Select the object. 2 Reinitialize with both Initial Skeletal Pose and Vertex Settings (the last check box) turned on.
You can also set No Blending at the Vertex sub-object level. You can temporarily disable Link Blending on the Physique Level of Detail rollout, on the Modify panel. Using the Optimize Modifier with Physique The standard 3ds Max Optimize modifier allows you to reduce the level of mesh detail in order to increase display performance and speed up screen refreshes. Optimize can be helpful with Physique when you work with complicated skin objects such as detailed biped figures.
Scaling a Character Using standard 3ds Max scale transform tools, you can adjust a biped's posture by scaling the size of its links. You must be in Figure mode to scale the biped links. If you try to scale a biped without going into Figure mode, nothing happens. Procedures To scale a biped that has a mesh attached to it by using Physique: 1 Select the biped. 2 On the Motion panel, on the Biped rollout, turn on Figure mode. 3 On ths Structure rollout, change the biped's height.
up 3ds Max bones or other objects at appropriate locations on the mesh head, you can define a skeletal structure for moving the facial features. Boxes form the facial skeletal structure. You can also use splines linked to the biped head to deform the mesh. You can add a spline to a character that already has Physique applied by using Add in the Physique Bones rollout and clicking the spline in a viewport.
Splines used for detailed facial animation. Facial Bone Structure A common skeletal structure for the face includes: ■ Bones to make the upper and lower lips open and close. ■ Bones to push the outer corners of the mouth, as for a smile. ■ Bones to make the eyes open and close. ■ A bone to control the jaw opening and closing. ■ The main head bone going straight up from the neck to the top of the head.
TIP If you've never set up a facial bone structure before, refer to a text on character animation for information on the facial bones needed to create various expressions. In general, the lower lip bones should be linked to the jaw, and upper lip, jaw and eye bones should be linked to the main head bone.
Dummy objects at ends of bones Mesh objects that are to be animated along with the face, such as the eyes and hair, should not be linked to the bone structure until after Physique is applied. If you link them beforehand, Physique will treat them like bones. You can link these objects to the main head bone after you apply Physique. Separate or Connected Head There a two ways a setup like this could be used with a character body: The head could be attached to the body mesh, or it could be separate.
If the character's head is connected to the mesh, link the main head bone to the biped head before applying Physique. Alternately, you can use the biped's head as the main head bone, linking the facial bones directly to the biped's head. When you apply Physique and click Attach to Node, pick the biped's COM as usual. After applying Physique to the head or the entire structure, you can adjust envelopes and vertex assignments for the facial bones as you would for any biped bone.
Facial expressions animated with Physique and facial bones. TIP Hierarchies other than bipeds can't use Figure mode, so special consideration is needed to establish the initial skeletal pose. Position the facial bones in the “at rest” position at frame 0, and start keyframing the face at frame 1 or later. You can perform lip synch animation by loading a sound track in Track View. By scrubbing the time slider, you can locate a sound and keyframe the dummies to appropriate positions.
Procedures To isolate lip vertices from influence by inappropriate links: When working with a complicated facial bone structure, envelopes for the lower lip are bound to affect vertices in the upper lip, and vice versa. In general, this can be corrected in at the Vertex sub-object level: 1 Select the head and on the Modify panel go to the Vertex sub-object level. 2 Turn on Initial Skeletal Pose 3 Turn on Select, region-select vertices of the lower lip, then click Remove From Link.
Add Change Add Change adds in the changes from the stack and then applies mesh deformation. No vertex remapping or reassigning is done. This is the default option, and usually will give you the deformation that you want. There is no performance degradation from Physique. Remap Locally Remap Locally resets vertex position on the spline used for bending and the link position used to interpolate twist.
Procedures To apply Physique to an FFD to animate the entire mesh: 1 Place an FFD (Box) space warp around the mesh to deform. The box should be large enough to encompass the mesh. The number of control points you use for the FFD can be fine-tuned later by going back down in the stack to the FFD to adjust the number of control points. 2 Select the FFD and apply the Physique modifier. 3 Click Attach To Node, and then click the biped pelvis or the root node of your bone structure.
NOTE If you are using a NURBS model, use the NSurf Sel modifier (rather than Mesh Select) to select sub-object control vertices that lay inside the FFD lattice. 5 Go to the Vertex sub-object level (or Control Vertex), and select the set of vertices (or CVs) that lie inside the FFD space warp you are using. 6 While in Vertex sub-object level, bind the mesh to the FFD space warp. Now only the selected vertices or CVs will be affected by the FFD.
Physique Rollout Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. > Modify panel > Physique rollout You use the buttons on the Physique rollout to link a mesh to a biped, a bones hierarchy, or a spline; to reinitialize the Physique parameters on a mesh; to open the Bulge Editor on page 4687; and to load or save Physique (PHY) files. Procedures To attach a mesh to a biped using Physique: 1 Select or create a biped. 2 Go to the Motion panel. On the Biped rollout, click to turn on Figure mode.
To attach a mesh to a bones hierarchy using Physique: 1 Select or create a bones hierarchy. 2 Position the bones hierarchy inside the mesh. TIP When you use a bones hierarchy with Physique, use frame 0 as your "figure mode." Don't include frame 0 in your animation. Use it as the a place where you position the bones and fit them to the mesh. 3 Select the mesh. 4 Go to the Modify panel. Use the Modifier List to apply Physique to the mesh. 5 Click to turn on Attach To Node.
To save Physique data: 1 With Physique active on the Modify panel, click Save Physique File on the Physique rollout. A file save dialog is displayed. 2 Enter a name for the new Physique file, and then click OK. To load Physique data: 1 With Physique active on the Modify panel, click Open Physique File on the Physique rollout. A file open dialog is displayed. 2 Choose the Physique (PHY) file to open, and then click OK. A Physique Load Specification dialog is displayed.
IMPORTANT Put the biped in Figure mode and fit it to the mesh character before you click Attach To Node. Turn on Attach To Node, then in a viewport, click the biped's pelvis or the root node of a bones hierarchy. NOTE If you click a biped's center of mass instead of its vertex, Physique corrects this by attaching to the pelvis instead. After you select a node in the viewports, the Physique Initialization dialog on page 4680 is displayed. Accept the default values in this dialog, then click Initialize.
TIP A bulge created on a bones hierarchy can be loaded and applied to Physique links created using a biped. NOTE Loading a .phy file will not overwrite locked vertices. If you want to overwrite them, you must either go to the Vertex sub-object level and unlock them, or reinitialize and turn on the option Vertex - Link Assignments. Save Physique File Saves a Physique (.phy) file, which contains envelope, bulge angle, link, and tendon settings.
4 Turn Bulges off, then on. Do the same with Tendons. Examine the mesh with and without the influence of bulges and tendons. 5 Use the Bulge Editor or the sub-object levels to adjust bulge and tendon settings. Interface Renderer When chosen, settings in the Skin Update group affect rendered images. Viewports When chosen, settings in the Skin Update gropu affect viewports.
Skin Update group Deformable When chosen, Physique deformation is active. Deformable yields the highest-quality rendering. The Deformable toggles are unavailable unless Deformable is chosen. ■ Joint Intersections Turn off to remove joint intersection influence. Joint intersection influence allows the mesh to overlap itself; for example, at the elbow and knee joints. Default=on. ■ Bulges ■ Tendons ■ Skin Sliding ■ Link Blending Default=on. Turn off to remove any bulge angle influence. Default=on.
When vertices are sliding along the length of the spline and you want them to bend and twist based on the spline position, but don't want vertex weights to change, turn this option on. Reassign Globally Re-weights, and resets the position on the spline used for bending for moved vertices globally. The vertex link assignment, weighting, and spline position are reset for all moving points on every frame. (This is equivalent to Physique 2.2.) This option is like reinitializing on every frame. Default=off.
TIP If you want to control the mesh by animating bones, follow the previous steps using bones instead of a spline. Interface Add Displays a Select Bones dialog so you can select splines or bones to use with Physique. Reset Resets splines or bones in their initial position: Reset reassigns vertices, but leaves envelopes as is. Delete To delete a spline or bone, click to highlight its name in the list, and then click Delete.
See also: ■ Keyboard Shortcuts on page 7857 ■ Keyboard Panel on page 7698 ■ Customize User Interface Dialog on page 7697 Action Shortcut Copy Envelope Ctrl+C Delete Ctrl+D Next PageDown Next Selection Level I Paste Envelope Ctrl+V Previous Page Up Previous Selection Level Shift+I Reset Envelopes Ctrl+E Description Resets envelopes for selected links to their default values. * Not available for customization in the Customize User Interface dialog.
Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. > Modify panel > Physique rollout > Click Reinitialize. > Physique Initialization dialog. Use the Physique Initialization dialog to specify link parameters and the type and size of envelopes to create for Physique links. This dialog is displayed under two circumstances: ■ ■ When you apply Physique initially, using Attach To Node on the Physique rollout on page 4671 on the Modify panel. When you click Reinitialize on the Physique rollout.
Interface Initialization group The Initialization check boxes are normally unavailable and not changeable during initialization. Although these options are unavailable, they are all turned on by default (except Include New Bones) for initialization, since all these settings are new when you use Attach To Node for the first time. These check boxes become available when you click Reinitialize on the Physique rollout.
See Reinitialize Physique on page 4683 for a description of the controls in this group. Link Settings rollout The Link Settings rollout contains the default link values that will be assigned to all links. See Link Sub-Object on page 4725 for a command reference. Joint Intersections rollout The Joint Intersections rollout contains default joint intersection values that will be assigned to all links. See Link Sub-Object on page 4725 for a command reference.
Reinitializing Old Files Files from versions of character studio prior to character studio go through a semi-automatic Physique reinitialization process. When you load an old file that uses Physique, you’re prompted to put the biped or bones system into Figure mode or in the initial position, and then reinitialize. To reinitialize, select the mesh, open the Modify panel, and click Reinitialize. A dialog warns you to put the skeleton into the initial position.
Interface Initialization group Initial Skeleton Pose Uses the current hierarchy position (for example, the biped pose) as the default pose for defining how the skeleton fits inside the skin. The current pose becomes the new initial pose, replacing the pose used when you first attached the mesh to the biped. Default=off. NOTE This toggle does not reassign vertices that you reassigned manually unless you also turn on Vertex-Link Assignments.
When using Physique with a biped, turn on Initial Skeleton Pose if you want to use Figure mode to reposition the biped relative to the mesh; for example, to reposition the biped shoulder joints. It is helpful first to turn off the Physique modifier, using the lightbulb icon in the modifier stack display. This lets you use Figure mode to scale and rotate the biped limbs independent of the mesh skin. Use this option after you scale a character (see Scaling a Character on page 4660).
Bulge Editor Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. > Modify panel > Physique rollout > Click Bulge Editor. Creating and editing cross sections allows you to "bulge" the mesh. The Bulge Editor is an alternative to using the Bulge sub-object level to create and edit bulge angles. The difference is that the Bulge Editor allows you to create, select, and edit cross sections in schematic Cross Section and Profile views.
TIP Accessing the Bulge Editor at the Bulge sub-object level provides the added benefit of letting you work in either the Bulge Editor or the Bulge rollout interchangeably. 2 In a viewport, click to select a link. 3 On the Bulge Editor toolbar, click Insert Bulge Angle. Physique creates a new bulge angle. The number of the bulge angle name in the Current Bulge Angle field increments. 4 Type a descriptive name in the Current Bulge Angle field.
an arm or leg that bulges when biped joints are rotated, you need to create and set only one additional bulge angle. To change a bulge angle value: 1 On the Bulge Editor, make sure the bulge angle you want to reset is displayed in the Current Bulge Angle field. 2 In a viewport, change the angle between the active link and its child link. Rotate a biped limb or use the time slider to move to a frame that has the limb rotated correctly. 3 On the Bulge Editor toolbar, click Set Bulge Angle.
To add a cross section: 1 On the Bulge Editor, make sure that the bulge angle you want to edit is displayed in the Current Bulge Angle field. 2 On the Bulge Editor toolbar, turn on Insert CS Slice. 3 In the Profile view, click the link at the point where you want the cross section to be added. The cross section is created at the location you clicked. TIP You can also add cross sections to the child link. To delete a cross section: 1 In the Profile view, click to select a cross section.
3 Select additional cross sections by doing one of the following: ■ Use Ctrl+click to add cross sections to the selection. ■ Drag a rectangular region in the Profile view. All cross sections that the region surrounds or crosses are selected. TIP Use Alt+click to remove a cross section from the selection. To move cross sections along the link: Moving a cross section repositions where on the mesh a bulge occurs. 1 Select the cross sections to move.
To change the shape of a cross section: 1 In the Profile view, click to select a cross section. 2 In the Cross Section view, use the transform tools to move, scale, or rotate the cross section's control points. You can also add or delete cross section control points. You can also use freehand drawing to add control points. To change the Profile view orientation: 1 In the Cross Section view, move the cursor to the outer end of the orientation bar. The cursor changes to a shape like the Cross Section view.
This is comparable to using the Move transform on geometry in viewports. Control points are simultaneously scaled and rotated around the link, which in effect "moves" them. Select a cross section in the Profile view first. Then select and move control points in the Cross Section view to change the bulge. Select and Rotate Control Points Lets you select and rotate control points in and around the center of the link in Cross Section view. This does not twist the mesh.
Delete Control Points Deletes control points. First select the control points in the Cross Section view, and then click this button. Previous Link and Next Link Move to the next or previous link in the hierarchy. The Cross Section and Profile views update to display the appropriate bulge geometry. IMPORTANT Profile view displays the parent link on the left and the child link on the right.
First, select a cross section in Profile view, and click Copy. Then select another cross section in the Profile view, and click Paste. Set Bulge Angle Associates the effect of the current bulge angle with the skeleton's current joint angle. First, set the joint to the orientation at which you want the bulge to appear, then click this button. During animation, whenever the joint rotates near this angle, the mesh will bulge. Insert Bulge Angle Adds a new bulge angle for the selected link.
When you create a new bulge angle by clicking Insert Bulge Angle, this field displays the default bulge angle name, which is the previous name with its sequence number incremented. Cross Section view Cross Section view displays an outline of the active cross section. In Profile view on page 4697, the active cross section is shown in a bright red color. In Cross Section view, you can edit cross sections to bulge the mesh.
Resolution lines Display as gray lines that surround the link radially. Control points snap to these lines as they are positioned. You can increase or decrease the resolution by changing the Resolution setting. This control is on the Bulge rollout in Bulge Sub-Object. The Cross Section view, however, always displays 36 resolution lines. Red line The control spline for the active cross section. The shape of the spline determines where mesh deformation occurs. Green line Represents actual mesh deformation.
Profile view is a schematic profile of two links. The currently selected link is on the left, and its child link is on the right. If the selected link is an end link, the outline of the right half of the Profile view turns gray. Cross sections are shown as vertical bars across the profile. The active cross section is red. Unselected cross sections are white. Cross sections that are selected but not active are dark red.
Bulge Angles panel At the right of the Bulge Editor are two panels for setting parameters. Use the Bulge Angles panel to change bulge settings for the currently active bulge angle. NOTE These parameters are the same as those in the Bulge Angle Parameters group on the Bulge rollout at the Bulge sub-object level. Changing a value in one location changes it in the other. Bulge Angles Click to display the Bulge Angles panel. Influence The range of angles through which the bulge influences the skin.
Weight Increases the effect of the current bulge angle relative to the effect of any other bulges. Range=0.0 to 100.0. Default=1.0. Cross Sections panel At the right of the Bulge Editor are two panels for setting parameters. Use the Cross Sections panel to change the cross section settings for a particular link. NOTE These parameters are the same as those in the Cross Section Parameters group on the Bulge rollout at the Bulge sub-object level. Changing a value in one location changes it in the other.
Above: Sections=1 Below: Sections=8 Divisions Sets the number of control points on the selected cross sections. By default, control points are evenly distributed around the cross section control spline. Above: Divisions=4 Below: Divisions=8 Resolution Sets the number of radial divisions around the cross section. Control points snap to the nearest resolution line. Entire Link When on, selects all cross sections for all bulge angles in the selected link.
NOTE When you turn on Entire Link, a number of toolbar controls, including the Current Bulge Angle name field, become unavailable. On the Bulge rollout at the Bulge sub-object level, the Current Bulge Angle changes to read “Entire Link.” Physique Load Specification Dialog Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. > Modify panel > Physique rollout > Click Open Physique (.phy) File. > Choose a file.
Link Settings Loads link parameters. Default=on. Bulges Loads cross sections and bulge angles. Default=on. Tendons Loads tendons. Default=on. Envelopes Loads envelopes. Default=on. Locked Vertices Loads locked vertices. All Links Selects all links to load. This button is enabled only if the number of saved links equals the number of open links. Click to select all links in both lists. If All Links is disabled, you must choose links by hand. Click the name of a link in a list to select it.
Interface Deformable Creates deformable envelopes for the links. Default=chosen. Deformable envelopes determine vertex-link assignment based on the deformation spline that Physique creates through the links. Rigid Creates rigid envelopes for the links. Default=not chosen. Rigid envelopes determine vertex-link assignment based upon the linear links in the hierarchy. Blending Between Links This drop-down list lets you choose how links are initially blended. Default=N Links.
■ No Blending Vertices are influenced by only one (1) link. This allows a mesh with the Physique modifier applied in character studio 1 to work with character studio 3. Choose No Blending if you are developing characters for a game engine that doesn't support blending, or if you intend to use strictly character studio 1-style vertex-link assignments. ■ 2, 3, or 4 Links Vertices are influenced by more than one link, but the number of links is limited to 2, 3, or 4, depending on your choice.
The Cross Sections rollout lets you globally set how cross sections are initialized. Interface Number Sets the initial number of cross sections per link. Default=2. Control Points Sets the initial number of control points per cross section. Default=4. Radial Snap Sets the initial number of snap positions per cross section (this is the value labeled “Resolution” in the Bulge Editor on page 4687 and at the Bulge sub-object level on page 4737.
Interface NOTE All check box settings except Control Points are on by default. Selected Deformable Envelope and Selected Rigid Envelope groups These two groups have the same controls. By default, deformable envelopes are shown in red, and rigid envelopes are shown in green.
Inner Envelope The check box toggles viewport display of inner envelopes. Click the color swatch to change the viewport color of the inner envelope boundary. ■ Sides Sets the number of inner envelope sides shown in the viewport display. Outer Envelope The check box toggles viewport display of outer envelopes. Click the color swatch to change the viewport colors of the outer envelope boundary. ■ Sides Sets the number of outer envelope sides shown in the viewport display.
NOTE If you have a Physique model created with character studio 1 or 2, excluding links will not work until you reinitialize Physique on page 4683 using the initial skeleton pose. In the Physique Initialization dialog, make sure Vertex-Link Assignments is turned on. Interface Link Envelopes list (left side) Displays the links available for exclusion. Selected links are not in this list. Exclude Envelopes for Selected Link list (right side) Displays envelopes to exclude from the current link selection.
Left arrow Select links in the Exclude Envelopes For Selected Links list on the right, then click the left arrow to remove them from the exclusion list. Display Subtree When on, the Link Envelopes list increments links according to their level in the hierarchy. This visual aid can help you to find and select links. Default=off. Clear Clears all links from the Exclude Envelopes For Selected Link list. Bulge Angle Display Properties Dialog Select a mesh that has the Physique modifier applied to it.
Interface Bulge Angle Display group Sides Specifies the number of sides the bulge angle envelope displays in the viewports. Default=4. Scale Specifies the scale of envelope display in the viewports. Default=1.1. Default Color Click to change the bulge angle envelope color in viewports. Active Viewport Display group Selected Cross Sections The check box toggles the display of selected cross sections. Default=on. Click the color swatch to change the color of selected cross sections displayed in viewports.
Selected Control Points The check box toggles the display of selected control points. Default=on. Click the color swatch to change the color of selected control points displayed in viewports. Orientation Bar The check box toggles the display of the orientation bar. Default=on. Click the color swatch to change the color of the orientation bar displayed in viewports. NOTE The orientation bar is displayed in the viewports when the Bulge Editor is open. Profile The check box toggles the display of the profile.
Interface Tendon Cross Sections The check box toggles the display of tendon cross sections. Default=on. Click the color swatch to change the color of tendon cross sections displayed in viewports. Tendon Attach Points The check box toggles the display of tendon attach points. Default=on. Click the color swatch to change the color of attach points displayed in viewports. Tendon Attached Links The check box toggles the display of attached links. Default=on.
Attach Points Click to change the viewport color of selected attach points. Attached Links Click to change the viewport color of selected attached links. Type-In Weights Dialog Select a mesh that has the Physique modifier applied to it. > Modify panel > Vertex sub-object level > Vertex-Link Assignment rollout > Vertex Operations group > Click Select by Link. > Click a link in a viewport. > Lock Assignments > Click Type-In Weights. Lets you enter a weight for selected locked vertices.
Interface Link Name Use the drop-down list to select a link and display the vertex weight to that link. Currently Assigned Links Only When chosen, displays only those links that presently influence the selected vertices. All Links When chosen, displays all available links. Weight Displays the vertex weight for the active link (the link currently displayed by the Link Name list). Use the spinner to change the weight value, if necessary. Absolute Uses an absolute value for vertex weight.
Relative Scale Uses relative values for vertex weights. This is the mode of choice when you work on multiple vertices. If a particular link is not having a strong enough effect on the selected vertices, you should lock them, open the Type-In Weights dialog, select the link, and choose Relative Scale. Then you can enter relative values in the Weight field. For example, entering 1.0 leaves weights the same, while entering 2.0 would double the effect of the selected link on the selected vertices.
■ Tendons on page 4747 Tendons provide a way for multiple links to affect an area of the mesh. ■ Vertex on page 4753 For Physique, Vertex controls let you fine-tune the influence of envelopes. Physique Selection Status Rollout This rollout appears for all of the Physique sub-object levels. For all levels except Vertex, it shows the name of the hierarchy object associated with the active link.
Strength, Falloff, Radial Scale, and Overlap are grouped under Envelope Parameters on page 4722. Envelopes have cross sections. You can add cross sections to refine the shape of an envelope, and you can move or scale a cross section's control points to change the cross section's shape. (Cross sections are also used to create bulges on page 4737.) TIP You can also use tools on the Main toolbar to adjust envelopes.
NOTE An envelope does not need to enclose Patch tangent handles. It needs to enclose only the patch vertices. This relieves you from having to scale the envelopes to a large size to encompass tangent handles. Procedures See Adjusting Default Envelope Shape on page 4632 Interface Controls for Envelope sub-objects are on the Blending Envelopes rollout.
Selection Level group Link Turn on to select links in the viewports and edit the selected link's envelope parameters. For example, you might turn on Link, select a biceps link, Ctrl+click to add the opposite bicep to the selection, then edit envelope parameters for both links at the same time. Cross Section Turn on to edit envelope cross sections, changing the envelope's shape and thus its area of influence.
Deformable When on, enables a deformable envelope for the selected links. Default=on. By default, deformable envelopes are shown in red. Rigid When on, enables a rigid envelope for the selected links. Default=off. By default, rigid envelopes are shown in green. IMPORTANT You can have both a deformable and a rigid envelope turned on for the same link. Normally, you use one or the other. By non-uniform scaling the rigid and deformable envelopes for one link, you can position one envelope on top of the other.
Partial Blending on all the deformable envelopes for the bones in this character’s jaw allows smooth mesh deformation when the bones are moved. Envelope Parameters group Envelope type drop-down list Shows the type of the selected envelope. If the link has both a rigid and a deformable envelope, you can use this list to choose which envelope's parameters you are adjusting.
Strength Changes the strength of the envelopes. Range=0.0 to 100.0. Default=1.0. Strength applies to both the inner and outer envelope bounds. Used primarily for areas where envelopes overlap, and you want one to be more influential than the other. Falloff Changes the rate of falloff between the inner and outer bounds of an envelope. This is a Bezier curve function. Range=0.0 to 1.0. Default=0.1. Vertices within the inner bound are fully influenced (weight=1.
Edit Commands group NOTE Which buttons are available in this group will vary, depending on whether Links, Cross Sections, or Control Points is the active selection level. Insert Inserts a cross section or control point on a cross section. Delete Deletes a cross section or control point. Copy Copies an envelope or cross section. Paste Pastes an envelope or cross section. Exclude Clicking this button displays the Exclude Envelopes dialog on page 4708. You can exclude a link from influencing another link.
Display group Interactive Redraw When on, Physique dynamically updates the mesh while you adjust envelopes. When off, the mesh updates only when you enter a final value (you press Enter or Tab, or release the mouse). Default=on. Initial Skeletal Pose When on, puts the mesh character in the pose it was in just before Physique was applied. Default=off. Display Options Clicking this button displays the Blending Envelope Display Options dialog on page 4706, which lets you customize envelope display.
The Physique Deformation Spline The deformation spline displays as a yellow curve that runs through the mesh. Like a spline object, the deformation spline created by Physique is a continuous curve through several points.
vertex to vertex, the deformation spline is a smooth curve running from joint to joint. The Bend, Bias, and Tension spinners can change the shape of the curve, much as you can rotate or scale the handles at a spline vertex. The deformation spline also takes into consideration twisting and scaling of the skeleton’s links. At the Link sub-object level, you take control of the behavior of the deformation spline, and subsequently gain full control of the skin’s behavior relative to the skeleton’s movement.
Interface Active When on, activates the selected link. Default=on. Turning off Active makes the link unavailable for vertex assignment, meaning that the link has no influence on any vertices.
link are not influenced by it, and can be “picked up” by other nearby envelopes, or can be manually assigned (without blending) to any other link. Turning off Active makes Physique ignore the link as if it were never part of the skeleton. Continuity Maintains a smooth transition across the joint from the parent link to the current link. Default=on. When Continuity is on, the effect of the link parameters passes smoothly across the joint to the connected link.
Bias Displaces the pivot point about which vertices are bent. Bias pushes the effect along the spline toward one side of the joint or the other. The default value of 0.5 centers the bend at the joint. Values lower than 0.5 move the pivot onto the child link. At 0.0, the bend effect is limited to the selected link. Range=0.0 to 1.0. Default=0.5. Twist group Twist parameters control the way the skin deforms when a joint rotates along its length, as in turning a doorknob.
Skin sliding parameters control the amount of skin sliding that occurs when a joint rotates. Without skin sliding, vertices closest to the joint tend to compress on the inside and stretch apart on the outside, generally revealing the segments of the mesh. Outside sliding causes the vertices around the joint to move toward the joint, preventing localized stretching on the side that is greater than 180 degrees.
FallOff As values increase, the effect is localized to the joint. Range=0.0 to 1.0. Default=0.5. Radial Scale group Radial Scale parameters expand or contract the skin by scaling the radial distance perpendicular to the link. They apply to any combination of user-definable scale, bulge settings, or link length. Tension Values between 0.0 and 1.0 concentrate the effect closer to the joint. The effect is closest to the joint when Tension is 0.0. Values greater than 1.0 move the effect away from the joint.
Above: Stretch is turned on. Below: Stretch is turned off. As the bones change in length, the mesh expands and contracts when Stretch is on. Breathe When on, scaling a skeleton node changes the radial scale of the link’s skin. When off, scaling a node has no effect on the scale of the skin. Default=off.
Above: Breathe is turned on: the mesh is scaled as the object is scaled. Below Breathe is turned off: object scaling doesn't effect the mesh. The linked objects are shown in white. The lowest, largest object is the one that has been scaled. These linked objects were used as the hierarchy for Physique. Joint Intersections Rollout Select a mesh that has the Physique modifier applied to it. > Modify panel > Link sub-object level > Joint Intersections rollout When a joint bends, the skin can "collide.
You can modify the effect of the joint creases at both ends of the selected link. These joints are the parent’s joint and the link’s joint. Blend From and Blend To points define the distance along the link that is affected by the crease plane. ■ The parent’s joint is between the selected link and its parent. The parent’s joint is numbered 0. For the parent joint, the joint is at 0.0 and the crease plane has an effect from the joint to the Blend From point.
Interface Both the parent's and the link's joint have the same controls: Active Turns off the effects of the joint intersection controls. When this box is cleared, Physique makes no compensation for overlapping bulges. Default=off. Blend From The area between Blend From and Blend To contains vertices that are partially affected by the crease plane.
blended region; a value of 1.0 means that it will have a full effect within the blended region. Default=0.25. Bulge Sub-Object Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. > Modify panel > Bulge sub-object level After you have edited envelope sub-objects on page 4717 for good overall mesh deformation, you can create bulges to simulate muscle contraction and expansion when a character’s joint rotates.
Above: Default bulge angle at the initial pose. Below: Bicep bulges at the custom bulge angle of 90 degrees. The new bulge angle has been assigned a red color. To create a biceps bulge angle, go to the Bulge sub-object level. In the Selection Level group, turn on Link. Select the upper arm link, then click Insert Bulge Angle; the bulge angle name increments from 0 to 1 in the Current Bulge Angle field, indicating that a new bulge angle has been created.
On the Selection Level rollout, click Control Point. To shape the cross section, move the cross section control points in the viewports, creating a bulge. Click Play. The biceps should grow as the angle of the character’s arm approaches 90 degrees. If Select Nearest Bulge Angle is active, the bulge angle gizmos change colors, depending on which angle has the greatest influence. Go to the Link selection level and use Copy, Paste, and Mirror to create an identical bulge angle for the opposite arm.
Now you need to set a joint angle for the newly created bulge angle. 6 Move the time slider until the joint is at the desired angle. If the skeleton is not yet animated, you can exit the Bulge sub-object level, rotate the skeleton's joint until it is at the desired angle, then return to the Bulge sub-object level. 7 Click Set Bulge Angle.
To choose a specific bulge angle for editing: 1 Click the arrow of the Current Bulge Angle drop-down list. The full list of bulge angle names appears for the current link. 2 Click the name of the bulge angle you want to edit. The viewports update to show the cross sections associated with the newly selected bulge angle. To change a bulge angle value: 1 Make sure the bulge angle's name is displayed in the Current Bulge Angle drop-down list.
Interface Controls for the Bulge sub-object level are on the Bulge rollout.
Selection Level group Link Turn on to select links in the viewports. The Copy, Paste, and Mirror commands are enabled for links. Cross Section Turn on to select and edit cross sections in order to "bulge" the mesh. The Insert, Delete, Copy, Paste, and Mirror commands are enabled for cross sections. Control Point Turn on to edit cross section control points. Previous and Next Click to select the next or previous link, cross section, or control point, depending on the selection level.
Current Bulge Angle (field and drop-down list) Displays the current bulge angle. You can enter a descriptive name for a newly created bulge angle. When you click Insert Bulge Angle, this field displays the new bulge angle name. Use the drop-down list to select other bulge angles. Entire Link This choice in the Current Bulge Angle drop-down list selects all cross sections for all bulge angles in the active link. Use this to change cross section settings globally for a link.
incremented. You can enter a descriptive name for a new bulge angle, such as Arm at 90. By default, one Bulge Angle is created in the Figure mode pose when Physique creates links. Only one additional bulge angle is needed to bulge the mesh. You can create more bulge angles for further control, if you want. Delete Bulge Angle Removes the current bulge angle from the selected link. You cannot delete the default bulge angle. Influence The range of angles through which the bulge influences the skin.
Divisions Sets the number of control points around the cross section. By default, control points are evenly distributed around the circumference of the cross section. Resolution Sets the number of radial divisions around the cross section. Control points snap to the nearest resolution line. NOTE The buttons that follow, Insert, Delete, Copy, Paste, and Mirror, work according to which level is active in the Selection Level group. Insert Creates a new cross section or control point.
Display Options Click to display the Bulge Angle Display Properties dialog on page 4710, which lets you customize the viewport display of bulges. Tendons Sub-Object Select an object that has the Physique modifier applied to it. > Modify panel > Tendons sub-object level While envelopes provide smooth skin deformations, tendons provide additional stretching in much the same way that actual human tendons do. For example, you might create pulling in the wrist (several joints away) when the fingers are moved.
Tendons connecting upper chest to arms Procedures See Creating Tendons on page 4653 Interface Controls for Tendon sub-objects are on the Tendons rollout.
Selection Level group Link Click to select a link. Cross Section Click to select and edit tendon cross sections. Control Point Click to edit control points on tendon cross sections. Previous and Next Click to go to the previous or next link, tendon cross section, or control point (depending on the active selection level). Insert Settings group Sections Sets the number of base cross sections for the tendon. Default=1.
Insert Turn on to insert a new cross section on the selected link, or to insert a control point on a cross section. The action depends on the active selection level: Link, Cross Section, or Control Point. Delete Click to delete the selected cross section or control point. The action depends on the active selection level: Link, Cross Section, or Control Point. Tendon Parameters group Radius Scales attach points relative to the center of the cross section.
TIP As a general rule, leave the tendon values at 1.0 when the tendon is attached to a nearby link. For example, leave them at 1.0 between the upper spine (at the chest) and the arms. Reduce the Pull, Pinch, and Stretch values to reduce the tendon's effect when the tendon is attached to a more distant link. For example, reduce them between a lower part of the spine and the arms.
WARNING Tendons that span several links can conflict with joint intersection parameters. In these cases, go to the Link sub-object level on page 4725, and turn off Active to deactivate the joint intersection parameters for the joints that the tendon spans. (These controls are in the Joint Intersections rollout on page 4734.) Pull Bias, Pinch Bias, Stretch Bias Set the upper boundary falloff effect for these tendon parameters. Values of 0.0 have no effect.
Display group Interactive Redraw Turn on to deform the mesh in real time while you edit cross sections in the viewports. Turn off to update the mesh only when you release the mouse. Default=on. TIP Turn off Interactive Redraw when working on a slow system, or with a dense mesh that takes a long time to compute. Initial Skeletal Pose When on, puts the mesh into its original pose; that is, the pose it was in when Physique was first applied. Default=off.
To check vertex assignments: 1 Go to the Vertex sub-object level. 2 In the Vertex Operations group, click to turn on Select By Link. 3 Make sure all three Vertex Type buttons are on. 4 In a viewport, click a link. Physique displays the vertices assigned to that link. If any vertices assigned to the link are out of place, reassign them to a different link, as described in the procedures that follow. 5 Repeat step 4 for other links in the skeleton.
Observe the assignments and determine which vertices are incorrectly influenced. Also note if the vertices are red (deformable) or green (rigid). NOTE Blue vertices do not fall within the influence of any link and are thus assigned to the root. 3 Turn on Select, and in a viewport, select only the out-of-place vertices. NOTE Alternatively, you can use Alt+click to deselect the vertices that are in the correct place. 4 In the Vertex Type group, click to turn off Rigid Vertices and Root Vertices.
NOTE When you assign deformable vertices, some vertices might turn blue; they are assigned to the root instead of the link you clicked. To assign these vertices as correctly deformable vertices, simply use Ctrl+click with the neighboring parent or child link. If the blue vertices now turn red, they are deformable. 7 In the Vertex Operations group, click Lock Assignments to preserve the manual assignment. To make vertices rigid: 1 Go to the Vertex sub-object level.
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Vertex Type group There are three vertex types, differentiated by color: ■ Red Deformable vertices that follow Physique’s deformation spline. ■ Green Rigid vertices that do not deform but just follow the link they are assigned to. ■ Blue Vertices attached to the root node. Physique uses this color when it isn’t sure which link to assign the vertices to. These vertices don’t deform but follow the center of mass object. You should reassign blue vertices to be either rigid or deformable.
the head envelope vertex assignments and assign these vertices as rigid to the head link. Use Lock Assignments to lock any changes (see below). ■ 2, 3, 4 Links Vertices are influenced only by the specified number of closest links. This is useful when developing characters for a game engine with limited blending. Vertex Operations group Select Selects vertices using the selection tools on the main toolbar. Select by Link Selects vertices by link. Assign to Link Assigns the selected vertices to a link.
vertices are assigned manually in this way, use Lock Assignments to keep them from being reassigned inadvertently during subsequent operations. NOTE You must select or assign a link by clicking the link; you can't use the Select From Scene dialog to select or assign a link while you use Physique to work with vertices. Remove from Link Remove the selected vertices from a link.
Hide Hides the selected vertices Unhide All Unhides all vertices. Initial Skeletal Pose When on, puts the mesh into its original pose; that is, the pose it was in when Physique was first applied. Default=off. Crowd Animation The crowd-animation system in character studio is designed to simulate the behavior of real-life crowds. A crowd simulation emulates real-life situations by animating delegates on page 7951 (helper objects that act as representatives).
A crowd simulation can be used to animate bipeds, or to drive the use of mesh animation on objects linked to delegates. In addition, you can use cognitive controllers on page 7936 to tell delegates how to behave in varying circumstances.
The crowd helper is the controlling object for the entire crowd simulation. 2 Create a Delegate helper on page 4767 object. This is a prototype for your crowd; a representative member.
3 On the Modify panel > Motion rollout on page 4813, set appropriate speed and turning limits for the delegate. This is analogous to defining how a particular animal or object moves. Is it a bird, a fish, a slug, or an airplane? 4 Make clones of the delegate, either with 3ds Max clone tools, or by scattering delegates on page 4767.
5 Create 3ds Max objects to be used with behaviors, such as grids or objects to seek or avoid. These objects often correspond to objects in your scene. For example, you could create a grid in an open doorway to attract delegates, or a box at an obstacle to repel delegates.
6 Add one or more behaviors on page 4772. Modify each behavior's settings to be appropriate for the members of your crowd. 7 Solve the simulation.
8 Watch the solved simulation. If it needs correction, make changes to behaviors or delegate parameters. Solve again, and continue until the simulation works as intended. 9 Create the objects that will follow the delegates, and align and link them to delegates on page 4787. Creating Complex Simulations The process described above creates a simple crowd simulation.
After you create delegates, you use the crowd helper to clone delegates and distribute the clones, add behaviors, apply behaviors to delegates, link delegates to animated objects, and much more.
Delegate Helpers The Crowd system in character studio uses Delegate helper objects as intermediaries between the crowd simulation and the influenced objects. A delegate is a non-rendering pyramid-shaped object. Its apex points in the direction the crowd system uses as “forward” when it moves the delegate around. Use one delegate per object to be animated by the crowd system.
Procedures To create a Crowd helper object: 1 On the Create panel, click Helpers. 2 Click Crowd, and drag the helper object to a convenient size. TIP Make the crowd helper object large enough so you can easily select it in two or more viewports. The size of the helper does not affect the crowd simulation in any way. To create a Delegate helper object: 1 On the Create panel, click Helpers. 2 Click Delegate. Drag in a viewport to set the delegate position, and then drag vertically to set the size.
6 Click Generate Clones. This produces the specified number of clones in the same location. To vary positions, orientations, and/or sizes, proceed with the following steps. 7 On the Position tab > Placement Relative To Object group, choose a distribution option. Click the None button, and then select the distribution object you created earlier. Alternatively, to distribute delegates in a circular area, choose Placement In Area group > In Radial Area and set a center and radius. 8 Click Generate Locations.
Adjusting Delegate Parameters Delegate parameters define the nature of their motion. You can change delegate parameters in one of two ways: ■ To adjust parameters for an individual delegate, select the delegate, access the Modify panel, and adjust parameters. For descriptions of parameters, see Delegate Helper Object on page 4811.
teams of delegates to each behavior. A specific behavior assigned to a Crowd object belongs only to that crowd; it cannot be assigned to any other crowds. Following is a list of available behaviors: ■ Avoid Behavior on page 4867: Prevents delegates from colliding with objects in the scene, or with each other. Avoidance can use any combination of turning, braking/stopping, repelling, and vector field.
The first time you add a behavior to the scene, a new rollout appears for the behavior below the Setup rollout. This rollout lets you change settings for the behavior. Certain behaviors, such as Seek and Avoid, let you specify "target" objects. TIP Behaviors are assigned generic names by default. It's a good idea to rename them with more meaningful descriptors; for example, "Seek Ball" or "Avoid Fire".
A few behaviors cannot be weighted. These are Avoid, Surface Follow, and Orientation. Avoid and Surface Follow take over after all of the other behaviors have been applied to a delegate. They can take stringent measures to affect the delegate, possibly overpowering other behaviors in order to meet their constraints. Orientation simply sets the delegate's facing direction. It cannot be weighted and does not apply a force.
you can use the Step Solve feature to solve the simulation one frame at a time. Procedures To use assign behaviors to delegates: This example shows how to create a basic crowd simulation with delegates and behaviors. 1 Run 3ds Max or reset the program. 2 Add a Crowd object and one or more Delegate objects on page 4811 to the scene. In general, add delegates in the Top viewport so that they point forward. The Crowd object's location is immaterial. 3 Select the Crowd object and open the Modify panel.
13 On the Modify panel, scroll down to the Solve rollout and click the Solve button. Keys are created as follows: The delegate turns to point toward the sphere, banking as it turns, and then moves directly toward the sphere. When it reaches its target, it moves slightly beyond the sphere, and then repeats the turn-and-move motion until the end of the simulation. To prevent this, try starting with the two objects farther apart, or animating the sphere's position.
Procedures To use the Seek behavior: 1 Select the crowd helper and access the Modify panel. 2 In the Setup rollout > Behaviors group, click New. Choose Seek Behavior from the pop-up list. The Seek Behavior rollout appears below the Setup rollout. 3 In the Seek Behavior rollout on page 4883, click None to add one seek object, or click Multiple Selection to designate more than one object for the delegates to seek. 4 Change the default settings as desired.
Distance parameters to set the area in which delegates will be attracted to the grid. Turn on Display Distance to see the distance in viewports. To use the Path Follow behavior: 1 On the Create panel, click Shapes. Create a shape to be used as a path for delegates. 2 Add a Path Follow behavior to the Crowd object. 3 In the Path Follow Behavior rollout, click the None button and pick the shape for the delegates to follow.
3 In the Surface Follow Behavior rollout, click None or Multiple Selection to designate the object or objects whose surface(s) the assignees are to follow. 4 If you like, use the settings in the Projection Vector group to force delegates to move in a specific direction. Obstacle Avoidance An important part of crowd behavior is avoidance of obstacles. Think of an obstacle as anything that impedes a crowd member's progress.
Repel exerts a force on the delegate to turn it away from the obstacle. It does not guarantee avoidance. You must work with its Distance and Falloff parameters, as well as its weight in the Behavior Assignments and Teams dialog on page 4845, to control its strength. Repel can be used instead of the Avoid behavior as a simple avoidance technique for non-terrestrial creatures such as fish or birds. ■ Use a Vector Field on page 4917.
To use the Wall Repel behavior: 1 On the Create panel, click Helpers, and click Grid. Create a grid in the scene. TIP For best results, do not use Mirror to copy a grid to be used with behaviors. Use Shift+Clone instead. 2 Move and rotate the grid to position it. TIP The Wall Repel behavior repels delegates from the grid in the direction of grid's local Z axis.
To add a Vector Field space warp: Adding a Vector Field space warp object works the same as adding a Box geometry primitive. 1 On the Object Type rollout, click Vector Field. 2 Drag in a viewport to set the initial dimensions. ■ If using the Cube creation method, this sets all three dimensions simultaneously. ■ If using the Box creation method, release the mouse button, and then move the mouse vertically to set the height. 3 Click to create the space warp.
6 Increase the Obstacle Parameters rollout > Compute Vectors group > Range setting. As you increase this setting, you'll see the range volume grid expand. The range volume should enclose the space in which crowd members need to start turning in order to avoid the object. 7 Turn off Display group > Show Lattice and Show Range so that the vector field will be more easily visible when generated. 8 Turn on Display group > Show Vector Field. 9 In the Compute Vectors group, click the Compute button.
17 Select the Crowd object, and then solve the simulation by clicking the Solve rollout > Solve button. 18 Fine tune the behavior associated with the Vector Field space warp by adjusting the Lattice parameters on page 4919 and Obstacle parameters on page 4920. 19 Continue computing the vector field and then solving the simulation after each adjustment. In certain cases you might need to animate the vector field parameters to keep objects within the field.
2 Adjust the Center and Deviation as needed to control delegate speed. Change other settings as desired. Solving the Simulation After you have set up behaviors for delegates, you must solve the simulation to generate keyframes on delegates. You solve the simulation by selecting the crowd object and clicking Solve in the Solve rollout on page 4903.
To speed up the solution time: 1 Under Save every Nth Key, set the Positions and Rotations parameters to a higher number, such as 5. This causes the simulation to set delegate keyframes every five frames rather than at every frame. 2 Increase the Solve rollout > Display During Solve group > Frequency setting to a higher number, such as 100 . This will cause the display to update with the new delegate locations only every 100 frames.
When you want to use bipeds with delegates, you associate bipeds with delegates rather than link them. This approach enables the bipeds to use a motion flow network to determine their motion during the simulation. For an explanation of how to set up a biped crowd simulation, see Biped Crowds on page 4793. Procedures To link objects to delegates: 1 Set up a crowd simulation with a crowd helper and delegates. See Creating Crowd Helpers on page 4767. 2 Create a series of objects to follow the delegates.
To associate bipeds with delegates: 1 Set up a crowd simulation with a crowd helper and delegates. 2 Create several bipeds, one for each delegate. 3 Select the crowd helper, and access the Modify panel. 4 On the Setup rollout on page 4820, click Biped/Delegate Associations. The Associate Bipeds with Delegates on page 4842 dialog appears. 5 Click Add under the Bipeds list, and choose the bipeds to add to the list. 6 Click Add under the Delegates list, and choose the delegates to associate the bipeds with.
intelligence. You use the Cognitive Controller editor on page 4857, a flowchart-style editor (much like the Motion Flow Graph dialog on page 4549) to set up a network of behaviors and behavior combinations, known as states. Then you then apply MAXScript-based transitions that specify when delegates are to move from one state to another.
character studio gives the controller the default name of “Cognitive Controller.” It's recommended that you give more descriptive names to cognitive controllers, such as "Seek/Wander". Do this by clicking on the name in the text box and editing it from the keyboard. Creating a new cognitive controller automatically places you in Create State mode. 5 Click in the editor window to create and place a state. Continue clicking in different places to add as many states as necessary.
Each state can have any number of incoming and outgoing transitions. Specify different transition conditions for each to create as complex a state diagram as necessary. Next, use the State Transition dialog to define a conditional for each transition. 15 Right-click a transition line. 16 In the State Transition dialog on page 4861, enter the name of the transition condition, and then click the Edit MAXScript button.
ShowProperties $delegate01 And because the delegate is a node, it also responds to standard MAXScript node-related functions, with the exception of "simpos," as noted above. Also, for information on how to access the transition properties, such as duration and priority, see the MAXScript Reference. For more examples of MAXScript conditionals that can be used with cognitive controllers, see State Transition Dialog on page 4861.
microstructure of bipedal motion. Therefore, several features in Crowd are focused on the special needs of bipeds. In order to generate the required level of nuance, animated motion clips form the basis for the repertoire of biped movements. In other words, during a Biped/Crowd simulation, the delegates have no effect over the motion of the Biped, they only set goals to be achieved using clips available in the Motion Flow graph.
This is a fairly simple network of possible motions, because the characters can only start, stop, turn at 90 degree angles left and right (walk_L90 and walk_R90), and do an about-face (walk_180). However, for more natural crowd interaction, it's advisable to expand the motion flow network to include shorter, more finely tuned variations such as turning at 45 degree increments, moving in different directions while facing the same way, loitering motions, and moving at different speeds.
The Shared Motion Flow Networks feature lets many bipeds use a single motion-flow network. Therefore, it’s practical to make motion-flow networks large without taxing your computer's memory. Delegate-Directed Behavioral Goals You can give a biped a behavioral goal by associating it with a delegate in the Crowd system, and then assigning behaviors to the delegate. For example, in the walkers.
backtracking clip, and if that fails, it will backtrack to the previous clip, and so on, until a solution is found. In the example, if the current script of a biped is: walk_start walk walk_L90 and a collision is encountered during the walk_L90 clip, the biped will backtrack to the end of the walk clip and attempt to try a different clip in place of the failed left turn. If that fails, it will try the next best choice, and so on.
■ Give each character a unique name that will allow you to identify it in the simulation to some degree. Example: BigMan02, LittleGirl03. See Naming the Biped on page 4155. ■ For each character, disable the MeshSmooth modifier or other modifiers above Physique that add polygons. ■ Hide the character meshes and leave the bipeds visible. This setup makes it easy to merge the characters into the crowd scene.
Restrictions Some features of the crowd system are not designed to work with biped crowds. These behaviors and parameters have no effect on the crowd's movements when bipeds are used with the simulation.
Use Click+Shift+click (click, and then Shift+click) to choose several contiguous files, and Ctrl+click to choose non-contiguous files. 5 Choose the BIP files you want the software to use for motion synthesis, and then click the OK button. The files are added to the graph as clips. Each clip is automatically named after the file from which it's derived. NOTE For best results, especially with simulations in which bipeds are to turn at different angles, use as many different turning clips as possible.
This tells the software to start the script with this clip, and uses the default probability of 100 percent that the clip will be chosen. If you want the various bipeds to start with different clips, select multiple random start clips by pressing and holding the Ctrl key as you click. The default Random Start Probability setting of 100 for all clips means that the software will choose randomly among them for a starting clip for each biped's script.
TIP When first starting out with motion synthesis, use smaller crowds of eight or so delegates. 3 Solve the simulation and adjust the settings as necessary to obtain the desired motion. 4 Merge bipeds and characters into the scene, and associate each delegate with a different biped using the delegate's Motion Parameters rollout on page 4813 > Biped group settings.
5 Click the Parameters group > Load .mfe button, and use the Open dialog to load a motion flow file. Typically, this would be the one you saved earlier in the procedure. Next, specify the bipeds that will share this motion flow. 6 In the Parameters group, click the Add button, and use the Select dialog to specify the bipeds that will share the motion flow. For your convenience, the Select dialog shows only center of mass objects for the bipeds in the scene.
the random start 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 Solve frame. 4 Click Solve to run the simulation. Crowd solves the simulation. 5 Check the solved simulation by dragging the frame slider and/or playing back the animation.
Non-Biped 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 on page 4793), or clip controllers, when working with non-bipedal creatures. In the latter case, using the Global Motion Clip and Master Motion Clip controllers, you can animate groups of creatures such as birds, butterflies, schools of fish, and insects.
Clips are blended together to create the animation. Available states are speed, acceleration, pitch, pitch velocity, heading velocity, or script (MAXScript). Animation with Lateral Motion For multi-legged creatures that walk, you can animate lateral motion as well as the cyclic motion of the legs moving. This is done to ensure that the creatures' feet do not slide as they move. The software then uses the lateral motion information to create a state that perfectly matches the actual motion.
Master Motion Clip Master Motion Clips are controllers that contain motion clips, or individual clips of animation. These motion clips are sequenced to create animation, and overlap slightly with automatic blending to smooth the transitions between clips. Procedures To use Motion Synthesis with non-bipedal creatures: All of the work involved in copying and synthesizing clips takes place using controls in the Synthesis dialog on page 4925. This dialog has three tabs: Motion Clips, State, and Synthesis.
6 Click Align Objects With Delegates, and then click Link Objects To Delegates, and then click OK to exit the dialog. The objects align themselves with the delegates and are linked to the delegates. Next, animate the delegates with behaviors. See Assigning Behaviors on page 4772 for information on using behaviors. When you solve the simulation, the cloned objects follow the delegates, which are guided by behaviors. You then generate motion synthesis based on the delegate movement. 7 Select the Crowd object.
example, your glide motion should be active only if acceleration is less than 0. 14 Click Edit Properties and define how the software should activate the clip, based on any combination of speed, acceleration, and so on. Click each appropriate tab, turn on its Use ... check box, and set parameters. Click Exit to exit the dialog. When using a range, make sure the Min setting is lower than the Max setting.
Crowd Animation User Interface Crowd animation lets you simulate the behavior of crowds of people, animals, or other beings parametrically, using several different types of objects. The topics that follow describe the user interface for setting up a crowd simulation. ■ The Crowd helper object on page 4819 includes facilities for replicating and grouping objects and assigning behaviors on page 4845 to objects and groups.
Crowd Shortcuts To enable the character studio keyboard shortcuts, turn on the Keyboard Shortcut Override toggle on page 7858. All character studio keyboard shortcuts activate when the Motion panel is active and the Keyboard Shortcut Override button is active. See also: ■ Keyboard Shortcuts on page 7857 ■ Keyboard Panel on page 7698 ■ Customize User Interface Dialog on page 7697 Action Shortcut Description Solve S Solves crowd simulation. Step Solve Step-solves crowd simulation.
The delegate object is shaped like a pyramid. By default, the point of the pyramid indicates the forward direction, the delegate's local Y axis. The delegate object uses the following rollouts: Geometry Parameters Rollout on page 4813 Motion Parameters Rollout on page 4813 Also, you can set parameters for multiple delegates simultaneously, optionally with random variation, using the Crowd object's Edit Multiple Delegates dialog on page 4839.
Geometry Parameters Rollout Create panel > Helpers > Object Type rollout > Delegate > Geometry Parameters rollout Select a Delegate object. > Modify panel > Geometry Parameters rollout Use these parameters to modify the delegate object's size. Interface Width, Depth, Height Sets the width, depth, and height of the Delegate object. These fields also act as readouts when you create the delegate. NOTE The Delegate is a helper object, and thus cannot be rendered.
Interface Velocity Color When Show Velocity is on, uses the specified color to draw a vector in the delegate's center during the simulation solution. The vector length indicates the delegate's relative speed. Default=black. Active The delegate object is subject to control by a Crowd object. Default=on.
Speed group Average Speed Specifies the delegate's baseline velocity in 3ds Max units (or the current unit type) per frame. Default=5.0. The delegate's speed can be modified during the simulation by a variety of factors, such as a linked biped's built-in speed and Deviation settings in a behavior. Max Accel(eration) Multiplied times Average Speed to determine the maximum acceleration. Default=0.1. For example, given the defaults of 5.0 for Average Speed and 0.
is 0.2. Subtract that quantity from 1 to get 0.8, and then multiply that times the delegate's speed to get 8 units per second halfway into the turn. At the full turn (30 degrees), the delegate travels at 6 units per frame. At Turn Angle Specifies the turn angle at which Decel Weight's full slowdown effect is applied. Default=10.0.
Max Turn Accel Specifies how much the delegate's heading or pitch angle can change per frame. This controls angular acceleration and deceleration. For smooth turns, keep it relatively low. Default=3.0. TIP If a delegate exhibits sluggish turning behavior during a simulation, try increasing Max Turn Velocity, Max Turn Accel, or both. Max Incline Specifies the maximum number of degrees a delegate can turn upward at any given frame.
Biped group These parameters relate to the use of bipeds associated with delegates. In order to have a biped exhibit character animation as it follows the delegate's course, you must use motion flow methods. For a procedure, see To use bipeds in a crowd simulation on page 4799. Use Biped Associates the delegate with a biped (specified with the None button), and causes the delegate's speed to be determined by that of the biped's existing motion.
Priority Sets the delegate priority, which determines the order of solution in biped/delegate simulations. For details, see Priority Rollout on page 4907. First clip choice method Determines which motion clip in the shared motion flow graph Crowd initially uses to animate the biped linked with the delegate. ■ First clip of current script Uses the first clip in the biped's motion flow script, if a script exists. If this option is chosen, but there is no script, an error message is generated.
Orientation Behavior on page 4872 Path Follow Behavior on page 4876 Repel Behavior on page 4880 Scripted Behavior on page 4882 Seek Behavior on page 4883 Space Warp Behavior on page 4885 Speed Vary Behavior on page 4886 Surface Arrive Behavior on page 4888 Surface Follow Behavior on page 4892 Wall Repel Behavior on page 4895 Wall Seek Behavior on page 4898 Wander Behavior on page 4901 See also: ■ Creating Crowd Helpers on page 4767 ■ Delegate Helper Object on page 4811 Setup Rollout Create panel > Helpe
Interface A number of functions are available from a row of buttons at the top of the Setup rollout: Scatter Opens the Scatter Objects Dialog on page 4823. Objects/Delegate Associations Opens the Object/Delegate Associations dialog on page 4836. Biped/Delegate Associations Opens the Associate Bipeds With Delegates dialog on page 4842. Multiple Delegate Editing Opens the Edit Multiple Delegates dialog on page 4839. Behavior Assignments Displays the Behavior Assignments and Teams dialog on page 4845.
Assignments and Teams dialog on page 4845 to assign the behavior to a delegate or delegates in the scene. The first time you add a behavior to the scene using this command panel, a new rollout appears for this behavior below the Setup rollout. This rollout lets you change settings for the behavior. To display the rollout for a different behavior in the scene, choose it from the drop-down list in the Behaviors group.
You can rename a behavior by first selecting it from the list, and then clicking its name and entering a new one from the keyboard. It's a good idea to give descriptive names to behaviors; for example, Avoid Red Team. NOTE If you add the first behavior in the scene from the Behavior Assignments and Teams dialog on page 4845, the text box remains empty and no rollout for the behavior appears. To edit the behavior, choose it from the list.
Interface Clone panel Contains the basic options for cloning an object.
Object to Clone (None) Click this button, and then select an object in the scene to be cloned. How Many Specifies the number of clones to be generated. Copy/Instance/Reference Lets you specify how the object is cloned. It can be cloned as a copy, an instance on page 8015, or a reference on page 8106. Clone Hierarchy When on, all objects linked to the selected object are cloned as well, with the hierarchical structure retained intact for each clone.
Position panel Contains options for positioning objects using a reference (distribution) object. You can distribute objects randomly over the surface of a grid or other object, along a shape, or within the volume of a box or a sphere. You can choose only one option from the first two group boxes.
Placement Relative to Object group On Grid/Inside Sphere/Inside Box/On Surface/On Shape Choose the appropriate item before selecting the reference object. ■ On Grid distributes the scatter objects over the surface of a grid object. ■ Inside Box and Inside Sphere distribute the scatter objects within the volume of a primitive box or sphere object, respectively. ■ On Surface distributes the scatter objects over the surface of any renderable object.
Spacing group Include children's bounding boxes in spacing calculations When on, all of a hierarchical scatter object's sub-objects are considered when determining spacing. When off, only the selected object is considered. Spacing Specifies the minimum distance between scatter objects. The Spacing setting is multiplied by the size of the object's bounding sphere to determine how close objects can get. If Spacing is left at 1.
Rotation panel Contains options for orienting scatter objects. You can specify alternative forward and up axes, plus a target object toward which the objects will point. In addition, you can specify a source object; when using both source and target objects, the objects are rotated so they're parallel to the line between the two.
Local Axes group Use these settings to designate alternative forward and up axes. The default settings match the delegate axes. Forward +/-/X/Y/Z: Specifies which axis of the objects points forward, for use with the Look At Target option. When the + button is active, the default condition, the positive chosen axis is used. Click the + button to use the negative axis. Up +/-/X/Y/Z: Specifies which axis of the objects points upward; this axis is aligned with the world Z-axis.
direction but may look at a spot to either side of the target, use Sideways Deviation to set the maximum amount by which they can deviate from the calculated angle. The actual deviation amount for each object is calculated at random, based on the Deviation settings and the Rand Seed setting. Range=0.0 to 180.0. Up/Down Deviation Sets a maximum deviation angle in degrees for the objects' up/down orientation.
Scale panel Contains options for scaling scatter objects. You can apply uniform or non-uniform scaling, with optional per-axis deviation for scaling variation. Each axis group has a "Same As" option that lets you scale that axis by the same amount as another.
the same as the third. For example, set scaling in the X group, and then in the Y and Z groups, turn on Same as X. WARNING These controls can apply non-uniform scaling to objects, which may produce unexpected results when performing other operations within 3ds Max. X group Scale Sets scaling on the X-axis as a multiplier. Default=1.0. Deviation Sets the maximum factor for randomization of scaling. For each scatter object, Deviation is multiplied by a random number between 0.0 and 1.
Generate Scales Click this button to scale all scatter objects; that is, cloned objects or objects selected with the Select Objects to Transform on page 4835 button. Inc(rement) Seed When on, and you click the Generate Scales button, Scatter adds 1 to the Rand Seed value, and re-scales the scatter objects using the new random seed. Default=on. All Ops panel This panel lets you perform various permutations of cloning and transform operations in a single step, with or without successive randomization.
Turning on Clones makes the Select Objects To Transform button unavailable. The object to clone and cloning parameters must be specified on the Clone panel on page 4824.
Interface Try Again Click this button to force the software to make N more attempts, where N is set in the How Many More Attempts field. Skip This One Instructs the software to stop trying to place the current object and proceed to the next. Quit Trying Aborts the Generate Locations process; no more objects will be placed. Object/Delegate Associations Dialog Create panel > Helpers > Object Type rollout > Crowd > Setup rollout > Associate Objects with Delegates Select a Crowd object.
Interface Objects Lists objects available for linking, specified using the Add function (see following item). You can select any number of objects from this list for subsequent removal. Add Click this to open the standard 3ds Max Select dialog, which lists all objects in the scene, including delegates. Make your selection, and then click the Select button to add the objects to the Objects list. Remove Deletes the highlighted object or objects from the list.
Delegates Lists delegates available for linking, specified using the Add function (see following item). You can select any number of delegates from this list for subsequent removal. Add Click this to open the standard 3ds Max Select dialog, which lists all delegates in the scene. Make your selection, and then click the Select button to add the delegates to the Delegates list. Remove Deletes the highlighted delegate or delegates from the list.
Edit Multiple Delegates Dialog Create panel > Helpers > Object Type rollout > Crowd > Setup rollout > Multiple Delegate Editing Select a Crowd object. > Modify panel > Setup rollout > Multiple Delegate Editing The Edit Multiple Delegates dialog lets you define groups of delegates and set parameters for them. You can create and store up to 10 different configurations or settings combinations; each consists of one or more delegates and settings for the delegates.
3 Optionally, in the dialog (bottom-left corner), choose a stored dialog setting to use from the 10 available settings. 4 If necessary, use the Delegates To Edit group box controls to add delegates to or remove them from the current setting. 5 Modify the remaining parameters as necessary. Be sure to turn on the SET check box for any parameters that are to change. 6 Click the Apply Edit button to make the changes and exit the dialog.
Delegates to Edit group This group shows delegates belonging to the current settings combination in a list box and lets you add and delete members. Add Click this button, and then choose delegates to add from the Select dialog. Remove To remove delegates from the list, first choose the names of those to delete in the list box (drag to choose two or more contiguous names, or use Ctrl-click to choose non-contiguous names), and then click Remove.
Turning group These parameters are the same as those found in the delegate object's Motion Parameters rollout on page 4813. For an explanation of the Random and SET check boxes, see the introduction to this topic. Banking group These parameters are the same as those found in the delegate object's Motion Parameters rollout on page 4813. For an explanation of the Random and SET check boxes, see the introduction to this topic.
Use this dialog to associate any number of delegates with an equal number of bipeds. Add delegates and bipeds to the two lists, and order them so the desired pairs are across from each other. Then choose Make Specified Associations and click the Associate button. Alternatively, you can remove existing delegate-biped associations, or simply associate each delegate with the biped nearest it in the scene.
Shift Up/Shift Down Use the arrows between the two lists to move highlighted items higher or lower in the lists. When Make Specified Associations is chosen and you click the Associate button, the software creates associations between pairs of items at matching positions in the lists. Delegates Lists delegates available for linking, specified using the Add function (see following item). You can highlight any number of objects from this list for shifting up or down, or deleting.
Behavior Assignments and Teams Dialog Create panel > Helpers > Object Type rollout > Crowd > Setup rollout > Behavior Assignments Select a Crowd object. > Modify panel > Setup rollout > Behavior Assignments The Behavior Assignments and Teams dialog lets you group delegates on page 4811 into teams on page 4853, and assign behaviors on page 4822 and cognitive controllers on page 4857 to individual delegates and teams. It also lets you modify existing assignments.
4 To remove team members, choose the team from the drop-down list at the top of the Teams group, select the members to remove from the lower list, and then click the Remove Members button. 5 To add team members, choose the team from the drop-down list at the top of the Teams group, click the Add Members button, and then use the Select Delegates dialog to designate the delegates to add.
To modify an existing behavior assignment or assignments: 1 In the Behavior Assignments group, select the assignment or assignments to change. You can select multiple assignments by Ctrl+clicking for non-contiguous items or Shift+clicking for contiguous items, and then change the assignees or behaviors for all of them at once. 2 To change assignees, in the Assignment Design group, select a delegate or team.
Interface Assignment Design group Lets you set up assignments by choosing a behavior or cognitive controller and a delegate or team to assign it to. Choose one item from the left side (upper or lower list), and one item from right side (upper or lower list). Then click the New/Reset Assignment button immediately to the right of the Assignment Design group (vertical button with five right-pointing arrows). TIP With the exception of Behaviors, you can choose only one item from either side of this group.
Behaviors Lists existing behaviors. To use a behavior that hasn't been added to the scene yet, click the New Behavior button at the bottom of this group. Teams Lists teams in the scene. To create a new team, use the controls in Teams group box. Cognitive Controllers Lists existing cognitive controllers. To create a new controller, click the Setup rollout > Cognitive Controllers on page 4857 button.
This vertical button with five right-pointing arrows on it is situated between the Assignment Design and Behavior Assignments group. It's available only when two items in the Assignment Design group are highlighted (exception: Multiple behaviors can be highlighted). If no item in the Behavior Assignments group is highlighted, clicking the button creates a new assignment and adds it to the assignments list.
Behavior Assignments group Lets you create and modify behavior assignments. List box Displays all current behavior assignments, including team or delegate name, assigned behavior or cognitive controller, weight setting, and active status. Items are sorted in alphabetical first by Delegate/Team name, and then by Behavior/Cog name. A dashed line appears before a list entry if it's the first item for that delegate or team.
Weight The relative effect of the assigned behavior or cognitive controller. The higher an assignment's Weight setting is than others', the greater relative effect it will have. This setting is animatable. Default=1.0. In most cases, you should keep Weight within a range of 0.0 to 1.0. Higher settings are available but shouldn't be used unless absolutely necessary.
Teams group Lets you define, modify, and delete teams of delegates. NOTE You can toggle the display of this group box with the No Teams/Teams button below the Behavior Assignments group. Drop-down list Displays the name of the current team. To view a different team, choose it from the list. To change a team name, click in the box and then use the keyboard to edit the text. List box Displays delegates in the current team.
New Team Adds a team to the list, and opens the Select Delegates dialog on page 4855 to let you specify new team members. The default team name is "Team," followed by a number, starting with "0" and counting up. Delete Team Deletes the current team. Team members are not deleted from the scene. Add Members Lets you add members to the current team. Use the Select Delegates dialog on page 4855 to specify new team members. Remove Members Removes selected members from the team.
Orientation Behavior on page 4872 Path Follow Behavior on page 4876 Repel Behavior on page 4880 Scripted Behavior on page 4882 Seek Behavior on page 4883 Space Warp Behavior on page 4885 Speed Vary Behavior on page 4886 Surface Arrive Behavior on page 4888 Surface Follow Behavior on page 4892 Wall Repel Behavior on page 4895 Wall Seek Behavior on page 4898 Wander Behavior on page 4901 Select Delegates Dialog Create panel > Helpers > Object Type rollout > Crowd > Setup rollout > Behavior Assignments > Choos
Interface List box Lists all delegates in the scene. All Selects all delegates in the list. None Deselects all delegates. Invert Inverts the current selection. Selection Sets Choose an item from this to select all members of the selection set. You must first have created a selection set from one or more delegates. OK Closes the dialog and implements changes. Cancel Closes the dialog and ignores changes.
Cognitive Controller Editor Create panel > Helpers > Object Type rollout > Crowd > Setup rollout > Cognitive Controllers Select a Crowd object. > Modify panel > Setup rollout > Cognitive Controllers The Cognitive Controller editor lets you combine behaviors into states. More importantly, it lets you sequence different behaviors on page 4772 and behavior combinations using state diagrams, where conditionals written in MAXScript impose changes in behavior.
Interface Create State Lets you create new states in the diagram. Click this button, and then click in the state diagram area to add states. A state appears as a rectangular box containing the name of the state. The first state you add is, by default, the first state in the controller that executes when the simulation is run. This is indicated by its red color; states you add subsequently are colored blue. To set a different state to execute first, use the Set Start State function.
Set Start State Normally the state that executes first in a cognitive controller is the one that was added first. Use this tool to choose a different state to execute first. The start state is red; the rest are blue. Typically you would use this when you have a circular sequence of states, and you want to change which state executes initially. Move State Lets you move states around in the window by dragging them. Select State/Transition Lets you select states and transitions for subsequent deletion.
The State dialog lets you add behaviors to, and remove them from, a cognitive controller state in a crowd simulation, and specify weights for each behavior. Interface State name Displays the name of the state. To change the name, click this text and edit from the keyboard. List Displays the names of all behaviors associated with the state. To remove a behavior or change its weight, click the behavior's name, and then make the appropriate changes using the controls below the list.
Remove Eliminates the highlighted behavior from the state. Weight Specifies the selected behavior's relative influence in the state. Default=1.0. The higher the weight in relation to other behaviors' weights, the more evident the results of the behavior in the state. In most cases, you should keep Weight within a range of 0.0 to 1.0. Higher settings are available but shouldn't be used unless absolutely necessary. OK Closes the dialog and implements changes. Cancel Closes the dialog and ignores changes.
The opening section contains "fn" (function) followed by the function name, which also must appear in the State Transition dialog, and then the input parameters "del t", and lastly "= (". Following this there can be any MAXScript code, or none. The closing section contains a necessary MAXScript conditional, and then "then 1 else 0".
Once you've executed this assignment, you can obtain a list of the atmospheric's properties by entering this command in the MAXScript Listener: ShowProperties atmos_fog Also, the third line in the sample script isn't necessary for the cognitive controller; it simply prints the result of the test in the Listener window for debugging purposes. Testing Another Delegate's Behavior You might want to determine in a transition script which behavior is currently influencing a certain delegate.
line, and also substituting the names of your Avoid behaviors in the list in transfunc4, adding or deleting lines as necessary. The example script illustrates a second important point: Cognitive controller transition scripts can contain multiple functions. Crowd first executes the function specified in the State Transition dialog > Transition Condition field, and that function calls one or more additional functions in the script, which, of course, can also call functions.
Interface Priority Sets the transition's precedence. When more than one transition tests true, the software uses the Priority setting to determine which transition occurs. It performs the transition with the lowest Priority setting. Thus, for example, a transition with a Priority setting of 0 takes precedence over one with Priority 1, and so on. Duration The number of frames the software takes to effect the transition between states. Ease In The rate at which the transition begins. Default=0.5.
NOTE The sum of the values for Ease In and Ease Out must be less than or equal to 1.0. The software won't let you set a value for either parameter that would cause the sum to exceed 1.0. To increase the value of one parameter when its value equals 1.0 minus the other parameter, decrease the other parameter first. Transition Condition The name of the MAXScript function that specifies when/how the transition is to occur.
Path Follow Behavior on page 4876 Repel Behavior on page 4880 Scripted Behavior on page 4882 Seek Behavior on page 4883 Space Warp Behavior on page 4885 Speed Vary Behavior on page 4886 Surface Arrive Behavior on page 4888 Surface Follow Behavior on page 4892 Wall Repel Behavior on page 4895 Wall Seek Behavior on page 4898 Wander Behavior on page 4901 For a detailed description of specific behaviors, refer to the above topics. For an overall look at behaviors, see Assigning Behaviors on page 4772.
large Repel fields so that they can smoothly avoid each other while maintaining a comfortable margin of error. Repel forces prevent intrusion from all sides, regardless of the direction of travel. Thus even animals that rely mainly on Steer to Avoid will also need some degree of Repel avoidance to maintain spatial separation when they are moving through dense traffic. The forces of Repel avoidance are always directed uniformly outward in a spherical shape.
Interface None (label) Specifies a single target. Click this button, and then click the target object in the viewport. The target name then appears on the button. If you've selected multiple targets using Multiple Selection (see next item), the word Multiple appears on the button. To see which objects are designated as targets, click the Multiple Selection button. Multiple Selection Opens the Select dialog to let you designate multiple targets.
Look Ahead The number of frames in advance of the current frame that the software looks for potential collisions. Default=30. Hard Radius Distance from the target's pivot point, in multiples of the delegate's bounding sphere, where no penetration should occur. Default=1.0. TIP Because the hard radius' center is the pivot point, Avoid may not work as expected with target objects whose pivot point is not centered, such as the box primitive.
Radius Maximum distance from delegate's bounding sphere within which "repel" avoidance is sensed and carried out. Default=3.0. Falloff The rate at which the strength diminishes between the Repel radius and the hard radius. A value of 1.0 indicates a linear falloff. Higher values cause the strength to fall off to zero more rapidly with distance, thus focusing its effect closer to the delegate's hard radius. Lower values reduce the rate of diminishment, with a Falloff setting of 0.
Look Ahead Radius Displays a sphere that shows the current distance used to check for potential collisions. Color Swatch Shows the color used to draw the Avoid force vector during the solution. Click the box to choose a different color. Default=red. Force When on, force exerted on one or more delegates by the Avoid behavior is drawn in the viewports as a colored line during the simulation solution. Default=on.
Interface Heading group Use these controls to affect how delegates turn on the vertical axis. By default, heading is absolute, with 0 specifying the positive X axis in World coordinates. Thus, -90 would specify the negative Y axis, 90 the positive Y axis, and 180 or -180 the negative X axis.
Absolute heading as viewed from the top For example, if you wanted a delegate to be able to turn between the positive X axis and the positive Y axis, you would set Max Heading to 0 and Min Heading to 90. You can also specify heading limits in amounts relative to the delegate's heading at the time that the Orientation behavior takes effect by turning on the Relative check box. Relative When on, Heading settings are applied relative to the delegate's heading at the time the behavior takes effect.
Max Heading Vel(ocity) Specifies how much the delegate's heading can change per frame. This controls angular acceleration and deceleration. Default=180. Head. Response Determines how quickly the heading follows the direction the object is moving in. A value of 1.0 indicates maximum responsiveness, and will point in the direction the delegate is moving (within the limits) while a lower value means that it is less responsive. Default=1. Range=0 to 1.
delegate will bank one degree for every degree it is turning at a given frame. Default=1.0. Path Follow Behavior Create panel > Helpers > Object Type rollout > Crowd > Setup rollout > New button > Path Follow Behavior Select a Crowd object. > Modify panel > Setup rollout > New button > Path Follow Behavior The Path Follow behavior lets you direct delegates to traverse a specified path during a crowd simulation.
Interface None (label) Click this button, then select a path object. Suitable path objects include splines and NURBS curves. If a path object contains more than one spline or curve, character studio uses the lowest-numbered element (usually the earliest created one). NOTE You can assign a path object only from the Modify panel. Radius The radial distance from the path, in units, within which the delegate stays while traversing the path. Default=20.0. Range=0.0 to 99,999.0.
Turning group These parameters determine how delegates turn while following the path. Awareness determines how well a delegate anticipates turns in the path as it moves; you can apply random variation to Awareness with the Deviation setting. Awareness Specifies how "intelligent" the delegate is while traversing this path. A high Awareness setting means that it takes into account the curve of the path while moving and will try to anticipate changes.
Direction Determines the direction the delegate takes initially when following the path. The default choice is Forwards. Forwards The delegate moves along path vertices in ascending order. Backwards The delegate moves along path vertices in descending order. Action at End of Path Determines what the delegate does when it reaches the path end. The default choice is Loop. Loop The delegate loops around the path, even if it isn't closed.
Repel Behavior Create panel > Helpers > Object Type rollout > Crowd > Setup rollout > New button > Repel Behavior Select a Crowd object. > Modify panel > Setup rollout > New button > Repel Behavior The Repel behavior lets you specify any object or objects (sources) that will force delegates to move away from them. This is basically the opposite of the Seek behavior on page 4883.
If you've selected multiple sources using Multiple Selection (see next item), the word Multiple appears on the button. To see which objects are designated as sources, click the Multiple Selection button. Multiple Selection Opens the Select dialog to let you designate multiple sources. When you have more than one source, you can set delegates to move toward the closest target in the group, or to a computed average of the source positions.
Inner Radius The distance from the target at which the force is applied at full strength. Default=0.0. Outer Radius The distance from the target at which the force begins to be applied. Default=10.0. Falloff Default=2.0. Display Radii The radii are displayed when the force is active. Color Swatch Shows the color used to draw the Repel force vector during the solution. Click the box to choose a different color. Default=violet.
Script Context Name Specify a name for the script. Edit MAXScript Click to open an editor window. Seek Behavior Create panel > Helpers > Object Type rollout > Crowd > Setup rollout > New button > Seek Behavior Select a Crowd object. > Modify panel > Setup rollout > New button > Seek Behavior The Seek behavior lets you specify any object or objects as a stationary or moving target for delegates. Delegates move toward the target during the crowd simulation while turning as necessary.
If you've selected multiple targets using Multiple Selection (see next item), the word Multiple appears on the button. To see which objects are designated as targets, click the Multiple Selection button. Multiple Selection Opens the Select dialog to let you designate multiple targets. When you have more than one target, you can set delegates to move toward the closest target in the group, or to a computed average of the target positions.
Inner Radius The distance from the target at which Seek is applied at full strength. Default=0.0. Outer Radius The distance from the target at which Seek begins to be applied. Default=10.0. Falloff Default=2.0. Display Radii The radii are displayed when the force is active. Color Swatch Shows the color used to draw the Seek force vector during the solution. Click the box to choose a different color. Default=green.
Color Swatch shows the color used to draw the Space Warp force vector during the solution. Click the box to choose a different color. Display Force When on, force exerted on the delegate(s) by the Space Warp behavior is drawn in the viewports as a vector during the simulation solution. Speed Vary Behavior Create panel > Helpers > Object Type rollout > Crowd > Setup rollout > New button > Speed Vary Behavior Select a Crowd object.
Time group Period Specifies how many frames should elapse before a new speed is chosen. Deviation Specifies the maximum amount by which Period should vary. Each time a period ends, character studio takes a random number between the negative and positive values of the Deviation setting, multiplies it by the Period setting, and adds the result to Period. Default=0.5. Range=0.0 to 1.0.
Surface Arrive Behavior Create panel > Helpers > Object Type rollout > Crowd > Setup rollout > New button > Surface Arrive Behavior Select a Crowd object. > Modify panel > Setup rollout > New button > Surface Arrive Behavior The Surface Arrive behavior is similar to the Seek behavior on page 4883 in that it lets you specify an object or objects as a stationary or moving target for delegates. The principal difference is that Surface Arrive can cause delegates to stop when they reach the target.
Interface Crowd Animation User Interface | 4889
None (label) Specifies a single target. Click this button, and then click the target object in the viewport. The target name then appears on the button. If you've selected multiple targets using Multiple Selection (see next item), the word Multiple appears on the button. To see which objects are designated as targets, click the Multiple Selection button. Multiple Selection Opens the Select dialog to let you designate multiple targets.
Location group Offset Specifies a consistent distance from the calculated arrival point, based on the surface normal, for the delegate to use. Default=0.0. Facing When on, the delegate will try to arrive only at points on triangles on the surface that are facing it. Default=off. Random The software chooses a random point on the target surface as the arrival point. When using the Random option, the software chooses arrival points for delegates once, at the beginning of the simulation.
Descent Start Specifies the distance between the delegate and the arrival point at which the descent should start. NOTE Be careful that Descent Start is set high enough that the delegate won't overshoot when descending because its speed is too high and deceleration too low, compared to when it should start descending. Deviation Adds random variation to the to the Descent Start setting.
modifier to a patch grid to simulate a choppy water surface, and objects guided by Surface Follow will stay on top. NOTE By default, a delegate influenced by Surface Follow picks a direction to move in at any given frame based on its current facing and the plane of the face it's currently over. Thus objects moving up a hill, while seeking a point at the bottom of the other side of the hill, tend to turn left or right to skirt the hill, rather than following the upward slope.
When you have more than one target, delegates initially move toward the closest target in the group, and then move over its surface until they encounter another target, at which point they switch to its surface, and so on. Projection Vector group These controls let you override the default direction calculated by the Surface Follow behavior by describing a virtual plane along which the delegate is to move.
If the delegate starts out away from the surface to be followed, the target is most visible before the delegate reaches the surface; the target is then positioned along the surface edge. While the delegate is actually following the surface, the target is usually coincident with the delegate, because Surface follow sets a new destination only a frame or two ahead. Target Scale Sets the target size.
Interface Grid from which to repel Set a repelling grid ("source") by clicking the None button and then selecting the grid. Thereafter, the grid's name appears on the button. To set multiple source grids, click Multiple Selection and use the Select dialog. With multiple source grids, the word "Multiple" appears on the large button. Method group Determines whether delegate direction as influenced by the behavior is calculated by an angular method or a force method. Default=Force.
The magnitude of the force is greatest when the delegate is moving directly towards the source, and needs to turn around. It can be as little as 0 when the delegate is moving directly away from the source. Force Always applies a force directly away from the source. The magnitude of the force is constant. Direction group Determines whether the grid repels from its positive-axis side, its negative-axis side, or both.
Falloff setting of 0.0 indicating that the strength is the same at the Outer Distance as it is at the Inner Distance. Display Distance Shows the inner and outer distance settings as grids offset from the target grid in the viewports. The Inner Distance grid is light blue, while the Outer Distance grid is blue-white. Default=on. Grid Spacing Alters the spacing of grid lines used to draw the Inner/Outer Distance grids. The lower the value, the closer the spacing. Default=500.
Interface Grid to seek Set the target grid by clicking the button (initially labeled “None”) and then selecting the grid. Thereafter, the grid's name appears on the button. Method group Determines whether delegate direction as influenced by the behavior is calculated by an angular method or a force method. Default=Angle. Angle Applies a force to the delegate based on the angle between the delegate's current direction and the direction it would need to take in order to be moving directly toward the target.
Force Always applies a force directly towards the target. The magnitude of the force is constant. Direction group Determines whether the grid attracts from its positive-axis side, its negative-axis side, or both. To determine which is the positive-axis side, select the grid, and then set the reference coordinate system to Local (the default system is View). Look at the grid in a viewport and check the direction of the Z-axis arrow. This arrow determines the positive-axis direction.
Grid Spacing Alters the spacing of grid lines used to draw the Inner/Outer Distance grids. The lower the value, the closer the spacing. Default=500. End force at grid edges When on, the force emanates only from the grid object. When off, the force emanates from an imaginary infinite grid created by extending the grid plane in all directions. Color Swatch Shows the color used to draw the Seek force vector (and, if used, the radii) during the solution. Click the box to choose a different color.
3 Use Behavior Assignments on page 4845 to assign the behavior to a delegate or team. Interface Time group Period Specifies how many frames should elapse before a new direction is chosen. Default=10. Deviation Specifies the maximum amount by which Period should vary. Each time a period ends, character studio takes a random number between the negative and positive values of the Deviation setting, multiplies it by the Period setting, and adds the result to Period. Default=0.5. Range=0.0 to 1.0.
Deviation Specifies the maximum amount by which Angle should vary. Each time a period ends, character studio takes a random number between the negative and positive values of the Deviation setting, multiplies it by the Angle setting, and adds the result to Angle. Default=0.5. Range=0.0 to 1.0. Seed Specifies a seed value for randomizing the Wander behavior. Color swatch Shows the color used to draw the Wander force vector during the solution. Click the box to choose a different color.
Interface Solve Runs the crowd simulation continuously, applying all specified behaviors to delegates to which they are assigned. Solving a simulation overwrites any previous solutions. To abort a solution in progress and save all keys generated up to that point, press the Esc key. Alternatively, with complex simulations, you can save time by pressing Shift+Esc to abort a solution without saving keys.
Step Solve Runs the crowd simulation one frame at a time, starting at the current frame as specified by the time slider position. Press the spacebar to advance one frame. To abort a solution in progress and save all keys generated up to that point, press the Esc key. When you do so, the software disregards any non-default settings for Save Every Nth Key. Alternatively, with complex simulations, you can save time by pressing Shift+Esc to abort a solution without saving keys.
Display During Solve group Update display When on, motion produced during solution of a crowd simulation appears in the viewports. Default=on. Frequency How often the display is updated during the solution. If 1, the update occurs every frame. If 2, the update occurs every other frame, and so on. Default=1. Vector Scale Globally scales all force and velocity vectors that are displayed during the simulation. Default=10.0. Scaling vectors up helps to see them better when they are very small.
Use Priorities When on, biped/delegates are computed one delegate at a time, in order of their Priority values, from lowest to highest. Also, backtracking becomes available, and Step Solve becomes unavailable. Default=off. Backtracking Turns on backtracking functionality when solving a crowd simulation that uses bipeds. Default=off.
Suppose you have two groups of bipeds, all of which are assigned random priorities. If you wanted to keep the priority relationships within each group, but make one group start after or before the other, you could use Increment Priorities to increment or decrement all the priorities in one group. If none of the algorithms applies to your situation, you need some way to set the priorities by hand. It's useful to be able to set them visually. That's what the Assign By Picking method is for.
Start Priority Sets the initial priority value. Applies to the first four methods of setting priorities: Assign By Picking, Proximity To An Object, Proximity To A Grid, and Assign Random Priorities. Default=0. NOTE Priority is assigned in increasing order. Thus, a delegate with Priority value 0 goes before a delegate with Priority 1, 1 goes before 2, and so on.
Proximity to a Grid Lets you assign priorities based on delegates' distance from an infinite plane defined by a specific grid object. To specify the grid 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 assigned the Start Priority value, and each successively farther delegate is assigned the next highest priority.
When you include bipeds in a crowd simulation using a shared motion flow, you usually don't want them all walking in lockstep formation. You can avoid this by setting different 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 earlier start frames stuck behind bipeds with later start frames.
Maximum number of frames between consecutive start frames The largest value the software will use to increment assigned start frames. Delegates with the same priority get the same start frame The software assigns the same start frame to any delegates with identical Priority settings. When off, the software randomizes the order of same-priority delegates' start frames. Default=on. OK Assigns start frame values to selected delegates based on the dialog settings and priority order and closes the dialog.
Interface Select Objects to Smooth Opens the Select dialog, which lets you specify which objects' positions and/or rotations to smooth. Filter delegate selection When on, the Select dialog opened by the Select Objects To Smooth button shows only delegates. When off, it shows all scene objects. Default=on. Whole Animation Smoothes all animation frames. This is the default option. Animation Segment Smoothes only the frame ranges specified in the From and To fields.
To When Animation Segment is chosen, specifies the last animation frame for smoothing. Positions When on, selected objects' animation paths generated via the simulation are smoothed after the simulation has finished. Default=on. Rotations When on, selected objects' rotations generated via the simulation are smoothed after the simulation has finished. Default=on. Reduction group Reduce Reduces the number of keys by keeping only every Nth key.
Collisions Rollout Create panel > Helpers > Object Type rollout > Crowd > Collisions rollout Select a Crowd object. > Modify panel > Collisions rollout During a crowd simulation, you can use this rollout to keep track of collisions defined by Avoid behaviors. A delegate whose hard radius as defined by the Avoid behavior intersects with the hard radius of anything it is avoiding is marked as having collided at that frame.
Geometry Rollout Create panel > Helpers > Object Type rollout > Crowd > Geometry rollout Select a Crowd object. > Modify panel > Geometry rollout Use this parameter to modify the crowd object's size. Interface Icon Size Determines the size of the Crowd helper object's icon. This setting is primarily for visibility; it has no effect on the crowd simulation. Global Clip Controllers Rollout Create panel > Helpers > Object Type rollout > Crowd > Global Clip Controllers rollout Select a Crowd object.
Interface (List) Lists objects designated as Global Objects, whose controllers can be used as animation clips to control other objects (typically clones). To designate an object as a Global Object, click the New button, and then select the object in the Select dialog. New To designate a Global Object and add it to the list, click this button, and then select the object in the Select dialog. Edit To modify a Global Object's properties, click its name in the list, and then click this button.
A vector field is a special type of space warp that crowd members use to move around irregular objects such as curved, concave surfaces. The Vector Field gizmo, a box-shaped lattice, is placed and sized so that it surrounds the object to be avoided. The vectors are generated from the lattice intersections. These vectors are, by default, perpendicular to the surface of the object to which the field is applied; if necessary, you can smooth them out with a blending function.
Create Method Rollout Create panel > Space Warps > Particles & Dynamics > Object Type rollout > Vector Field > Create Method rollout The Create Method rollout for the Vector Field space warp lets you specify whether to create the vector field using the cube or box method. Interface Cube Forces length, width, and height to be equal. Creating a cube-shaped space warp is a one-step operation. Starting at the center of the cube, drag in a viewport to set all three dimensions simultaneously.
Obstacle Parameters Rollout Create panel > Space Warps > Particles & Dynamics > Object Type rollout > Vector Field > Obstacle Parameters rollout Select a Vector Field space warp. > Modify panel > Obstacle Parameters rollout A vector field on page 4917, generated around an obstacle object, allows crowd on page 4819 members to avoid that object in a scene. The field consists of a three-dimensional array of vectors which guide delegates or other objects around the obstacle.
The vectors are generated at lattice intersections inside the vector field range. Show Range Displays the volume about the obstacle object within which vectors are generated, as an olive-colored wireframe. Default=on. The range starts out the same shape and size as the obstacle object, and is typically enlarged with the Compute Vectors group > Range setting. Show Vector Field Displays vectors, which appear as blue lines emanating outward from lattice intersections within the range volume. Default=off.
Strength Sets the degree of effect the vectors have on the movement of an object entering the vector field. If Show Vector Field on page 4921 is on as you adjust Strength, you can see the vector lines change size in the viewports in real time. Default=1.0. NOTE Sometimes, after changing strength, vectors will be too large or too small. In such cases, adjust the VectorScale on page 4921 parameter so that they display properly.
Vector Field Object Lets you designate the obstacle object. Click this button, and then select the object around which the vector field is to be generated. Thereafter the object's name appears on the button (which is intially labeled “None”). NOTE You can only use primitives and unmodified editable mesh objects as obstacles. Also, the object should be fully enclosed in the Vector Field lattice. Range Determines the volume within which vectors are generated. Default=1.0.
Blend Vectors group Use the Blend Vectors parameters to reduce abrupt changes in the angles of neighboring vectors. For example, if you have a wavy surface, you might get wavy vectors very far out from the surface, which could adversely affect the simulation. Use Blend Vectors to correct this condition. Start Dist The distance from the object at which you want to start blending the vectors. Default=0.0. Falloff The falloff of the blend of the surrounding vectors. Default=2.0.
ClipState Dialog on page 4937 For information on using motion synthesis with bipeds, see Biped Crowds on page 4793. Synthesis Dialog Select a Crowd object. > Modify panel > Global Clip Controllers rollout > New > Choose a GlobalClip object. > Select the object in the list. > Edit > Synthesis dialog Open Track View > Global Tracks > Block Control > GlobalClip Properties > Synthesis dialog The Synthesis dialog is where you set up motion synthesis for non-bipedal crowd members.
Open Track View > Global Tracks > Block Control > GlobalClip Properties > Synthesis dialog > Motion Clips panel On the Motion Clips panel, you specify the global object from which the motion clips are to be derived. You also set up the motion clips here.
Interface Global Object Click Global Object and pick the object that contains the animation (all the clips) in the Select Global Objects To Copy dialog.
Global Motion Clips group List Window The list of motion clips. The clips that you create appear in this list. Edit Window Rename or change the color for the selected motion clip. From Global Object group Create State Create a new state with parameters specific to the motion clip, such as speed, heading, acceleration, and so on. character studio evaluates the motion and orientation of the object and creates a new state with parameters set accordingly.
You can use this function in several ways. First, if you've changed the animation on the Global Object, you can restore it from a stored motion clip with Copy To Object. Also, if you've edited the clip in Track View (Global Tracks > Block Control > Global Motion Clip:: ...), you can apply it to the Global Object with Copy To Object. From Track View group New Lets you create a motion clip from an animation track in Track View. Specify a track in the Track View Pick dialog on page 4936.
■ Motion Clips Panel on page 4925 ■ Synthesis Panel on page 4932 Interface Synthesis States drop-down list Displays the current state. Choose a state to modify from the list. You can change the state name by editing the text in the list window.
New State Creates a new state and adds it to the list. The default name is “ClipState,” optionally followed by a number. You can change the state name by editing the text in the window. Delete State Deletes the current state. This is undoable. Edit Properties Lets you modify the current state. Displays the ClipState dialog on page 4937 for the current state. Clear Properties Returns the state to the default settings and removes clips from the MotionClips window.
Animation Start Deviation You can randomize where the animation starts by specifying a Animation Start Deviation value other than 0. Range=0.0 to 1.0. State Active Percent Specifies the percentage of time the state needs to be valid over its interval in order for it to be selected. Range=0 to 100. Default=50. Clip Select Seed Changes how the random selections occur. If the value stays the same, you are guaranteed to get the same random selections for that state. OK Accepts changes and closes the dialog.
Interface Master Motion Clips list Displays the objects to which the synthesized motion will be applied. You can highlight any of these by clicking them, and select multiple items with Ctrl+click and Shift+click. Highlight all objects with the Select All button. New Master Motion Clip Displays the Select Object To Copy dialog. Use this to specify the objects to which the synthesized motion will be applied.
These objects must all be structurally identical to the Global Object. In effect, they should be clones. Remove Animation Strips the animation from the clones. After making clones of the original animated object, you can strip the animation from the clones. During synthesis, motion is applied based on which state is active. Collapse Selected Collapses motion clips to keys on the highlighted objects. This deletes the Master Motion Clip for that object.
set Blend Start to the frame in the “from” clip at which blending should begin. Alternatively, use Auto Blend or Auto Blend All to have character studio determine the best blend points. If you use Auto Blend, you can then see the calculated blend start point for each pair of clips by choosing the clips from the drop-down lists. From Clip list Lets you select the starting clip to blend; the clip to blend from. To Clip list Lets you select the ending clip to blend; the clip to blend to.
Interface Name Enter a name for the new motion clip. Start Specifies the first frame of the animation clip from the Global Object. End Specifies the last frame of the animation clip from the Global Object. Color Click the color swatch and choose a color in the color picker. This color is used in Track View when displaying the clip. Track View Pick Dialog Select a Crowd helper. > Modify panel > Global Clip Controllers rollout > New > Choose a GlobalClip object. > Select the object in the list.
ClipState Dialog Select a Crowd helper. > Modify panel > Global Clip Controllers rollout > New > Choose GlobalClip object. > Select object in list.
each active property, you can specify a range or a unique value that triggers the clip for its respective state. When you use a range, be sure to set the Min 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 the delegates' actual ranges and average values for all properties after synthesizing on page 4934 the clips.
TIP When setting up states, it's useful to know the extents of state property values for delegate motion in the scene, such as maximum and minimum speed. To determine these, set up the clips and states you want to use, set the ranges to any values, and then synthesize (see the procedure below). After you synthesize, the different property panels of the ClipState dialog will show the actual ranges and average values of delegate motion. These values are saved with the scene.
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Use Speed Turn on to have the motion synthesis engine consider delegate velocity in determining whether to use the clip. Range Choose Range to have the motion synthesis engine activate the clip when the delegate's speed falls inside the specified range. Range Display After you synthesize on page 4934 the Master Motion Clips, displays delegates' minimum, average, and maximum speed. Min Set the minimum speed value for the range. Max Set the maximum speed value for the range.
Percentage Specify how much to alter the playback speed based upon the difference between the delegate's speed and the Base Speed setting. The formula used is this: Animation Speed change % = (current speed/Base Speed -1 ) x Percentage % For example, if a delegate is moving 50 percent faster than the base speed, and the Scale Percentage value is 50, then the playback speed is scaled up by 25 percent. Base Speed Specifies the delegate speed at which the animation should be played back at its normal rate.
Use Acceleration Turn on to have the motion synthesis engine consider delegate acceleration in determining whether to activate the state. Range Choose Range to have the motion synthesis engine activate the clip when the delegate's acceleration falls inside the specified range.
Range Display After you synthesize on page 4934 the Master Motion Clips, displays delegates' minimum, average, and maximum acceleration. Min Set a minimum acceleration value for the range. Max Set a maximum acceleration value for the range. Unique Choose Unique to have the motion synthesis engine activate the clip when the delegate's acceleration matches a specific value, optionally with a rising, falling, or constant value before or after the specified value. Value Set a unique acceleration value.
Base Acceleration Specifies the delegate acceleration at which the animation should be played back at its normal rate. Pitch Panel Select a Crowd helper. > Modify panel > Global Clip Controllers rollout > New > Choose GlobalClip object. > Select object in list.
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Use Pitch Turn on to have the motion synthesis engine consider delegate pitch in determining whether to activate the state. Range Choose Range to have the motion synthesis engine activate the clip when the delegate's pitch falls inside the specified range. Range Display After you synthesize on page 4934 the Master Motion Clips, displays delegates' minimum, average, and maximum pitch. Min Set a minimum pitch for the range. Max Set a maximum pitch for the range.
Base Pitch Specifies the delegate pitch at which the animation should be played back at its normal rate. Scale Playback Speed group These settings let you scale the rate at which the animation is played, depending upon the pitch of the delegate. By default, when Scale Animation is off, the object animation will always play at its normal rate.
Interface Crowd Animation User Interface | 4949
Use Pitch Velocity Turn on to have the motion synthesis engine consider pitch velocity in determining whether to activate the state. Range The motion synthesis engine activates the clip when the delegate's pitch velocity falls inside the specified range. Range Display After you synthesize on page 4934 the Master Motion Clips, displays delegates' minimum, average, and maximum pitch velocity. Min Set a minimum pitch velocity for the range. Max Set a maximum pitch velocity for the range.
Animation Speed change % = (current speed/Base Pitch Rate -1 ) x Percentage % For example, if a delegate's pitch velocity is 50 percent above its base heading rate, and the Scale Percentage value is 50, then the playback speed is scaled up by 25 percent. Base Pitch Rate Specifies the delegate pitch velocity at which the animation should be played back at its normal rate. Heading Velocity Panel Select a Crowd helper. > Modify panel > Global Clip Controllers rollout > New > Choose GlobalClip object.
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Use Heading Velocity Turn on to have the motion synthesis engine consider heading velocity in determining whether to activate the state. Range Choose Range to have the motion synthesis engine activate the clip when the delegate's heading velocity falls inside the specified range. Range Display After you synthesize on page 4934 the Master Motion Clips, displays delegates' minimum, average, and maximum heading velocity. Min Set a minimum heading rate value for the range.
Animation Speed change % = (current speed/Base Heading Rate -1 ) x Percentage % For example, if a delegate's heading velocity is 50 percent above its base heading rate, and the Scale Percentage value is 50, then the playback speed is scaled up by 25 percent. Base Heading Rate Specifies the delegate heading velocity at which the animation should be played back at its normal rate. Script Panel Select a Crowd helper. > Modify panel > Global Clip Controllers rollout > New > Choose GlobalClip object.
Interface Use Script Turn this on to use a MAXScript script to control a clip. Script Enter the name of the function defined by the script, also found at the start of the script.
Edit Script Opens a MAXScript editor window that lets you edit the script. File Formats and Index of Procedures character studio File Formats character studio uses several proprietary file formats for various functions. BIP Motion file. Includes biped motion and the size of the original biped so motion can be accurately loaded to other bipeds. Can be loaded directly onto a biped, or used to combine motions with Motion Flow or the Motion Mixer. See Loading and Saving BIP Animation on page 4300.
Procedures These procedures appear elsewhere in this User Reference, in their associated topics. Here, they are organized by feature.
To make the biped walk backward: on page 4442 To prepare for manual footstep creation: on page 4190 To create footsteps manually, beginning at the current frame: on page 4435 To append footsteps onto the existing footsteps: on page 4436 To create footsteps using AutoGrid: on page 4192 To make the biped speed up as it walks: on page 4442 To activate footsteps: on page 4193 To deactivate footsteps: on page 4196 Editing Footsteps To save footstep data: on page 4308 To move selected footsteps in time: on page
Editing Biped Keys To use In Place mode to adjust keyframes: on page 4319 To set the balance factor: on page 4217 To set ballistic tension: on page 4224 To set the IK Blend value of a key: on page 4262 To locate vertical center of mass keys: on page 4224 To set a Body Vertical key: on page 4224 To change TCB for a biped arm: on page 4248 To select and rotate multiple links: on page 4250 To rotate all links in the spine, neck, or tail: on page 4251 To change Dynamics Blend for multiple Body Vertical keys: on
To optimize transitions in the Motion Flow Graph: on page 4516 To create a Motion Flow script: on page 4519 To save Motion Flow Editor files: on page 4521 To load Motion Flow Editor files: on page 4523 To append Motion Flow Editor files: on page 4524 To manually customize transitions between two clips: on page 4526 To automatically customize transitions between two clips: on page 4527 To create a random script for one biped: on page 4531 To customize transition “weighting” and setting a start clip: on page
Applying Physique To attach a mesh to a biped using Physique: on page 4671 To adjust default envelope shape: on page 4634 To adjust envelopes around the biped’s pelvis: on page 4635 To add a bone after you've already used Attach To Node: on page 4672 To troubleshoot bulges and tendons: on page 4675 To select and edit cross sections: on page 4636 To copy an envelope and its settings to a mirrored link (for example, from one thigh to the other): on page 4637 To copy all Bulge angles from one link to its oppos
To add a cross section: on page 4690 To change the shape of a cross section: on page 4692 To make a cross section the active cross section: on page 4690 To choose a specific bulge angle for editing: on page 4689 To change a bulge angle value: on page 4689 To select multiple cross sections: on page 4690 To move cross sections along the link: on page 4691 To copy and paste cross sections: on page 4691 To change the Profile view orientation: on page 4692 To delete a bulge angle: on page 4689 To delete a cross
To load a biped figure: on page 4176 Layers To increment all keys using layers (global offset): on page 4289 To increment an interval of keys with an envelope (blended offset): on page 4289 To increment an interval of keys without an envelope (nonblended offset): on page 4290 To use layers to reposition a biped with freeform animation: on page 4315 Props Example: To animate a biped swinging a prop with one hand: on page 4258 Example: To animate the biped switching the prop to the other hand: on page 4258
To reposition a biped with limbs attached to world space (IK attachment): on page 4314 To reposition a biped animated with a motion flow script: on page 4315 To scale a biped that has a mesh attached to it by using Physique: on page 4660 Facial Animation on page 4660 To isolate lip vertices from influence by inappropriate links: on page 4667 Crowd System Crowd and Delegate Helpers To create a Crowd helper object: on page 4770 To create a Delegate helper object: on page 4770 To clone and scatter delegates:
To use the Surface Arrive behavior: on page 4779 To use the Surface Follow behavior: on page 4779 To use the Wall Repel behavior: on page 4782 To use the Wall Seek behavior: on page 4778 To use the Wander behavior: on page 4901 Solving a Crowd Simulation To solve a simulation: on page 4786 To speed up the solution time: on page 4787 To troubleshoot the simulation: on page 4787 Cognitive Controllers To set up and use a cognitive controller: on page 4790 Testing a Modifier Parameter Testing a Particle Syste
To add a non-biped object to the Motion Mixer: on page 3708 To see the motions in the Motion Mixer on the biped in the scene: on page 3712 Loading Clips To import BIP clips from a file: on page 3711 To import clips from the Reservoir: on page 3711 To import clips from a motion flow script: on page 3712 To replace one clip with another: on page 3714 To replace a clip with motion from a biped in the scene: on page 3714 To clone a clip: on page 3714 Clip Timing To move a clip in time within a track: on page
To change the focus on a foot-based transition with Biped animation: on page 3730 To adjust a weight curve: on page 3732 Biped Balance To adjust balance using the balance track: on page 3739 To fine-tune balance compensation on the pelvis and spine: on page 3740 Saving Mixer Data To perform a mixdown and copy it to the biped: on page 3743 To save Motion Mixer data to a MIX file: on page 3744 Reservoir To access the Reservoir: on page 3747 To add clips to the Reservoir: on page 3747 To replace a clip in t
To filter a track: on page 4503 4968 | Chapter 17 character studio
Lights and Cameras 18 “Little Village Far, Far Away” Copyright 2000 Eni Oken Lights and cameras are scene objects that simulate their real-world counterparts. Lights provide illumination for the geometry of a scene: they can light the scene from “offstage,” or, with a little extra work, they can appear within the scene itself. Standard lights are simple and easy to use. Photometric lights are more complex, but provide a physically accurate model of real-world lighting.
lighting that simulates sunlight based on location and time of day, month and year. You can animate the time of day to create shadow studies. Cameras frame the scene, providing a controllable point of view. You can animate camera movement. Cameras can simulate some aspects of real-world photography, such as depth-of-field and motion blur.
Lights are objects that simulate real lights such as household or office lamps, the light instruments used in stage and film work, and the sun itself. Different kinds of light objects cast light in different ways, emulating different kinds of real-world light sources. When there are no lights in a scene, the scene is shaded or rendered with default lighting. You add lights to give the scene a more realistic appearance. Lighting enhances the clarity and three-dimensionality of a scene.
photometric files available from lighting manufacturers to design lighting based on commercially available lights. TIP Combine Photometric lights with the radiosity solution on page 6168 to generate physically accurate renderings or perform lighting analysis. Tips ■ You can animate not only the location of a light, but also its color, intensity and some other creation parameters. See Animating Lights on page 4996. ■ You can use the Place Highlight on page 1018 command to change a light's position.
Create a light. > Modify panel > Name and Color rollout The Name And Color rollout lets you change the name and geometry color of a light. Changing the color of the light geometry can be useful when working with many lights. For example, in a scene with many different types of lights, you could make all spotlights red, and all omni lights blue to easily distinguish them. Changing a light's geometry color has no effect on the color of the light itself.
Color The color of the light’s geometry. This has no effect on the color the light emits. Using Lights In general, these are the reasons to use light objects on page 4970: ■ To improve the illumination of a scene. The default illumination in viewports might not be bright enough, or it might not illuminate all faces of a complicated object. ■ To enhance a scene's realism through realistic lighting effects. Guidelines for Lighting on page 4986 has suggestions about making lighting appear realistic.
■ Lighting in 3ds Max on page 4984 ■ Guidelines for Lighting on page 4986 ■ Positioning Light Objects on page 4990 ■ Animating Lights on page 4996 ■ Light Include/Exclude Tool on page 4997 ■ Light Lister on page 5000 Working with Lights The procedures in this topic apply to both standard and photometric lights.
■ You can use the Place Highlight on page 1018 button to change a light's position. See the “Procedures” section, below. ■ A Light viewport on page 7614can be a useful way to adjust spotlights in your scene. Procedures To create a light: 1 On the Create panel, click Lights. 2 Choose Standard or Photometric from the drop-down list. Standard is the default. 3 In the Object Type rollout, click the type of light you want to create. 4 Click a viewport to create the light.
TIP To turn shadows on or off for multiple lights, select the lights and then use the Light Lister on page 5000. You can set an object to not cast or not receive shadows. By default, objects do both. See Object Properties on page 305. To control the display of light objects: On the Display panel, on the Hide By Category rollout, turn on Lights. All light objects in the scene disappear, but the lighting itself is unchanged. ■ Light objects can cast light whether or not their display is turned off.
3 On the Main toolbar, choose Place Highlight from the Align flyout on page 1009. You can also choose Tools menu > Place Highlight. 4 Drag over the object to place the highlight. When you place an omni light on page 5063, free direct light on page 5060, or a photometric Free Light on page 5011, 3ds Max displays a face normal for the face the mouse indicates.
Intensity The intensity of light at its point of origin affects how brightly the light illuminates an object. A dim light cast on a brightly colored object shows only dim colors. Left: A room lit by candles, which are a low-intensity source. Right: The same room lit by a higher-intensity light bulb. Angle of Incidence The more a surface inclines away from a light source, the less light it receives and the darker it appears.
Angle of incidence affects intensity. Attenuation In the real world, light diminishes over distance. Objects far from the light source appear darker; objects near the source appear brighter. This effect is known as attenuation. In nature, light attenuates at an inverse square rate. That is, its intensity diminishes in proportion to the square of the distance from the light source.
A. Inverse decay B. Inverse square decay The graphs show the decay curves. Reflected Light and Ambient Light The light an object reflects can illuminate other objects. The more light a surface reflects, the more light it contributes to illuminating other objects in its environment. Reflected light creates ambient light. Ambient light has a uniform intensity and is uniformly diffuse. It has no discernible source and no discernible direction.
A. Direct light B. Reflected light C. Resulting ambient light Color and Light The color of light depends partly on the process that generates the light. For example, a tungsten lamp casts orange-yellow light, a mercury vapor lamp casts cold blue-white light, and sunlight is yellow-white. Light color also depends on the medium the light passes through. For example, clouds in the atmosphere tint daylight blue, and stained glass can tint light a highly saturated color.
Additive mixing of colored lights Color Temperature Color temperature describes a color in terms of degrees Kelvin (K). This is useful for describing the color of light sources and other color values that are close to white. The following table shows color temperatures for some common types of light, with the equivalent hue number (from the HSV color description). If you use these hue numbers for lights in a scene, set the value to full (255) and then adjust the saturation to meet the needs of your scene.
Light source Color Temper- Hue ature Tungsten/halogen lamp 3300 K 20 Incandescent lamp (100 to 200 W) 2900 K 16 Incandescent lamp (25 W) 2500 K 12 Sunlight at sunset or sunrise 2000 K 7 Candle flame 1750 K 5 Lighting in 3ds Max Lighting in 3ds Max simulates natural lighting. However, standard lights are simpler than natural lighting. Using photometric lights on page 5005 with a radiosity solution on page 6168 with your lights provides a better model of the real world.
increases, attenuation is in effect, or if the light has a color, the surface intensity can be reduced. In other words, the position and orientation of the light, relative to the object, are what control the angle of incidence in a scene. The Place Highlight command on page 1018 is one way to fine-tune the location of a light. Attenuation For standard lights, attenuation on page 7915 is turned off by default. To shade or render a scene with attenuation, you turn it on for one or more lights.
TIP To better simulate reflected light and variations in it due to the varying reflectivity of objects in the scene, you can add more lights to a scene and set them to exclude the objects you don’t want them to affect. You can also set up lights to affect only the ambient component of surfaces. See General Lighting Parameters on page 5076. Color You can set the color of 3ds Max lights.
Natural Light Outdoor scene with natural sunlight At ground level, for practical purposes, sunlight has parallel rays coming from a single direction. The direction and angle vary depending on the time of day, the latitude, and the season. In clear weather, the color of sunlight is a pale yellow: for example, RGB values of 250, 255, 175 (HSV 45, 80, 255). Cloudy weather can tint sunlight blue, shading into dark gray for stormy weather. Particles in the air can give sunlight an orange or brownish tint.
Artificial Light Outdoor scene with natural twilight and one streetlight Artificial light, whether used indoors or outdoors at night, uses multiple lights. The following guidelines are for creating normally lit, easily legible scenes. You don’t have to follow the guidelines, of course, but then you call attention to the lighting itself, rather than to the subject of the scene. The subject of a scene should be lit by a single bright light, known as the key light.
You can also add lights to emphasize secondary subjects in a scene. In stage terminology, these lights are known as specials. Special lights are usually brighter than the fill light but less bright than the main key light. To design using physically based energy values, distributions, and color temperature, you can create photometric lights on page 5005.
Positioning Light Objects Once you have placed lights in your scene, you can use transforms to change a light's position or orientation. Transforming Lights Use transforms on light objects as follows: Move: Use Move on page 959 to change the position of lights. You can also use it to change the position of light targets. Rotate: Use Rotate on page 960 to change the orientation of lights. NOTE You can't rotate a target light about its local X or Y axes. Instead, use Move to move the light or its target.
light object to aim it at a face on an object you pick. The light maintains its original distance from the face. Place Highlight works with any kind of selected object. You can also use Place Highlight with a selection set that contains more than one object. All objects maintain their initial distance from the face. Previewing Shadows in Viewports You can preview shadows in shaded viewports.
Shaded viewport with lighting and shadows Lighting and shadows in viewports is a convenience for previewing your scene. These settings and the viewport appearance don’t necessarily match what will happen when you render, but shadows don’t appear if they wouldn’t appear in a rendering; for example, if an object is set to not cast or receive shadows, it won’t do so in viewports, and if a light is turned off or is not shadow casting, then it has no effect on the viewport display.
Quad Menu: Display Quadrant The Viewport Lighting And Shadows options appear on the main quad menu. Viewport Shading Chooses the level of viewport shading. These options are equivalent to the same options in the Lighting And Shadows tab on page 7836 for viewport configuration: changing the setting here changes the active setting in the preferences dialog, and vice versa. ■ Best ■ Good ■ Off Displays shadows at the SM3.0 level, with opacity mapping. Displays shadows at the SM2.0 level.
Enable Viewport Shadows Selected Turns on viewport shadows for the selected lights. Select Lights Displaying Shadows Selects all of the lights in the scene that have Shadows turned on. Select Lights Displaying Lighting Selects all of the lights in the scene that are On. Auto Display Selected Lights When on, light from selected lights is automatically displayed in shaded viewports. Default=off.
Quad Menu:Tools 1 Quadrant The Tools 1 (upper-left) quadrant for viewport lighting appears when a single light object is selected in the scene. Ambient Only When on, the light object affects only ambient light in viewports. Affect Specular When on, the light object affects specular color in viewports. Affect Diffuse When on, the light object affects diffuse color in viewports. Viewport Shadows When on, shaded viewports display shadows from the light.
Cast Shadows Turns on shadows for the light, for viewport display. This setting does not change the value of the light’s Shadows toggle, so it doesn’t affect the rendered scene. Viewport Lighting Turns on the selected light, for viewport display. This setting does not change the value of the light’s On toggle, so it doesn’t affect the rendered scene. Light On Turns the selected lights On. This setting does change the value of the light’s On toggle, so it does affect the rendered scene.
■ If you do need to move a target spotlight, link both the light and its target to a dummy object on page 2615, then assign the path constraint to the dummy object. ■ Use a LookAt Constraint on page 3312 to have a spotlight track a moving object. If the spotlight is a target spotlight, its previous target is ignored. If the spotlight is a free spotlight, it effectively becomes a target spotlight, with the looked-at object the target.
Although light exclusion does not occur in nature, this feature is useful when you need exact control over the lighting in your scene. Sometimes, for example, you'll want to add lights specifically to illuminate a single object but not its surroundings, or you'll want a light to cast shadows from one object but not from another. NOTE By default, no objects are excluded for a new light. It’s necessary only to include objects that have previously been excluded.
Interface Geometry group Include, Exclude Toggles the state of a selected object to receive light from a particular light object. Default=include. Assign to Light Activates selection so you can choose the light you want to use. You can only choose one light at a time. List Light Properties group These controls let you view and edit the include/exclude status of objects on a light-by-light basis.
Current displayed light Names the currently selected light. Choose Light Activates selection so you can choose another light. Clear Light Empties the Objects list, removing any included or excluded objects assigned to the currently displayed light. Include, Exclude Reverses the state of included or excluded objects to receive light from the currently displayed light. Objects Lists objects selected for inclusion or exclusion by the currently displayed light. Help Provides a quick reminder of procedures.
The General Settings rollout appears. 2 Make changes to the settings. See Interface, below. To set individual lights: 1 On the Configuration rollout, choose All Lights. The Lights rollout displays settings for all the scene lights (subject to the limit of 150 lights described above). Alternatively, you can select the lights to adjust, and then on the Configuration rollout choose Selected Lights. TIP If you change the light selection, the Light Lister does not update interactively.
General Settings rollout These controls are for general lighting settings. ■ Selected Lights When chosen, general settings affect only selected lights. ■ All Lights When chosen, general settings affect all lights in the scene (subject to the 150-light restriction, described above). On When on, affected lights are active in the scene. When off, affected lights go dark in the viewports and renderings. Multiplier Increases or decreases the light intensity of standard lights.
Int. (Integrity) For advanced ray-traced shadows or area shadows, sets the Shadow Integrity. See Advanced Ray-Traced Parameters Rollout on page 5118 or Area Shadows Rollout on page 5122. Qual. (Quality) For advanced ray-traced shadows or area shadows, sets the Shadow Quality. See Advanced Ray-Traced Parameters Rollout on page 5118 or Area Shadows Rollout on page 5122. Decay (For standard lights.) Sets the type of decay: None, Inverse, or Inverse Square.
This rollout is visible while All Lights or Selected Lights is active on the Configuration rollout. Its controls are for individual light objects. This rollout displays two lists: one for standard lights, and another for photometric lights. Blank gray button (Select) Click to select the named light. This button turns white for selected lights. Selecting a light opens the Modify panel for that light. This button has a gray box in the middle for the light that appears in the Modify panel.
Bias Setting depends on which shadow type is selected. In general, bias moves the shadow toward or away from the shadow-casting object. See Shadow Map Parameters on page 5135 and Ray-Traced Shadow Parameters on page 5133 for specific effects. Sm. Range For shadow-mapped shadows, sets the Sample Range value. See Shadow Map Parameters on page 5135. This value has no effect for ray-traced shadows. Default=4.0. Transp. (Transparency) When on, turns on transparency for advanced ray-traced and area shadows.
When you create lights from the Create panel, photometric lights appear as the default. 3ds Max includes the following types of photometric light objects: Target Light (Photometric) on page 5009 Free Light (Photometric) on page 5011 mr Sky Portal on page 5186 NOTE The remainder of this topic discusses standard photometric lights, target and free. It does not discuss the mr Sky Portal on page 5186.
Light Shapes for Shadow Generation While your distribution choice affects how light is spread throughout the scene, the light shape affects the way objects cast shadows. This setting is an independent choice. In general, larger areas cast softer shadows. There are six options: ■ Point Objects cast shadows as if the light were emitted from a single geometric point, like a naked lightbulb. ■ Line Objects cast shadows as if the light were emitted from a line, like a fluorescent tube.
Light with Line shadows and Uniform Spherical distribution. No information is lost, and the light behaves as it did in prior releases.
Target Light (Photometric) Create panel > Lights > Photometric > Target Light button Create menu > Lights > Photometric Lights > Target Light. A target light has a target sub-object that you can use to aim the light. Viewport representations of Target lights with spherical, spotlight, and web distribution NOTE When you add a Target light, 3ds Max automatically assigns a Look At controller on page 3199 to it, with the light's target object assigned as the Look At target.
4 Drag in a viewport. The initial point of the drag is the location of the light, and the point where you release the mouse is the location of the target. The light is now part of the scene. 5 Set the creation parameters. You can use the Move transform to adjust the light’s position and direction. To select the target: The target, displayed as a small square, is often in the same area as objects that you want to illuminate. It can be difficult to select it by clicking. 1 First select the target point light.
To change a viewport to a light view: NOTE The viewport can only be set to a light view when the target light’s distribution is spotlight. 1 Right-click the viewport label. The viewport right-click menu is displayed. 2 Choose Views. The name of each light is displayed in the Views list. By default, Target lights are named TPhotometricLight01, TPhotometricLight02, and so on. 3 Choose the name of the light you want. The viewport now shows the light's point of view.
2 Choose Photometric from the drop-down list. (Standard is the default.) 3 In the Object Type rollout, click Free Light. 4 Click the viewport location where you want the light to be. The light is now part of the scene. Initially it points away from you in the viewport you clicked (down the negative Z-axis of the viewport). 5 Set the creation parameters. You can position the light on page 4990 and adjust its direction with the transform tools or by using a Light viewport.
Rollouts for Photometric Lights Templates Rollout Create panel > Lights > Photometric Lights > Create a light. > Modify panel > Templates rollout Create panel > Lights > Photometric Lights > Create a light. > Modify panel > Templates rollout The Templates rollout lets you choose from among a variety of preset light types. In general, when you create lights for a new scene (as opposed to using an existing 3ds Max scene), we recommend that you do one of the following: ■ Choose a light from the template list.
■ Halogen spotlight ■ 21W halogen bulb ■ 35W halogen bulb ■ 50W halogen bulb ■ 75W halogen bulb ■ 80W halogen bulb ■ 100W halogen bulb ■ Recessed 75W lamp (web) ■ Recessed 75W wallwash (web) ■ Recessed 250W wallwash (web) ■ 4 ft. pendant fluorescent (web) ■ 4 ft.
Class. Watts Type Intensity A-19/ Med 60 Point 70 A-19/ Med 75 Point 95 A-19/ Med 100 Point 139 Beam Field M16 Low Voltage Lamps Class.
Par36 Low Voltage Lamps Class. Watts Type Intensity Beam Field Narrow Beam 25 Spot 4200 9 15 Narrow Beam 50 Spot 8900 10 15 Medium Beam 50 Spot 1300 30 60 Wide Beam 25 Spot 250 36 75 Wide Beam 50 Spot 600 39 75 Par56 Line Voltage Lamps Class.
Class. Watts Type Intensity Beam Field Narrow Beam 500 Spot 95000 9 15 Medium Beam 300 Spot 24000 18 36 Medium Beam 500 Spot 47500 18 36 Wide Beam 300 Spot 10000 30 60 Wide Beam 500 Spot 18000 30 60 Par38 Line Voltage Lamps Class.
Class. Watts Type Intensity Beam Field Medium Beam 45 Spot 1700 28 60 Medium Beam 75 Spot 1860 30 60 Medium Beam 150 Spot 4000 30 60 R40 Line Voltage Lamps Class.
General Parameters Rollout (Photometric Lights) Create panel > Lights > Photometric Lights > Create a light. > Modify panel > General Parameters rollout. Create menu > Photometric Lights > Create a light. > Modify panel > General Parameters rollout. This General Parameters rollout is displayed for photometric lights. These controls turn a light on and off, and exclude or include objects in the scene. They also let you set the type of light distribution.
Left: With Spotlight distribution, the projection cone can truncate shadows. Right: With Uniform Spherical distribution, the light casts complete shadows. To have a light use the global settings for shadows: ■ On the General Parameters rollout, in the Shadow Parameters group, turn on Use Global Settings. When Use Global Settings is on, the other shadow controls are set to the values used by all other shadow-casting lights in the scene that have Use Global Settings set.
Scene with shadow-mapped shadows Shadows rendered using default parameter settings TIP When you render a scene, you can turn rendering of shadows on or off. To cast area shadows: ■ On the General Parameters rollout, choose Area Shadows from the drop-down list. Use controls on the Area Shadows rollout on page 5122 to adjust the shadow properties.
2 Go to the Shadow Map Params rollout on page 5135. ■ Use the Size spinner to set the size of the shadow map. ■ Use the Bias spinner to adjust the shadow offset, if necessary. ■ Use the Sample Range spinner to create a soft-edged shadow. To cast ray-traced shadows: Ray-traced shadows on page 8103 are generated by tracing the path of rays sampled from a light source. Ray-traced shadows are more accurate than shadow-mapped shadows.
Interface Light Properties group On (Both Create panel and Modify panel) Turns the light on and off. When On is on, shading and rendering use the light to illuminate the scene. When On is off, the light is not used in shading or rendering. Default=on. In viewports, the interactive renderer shows the effect of turning lights on or off. Targeted When on, the light has a target. When off, you aim the light using transforms.
The “mental ray Shadow Map” type is provided for use with the mental ray renderer on page 6230. When you choose this shadow type and enable shadow maps (on the Shadows & Displacement rollout on page 6292 of the Render Setup dialog), shadows use the mental ray shadow-map algorithm. If this type is chosen but you render with the default scanline renderer, no shadows appear in the rendering.
Excluded objects still appear lit in shaded viewports. Exclusion takes effect only when you render the scene. Light Distribution (Type) group Drop-down list The light distribution drop-down list lets you choose the type of light distribution. There are four options: ■ Photometric Web on page 5028 When you choose this option, the Distribution (Photometric File) rollout on page 5044 opens on the command panel.
Uniform spherical light distribution Viewport representation of a Target light with uniform spherical distribution Uniform Diffuse Distribution (Photometric Lights) Create panel > Lights > Photometric Lights > Click Target Light or Free Light. > General Parameters rollout > Light Distribution (Type) group > Choose Uniform Diffuse from the drop-down list. Uniform diffuse distribution emits diffuse light in one hemisphere only, as if the light were emitted from a surface.
Uniform diffuse light distribution NOTE Uniform Diffuse distribution was known simply as Diffuse distribution in releases prior to Autodesk 3ds Max 2009. Spotlight Distribution (Photometric Lights) Create panel > Lights > Photometric Lights > Click Target Light or Free Light. > General Parameters rollout > Light Distribution (Type) group > Choose Spotlight from the drop-down list. A spotlight distribution casts a focused beam of light like a flashlight, a follow spot in a theater or a headlight.
Spotlight distribution Viewport representation of a Target light with spotlight distribution Spotlight settings appear on the Distribution (Spotlight) rollout on page 5046. Photometric Web Distribution (Photometric Lights) Create panel > Lights > Photometric Lights > Click Target Light or Free Light. > General Parameters rollout > Light Distribution (Type) group > Choose Photometric Web from the drop-down list.
A Photometric Web distribution uses a photometric web definition on page 5030 to distribute the light. A photometric web is a 3D representation of the light intensity distribution of a light source. Web definitions are stored in files. Many lighting manufacturers provide web files that model their products; these are often available on the Internet. A web file can be in the IES on page 5034, LTLI on page 8029, or CIBSE on page 7935 format.
Procedure To create a light from a manufacturer's IES file: 1 Create a Target or Free photometric light. 2 In the General Parameters rollout > Light Distribution (Type) group, choose Photometric Web File from the Distribution list. A Distribution (Photometric File) rollout opens on the command panel. 3 In the Distribution (Photometric File) rollout, click the button labelled Choose Photometric File. A file selection dialog appears. Choose the IES file that you want to use.
Goniometric diagram of a web distribution This type of diagram visually represents how the luminous intensity of a source varies with the vertical angle. However, the horizontal angle is fixed and, unless the distribution is axially symmetric, more than one goniometric diagram may be needed to describe the complete distribution. In the 3ds Max user interface, web files are displayed as thumbnail diagrams.
Thumbnails of photometric web files The bright red outline shows the beam. For some webs, a darker red outline shows the (less bright) field. Photometric Web The photometric web is a three-dimensional representation of the light distribution. It extends the goniometric diagram to three dimensions, so that the dependencies of the luminous intensity on both the vertical and horizontal angles can be examined simultaneously. The center of the photometric web represents the center of the light object.
Example 1: Uniform Spherical Distribution Example of uniform spherical distribution A sphere centered around the origin is a representation of uniform spherical distribution, also known as isotropic distribution. All the points in the diagram are equidistant from the center and therefore light is emitted equally in all directions.
Example 2: Ellipsoidal Distribution Example of ellipsoidal distribution In this example, the points in the negative Z direction are the same distance from the origin as the corresponding points in the positive Z direction, so the same amount of light shines upward and downward. No point has a very large X or Y component, either positive or negative, so less light is cast laterally from the light source.
Data and Related Information, prepared by the IES Computer Committee (http://www.iesna.org). The luminous intensity distribution (LID) of a luminaire is measured at the nodes of a photometric web for a fixed set of horizontal and vertical angles. The poles of the web lie along the vertical axis, with the nadir corresponding to a vertical angle of zero degrees. The horizontal axis corresponds to a horizontal angle of zero degrees and is oriented parallel to the length of the luminaire.
12 The width, length, and height of the luminous opening. Currently, Lightscape ignores these dimensions because you can associate a given luminous intensity distribution with any of the luminaire geometric entities supported by Lightscape. It is normally given as 0 0 0. 13 1.0 1.0 0.0 14 The set of vertical angles, listed in increasing order. If the distribution lies completely in the bottom hemisphere, the first and last angles must be 0° and 90°, respectively.
Intensity/Color/Attenuation Rollout (Photometric Lights) Create panel > Lights > Photometric Lights > Create a light. > Modify panel > Intensity/Color/Attenuation rollout Create panel > Lights > Photometric Lights > Create a light. > Modify panel > Intensity/Color/Attenuation rollout The Intensity/Color/Attenuation rollout lets you set the color and intensity of the light. You can also, optionally, set a limit for its attenuation.
Color group Light Pick a common lamp specification to approximate the spectral character of your light. The color swatch next to the Kelvin parameter is updated to reflect the light you select.
Intensity group These controls specify the strength or brightness of photometric lights in physically based quantities. You set the intensity of a light source using one of the following units: ■ lm (lumen) Measures the overall output power of the light (luminous flux on page 8029). A 100-watt general purpose light bulb has a luminous flux of about 1750 lm. ■ cd (candela) Measures the maximum luminous intensity on page 8029 of the light, usually along the direction of aim.
Far Attenuation group You can set the attenuation range for a photometric light. Strictly speaking, this is not how real-world lights behave, but setting an attenuation range can help improve rendering time dramatically. TIP If your scene has a large number of lights, use Far Attenuation to limit the portion of the scene each light illuminates.
Interface Emit Light From (Shape) group Drop-down list Use the list to choose the shadow-generating shape. When you choose a shape other than Point, dimension controls appear in the Emit Light group, and a Shadow Samples control appears in the Rendering group. ■ Point Calculates shadows as if the light were emitted from a point. The Point shape has no other controls. ■ Line Calculates shadows as if the light were emitted from a line. The Linear shape has a Length control.
The Cylinder shape has Length and Radius controls. Rendering group Shape visible to renderer When on, the shape of the light is visible in renderings as a self-illuminated (glowing) shape, provided the light object is within the field of view. When off, the light’s shape is not rendered, only the light it casts. Default=off. See Self-Illuminating Photometric Lights on page 5042 for more information about this option. Shadow Samples Sets the overall quality of shadows.
The square white surface is geometry representing the light. A photometric light is placed at the same location. This doesn’t pose a problem unless you create a radiosity solution on page 6168 that uses Final Gather. Final Gather treats the self-illuminated material as an additional diffuse light source, and the resulting rendering is too bright. The intended effect of the light alone.
The light plus Final Gather creates illumination that is too bright. If this problem arises, do one or both of the following: ■ Turn off Specular for the photometric light. ■ Turn off Object Properties > Advanced Lighting > Geometric Object Radiosity Properties > Radiosity-only Properties > Diffuse (reflective & translucent) for objects with surfaces affected by this problem. Distribution (Photometric File) Rollout Create panel > Lights > Photometric Lights > Create a photometric light.
Interface Web diagram After you choose a photometric file, this thumbnail shows a schematic diagram of the light’s distribution pattern. Thumbnails of photometric web files The bright red outline shows the beam. For some webs, a darker red outline shows the (less bright) field. Choose Photometric File Click to select a file to use as a photometric web. The file can be in the IES, LTLI, or CIBSE format. Once you have chosen a file, this button displays the file name (without the .ies, .ltli, or .
X Rotation Rotates the photometric web about the X axis. The center of rotation is the photometric center of the web. Range=–180 degrees to 180 degrees. Y Rotation Rotates the photometric web about the Y axis. The center of rotation is the photometric center of the web. Range=–180 degrees to 180 degrees. Z Rotation Rotates the photometric web about the Z axis. The center of rotation is the photometric center of the web. Range=–180 degrees to 180 degrees.
Spotlight cone displayed in a viewport To adjust the beam angle and field angle, do one of the following: ■ Use the Hotspot/Beam and Falloff/Field spinners to increase or decrease the size of the beam angle and field angle regions. For spotlights, these angles are expressed in degrees. ■ Use manipulators to adjust beam angle and field angle by dragging in a viewport, as described in the procedure that follows.
TIP When you select multiple spotlights, all their manipulators are accessible. 2 On the default main toolbar, click to turn on Select And Manipulate. Now when you move the mouse over the beam angle or field angle circle, the circle turns red to show you can adjust it by dragging. Also, a tooltip displays the spotlight name, the parameter, and its value. 3 Drag the beam angle or field angle circle to adjust the value. The beam angle and field angle constrain each other, as their spinner controls do.
NOTE The beam angle is similar to the hotspot angle for standard lights, but all of a hotspot is at 100 per cent intensity. The field angle is similar to the falloff angle for standard lights, but at the falloff angle, intensity fades to zero; photometric lights use a smoother curve, so some light might be cast outside the field angle.
There are eight types of standard light objects: Target Spotlight on page 5051 Free Spotlight on page 5054 Target Directional Light on page 5057 Free Directional Light on page 5060 Omni Light on page 5063 Skylight on page 5065 mr Area Omni Light on page 5070 mr Area Spotlight on page 5073 Most of the parameters for standard lights are common to all five types.
Shadow Parameters Different rollouts can appear, depending on which type of shadows you have chosen for a light: Advanced Ray-Traced Parameters Rollout on page 5118 Area Shadows Rollout on page 5122 Optimizations Rollout on page 5130 mental ray Shadow Map Rollout on page 5128 Ray-Traced Shadow Parameters Rollout on page 5133 Shadow Map Parameters Rollout on page 5135 Target Spotlight Create panel > Lights > Standard > Target Spot button Create menu > Standard Lights > Target Spotlight Standard Lights | 50
Top: Top view of a target spotlight Bottom: Perspective view of the same light A spotlight casts a focused beam of light like a flashlight, a follow spot in a theater, or a headlight. A target spotlight uses a target object to aim the camera. NOTE When you add a target spotlight, the software automatically assigns a Look At controller on page 3199 to it, with the light's target object assigned as the Look At target.
Procedures To create a target spotlight: 1 On the Create panel, click Lights. Standard is the default choice of light type. 2 In the Object Type rollout, click Target Spot. 3 Drag in a viewport. The initial point of the drag is the location of the spotlight, and the point where you release the mouse is the location of the target. The light is now part of the scene. 4 Set the creation parameters. To adjust a target spotlight: 1 Select the light. 2 Use Move on the main toolbar to adjust the light.
Another way to adjust a spotlight is to use a Light viewport on page 5090. To change a viewport to a Light view: 1 Right-click a viewport label. The viewport right-click menu is displayed. 2 Choose Views. The name of each spotlight or directional light is displayed in the Views list. 3 Choose the name of the light you want. The viewport now shows the light's point of view. You can use the Light viewport on page 7614 to adjust the light. The default keyboard shortcut for switching to a Light viewport is $.
Top: Perspective view of a free spotlight Bottom: Top view of the same light A spotlight casts a focused beam of light like a flashlight, a follow spot in a theater, or a headlight. Unlike a targeted spotlight, a Free Spot has no target object. You can move and rotate the free spot to aim it in any direction.
■ Advanced Effects Rollout on page 5108 ■ Shadow Parameters on page 5099 ■ Spotlight Parameters on page 5090 Procedures To create a free spotlight: On the Create panel, click Lights. 1 Standard is the default choice of light type. 2 In the Object Type rollout, click Free Spot. 3 Click the viewport location where you want the light to be. The light is now part of the scene. It points away from you in the viewport you clicked.
The free spotlight is useful when you want a spotlight to follow a path and either don't want to bother with linking a spotlight and target to a dummy object on page 7957, or you need banking along the path. General Parameters rollout When you create a Free Spot light, the Targeted parameter is adjustable on the General Parameters rollout on page 5076. This is a fixed value for target lights. Targeted When on, 3ds Max sets a point to use as an invisible target about which the Free Spot can orbit.
Top: Top view of a target directional light Bottom: Perspective view of the same light Directional lights cast parallel light rays in a single direction, as the sun does (for all practical purposes) at the surface of the earth. Directional lights are primarily used to simulate sunlight. You can adjust the color of the light and position and rotate the light in 3D space. A target directional light uses a target object to aim the light.
■ Name and Color Rollout (Lights) on page 4972 ■ General Parameters Rollout (Standard Lights) on page 5076 ■ Intensity/Color/Attenuation Rollout (Standard Lights) on page 5083 ■ Advanced Effects Rollout on page 5108 ■ Shadow Parameters on page 5099 ■ Directional Parameters on page 5088 Procedures To create a target direct light: 1 On the Create panel, click Lights. Standard is the default choice of light type. 2 In the Object Type rollout, click Target Direct. 3 Drag in a viewport.
Interface Clicking the line that connects the light and its target selects both objects. However, region selection doesn't recognize the link line. When you rename a target directional light, the target is automatically renamed to match. For example, renaming Light01 to Sol causes Light01.Target to become Sol.Target. The target's name must have the extension .Target. Renaming the target object does not rename the light object.
Top: Perspective view of a free directional light Bottom: Top view of the same light Directional lights cast parallel light rays in a single direction, as the sun does (for all practical purposes) at the surface of the earth. Directional lights are primarily used to simulate sunlight. You can adjust the color of the light and position and rotate the light in 3D space. Unlike a targeted directional light, a Free Direct light has no target object.
■ General Parameters Rollout (Standard Lights) on page 5076 ■ Intensity/Color/Attenuation Rollout (Standard Lights) on page 5083 ■ Advanced Effects Rollout on page 5108 ■ Shadow Parameters on page 5099 ■ Directional Parameters on page 5088 Procedures To create a free direct light: 1 On the Create panel, click Lights. Standard is the default choice of light type. 2 In the Object Type rollout, click Free Direct. 3 Click a viewport. The light is now part of the scene.
Interface Directional Parameters rollout When you create a Free Direct light, the Targeted parameter is adjustable on the General Parameters rollout on page 5076. This is a fixed value for target lights. Targeted When on, 3ds Max sets a point to use as an invisible target about which the Free Direct light can orbit. The spinner adjusts the distance to the target. This parameter also affects the length of the light's cone display.
Top: Top view of an omni light Bottom: Perspective view of the same light An Omni light casts rays in all directions from a single source. Omni lights are useful for adding "fill lighting" to your scene, or simulating point source lights. Omni lights can cast shadows and projections. A single shadow-casting omni light is the equivalent of six shadow-casting spotlights, pointing outward from the center.
Shadow Parameters on page 5099 ■ Procedures To create an omni light: On the Create panel, click Lights. 1 Standard is the default choice of light type. 2 In the Object Type rollout, click Omni. 3 Click the viewport location where you want the light to be. If you drag the mouse, you can move the light around before releasing the mouse to fix its position. The light is now part of the scene. 4 Set the creation parameters. To adjust the light's effect, you can move it as you would any object.
When you render with the default scanline renderer on page 6141, Skylight works best with advanced lighting: either the Light Tracer, or radiosity on page 6168. WARNING When you render with the mental ray renderer on page 6230, objects illuminated by a Skylight appear dark unless you turn on Final Gathering on page 7978. The toggle for Final Gathering is on the Final Gather rollout on page 6295 of the Render Setup dialog. A skylight is modeled as a dome above the scene.
Skylight and Radiosity in Architectural Design In order for radiosity to be processed correctly when a Skylight is added to the scene, you need to make sure that walls have closed corners and floors and ceilings have thickness under and over the walls. In essence, your 3D model should be built just like the real-world structure is built.
The light is now part of the scene. NOTE The position of the Skylight, and its distance from objects, has no effect. The Skylight object is simply a helper. Skylight always comes from “overhead.” 4 Set the creation parameters. Interface On Turns the light on and off. When On is on, shading and rendering use the light to illuminate the scene. When off, the light is not used in shading or rendering. Default=on. Multiplier Amplifies the power of the light by a positive or negative amount.
Sky Color group Use Scene Environment Colors the light using the environment set up on the Environment panel on page 6689. This setting has no effect unless light tracing is active. Sky Color Click the color swatch to display a Color Selector on page 391 and choose a tint for the Skylight. Map controls These let you use a map to affect Skylight color.
Increasing the number of rays increases the quality of your image. However, it also increases rendering time. Ray Bias The closest distance at which objects can cast shadows on a given point in the scene. Setting this value to 0 can cause the point to cast shadows upon itself, and setting it to a large value can prevent objects close to a point from casting shadows on the point.
See also: mr Area Spotlight on page 5073 ■ Procedures To create an area omni light: 1 On the Create panel, click Lights. 2 On the Object Type rollout, click mr Area Omni. 3 Click in a viewport. 4 Set the shape and size of the area light in the Area Light Parameters rollout. While you use the spinners to adjust the size of the area light, a gizmo (yellow by default) appears in viewports to show the adjusted size. This gizmo disappears once you finish adjusting the value.
6 Click Close to dismiss the “Convert To mr Area Lights” and MAXScript rollouts. Interface On Turns the area light on and off. When On is on, the mental ray renderer uses the light to illuminate the scene. When On is off, the mental ray renderer doesn’t use the light. Default=on. Show Icon in Renderer When on, the mental ray renderer renders a dark shape at the light's location. When off, the area light doesn't render. Default=off. Type Changes the shape of the area light.
Samples group U and V Adjust the quality of shadows cast by the area light. These values specify how many samples to take within the light’s area. Higher values can improve rendering quality at a cost of rendering time. For a spherical light, U specifies the number of subdivisions along the radius, and V specifies the number of angular subdivisions. For a cylindrical light, U specifies the number of sampled subdivisions along the height, and V specifies the number of angular subdivisions.
3 Drag in a viewport. The initial point of the drag is the location of the light, and the point where you release the mouse is the location of the target. The mental ray renderer will ignore the spotlight cone, but the location of the spotlight target determines the orientation of the plane of the area light, and the direction in which it’s projected. 4 Set the shape and size of the area light in the Area Light Parameters rollout.
Interface On Turns the area light on and off. When On is on, the mental ray renderer uses the light to illuminate the scene. When On is off, the mental ray renderer doesn’t use the light. Default=on. Show Icon in Renderer When on, the mental ray renderer renders a dark shape where the area light is. When off, the area light is invisible. Default=off. Type Changes the shape of the area light. Can be either Rectangle, for a rectangular area, or Disc, for a circular area. Default=Rectangle.
light, U specifies the number of subdivisions along the radius, and V specifies the number of angular subdivisions. Default=5 for both U and V. Rollouts for Standard Lights General Parameters Rollout (Standard Lights) Create panel > Lights > Standard Lights > Create a standard light. > General Parameters rollout Create panel > Lights > Standard Lights > Create a standard light. > General Parameters rollout This General Parameters rollout is displayed for standard lights.
Left: A spotlight's projection cone truncates shadows. Right: An omni light casts complete shadows. NOTE With Overshoot turned on, standard spotlights cast light in all directions but cast shadows only within the falloff cone; standard directional lights cast light throughout the scene, but cast shadows only within the falloff area. To have a light use the global settings for shadows: ■ On the General Parameters rollout, turn on Use Global Settings.
Scene with shadow-mapped shadows Shadows rendered using default parameter settings NOTE When you render a scene, you can turn rendering of shadows on or off. To cast area shadows: ■ On the General Parameters rollout, choose Area Shadows from the drop-down list. Use controls on the Area Shadows rollout on page 5122 to adjust the shadow properties.
2 Go to the Shadow Map Params rollout on page 5135. ■ Use the Size spinner to set the size of the shadow map. ■ Use the Bias spinner to adjust the shadow offset, if necessary. ■ Use the Sample Range spinner to create a soft-edged shadow. To cast ray-traced shadows: Ray-traced shadows on page 8103 are generated by tracing the path of rays sampled from a light source. Ray-traced shadows are more accurate than shadow-mapped shadows.
Interface Light Type group (Modify panel) On (Both Create panel and Modify panel) Turns the light on and off. When On is on, shading and rendering use the light to illuminate the scene. When On is off, the light is not used in shading or rendering. Default=on. In viewports, the interactive renderer shows the effect of turning lights on or off. Light Type List Changes the type of the light.
shadows on page 8103, or area shadows on page 7913, to generate shadows for this light. The “mental ray Shadow Map” type is provided for use with the mental ray renderer on page 6230. When you choose this shadow type and enable shadow maps (on the Shadows & Displacement rollout on page 6292 of the Render Setup dialog), shadows use the mental ray shadow-map algorithm. If this type is chosen but you render with the default scanline renderer, no shadows appear in the rendering.
Exclude button Excludes selected objects from the effects of the light. Click this button to display the Exclude/Include dialog on page 5096. Excluded objects still appear lit in shaded viewports. Exclusion takes effect only when you render the scene. Roll Angle Manipulator To change the roll angle of a target light, you can use a manipulator. This can be useful if the light does not cast a round beam, or if it is a projector light (see Advanced Effects Rollout on page 5108).
Intensity/Color/Attenuation Rollout (Standard Lights) Create panel > Lights > Create a Standard light. > Attenuation Parameters rollout Attenuation settings cause distant objects to be dimmer. The Intensity/Color/Attenuation rollout allows you to set the color and intensity of your light. You can also define the attenuation of your light. Attenuation on page 7915 is the effect of light diminishing over distance. In 3ds Max, you can set attenuation values explicitly.
source to the distance specified by Start, then its value drops off to zero at the distance specified by End. Adding attenuation to a scene When Use is set for Near attenuation, the light value remains at zero up to the distance specified by Start. From Start to the distance specified by End, its value increases. Beyond End, the light remains at the value specified by the color and multiplier controls, unless far attenuation is also active.
To use attenuation: 1 Set the Start and End values. 2 Turn on Use. Attenuation is now in effect for this light when the scene is shaded or rendered. NOTE You can also change the decay type (and values) to reduce the light’s intensity over distance. To see the attenuation range in viewports: ■ Set Show for far or near attenuation. You can preview the effect of attenuation in shaded viewports only if you turn this on as an option in viewport preferences on page 7753.
as bright. A negative value subtracts light and thus is useful for selectively placing dark areas in the scene. Default=1.0. Using this parameter to increase intensity can cause colors to appear "burned out." It can also generate colors not usable in videos. In general, leave Multiplier set to its default of 1.0 except for special effects and special cases. High Multiplier values wash out colors.
words, the distance between Near End and Far End does not scale, or otherwise affect, the apparent ramp of decaying light. TIP Because decay continues to calculate dimmer and dimmer values as the distance of the light throw increases, it's a good idea to set at least the Far End of attenuation to eliminate unnecessary calculations. Near Attenuation group Start Sets the distance at which the light begins to fade in. End Sets the distance at which the light reaches its full value.
Directional Parameters Create a standard Target Direct or Free Direct light. > Directional Parameters rollout The Directional Parameters rollout appears when you create or select a target direct on page 5057 or free direct on page 5060 light. These parameters control hotspots on page 8007 and falloff on page 8007. Procedures To see the directional cone in viewports: The cone is always visible while the light is selected. This setting keeps the cone visible when the light is unselected.
To set the shape of the light beam: 1 Choose either Rectangle or Circle. The shape of the light's cone changes to reflect the shape you chose. 2 If you chose Circle, you are done. If you chose Rectangle, you can now adjust the aspect ratio on page 7914 of the rectangular light using the spinner labeled Aspect. To change a rectangular light's aspect ratio: 1 Choose Rectangle, as described above. 2 Change the Aspect value to the aspect ratio that you want.
Overshoot When Overshoot on page 8077 is set, the light casts light in all directions. However, projections and shadows occur only within its falloff cone. Hotspot/Beam Adjusts the size of a light's cone. The Hotspot value is measured in 3ds Max units. Default=43.0. Falloff/Field Adjusts the size of a light's falloff. The Falloff value is measured in 3ds Max units. Default=45.0.
A wireframe outline of the light's cone appears. The hotspot region is outlined in light blue, and the falloff region is outlined in dark gray. Spotlight cone displayed in a viewport To adjust the hotspot and falloff, do one of the following: ■ Use the Hotspot and Falloff spinners to increase or decrease the size of the hotspot and falloff regions. For spotlights, Hotspot and Falloff are expressed in degrees.
To use manipulators to control hotspot and falloff: 1 Select the spotlight. TIP When you select multiple spotlights, all their manipulators are accessible. 2 On the default main toolbar, click to turn on Select And Manipulate. Now when you move the mouse over the hotspot or falloff circle, the circle turns red to show you can adjust it by dragging. Also, a tooltip displays the spotlight name, the parameter, and its value. 3 Drag the hotspot or falloff circle to adjust the value.
Interface Light Cone group These parameters control hotspots and falloff on page 8007 for spotlights. Show Cone Turns display of the cone on or off. NOTE The cone is always visible when a light is selected, so turning off this check box has no apparent effect until you deselect the light. Overshoot When Overshoot on page 8077 is on, the light casts light in all directions. However, projections and shadows occur only within its falloff cone. Hotspot/Beam Adjusts the angle of a light's cone.
Circle/Rectangle Determine the shape of the falloff and hotspot areas. Set Circle when you want a standard, circular light. Set Rectangle when you want a rectangular beam of light, such as light cast through a window or doorway. Aspect Sets the aspect ratio on page 7914 for the rectangular light beam. The Bitmap Fit button lets you make the aspect ratio match a specified bitmap. Default=1.0. Bitmap Fit If the light's projection aspect is rectangular, sets the aspect ratio to match a particular bitmap.
The Hair Light Attr(ibutes) rollout lets you adjust properties for the hair shadow map generated by the light. This rollout appears for supported lights at render time. If you want to adjust a light's hair settings before render time, you can display it explicitly by following the steps shown in the path annotations at the beginning of this topic. You specify which lights to use in the Hair And Fur render effect on page 6588.
Left: Fuzz=0.0 Center: Fuzz=5.0 Right: Fuzz=10.0 The arrow points to the shadow cast by the hair on the underlying surface. Common Lighting Rollouts and Dialogs Exclude/Include Dialog Create a light. > General Parameters rollout > Exclude button Rendering menu > Render > Render Setup dialog > Render Elements panel > Render Elements rollout > Add button > Render Elements dialog > Select an existing Matte element in the list.
Procedures To exclude objects from a light: 1 In the General Parameters rollout, click Exclude. The Exclude/Include dialog is displayed. 2 Make sure Exclude is on. 3 Choose to exclude objects from Illumination, Shadow Casting, or Both. 4 In the list of object names on the left, highlight the objects you want to exclude. 5 Click the arrow pointing to the right to move the selected object names into the right-hand list. Objects in the right-hand list will be excluded.
Interface The Exclude/Include dialog contains the following controls: Exclude/Include Determines whether the light (or Matte render element) will exclude or include the objects named in the list on the right. Illumination Excludes or includes illumination of the object's surface. NOTE This control has no effect on the matte render element. Shadow Casting Excludes or includes creation of the object's shadow. NOTE This control is not available with the matte render element.
Scene Objects Select objects from the Scene Objects list on the left, then use the arrow buttons to add them to the exclusion list on the right. The Exclude/Include dialog treats a group as an object. You can exclude or include all objects in a group by selecting the group's name in the Scene Objects list. If a group is nested within another group, it isn't visible in the Scene Objects list.
A bridge's shadow cast by sunlight The Shadow Parameters rollout is displayed for all light types except Skylight and IES Sky, and for all shadow types. It lets you set shadow colors and other general shadow properties. The controls also let atmospheric effects cast shadows.
■ Ray-Traced Shadow Parameters Rollout on page 5133 ■ Shadow Map Parameters Rollout on page 5135 Interface Color Displays a Color Selector on page 391 to choose a color for the shadows cast by this light. Default=black. You can animate the shadow color. Dens. (density) Adjusts the density of shadows.
The shadow density increases from right to left. Increasing the Density value increases the density (darkness) of shadows. Decreasing Density makes shadows less dense. Default=1.0. Density can have a negative value, which can help simulate the effect of reflected light. A white shadow color and negative Density render dark shadows, though the quality of these is not as good as a dark shadow color and positive Density. You can animate the Density value.
A checker map is used to alter the shadow cast by the piano. Atmosphere Shadows group These controls let atmospheric effects such as Volume Fog on page 6713 cast shadows. On When on, atmospheric effects cast shadows as the light passes through them. Default=off. NOTE This control is independent of the On toggle for normal Object Shadows. A light can cast atmospheric shadows but not normal shadows, or vice versa. It can cast both kinds of shadows, or neither. Opacity Adjusts the opacity of the shadows.
A Volume Fog cloud casts a colored shadow on the city. Atmospheres and Effects for Lights Modify panel > Select light object. > Atmospheres & Effects rollout The Atmospheres & Effects rollout lets you assign, delete, and set up parameters for atmospheres and rendering effects associated with the light. This rollout appears only in the Modify panel; it doesn't appear at creation time. Adding an atmosphere or effect associates that atmosphere or effect with the light object.
2 In the dialog, choose Atmosphere, Effect, or All. Choose New. 3 Choose an atmosphere or effect in the list, then click OK. This associates a new atmosphere or rendering effect with the light. To add an existing atmosphere or rendering effect: 1 In the Atmospheres & Effects rollout, click Add. This displays the Add Atmosphere or Effect dialog on page 5106. 2 In the dialog, choose Existing. 3 Choose an atmosphere or effect in the list, then click OK.
Add Displays the Add Atmosphere or Effect dialog on page 5106, which lets you add an atmosphere or a rendering effect to the light. Delete Deletes the atmosphere or effect you have selected in the list. List of atmospheres and effects Displays the names of all atmospheres or effects you have assigned to this light. Setup Lets you set up the atmosphere or rendering effect you have selected in the list. If the item is an atmosphere, clicking Setup displays the Environment panel on page 6689.
Interface List of atmospheres and effects Displays the atmospheres or effects that you can associate with the light. List filter group These radio buttons choose what to show in the list. Atmosphere Lists only atmospheres. Effect Lists only rendering effects. All Lists both atmospheres and rendering effects. New or existing group These radio buttons choose between new or existing effects. New Lists only new atmospheres or effects.
Advanced Effects Rollout Create panel > Lights > Create a light. > Advanced Effects rollout The Advanced Effects rollout provides controls that affect how lights affect surfaces, and also includes a number of fine adjustments and setting for projector lights. You can make a light object on page 4970 into a projector by choosing a map for the light to project. A projected map can be a still image or an animation.
Procedures To make a light a projector: 1 Open the Material Editor on page 5284. The Material Editor is where you adjust the map's parameters. 2 Use an unused sample slot to display a map. 3 Drag the map from the Material Editor to the light's Map button in the Advanced Effects rollout. A dialog asks if the projection map should be a copy or an instance. Choose Instance. If you choose Copy, adjusting the map in the Material Editor has no effect on the projected map.
You can animate Blur Offset to have a projected map go in or out of focus. To make the shape of the light fit the projected bitmap: NOTE This procedure only applies to standard spot and direct lights. 1 Choose a bitmap to project, as described in the preceding procedures. 2 Make sure the light's shape is set to Rectangular, and then click Bitmap Fit. A file selection dialog is displayed. 3 Choose the same bitmap you chose for the standalone map, and then click OK.
eliminate edges that can appear on a surface under certain circumstances. Default=50. NOTE Soften Diffuse Edge reduces the amount of light, slightly. You can counter this, to some extent, by increasing the Multiplier value. Diffuse When on, the light affects the diffuse properties of an object's surface. When off, the light has no effect on the diffuse surface. Default=on. Specular When on, the light affects the specular properties of an object's surface.
Projector Map group These controls make the photometric light a projector. Check box Turn on to project the map selected by the Map button. Turn off to turn off projection. Map Names the map used for the projection. You can drag from any map specified in the Material Editor, or any other map button (as on the Environment panel), and drop that map on the light's Map button. Clicking Map displays the Material/Map Browser.
Interface Automatically Calculate Energy and Photons When on, the light uses the global light settings for indirect illumination, rather than local settings. Default=on. When this toggle is on, only the controls in the Global Multipliers group are available. Global Multipliers group Energy Multiplies the global Energy value to increase or decrease the energy of this particular light. Default=1.0.
Manual Settings group When Automatically Calculate is off, the Global Multipliers group becomes unavailable, and the manual settings for indirect illumination become available. On When on, the light can generate indirect illumination effects. Default=off. Filter color Click to display a Color Selector on page 391 and choose a color that filters the light energy. Default=white. Energy Sets the energy of the light. Energy, or "flux," is the amount of light used in indirect illumination.
■ 2.0 (inverse square) The energy decays at an inverse square rate. That is, a photon's energy is the inverse of the square of the distance (r) from the light source (1/r2). In the real world, light decays at the inverse square rate, but this gives strictly realistic results only if you provide a realistic value for the energy of the light. You can use other values to help adjust indirect illumination without worrying about physical accuracy.
Interface Enable When on, rendering uses the light shaders you have assigned to this light. When off, the shaders have no effect on rendering. Default=off. Light Shader Click the button to display a Material/Map Browser on page 5290 and choose a light shader. Once you have chosen a shader, its name appears on the button.
Shadow Types and Shadow Controls Create panel > Lights > Create or select a light. > General Parameters rollout > Shadows group > Shadow type Create menu > Lights > Create or select a light. > General Parameters rollout > Shadows group > Shadow type Select a light > Modify panel > General Parameters rollout > Shadows group > Shadow type The General Parameters rollout for both photometric and standard lights lets you turn shadow-casting on or off for the light, and choose which type of shadow the light uses.
Shadow Type Advantages Disadvantages many lights or faces. Supports different formats for area shadows. mental ray Shadow Maps Can be quicker than ray-traced shadows with the mental ray renderer. Not as accurate as ray-traced shadows. Raytrace Shadows Supports transparency and opacity mapping. Processes only once if there are no animated objects. Can be slower than shadow maps. Does not support soft shadows. Shadow Maps Produces soft shadows. Processes only once if there are no animated objects.
Advanced Ray-traced shadows are similar to ray-traced shadows on page 8103, however they give you more control over shadow behavior. Additional controls are available in the Optimizations rollout on page 5130. Advanced ray-traced shadows cast by an area light. Interface Basic Options group Mode Selects the type of raytracing for generating shadows: ■ Simple Casts a single ray of light toward the surface. No antialiasing on page 7904 is performed. ■ Antialias 1-Pass Casts a bundle of rays.
■ Antialias 2-Pass Casts two bundles of rays. The first batch of rays determines if the point in question is fully illuminated, shadowed, or in the penumbra (soft area) of the shadow. If the point is in the penumbra, a secondary batch of rays is cast to further refine the edge. The number of initial rays is specified using the Pass 1 Quality spinner. The number of secondary rays is specified using the Pass 2 Quality spinner. 2-Sided Shadows When on, backfaces are not ignored when calculating shadows.
NOTE As this value increases, so does the quality of the blur. However, increasing this value also increases the likelihood of missing small objects. To avoid this problem, increase the value of Pass 1 Quality. Increasing the Shadow Spread value softens shadow edges. Shadow Bias The minimum distance from the point being shaded that an object must be to cast a shadow. This prevents blurred shadows from affecting surfaces they shouldn't.
Area Shadows Rollout Create panel > Lights > Create or select a light. > General Parameters rollout > Shadows group > Shadow type > Area Shadows rollout The Area Shadow generator can be applied to any light type to achieve the effect of an area shadow effect. In order to create an area shadow, the user needs to specify the dimensions of a virtual light created to "fake" an area shadow.
A: Penumbra (soft area) B: Shadow Area shadow cast by a point light Interface Shadow Types and Shadow Controls | 5123
Basic Options group Mode Selects the way the area shadows are generated: ■ Simple Casts a single ray from the light toward the surface. No antialiasing on page 7904 or area light calculation is performed. ■ Rectangle Light ■ Disc Light Casts rays from the light in a circular array. ■ Box Light Casts rays from the light as if it were a box. ■ Sphere Light Casts rays from the light in a rectangular array. Casts rays from the light as if it were a sphere.
2-Sided Shadows When on, backfaces are not ignored when calculating shadows. Objects seen from the inside are not lit by lights from the outside. This costs a bit more render time. When off, backfaces are ignored. Rendering is quicker, but outside lights illuminate object interiors. The faces inside the sliced sphere do not cast shadows if 2-Sided Shadows is off. Antialiasing Options group Shadow Integrity Sets the number of rays in the initial bundle of rays cast.
Increasing the Shadow Integrity value creates more accurate shadow contour and detail. Shadow Quality Sets the total number of rays cast in the penumbra (soft area) region, including the rays fired in the first pass. These rays are projected from every point that is in the penumbra, or antialiased edge of the shadow, to smooth it out. The number of rays is as follows: ■ 2=5 rays ■ 3 to N = NxN For example, setting Shadow Quality to 5 generates 25 rays.
Increasing the Shadow Quality value produces a more accurate penumbra (soft area) within the contour defined by the Shadow Integrity value. Sample Spread The radius, in pixels, to blur the antialiased edge. NOTE As this value increases, so does the quality of the blur. However, increasing this value also increases the likelihood of missing small objects. To avoid this problem, increase the value of Shadow Integrity.
Increasing jitter blends the individual shadow samples. Area Light Dimensions group The software uses these dimensions to compute the area shadowing. They do not affect the actual light object. Length Sets the length of the area shadow. Width Sets the width of the area shadow. Height Sets the height of the area shadow. mental ray Shadow Map Rollout Create panel > Lights > Create a light. > General Parameters rollout > Shadows group > Select “mental ray Shadow Map shadows.
algorithm. If you render with the default scanline renderer on page 6141 instead, no shadows appear in the rendering. Interface Map Size Sets the resolution of the shadow map. The size of the map is the square of this value. Greater resolutions require more time to process, but produce more accurate shadows. Default=512. Sample Range When greater than zero, generates soft-edged shadows. This value specifies the area of the map to soften, by removing portions of the map as specified by Samples. Default=0.
Color When on, surface color affects the color of the shadow. Default=on. Turning off Color saves memory at rendering time. Merge Dist. The minimum distance between two surfaces for them to be considered “distinct.” If two surfaces are closer than this value, the shadow map treats them as a single surface. When set to 0.0, the mental ray renderer automatically calculates a distance value to use. Default=0.0 (automatic). Larger Merge Distance values reduce memory consumption, but can reduce shadow quality.
Interface Transparent Shadows group On When checked, transparent surfaces will cast a colored shadow. Otherwise, all shadows are black. NOTE Shadows will generate faster with this value turned off.
A stained glass appears solid with the transparency optimization turned off. Antialiasing Threshold The maximum color difference allowed between transparent object samples before antialiasing on page 7904 is triggered. Increasing the value of this color will make the shadow less sensitive to aliasing artifacts and improve speed, decreasing the value will increase the sensitivity, improving quality.
Coplanar Face Culling group Skip Coplanar Faces Prevents adjacent faces from shadowing each other. This is of particular concern at the terminator on curved surfaces such as spheres. Threshold The angle between adjacent faces. Range = 0.0 (perpendicular) to 1.0 (parallel). Ray-Traced Shadow Parameters Rollout Create a light. > General Parameters rollout > Shadows group > Choose Ray Traced Shadows.
Interface Bias Ray-Trace Bias on page 8102 moves the shadow toward or away from the shadow-casting object (or objects). If the Bias value is too low, shadows can "leak" through places they shouldn't, producing moire patterns or making out-of-place dark areas on meshes. If Bias is too high, shadows can "detach" from an object. If the Bias value is too extreme in either direction, shadows might not be rendered at all. 2-Sided Shadows When on, backfaces are not ignored when calculating shadows.
improvement is offset by the time it takes to generate the quadtree itself. This depends on the geometry of the scene. Default=7. TIP An Omni light can generate up to six quadtrees, so it generates ray-traced shadows more slowly than spotlights. Avoid using ray-traced shadows with omni lights unless your scene requires this. Shadow Map Parameters Rollout Create a light. > General Parameters rollout > Shadows group > Choose Shadow Map.
Left: Default shadows Right: Increasing the Bias value separates the shadow from the object. If the Bias value is too low, shadows can "leak" through places they shouldn't, produce moire patterns or making out-of-place dark areas on meshes. If Bias is too high, shadows can "detach" from an object. If the Bias value is too extreme in either direction, shadows might not be rendered at all.
Left: Too small a Bias value causes shadow “leaks.” Right: Increasing the Bias value fixes the problem. Size Sets the size (in pixels squared) of the shadow map that's computed for the light. The shadow map size specifies the amount of subdivisions for the map. The greater the value, the more detailed the map will be.
Left: Size set to 32. Right: Size set to 256. Sample Range The sample range on page 8111 determines how much area within the shadow is averaged. This affects how soft the edge of the shadow is. Range=0.01 to 50.0. Increasing the Sample Range blends the shadow edges and creates a smooth effect, hiding the granularity of the map. Absolute Map Bias When on, the bias for the shadow map is not normalized, but is instead based on a fixed scale expressed in 3ds Max units.
does not change during an animation. You must choose the value, based on the size of the scene extents. When off, the bias is computed relative to the rest of the scene, and then normalized to 1.0. This provides a common starting bias value in scenes of any size. If the scene extents change, this internal normalization can vary from frame to frame. Default=off. TIP Leaving Absolute Map Bias off gives good results in most situations, because the bias is internally balanced to match the scene size.
Create menu > Lights > Daylight System Create menu > Systems > Daylight System The Sunlight and Daylight systems use light in a system that follows the geographically correct angle and movement of the sun over the earth at a given location. You can choose location, date, time, and compass orientation. You can also animate the date and time. This system is suitable for shadow studies of proposed and existing structures. In addition, you can animate Latitude, Longitude, North Direction, and Orbital Scale.
Large view shows compass and light in a viewport. The resulting rendered images are seen above it. NOTE When you create a Sunlight system or a Daylight system that uses a target direct light for the sun, the directional light's hotspot is set to encompass all geometry in the scene, so that shadows will render correctly. Specifically, the diameter of the hotspot is set to 65 per cent of the longest diagonal length of the scene extents on page 8117.
2 Choose a viewport in which to create a compass rose (the compass direction of your "world"). This should be a Top or Perspective/Camera view. 3 Drag to create the radius of a compass rose (the radius is for display purposes only), and then release the mouse button and move the mouse to set the orbital scale of the sun light over the compass rose. This can be any distance you find convenient, since directional and IES Sun lights produce parallel illumination regardless of where their icon is located.
Example: To create a shadow study: 1 Choose Create menu > Daylight System, and when prompted to add an exposure control, click Yes. Add the Daylight system in a viewport. 2 On the Modify panel, set the date and Location. NOTE Once you’ve created the Daylight system, you’ll find these controls on the Motion panel. 3 Turn on Auto Key. 4 In the Control Parameters > Time group, adjust the Hours setting to a start time in early morning, such as 6. 5 Click the Go To End button.
Sunlight Choose an option for sunlight in your scene: ■ IES Sun Uses an IES Sun object on page 5154 to simulate the sun. ■ mr Sun Uses the mr Sun light on page 5173 to simulate the sun. ■ Standard ■ No Sunlight Uses a Target Direct light on page 5057 to simulate the sun. No sunlight is simulated. Active Turns sunlight on and off in the viewport. Skylight Choose an option for skylight in your scene: ■ IES Sky Uses an IES Sky on page 5157 object to simulate skylight.
Position group Manual When chosen, you can manually adjust the location of the daylight assembly head object in your scene, as well as the intensity value of the sunlight. Date, Time and Location When chosen, daylight uses the geographically correct angle and movement of the sun over the earth at a given location. NOTE When Date, Time And Location is active, adjusting the light's intensity has no effect.
Control source radio buttons (Daylight system only) Manual When chosen, you can manually adjust the location of the sun object in your scene, as well as the intensity value of the sun object. Date, Time and Location When chosen, daylight uses the geographically correct angle and movement of the sun over the earth at a given location. NOTE When Date, Time And Location is active, adjusting the light's intensity has no effect.
Weather Data File When chosen, daylight derives the angle and intensity of the sun from a weather data (EPW) file. Click the button to open a Configure Weather Data dialog on page 5148, where you can specify the EPW file and choose which weather data you want the daylight system to use. Azimuth and Altitude Azimuth/Altitude Displays the azimuth and altitude of the sun. Azimuth is the compass direction of the sun in degrees (North=0, East=90).
[city name text box] Displays the name of the city you choose from the Geographic Location dialog. If you adjust the Latitude or Longitude spinners after choosing a location, this area becomes blank. Latitude/Longitude Specify the location based on the latitude and longitude. NOTE Negative longitude values are west of the Greenwich meridian; positive values are to the east of the meridian.
The Configure Weather Data dialog lets you choose which contents of a weather data (EPW) file you want to use. Interface Load Weather Data Click to load a weather data (EPW) file. When you have loaded a file, the name field shows its name and path. Click the X button to unload a file you have loaded.
Change Time Period Click to open a Select A Time Period From Weather Data dialog on page 5150 and choose the period you want to use. Display Data as Animation Animates the daylight system based on multiple periods contained in the weather data file. Start The period where the animation begins. Click Change Time Period to open a Select A Time Period From Weather Data dialog on page 5150 and choose the period you want to use. End The period where the animation ends.
Create a Daylight system. > Motion panel > Control Parameters rollout > Choose Weather Data File. > Click setup button. > Configure Weather Data dialog > Click Change Time Period. > Select a Time Period from Weather Data dialog The Select A Time Period From Weather Data dialog works in conjunction with the Configure Weather Data dialog on page 5148. It lets you choose a single time period from the weather data (EPW) file. Interface Selected Time Period Displays the currently selected time period.
selecting a location from a map or a list of cities. The dialog displays a list of cities at left, and a map on the right. Procedures To use a map: 1 In the Location group on the Control Parameters rollout, click the Get Location button. 2 On the Geographic Location dialog choose a map from the Map list. 3 Click in the map to specify a location. 3ds Max displays a small cross at the location you picked.
Interface City Displays a list of cities within the selected Map region. As an alternative to selecting a location by clicking the map, you can select a city directly from this list. The cross on the map moves to the location of the selected city. Map Lets you choose a map for a portion of the world, or you can choose the World map, which includes the entire world. Nearest Big City When on, clicking the map moves the cross to the nearest listed city, which becomes highlighted in the list.
IES Sun Light (Photometric) Create panel > Systems > Create a Daylight system in your scene. > Modify panel > Daylight Parameters rollout > Sunlight > Choose IES Sun. IES Sun is a physically-based light object that simulates sunlight on page 8140. When used in conjunction with a daylight system on page 5139, its values are set automatically based on geographic location, time, and date. (IES stands for Illuminating Engineering Society; see IES Standard File Format on page 5034.
scanline renderer. You do not need to turn on Final Gather for light from IES Sun to render. The Daylight system on page 5139 combines the two daylight components of sun and sky in a unified interface. TIP If you use the IES sun or sky with the Logarithmic Exposure Control on page 6740, turn on both the Daylight and Exterior options. This will provide greater control for properly mapping the higher energy levels to RGB colors.
Shadows group On Determines whether the sunlight casts shadows or not. Shadow Method drop-down list Determines whether the renderer uses shadow maps on page 8125, ray-traced shadows on page 8103, advanced ray-traced shadows on page 8103, mental ray shadow maps on page 5128, or area shadows on page 7913 to generate shadows for this light. Each shadow type has a rollout with its associated controls. TIP When you use the mental ray renderer and mental ray shadow maps, you can set up soft-edged shadows.
eliminate edges that can appear on a surface under certain circumstances. Default=50. NOTE Soften Diffuse Edge slightly reduces the intensity of the light. You can counter this, to some extent, by increasing the Multiplier value. Diffuse When on, the light affects the diffuse properties of an object's surface. When off, the light has no effect on the diffuse surface. Default=on. Specular When on, the light affects the specular properties of an object's surface.
Outdoor scene lit by the IES sky light The Daylight system on page 5139 combines the two daylight components of sun and sky in a unified interface. It allows you to set date and time positions with the light type you want to use. IES Sky works correctly only when the sky object is pointing down from the Z axis, meaning that it points down when looking from the Top view.
WARNING When you render with the mental ray renderer on page 6230, objects illuminated by IES Sky appear dark unless you turn on Final Gathering on page 7978. The toggle for Final Gathering is on the Final Gather rollout on page 6295 of the Render Setup dialog.
Coverage group Clear, Partly Cloudy, Cloudy This choice determines the extent to which light is scattered through the sky. Use the slider to set the control to one of the named settings or anywhere in between. Render group NOTE These controls are unavailable when the mental ray renderer is active. Cast Shadows Causes the sky light to cast shadows. A great deal of processing is dedicated to the calculation of the subtle shadows cast by skylight on page 8129.
Ray Bias The closest distance at which objects can cast shadows on a given point in the scene. Setting this value to 0 can cause the point to cast shadows upon itself, and setting it to a large value can prevent objects close to a point from casting shadows on the point.
The scene is lit by mr Sky only. ■ The mr Physical Sky environment shader is responsible for the visible representation of the sun disk and the sky, both to the camera and in reflections and refraction, as well as for the virtual ground plane (gray in the following illustration).
mr Physical Sky is visible, but no lighting is present in the scene. These lights are meant to be used together: mr Sun and mr Sky appear within the 3ds Max Daylight system on page 5139. When used in combination, this solution is called Sun & Sky. TIP You can view the Sun & Sky combination in a viewport, which makes adjusting parameters fully interactive. For details, see this procedure on page 5167.
Also, turn off Screen (Soft) Compositing Of Layers, also on the Advanced Options rollout; otherwise the output of the SSS shaders is clamped to a low dynamic range and will appear to render black. Common Parameters Certain parameters do the same things in mr Sun, mr Sky, and mr Physical Sky. For physical correctness, it is necessary to keep these parameters in sync with each other in all three elements.
6 When you choose mr Sky, you're prompted to add a mr Physical Sky environment map. Click Yes to do so. The parameters rollouts for mr Sun and mr Sky now appear on the Modify panel. 7 Open the Environment dialog on page 6689 (press 8) and make sure Common Parameters > Environment Map is set to mr Physical Sky, Exposure Control on page 6732 is set to mr Photographic Exposure Control.
TIP Should you wish to edit the mr Physical Sky parameters, an easy way to access them is to open the Material Editor (press M) and then drag the Environment Map button from the Environment panel > Common Parameters rollout to a material slot (sample sphere) in the Material Editor. When prompted for the copy method, choose Instance. 8 Open the Render Setup dialog on page 6067 (F10) to the Indirect Illumination panel and turn on Enable Final Gather. Choose the Draft preset as a starting point.
IMPORTANT Don't forget to turn on Enable Final Gather when using Sun & Sky, since the skylight is a form of indirect light, which can be rendered only with the help of Final Gather. If this is not done, Sun shadows will be unnaturally dark or black rather than bluish, as they should be. 9 Render with Sun & Sky. To specify different times, dates, and locations in the Daylight system for different effects, use the Motion panel > Control Parameters settings or turn on Manual Override to place the sun by hand.
NOTE To use this feature, the display driver must be set to Direct3D (see Graphics Driver Setup Dialog on page 7790). 1 Follow the above procedure on page ? for adding mental ray Sun & Sky to your scene. 2 Open the Viewport Background dialog: Views menu > Viewport Background. 3 In the Background Source group, turn on Use Environment Background. 4 At the bottom of the dialog, make sure Viewport is set to Perspective, and then turn on Display Background in the lower-right group of controls.
5 Click OK. After a moment, the viewport background changes to show the environment. 6 If necessary, orbit the Perspective viewport so you get a view of the horizon.
7 Go to the Motion panel, select the Daylight object if necessary, and then change the Time group > Hours or Month setting using the spinner control. As you adjust the setting, the sky light reflects the change. 8 Adjust the hour so the sun is near the horizon, and then, if necessary, orbit the viewport so the sun is visible.
9 Go back to the Motion panel and adjust the settings on the mr Sky Parameters rollout such as Multiplier and Red/Blue Tint. As you adjust the settings, the viewport shows the changes. Interface Interface (common parameters) The most important common parameters are those that drive the entire shading and colorization model. NOTE mr Sun and mr Physical Sky can inherit parameters from mr Sky even if the latter is off.
Multiplier A scalar multiplier for the light output. Default=1.0. Haze In mr Physical Sky, the Haze setting corresponds to the Haze setting used by the Haze-Driven sky model on page 5179. Horizon Height The vertical position of the horizon. The default value, 0.0, places the horizon at a standard height. However, because the horizon is infinitely far away, this can cause trouble joining up with any finite geometry that is supposed to represent the ground.
Horizon Blur The “blurriness” with which the horizon is rendered. At 0.0 the horizon is completely sharp. Generally only values lower than 0.5 are useful, but the full range is up to 10.0 for a horizon that consists of blur only, with no actual horizon at all. Ground Color The color of the virtual ground plane. Note that this is a diffuse reflectance value (that is, albedo). The ground appears as a Lambertian reflector with this diffuse color, lit by the sun and sky only, and does not receive any shadows.
See also: ■ mental ray Sun and Sky on page 5161 ■ mr Sky on page 5176 ■ mr Physical Sky on page 5181 Interface mr Sun Basic Parameters rollout On Turns the mr Sun light on and off. Default=on. Multiplier A scalar multiplier for the light output. Default=1.0. Targeted Applicable only when you add an mr Sun light directly to the scene via Create panel > Lights > Photometric, rather than as part of a Daylight system on page 5139.
Softness The softness of shadow edges. The default value of 1.0 accurately matches the softness of real solar shadows. Lower values make the shadows sharper and higher values make them softer. Softness The number of shadow samples for the soft shadows. If it is set to 0, no soft shadows are generated. Default=8. Inherit from mr Sky group NOTE mr Sun can inherit parameters from mr Sky even if the latter is off.
Use Photon Target When on, uses the Radius setting with respect to the light target. Radius Sets the radial distance from the target in which the mr Sun casts GI photons. mr Sky Daylight system > Modify panel > Daylight Parameters rollout > Skylight drop-down list > mr Sky The mr Sky light is intended for use in the mental ray Sun & Sky combination. This topic mainly provides information on parameters unique to this component. A number of mr Sky parameters are common to all three Sun & Sky components.
Multiplier A scalar multiplier for the light output. Default=1.0. Ground Color The color of the virtual ground plane. Note that this is a diffuse reflectance value (that is, albedo). The ground appears as a Lambertian reflector with this diffuse color, lit by the sun and sky only, and does not receive any shadows. TIP Some sky models neglect the influence of bounce light from the ground, assuming only the sky is illuminating the scene.
Horizon group Height The vertical position of the horizon. Default=0.0. For details, see Horizon Height on page 5172. Blur The “blurriness” with which the horizon is rendered. Default=0.1. At 0.0 the horizon is completely sharp. Generally only values lower than 0.5 are useful, but the full range is up to 10.0 for a horizon that consists of blur only, with no actual horizon at all. Night Color Night Color The minimum color of the sky: the sky will never become darker than this value.
Haze-Driven Sky Model Create a Daylight system. > Choose mr Sky as the sky light. > Choose Haze Driven as the sky model. > mr Sky: Haze Driven rollout This sky model uses a Haze value to specify the amount of water vapor or other particulate matter in the air. Possible values range from 0.0 (a completely clear day) to 15.0 (extremely overcast, or a sandstorm in the Sahara).
is 0.0 (a clear sky, blue in the daytime), but you can use the shader to change the Haze value. Interface Diffuse Horizontal Illuminance The illuminance of the sky measured by a luminance meter placed horizontally, outdoors, excluding the contribution from the sun. Default=10000.0 lx. You can animate this value. Direct Normal Illuminance The illuminance of the sun measured by a luminance meter aimed directly at the sun. Default=10000.0 lx. You can animate this value.
Interface Diffuse Horizontal Illuminance The illuminance of the sky measured by a luminance meter placed horizontally, outdoors, excluding the contribution from the sun. Default=10000.0 lx. You can animate this value. Direct Normal Illuminance The illuminance of the sun measured by a luminance meter aimed directly at the sun. Default=10000.0 lx. You can animate this value. Overcast Sky (The default.) Specifies an overcast sky. Clear Sky Specifies a clear sky.
See also: ■ mental ray Sun and Sky on page 5161 ■ mr Sky on page 5176 ■ mr Sun on page 5173 Procedures The main difference between the mr Physical Sky Parameters rollout described here and the mr Sky Parameters rollout on page 5176 on the command panel is that this rollout lets you apply maps or shaders to the various parameters. However, this version of the rollout isn't quite as accessible; you must use the Material Editor to get at the controls.
Interface NOTE This rollout is available only in the Material Editor. To access the rollout, follow the above procedure. Sun Disk Appearance group Use these settings to adjust the visible appearance of the sun in the sky. Disk Intensity The brightness of the sun. Glow Intensity The brightness of the glow surrounding the sun.
Scale The size of the sun disk. Use Custom Background Map When on but no background map is specified, the background of the rendering is transparent black, suitable for external compositing. If you supply a background shader by clicking the button and then specifying a map or shader, the background of the rendering will come from that shader (for example, a texture map that uses a background photograph). In either case the mr Physical Sky will still be visible in reflections and refraction.
TIP Some sky models neglect the influence of bounce light from the ground, assuming only the sky is illuminating the scene. To compare the output of mr Sky with, for example, the IES Sky model, one must therefore set Ground Color to black. After Dark group Night Color The minimum color of the sky: The sky will never become darker than this value. It can be useful for adding things like moon, stars, high-altitude cirrus clouds that remain lit long after sunset, etc.
mr Sky Portal Create panel > Lights > Photometric > mr Sky Portal Create menu > Lights > Photometric > mr Sky Portal The mr (mental ray) Sky Portal object provides an efficient method of “gathering” existing sky lighting in interior scenes without requiring high final gather or global illumination settings that would result in excessively long render times. In effect, a portal acts as an area light that derives its brightness and coloring from the environment.
2 On the mr Photographic Exposure Control rollout on page 6744 set Preset to Physically Based Lighting, Indoor Daylight. This changes the exposure value to 10.0. 3 Change the Sunlight object to mr Sun and the Skylight object to mr Sky. (see mental ray Sun and Sky on page 5161) For best results, position the sun so it’s not shining directly into the interior or turn it off.
4 For each window, add an mr Skylight Portal object. The portal object is a wireframe rectangle with a central, perpendicular arrow showing the direction of light flow, or flux. Make each portal slightly larger than its respective opening, and position it immediately outside or inside the opening.
TIP To help place the portal object as close as possible to the outside surface, use AutoGrid on page 2597. Also, make sure portals do not overlap; this would cause the illumination from the overlapping area to be doubled. Adding the Sky Portal object with AutoGrid on. Note the Light Flux Direction arrow pointing outward. 5 Make sure all portals’ arrows are pointing inside. If a portal’s arrow points outside, toggle its Flip Light Flux Direction check box on the mr Skylight Portal Parameters rollout.
With Flip Light Flux Direction on, the arrow points inward. 6 Turn on Final Gather on page 6295 and render the scene. If the image looks grainy, increase the Shadow Samples setting on the mr Skylight Portal Parameters rollout.
Scene lit by mr Sky Portal with final gather at Draft preset, no diffuse bounces Sunlight and Daylight Systems | 5191
Interface mr Skylight Portal Parameters rollout On Toggles the illumination from the portal. When off, the portal has no effect on scene lighting. Multiplier Amplifies the power of the light. For example, if you set the value to 2.0, the light will be twice as bright. Filter Color Tints the coloring coming in from the outside. Dimensions Set the Length and Width using these controls.
From “Outdoors” When on, casts shadows from objects outside the portal; that is, on the side away from the arrow icon. This is off by default, because turning it on can significantly increase render times. Shadow Samples The overall quality of shadows cast by the portal. If the rendered image is grainy, increase this value. Advanced Parameters rollout Visible to Renderer When on, the mr Sky Portal Object appears in the rendered image. Turn this on to prevent outside objects from appearing in the window.
Cameras Create panel > Cameras Create menu > Cameras Cameras present a scene from a particular point of view. Camera objects simulate still-image, motion picture, or video cameras in the real world. With a Camera viewport on page 7604 you can adjust the camera as if you were looking through its lens. Camera viewports can be useful for editing geometry as well as setting up a scene for rendering. Multiple cameras can give different views of the same scene.
■ Free cameras on page 5203 view the area in the direction the camera is aimed. When you create a free camera, you see a singe icon representing the camera and its field of view. The camera icon appears the same as a target camera icon, but there is no separate target icon to animate. Free cameras are easier to use when the camera's position is animated along a path. An example of a camera in a scene.
The result after rendering through the camera. You can create cameras from the Create menu > Cameras submenu, or by clicking the Cameras button on the Create panel. You can also create a camera by activating a Perspective viewport, and then choosing Views menu > Create Camera From View. After you have created a camera, you can change viewports to display the camera's point of view. While a camera viewport is active, the navigation buttons change to camera navigation buttons on page 7604.
(its local positive Y axis) to be as close as possible to the world positive Z axis. This is no problem when you are working with a static camera. However, if you animate the camera and put it in a nearly vertical position, either up or down, the program flips the Camera view to prevent the up-vector from becoming undefined. This creates sudden changes of view. Camera Object Icons Camera objects are visible in viewports unless you choose not to display them.
Scale transforms have the following effects on a camera object: ■ Uniform Scale has no effect on a target camera, but does change the free camera's Target Distance setting. ■ Non-Uniform Scale and Squash change the size and shape of the free camera's FOV cone. You see the effect in the viewport, but the camera's parameters do not update. Non-Uniform Scale and Squash will change the size and shape of a target camera’s icon, but have no visible effect in the viewport.
The scene's colors desaturated using the Night shader Lens shader: lume Night shader with Multiplier set to 0.5 You assign camera shaders using the Render Setup dialog > Camera Effects rollout on page 6283 while the mental ray renderer is active. NOTE No camera output shaders are provided with 3ds Max. You might have access to light map shaders if you have obtained them from other shader libraries or custom shader code.
Procedures To render a scene using a camera: 1 Create the camera and aim it at the geometry you want to be the subject of your scene. To aim a target camera, drag the target in the direction you want the camera to look. To aim a free camera, rotate and move the camera icon. 2 With one camera selected, or if only one exists in the scene, set a Camera viewport for that camera by activating the viewport, then press C.
To control the display of camera objects, do one of the following: ■ Go to the Display panel and in the Hide By Category rollout, turn Cameras on or off. ■ Choose Tools menu > Display Floater, and on the Object Level tab turn Cameras on or off. When Hide > Cameras is off, cameras appear in viewports; when Hide > Cameras is on, they don't appear. When camera icons are displayed, the Zoom Extents commands on page 7588 include them in views.
The Zoom Extents All flyout and the Min/Max toggles remain visible. These controls aren't specific to camera views. Clicking Zoom Extents All affects other kinds of viewports, but does not affect Camera viewports. To see the safe frame: ■ Right-click the viewport label and choose Show Safe Frame. The safe frames on page 8110 are displayed in three concentric boxes. The outermost safe frame matches the render output resolution. The safe frame on page 8110 matches the render output resolution.
the viewport to a camera viewport for the camera object, and makes the camera the currently selected object. Free Camera Create panel > Cameras > Free Create menu > Cameras > Free Camera Free cameras view the area in the direction where the camera is aimed. Unlike target cameras, which have two independent icons for the target and the camera, free cameras are represented by a single icon, making them easier to animate.
Initial Direction of a Free Camera A free camera’s initial direction is along the negative Z axis of the active construction grid of the viewport you click. In other words, if you click in an orthogonal viewport, the initial camera direction is directly away from you. Clicking the Top viewport aims the camera downward, clicking the Front viewport aims the camera at the scene from the front, and so on.
Interface See Common Camera Parameters on page 5210. Target Camera Create panel > Cameras > Target Create menu > Cameras > Target Camera A target camera “views” the area around the target icon that you place when you create the camera. A target camera is easier to aim than a free camera because you simply position the target object at the center of interest. You can animate both the target camera and its target to create interesting effects.
Target cameras always face their target. Procedures To create a target camera: 1 Do one of the following: ■ Click Cameras on the Create panel, then click Target in the Object Type rollout. ■ Choose Create menu > Cameras > Target Camera. ■ From the Tool Palettes window, select the Cameras tab and select Target Camera. 2 Drag in a Top or Perspective viewport. The initial point of the drag is the location of the camera, and the point where you release the mouse is the location of the target.
Interface See Common Camera Parameters on page 5210 for a description of the common camera parameters. The distance from the camera to the target is displayed at the bottom of the Parameters rollout. You can animate this parameter, or directly animate the target object's location. When you rename a target camera, the target is automatically renamed to match. For example, renaming Camera01 to Rolli causes Camera01.Target to become Rolli.Target. The target's name must have the extension .Target.
Real-world camera measurements. A: Focal length B: Field of view (FOV) Focal Length The distance between the lens and the light-sensitive surface, whether film or video electronics, is called the focal length of the lens. Focal length affects how much of the subject appears in the picture. Lower focal lengths include more of the scene in the picture. Higher focal lengths include less of the scene but show greater detail of more distant objects. Focal length is always measured in millimeters.
longer the lens, the narrower the FOV. The shorter the lens, the wider the FOV. Relationship Between FOV and Perspective Short focal lengths (wide FOV) emphasize the distortions of perspective, making objects seem in-depth, looming toward the viewer. Long focal lengths (narrow FOV) reduce perspective distortion, making objects appear flattened and parallel to the viewer.
The program does have counterparts for the camera movements used in movie making, such as truck, dolly, and pan. See Camera Viewport Controls on page 7604. Procedures To match a real-world camera frame proportion: 1 Choose Rendering > Render Setup. The Render Setup dialog opens. 2 In the Output Size group, click the arrow to display the list of real world output sizes. 3 Select the type you want (both film and video output sizes are available).
In a camera viewport, the FOV button lets you adjust the field of view interactively. The camera viewport Perspective button also changes the FOV in conjunction with dollying the camera. NOTE Only the FOV value is saved with the camera. The focal length value is merely an alternative way to express and select the FOV. To set the camera lens size: 1 In the Stock Lenses group, click a button to choose a stock focal length. 2 Set the Lens spinner to a custom focal length.
To find a lens's focal length: ■ To find the focal length of a lens based on changes in aperture width, open the Render Setup dialog on page 6067, choose Custom from the Output Size drop-down list, and specify a value in the Aperture Width spinner. The new value of the camera's Lens parameter is based on the new Aperture Width value. To display a camera's cone: ■ Turn on Show Cone. The camera's field-of-view cone appears outlined in light blue.
The horizon line shown in the viewport. The horizon line might not be visible if the horizon is beyond the camera's field of view, or if the camera is tilted very high or low. To change the environment range: ■ Adjust the value of Near Range or Far Range. By default, the Near Range=0.0 and the Far Range equals the Far clipping plane value. Environment ranges determine the near and far range limits for atmospheric effects you set in the Environment dialog.
To set clipping planes: 1 Turn on Clip Manually. When Clip Manually is off, the camera ignores the location of the Near and Far clipping planes, and their controls are unavailable. The camera renders all geometry within its field of view. 2 Set the Near Clip value to position the near clipping plane. Objects closer to the camera than the Near distance are not visible to the camera and aren't rendered. 3 Set the Far Clip value to position the far clipping plane.
The effect of clipping planes To apply a multi-pass rendering effect to a scene: 1 In the Multi-Pass Effect group, turn on Enable and choose either Depth Of Field or Motion Blur. 2 In the Multi-Pass Effect group, turn on Enable. Depth Of Field is the only multi-pass effect that is provided with 3ds Max by default. 3 In the Multi-Pass Effect group, turn on Enable and choose Depth Of Field.
Interface 5216 | Chapter 18 Lights and Cameras
Lens Sets the camera's focal length in millimeters. Use the Lens spinner to give the focal length a value other than the preset "stock" values on the buttons in the Stock Lenses group box. Changing the Aperture Width value on the Render Setup dialog also changes the value in the Lens spinner field. This doesn't change the view through the camera, but it does change the relationship between the Lens value and the FOV value, as well as the aspect ratio of the camera's cone.
NOTE When you switch from a target camera to a free camera, any animation applied to the camera's target is lost, because the target object goes away. Show Cone Displays the cone (actually a pyramid) defined by a camera's field of view. The cone appears in the other viewports but does not appear in a camera viewport. Show Horizon Displays the horizon line. A dark gray line appears at the level of the horizon in the camera's viewport.
Top: Conceptual image of the Near and Far ranges. Bottom: Result after rendering. Clipping Planes group Sets options to define clipping planes on page 7935. In viewports, clipping planes are displayed as red rectangles (with diagonals) within the camera's cone. Clip Manually Turn on to define clipping planes. When Clip Manually is off, geometry closer to the camera than 3 units is not displayed. To override this, use Clip Manually. Near Clip and Far Clip Sets near and far planes.
Conceptual image of Near and Far clipping planes. Multi-Pass Effect group These controls let you assign a depth-of-field or motion blur effect to the camera. When generated by a camera, these effects generate blurring by rendering the scene in multiple passes, with offsets. They increase rendering time. TIP The depth-of-field and motion blur effects are mutually exclusive. Because they rely on multiple rendering passes, applying both to the same camera could be prohibitively slow.
Effect drop-down list Lets you choose which multi-pass effect to generate, Depth Of Field on page 5230 or Motion Blur on page 5234. These effects are mutually exclusive. Default=Depth Of Field. This list also lets you choose Depth of Field (mental ray) on page 5229, which lets you use the mental ray renderer's depth of field effect. NOTE The rollout for the chosen effect appears, by default, after the Parameters rollout.
Also, if you rotate a Target camera to a nearly vertical position, either up or down, the program must flip the Camera view to prevent the up-vector from becoming undefined. If you need a camera to look vertically upward or downward, use a Free camera. In a Camera viewport, you can also use the navigation buttons on page 7604 to adjust the camera interactively. Some navigation buttons, such as Dolly and Orbit actually move the camera or its target.
Clipping plane settings are part of the camera’s parameters on page 5210. The location of each clipping plane is measured along the camera’s line of sight (its local Z axis) in the current units for the scene. You can set the near clipping plane close to the camera so that it doesn’t exclude any geometry, and still use the far plane to exclude objects.
Horizon line displayed in a camera viewport A camera is level when it and its target are the same height from the world coordinate plane. In other words, the camera’s local Z axis is parallel to the world plane. When the camera is level, the horizon line is centered in the viewport. As the camera tilts up, the horizon line lowers; as it tilts down, the horizon line raises. The horizon line control is in the camera’s Parameters rollout on page 5210.
3 Use Orbit on page 7611 to move the camera until the perspective of the scene roughly matches that of the still image. 4 Adjust the camera's perspective on page 7607 to fine-tune the perspective match. 5 Use Move on page 959 with the camera or target to position the scene against the background. If you raise or lower the camera, raise or lower the target by an equal amount, in order to keep them level and maintain the horizon.
of view by adding pans or rotate transforms. This is comparable to filming with a hand-held camera. For a target camera, link both the camera and its target to a dummy object on page 2615, then assign the path constraint to the dummy object. This is comparable to mounting the camera on a tripod on a dolly. It is easier to manage than having, for example, separate paths for the camera and its target.
3 Turn on the Auto Key button and advance the time slider to any frame. 4 Use the Orbit button (in the viewport navigation tools) and orbit. The target camera revolves around its target; the Free camera revolves around its target distance. Zooming Zooming moves toward or away from the camera’s subject matter by changing the focal length of the lens. It differs from dollying, which physically moves the camera but leaves the focal length unchanged.
Motion blur applied to wings of the flying dragon Cameras can create two kinds of rendering effects: ■ Depth of field on page 5230 ■ Motion blur on page 5234 Multi-pass rendering effects use multiple renderings of the same frame, with slight camera movement between each rendering. The multiple passes simulate the blurring that film in a camera would register under certain conditions.
Depth of Field Parameter (mental ray Renderer) Create panel > Cameras > Target button or Free button > Parameters rollout > Multi-Pass Effect group. > Turn on Enable and choose Depth Of Field (mental ray). > Depth of Field Parameters rollout On the Parameters rollout on page 5210, a “Depth Of Field (mental ray)” choice has been added to the Multi-Pass Effect drop-down list to support the mental ray renderer's depth-of-field effects. To use this, turn on Enable in the camera's Multi-Pass Effect group.
Multi-Pass Depth of Field Parameters for Cameras Create panel > Cameras > Target button or Free button > Parameters rollout > Multi-Pass Effect group > Choose Depth Of Field effect. > Depth of Field Parameters rollout Multi-pass depth of field Top: Focus is in the middle distance, near and far objects are blurred. Bottom left: Focus on near objects, far objects are blurred. Bottom right: Focus on far objects, near objects are blurred. Cameras can generate depth-of-field effects.
of the frame at a distance from the camera's focal point (that is, its target or target distance). You can preview depth of field in viewports. Previewing multi-pass depth of field in a shaded and a wireframe viewport IMPORTANT This effect is for the default scanline renderer. The mental ray renderer on page 6230 has its own depth-of-field effect. See Depth of Field Parameter (mental ray Renderer) on page 5229.
Interface NOTE The multi-pass depth-of-field parameters are animatable. Focal Depth group Use Target Distance When on, uses the camera's target distance as the point about which to offset the camera for each pass. When off, uses the Focal Depth value to offset the camera. Default=on.
Focal Depth When Use Target Distance is off, sets the depth from which the camera is offset. Can range from 0.0 to 100.0, where 0.0 is at the camera's location and 100.0 is in the extreme distance (effectively, infinity). Default=100.0. Low values of the Focal Depth give wildly blurry results. High Focal Depth values blur the distant portions of the scene. In general, using Focal Depth instead of the camera's Target Distance tends to blur the entire scene.
Dither Strength Controls how much dithering is applied to the rendered passes. Increasing this value increases the amount of dithering, and can make the effect grainier, especially at the edges of objects. Default=0.4. Tile Size Sets the size of the pattern used in dithering. This value is a percentage, where 0 is the smallest tile, and 100 is the largest. Default=32. Scanline Renderer Params group These controls let you disable antialiasing or antialias filtering when you render the multi-pass scene.
Above: Motion blur applied to wings of the flying dragon Below: Multiple passes appear in successive refreshes of the rendered frame window. Cameras can generate motion blur effects. Motion blur is a multi-pass effect on page 6227. You turn it on in the Parameters rollout on page 5210 for cameras. Motion blur simulates the motion blur of a camera by offsetting rendering passes based on movement in the scene. You can preview motion blur in viewports.
Previewing multi-pass motion blur in a wireframe and a shaded viewport IMPORTANT This effect is for the default scanline renderer. The mental ray renderer on page 6230 has its own depth-of-field effect. See Motion Blur with the mental ray Renderer on page 6248. TIP To reduce the visible effect of multiple camera passes, try setting the antialiasing filter to Blend, with a Width value in the range 4.0 to 5.0, and a Blend value in the neighborhood of 0.1.
Interface NOTE The multi-pass motion blur parameters are animatable. Sampling group Display Passes When on, the rendered frame window displays the multiple rendering passes. When off, the frame window displays only the final result. This control has no effect on previewing motion blur in camera viewports. Default=on. Total Passes The number of passes used to generate the effect. Increasing this value can increase the effect's accuracy, but at a cost of rendering time. Default=12.
Bias Changes the blurring so that it appears to derive more from frames before or after the current frame. Range=0.01 to 0.99. Default=0.5. By default, the blurring comes equally from frames before and after the current frame; that is, a blurred object appears at the center of the blurred area. This is the closest to what an actual camera would capture. Increasing the Bias value moves the blurring behind the blurred object, in relation to its direction of motion.
Walkthrough Assistant Animation menu > Walkthrough Assistant Walkthrough Assistant lets you easily create a predefined walkthrough animation of your scene by placing a camera on a path and setting the height, turning the camera and viewing a preview. This feature is available from the Animation Menu. Procedures To create a Walkthrough camera: 1 Choose Walkthrough Assistant from the Animation menu. The Walkthrough Assistant floater is displayed.
4 Activate the Perspective viewport, then click the Set Viewport to Camera button in the Cameras group. Now you can see what the camera sees. You will probably need to adjust the camera height and tilt at this point. To adjust the camera height and tilt: 1 In the Path Control group, turn on Move Path to Eye Level. The path is set to the height specified for Eye Level. 2 Set the desired height using the numerical height spinner. The path moves in the viewports in real time.
3 Slide the Turn Head control to turn the camera head left, center, or right. If desired, adjust the Head Tilt Angle control up or down. 4 Use the time slider to advance the camera to the next place where you want to turn or tilt the camera differently. 5 When you've completed setting rotation keys for the camera, play the animation. 6 If you are not pleased with the results, click the Remove All Head Animation button in the Views Control rollout to quickly delete all the keys.
5 Click the Pick Target Object button, and select an object on which you want the camera to focus. The target is moved to the object. If you had selected a path, the target would move to the path. 6 Click the Set Viewport to Camera button. The viewport label changes to reflect the current camera name and displays what the Targeted camera sees. 7 Click the Play Animation button or scrub the time slider to view the animation.
Interface Main Controls rollout Camera Creation group Create New Camera Automatically creates a free or targeted camera in the scene. Cameras are named Walkthrough_Cam. Cameras List Lists cameras in the scene by name. Targeted Controls whether a selected camera in the Camera list is targeted or free. Turning on Targeted for a free camera will change it to targeted; turning it off for a targeted camera will change it to a free camera.
Set Viewport to Camera Changes the active viewport to a camera viewport. Path Control group Pick Path Press this button to select a path in the scene. After a path is selected, the button label changes to the object's name. Click the Clear Path button to disassociate the camera from the selected path. Move Path to Eye Level When turned on, moves the path to the height set for Eye Level. When turned off, it moves the path to its original height when created.
View Controls rollout This rollout only displays if a free camera is created or selected. Turn Head group Turn Head Slider Rotates the camera head as it moves along the path. This allows you to create the illusion that you are turning your head as you walk through the scene. Choices are Left, Center, Right. To animate the head turning, use the Auto Key button. This creates Z Rotation keys that can be adjusted in Track View. Head Tilt Angle Rotates the camera as it moves along the path.
Look-At-Camera rollout This rollout only displays if a targeted camera is created or selected. Look-At-Camera group Path When selected, allows you to select a path the camera's target will use. Object When selected, allows you to select an object the camera's target will use. Pick Target Path Press this button to select a path or object in the scene. Click the Clear Path button to disassociate the camera's target from the selected path or object.
Target Distance Sets the distance the target is from the camera. This controls the size of the camera icon in the viewport. In a free camera, the point the camera orbits around is controlled by the target distance. Path Controls group Constant Speed Turn this on to maintain a constant speed along a path. When off, the velocity of the object along the path varies depending on the distance between the vertices on the path. Follow Path When this is turned on, the camera stays perpendicular to the path.
Normal camera view (left) and corrected camera view (right) Procedures To apply two-point perspective to a camera: 1 Select a camera. TIP For best results, set a viewport to this camera’s view. The change in perspective appears both in the viewport and when you render this view. 2 Apply the Camera Correction modifier. 3 On the 2-Point Perspective Correction rollout, click Guess. The Camera Correction modifier creates a first-guess Amount value for the two-point perspective.
Interface Amount Sets the amount of correction for two-point perspective. Default=0.0. Direction Biases the correction. Default=90.0. Setting Direction greater than 90.0 biases the correction to the left. Setting it less than 90.0 biases it to the right. Guess Click to have the Camera Correction modifier set a first-guess Amount value.
To use camera matching: 1 Load a bitmap as a background for the renderer. 2 Load a bitmap as a background for the viewport. 3 Identify on the bitmap at least five features that will be used for the match. These should be objects or corners of objects in the scene that can be identified and tracked. They should remain visually throughout the scene, and should not change their shape too much or they won’t work.
5 Navigate and select the appropriate bitmap and then choose Open. Use Map is turned on automatically. 6 Render the viewport to verify that the background appears in the rendering. Press Shift+Q to render. To establish the bitmap background to display in the viewport: 1 Choose Views menu > Viewport Background on page 148. This opens the Viewport Background dialog 2 In the Background Source group, click Files. This launches the Select Background Image dialog.
TIP To use the keyboard, first click in the X field, enter its value, and then press Tab to move to the next field and enter its value. Continue this until you tab to the Create button, and then press Enter to create the CamPoint, followed by Tab to move back to the X field, where you can start again. You can create all the CamPoint objects with default names, and then use the Select By Name floater (Tools > Selection Floater) to select and rename the six pointers.
NOTE If the Current Camera Error reading is greater than five, at least one of your screen coordinate points is placed wrong. Check each of them, and review the description following step 5. After reassigning the points, select the existing camera and click the Modify Camera button to recalculate the camera position. 8 Press C to switch the Perspective view to that of the new camera. Interface CamPoint Info rollout List window Displays a list of the CamPoint helper objects in the scene.
Assign Position Click a location on the viewport bitmap to place a screen coordinate point visually against the background image. The point you place corresponds to the currently selected CamPoint object. After activating the Assign Position button, select a CamPoint object from the list, and then click in the viewport at a position on the bitmap background that corresponds with where the associate CamPoint object should be in the 3D scene.
Current Camera Error Displays the total error that remains between the placed screen coordinate points, the CamPoint helpers, and the camera position after the final computation. The calculations involved in the camera match are seldom perfect. A good error range is about 0 to 1.5. Close Exits the Camera Match utility.
Create menu > Helpers > Camera Point The CamPoint helper lets you create camera points in your scene. These points are used by the Camera Match on page 5249 utility to match the camera with a photographic background. The virtual camera is positioned to mimic the position of the actual camera that was used to take the photograph. Clicking CamPoint displays the Keyboard Entry and Camera Match Point rollouts, which you use to create and name the camera points.
Interface Name and Color rollout Lets you name the CamPoint object before you create it. If you want to name it after you create it, change its name in the Modify panel. Keyboard Entry rollout X, Y, Z Let you enter the X, Y, and Z coordinates where a CamPoint object will be inserted. Field values reflect the current Unit setup.
Create Inserts the CamPoint object into the scene. Camera Match Point rollout Show Axis Tripod Controls whether an axis tripod is displayed with the Camera point object. Default=on. Axis Length Controls the length of the axis tripod. When Show Axis Tripod is on you can watch the tripod change length in the viewport while you adjust the spinner arrows. When Show Axis Tripod is off, you can still make adjustments the Axis Length value, but the axis tripod won't be displayed.
