Need help locking feet transforms
RobH2
Posts: 15
I've created a walk cycle with AniBlocks2 which ends with a 'Stop.' I've reversed that Stop and the character backs up a bit then I've added a 'Corner Right." I've sent the AniBlocks to StudioKeys. What I need to do is to lock the left foot after the character backs up at around frame 276 so it isn't sliding around before the turn at around frame 285. I've turned on "Pin Translations" I've purchased 'graphMate and keyMate' and I can't figure out how to stop the foot from moving. It seems like it's FK coming from the hips so I've removed the hips translation keys. The foot is still sliding.
How can I control the feet the way I need to?
Here is a look at what I have:
http://nvision4d.com/public/lockfoot.avi
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Comments
I'm not sure I even *see* it. :-S Unless the motion between 276 and 285 shouldn't happen at all? I'm not used to wearing those kind of shoes, but if I do, they have a leather sole, and being rarely worn, it's unused so it tends to slide. It happens even if I'm walking on rough surfaces like concrete. It doesn't happen always, to be sure, but it does so sufficiently often to be noticed.
The issue isn't really whether it should or shouldn't happen. Unless you are on ice it doesn't' t matter what kind of shoes you are wearing, your feet don't both continually slide simultaneously. The answer to the question really shouldn't pertain to subjective interpretation. It doesn't matter. We all design all kinds of crazy animations. One person might like feet to slide and one not. What I'm trying to figure out is how much I can control feet, toe and ankle nodes should I want to. It doesn't matter whether anyone agrees with my physics or not. It's about getting things to do what I want them to, whether right or wrong.
The issue is being able to get control of characters in Daz. I'm trying to see if I can get Daz to perform well enough to use as a first-rate character animation package and it appears that it can't. Sliding feet is the first sign that a character is not real but digital. In other character animation products from Motion Builder to Max to Maya users have the ability to "lock" any part of any character in space. Not just "sort of" lock it but glue it solid. Daz does not seem to be able to do that. This lack will keep Daz from becoming part of a professional pipeline.
If there is a technique for freezing character's feet and hands, I mean really freezing them, I'd really like to hear about it so I could play with it. I realize that as some point FK will take over and drag the feet and hands away but for a few moments, in the right spot, I'd like to be able to have "complete" foot control.
Daz and AniMate have a fantastic concept that could be very powerful but it's like having a BluRay player that won't read DVDs. It's really cool but it's just not quite ready for the big world yet. I hope someone can prove me very wrong. Nothing would make me happier.
I appreciate your comments but I'm still looking for someone who can tell me how to lock down a node on a character. Click on my name and visit my website. I've been doing 3D for 17 years and done a pretty good job at it. It's interesting you'd mention that I have a lot to lean. What's cool about 3D is that you never stop that process. I calculated recently that I've spent 61,000 hours in 3D software. And yes, I still have a lot to learn. All I'm looking for is expertise in Daz, not an uninformed assumption about my skills or knowledge.
Sure, each application has a learning curve and I've just begun with Daz. All I'm looking for is someone who really knows the application to tell me how to lock a foot down or tell it can't be done. I'm really not interested in the adolescent bravado and banter that wrecks a lot of online forums.
Regards...
As a user of Daz3D and Animate2 with AniBlocks plus KeyMate and GraphMate (And I'm no pro by any word) the only way I can think of the stop the foot slide would be to CUT the AniBlock at the point you wish to add the second AniBlock. But that said AniMate still auto Tweens from one Block to the Next. You might need to create and use a Custom AniBlock for that move of your character.
I hope that I was helpfull in some way.
I apologize as I thought this was the bravado and banter forum. Sorry, any lame attempts at sarcasm on my part are always directed at DAZ. After more than a year of asking questions like yours most every day and finding answers only rarely it is only too easy to give in to temptation when I see DS compared to a something like 3DS or Maya.
However, in regard to your question, I do not know of an answer but I do know that the Pin Translations/Rotations functionality will not actually lock the node. I do not know if this is on the list of items to address in some future release.
Although this may likely be a limitation with DS, if I wanted to explore a workaround specific to animation, I would probably attempt post to a Go Figure forum such as http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/13137/. All three of the plugins you are running aniMate2, keyMate and graphMate are produced by Go Figure. There are also some very good vidoes on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/gofigure3d.
Jaderail I appreciate that. I bought graphMate and keyMate and am dabbling with them. I've had a trouble getting them to play with Aniblocks unless I write them to Studio Keys. However, your bring up a good point. It may be the automatic tweening that is hampering my efforts. I have been dragging the blend slider all the way down to the left but I think it never really turns off. By trimming and creating a new custom block I might be able to affect more control. That's the kind of hint I was looking for. As a new user It's sometimes hard to think outside the box when you don't really know what how the box works yet. I'll give your idea a try and report back.
Thanks again...
I'm sorry I didn't mean to dispute your vision or anything, I was just trying to provide an explanation of plausibility.
IK doesn't work perfectly yet in DS. What you can do though, is use ActivePose, which has an icon that looks like a bone: pin the relevant body-part by selecting it and pressing spacebar. However be advised that ActivePose only works with FK and translations, not rotations.
There is also a script by Casual to pin feet: https://sites.google.com/site/mcasualsdazscripts/pinmedown-for-ds2-3 (the whole site is extremely valuable for animators in general, chances are he has scripts to solve problems you have already met or are yet to meet)
Hey, no offense taken. I don't have a fragile ego. I've spent a lot of hours on a lot of forums. I'm a self-taught animator and it's come from either a forum or a book. They can be extremely useful because there are a tremendous number of very talented people out there. The challenge is when you ask a question and the responses are about why you'd want to do that or subjective analysis when all you really want is feedback about how to do the thing you posted about. Whether our not you "should" put a dogs head on the end of a tree trunk (just making a silly example) is not what you want feedback about. What you want feedback about is given that you want to do that, how could you do it.
Your post is exactly what I'm looking for and I appreciate it. I'm looking for things to try, workarounds and creative solutions. What I really like sometimes are the kinds of solutions where a solution is tried that really isn't meant to do what you are doing with it and it works. It all leads to new techniques and strengthens our understanding of the program.
I'll try your ideas and report back in a few days. I'm tied up with a project and had to put Daz down for a bit but I'll circle back around to this.
Regards....
Edit: Went and got the script from mCasual's site. Looks like he's tired to address the exact thing I've seen as a problem with Daz (foot sliding) and it might just work. There's a lot of interesting stuff there and I look forward to spending some time on his site.
Your input is helpful. Yes, I gobbled up every tutorial, video, YouTube, anything I could find on Daz, AniMate, keyMate, etc., before I posted. I find that there is very little info out there beyond the basics. It's impossible to find a tutorial on advanced techniques. Once I figure all of this out maybe I'll have to make my own advanced tuts for the web...lol...
Thanks again,
Rob
Tip that might help you:
Add an AniBlock to a figure that is VERY close to what you need. Save out to the Timeline. Use KeyMate and GraphMate to adjust the animation so it does exactly what you need. Open AniMate again now Create NEW AniBlock From Timeline. Save your Fixed AniBlock to your Collection. I do this for those times that the same little issue pop's up with the Basic bought AniBlock's.
Edit: Some fixes do not stick due to how AniMate Tweens, and does not like Flat Graphs in movement. Many will.
No problem. Just looking or answers and too not finding many. While GoFigure has a great concept the follow through on the website is pretty empty. I’m not sure they are making enough money to keep the site fresh, updated an useful. I’ve seen ALL the videos you mention and beyond those very basic instructions, there is literally nothing out there. I can’t find that anyone, including GoFigure,has posted anything of a middle or advanced nature at all. Maybe time will tell. Thanks to comments here I’m getting better and getting a grip on it a bit better.
Just a quick post. I've only spent a short time with the "PinMeDown" script and it looks promising. I've finally seeing some control that I was after.
I really appreciate your having pointed me to that site.
Regards --- Rob