Does anyone have any pointers in how to setup a xform modifier to work with a animatable pivot, rolling cubes. I had a look at Martin Breidts script to link a gizmo to a ctrl object, that’s almost what I want, except I want to control the pivot too with another ctrl object. That’s when stuff gets messy, since the pivot is balanced out against the gizmo transform. Rotating the gizmo, rotates the pivot/center and I need to compensate for that in the center controller and in the gizmo transform position. I just can’t get my head around it.
I have looked at CAT’s animatable pivot controllers too, but they are just not ready for production me thinks. The HD version can break to easily, since some values of it seem to be stored internally and animating that thing in the trackview can break it. The HI version is just weird. So that’s why I was thinking the Xform modifier.
Any pointers or complete solutions are heavily welcomed!
Thanks,
-Johan
Hmm, not even a pointer eh
No I’m starting to think about nulls as pivots and some callback wizardry to transform the object about the null. Don’t know if it’s going to work, but maybe it’s a start.
Still very open for hints, clues, tips etc…!
Thanks,
-Johan
Have a look at Puppet Shop as Kees did it there. I managed a similar setup as well and you really need to setup a UI to move the pivot, I couldn’t get something manual working in the viewport so I needed spinners or some sort of joy stick control.
You will need a list controller in there as well to make it happen.
I tried this, years ago:
I abandoned it, ’cause I concluded that the software matters and the solution should come from there, instead of trying to fix every possible problem.but I was very satisfied with it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su85b3I7bfo&fmt=22
I dont remember exactly, but it works like this:
- animate pivot mode on: and you can reposition the pivot
- animate pivot mode off: and you can use the pivot or the object and both move like one
- and it works with any tangent type
the main problem is the track view. how to synchronize the keys and protect them. without modifying the animation
I suspect that everything exposed in the internet is not entirely safe.
Ah, the anim pivot topic:) Me likey:) I really got inspired a while ago with your stuff, Ruramuq. Actually it is what got me started in trying it myself. What I found to be a real problem was the constant need to have the main object (or its parent, depending if the set-up is a script controller, or a linking set-up) from moving around and having the keys on the pivot correct and editable. What I really liked in PuppetShop’s way is just how smooth and easy it is to tweak the pivot. Paul, Ruramuq, could you guys expand on the way you did your methods? Or is the key to this in managing the transforms with some script? It just seemed a bit cumbersome to say the least…
mmm, in my case I used as JHN was saying, a callback to counter animate the object against the pivot, that’s the easy part, I think the rest was making it consistent in the viewport, I mean when its moved or linked(as parent or child) or anything, it should behave as normal as any other rig.
I don’t remember all the problems, but the keys had to be modified at the same time(synchronized) in the trackbar that was ok, modifyihg trayectories too, but the track view is another story(i had some ideas).
but the method I have allows to animate the pivot and the object at the same time, and that can become confusing, so I locked the pivot changing the active controller
I tried some weird ideas using matrices, etc. to avoid a callback but it was nosense
I used to have the idea that it was possible to avoid the ‘offset track’ and automatize that, and that was the last thing I was trying, because having multiple tracks is a little risky.
– resume
- a custom attribute to activate the callback and lock/unlock the pivot
- a consistent rig(this one could be quite a challenge)
- extra tools to fix any problem in case some of the tracks are not sinchronized, for example analysing the keys to see if they are consistent.
I’m gonna try to check carefully those files again, this week. ’cause right now I’m a little uncertain.
To probe a system like these ones, like puppetshop, etc, one needs to find a way to break it and see how big is the damage against other methods
I would have to go back to what I did. It had I think two list controllers and wires back to itself I think .It also needed another object in the hierarchy so that it was what moved and when you rotated or moved the object it passed that information to its parent that did the actual work.