2009

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. This approach works well if the bipeds are standing still or are
far apart and don’t require collision detection: a crowd of cheering fans at a
ball game, for example. Clip and transition percentages are set with the
Create
Random Motion
on page 4565 command during motion synthesis.
When dealing with a crowd, or multiple bipeds that are close together, the
delegate driven approach is the best solution. This approach uses many
parameters to simulate moving crowds and incorporates collision detection,
surface follow and other parameters. The delegate–driven method uses a
network of clips, but instead of random selection. it bases clip selection on a
delegate's speed and heading. In a delegate–driven crowd simulation, clips are
arranged to follow a logical sequence. For example, the first clip could be a
start walk clip, then a walk loop, then a branch to a turn right and turn left
clip, then a slow to stop clip and so on. During motion synthesis, this
arrangement is used to pick clips. If the software senses a collision ahead, the
slow to stop clip is selected, or a veer to avoid clip is chosen. For a detailed
breakdown of delegate driven crowd behavior, see
Crowd Animation on page
4761.
Placing Motions on the Motion Flow Graph
The
Motion Flow Graph on page 4549 contains the tools you'll use to add clips
to the dialog window, calculate optimized transitions, set random script
transition values, move and delete clips, and display clip dependencies. Clips
display as icons and transitions appear as arrows in the Motion Flow Graph.
The Motion Flow Graph displays when you click Show Graph on the
Motion
Flow rollout
on page 4548 on the Motion panel.
Working with Motion Flow | 4509