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Universal convert from Angles to Quaternion?

tubbesingtubbesing Posts: 48
edited December 1969 in Carrara Discussion

When I bring a figure in using the Browser, all joints are set to Angles. Is there any way to universally convert to Quaternion? It appears I have to change the Rotation Controller setting for each joint individually.
Thanks.

Comments

  • evilproducerevilproducer Posts: 9,050
    edited December 1969

    tubbesing said:
    When I bring a figure in using the Browser, all joints are set to Angles. Is there any way to universally convert to Quaternion? It appears I have to change the Rotation Controller setting for each joint individually.
    Thanks.


    What figures? What Browser- Content Browser, Object browser? What version of Carrara?

  • tubbesingtubbesing Posts: 48
    edited December 1969

    Baby New Year. Content Browser. Carrara 7.

  • evilproducerevilproducer Posts: 9,050
    edited December 1969

    tubbesing said:
    Baby New Year. Content Browser. Carrara 7.

    I looked at a couple of the DAZ figures. V4 and M4 specifically and they load with the Angle motion method. I tried to see if there was a way to adjust all the joints in the hierarchy at once and I couldn't find a way. Perhaps there's a plugin that will do it? Otherwise you're stuck doing it manually.


    Luckily, once the tedious job is done, you can drag and drop the top of the figure's hierarchy (Usually the figure's name) to the Object Browser for use in later scenes. It may actually load faster as Carrara doesn't have to translate a PZ2 (or whatever) file.


    You can set the IK and constraints all at once by the bone hierarchy tree by going to Animation-->Set IK and Constraints. A dialogue opens with the IK and constraint options.


    Sorry I couldn't be of more help.


    P.S. Since the figures' rigging is set to angle, is there an advantage to changing it to Quaternion?

    Picture_3.png
    287 x 458 - 33K
    Picture_2.png
    182 x 237 - 23K
  • FenricFenric Posts: 351
    edited December 1969

    I wrote a plugin to do the opposite - change everything to Angles.

    Why do you want quaternion? It's incompatible with just about every modifier you might want to use and its only significant claim to fame is avoiding gimbal lock which Carrara already works around. Every piece of Poser or DAZ content already assumes Euler angles - figures, poses, props - everything.

  • RoygeeRoygee Posts: 2,247
    edited December 1969

    I wrote a plugin to do the opposite - change everything to Angles.

    Bless you, Fenric:)

    Is it available? - Couldn't find it on your site.

  • tubbesingtubbesing Posts: 48
    edited December 1969

    Some threads suggest Quaternion instead of Angles:

    http://forumarchive.daz3d.com/viewtopic.php?t=102540&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
    "Always change rotation type to QUATERNION, before importing any poses," Holly, page 1.
    "The tumbling is caused by what is commonly called "Gimbal Lock" and is the main reason to use Quaternion instead of Euler Angles," Evenfall, page 2.

    I thought Quaternion would eliminate some of the weird contortionist mangling that occurs at the joints.

    Thanks for the replies.

  • FenricFenric Posts: 351
    edited February 2013

    If by joint mangling you mean the collapsing shoulders and creasing thighs on V4, that is due to magnet/JCM interaction and has nothing to do with the rotation controller. One very common cause is you have applied a pose that un-hid some of the normally hidden JCM dials, and Carrara does not like that. At the very top of V4 in the morph dials there is a "deformer strength" -> set it to -1.
    Otherwise you are just running into the limitations of the Poser rigging system: A3's thighs go flat and weird, V4 has really bizzare armpits... that's just how it is.

    Quaternions solve exactly one problem in Carrara: If you are trying to make something spin and you are having trouble smoothly going between -180 and +180 degrees, then it can help. Set it at the very top level, or better yet, a completely separate group. I'm sorry to contradict Holly, but I would recommend that you don't ever change the figure itself.

    Change Rotation Controller is part of Posing Pack 3, which contrary to my earlier statements is NOT removed from the store: http://www.daz3d.com/software/plugins-utilities/posing-pack-3. DAZ decided that it was their way or no way, so now I have to re-evaluate my strategy. I was hoping for something a little more substantial than "8.5 late this summer, 9 to follow soon-ish", but there you go.

    Edit: In that thread, Holly was specifically talking about rotations beyond a full circle - not individual joints. That is quite right. It is NOT gimbal lock, it is interpolation: the tweeners don't know how to interpolate between -180 and +180 and get a smooth motion.

    Post edited by Fenric on
  • tubbesingtubbesing Posts: 48
    edited December 1969

    Thanks for the info. Angles it is!

  • evilproducerevilproducer Posts: 9,050
    edited December 1969

    Very good information Fenric! Thjanks!

  • briandaz_3e696c2bd8briandaz_3e696c2bd8 Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    For figures, the one where quanterions make the most sense is the root bone, usually the hip. Then your figures can do all the flips, etc you want. But for the joints, quanterion makes less sense and gets in the way of setting joint constraints.

  • wetcircuitwetcircuit Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    yeaaaah... no useful memory of this... I think I had issues with importing animated PZ2, the figure hitting 180+ or 180- and flipping over... Haven't experienced that issue in a loooong time. Assume PZ2 import is better now...? :red:

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