mtpeak2

Thanks Kat and Gene!

Looking pretty good, Robert!

Thanks everyone. Since I did not create this model (Jim Talbot), only modified it, I couldn't submit it for the mascot contest. Plus, I don't think this is what Hash was looking for in a mascot.

I was bored, so I gave her a new hairstyle.

I believe the old hair was able to use maps as well.

Congrats Mark! can't wait to see it.

I would recommend the target for the neck too, but that's up to you.

In the folder options in A:M, make sure it is looking in the right directory for your version of A:M. Installing both the 64bit and 32 bit versions, A:M sometimes gets confused as to where to look. This was an issue at one point, but not sure if it still is.

Here's niki14 with the added targets and constraints. To fix your model (since I don't have a version with geometry) open this model and your model in the same project. Go into bones mode on the fixed model, from a side view you will see 3 target bones. Select each bone to see their location (take note of their parent). From the PWS select the bones and drag them to their parent bone in your model (hide them afterwards). Once you've done that, drag and drop the relationship folder from the fixed model to your models name, this will update the relationships. You'll need to go into where you smartskin relationships are and delete the relationship for the torso (dragging and dropping the relationships folder does not delete the smartskin). In your chor action, delete the neck and lower spine from the action in the PWS. (This is for your original chor action you posted) Let me know if this fixes the issues you were having. Niki14_Mark_Fix.zip

Sorry Nancy, you're right (looking through too many relationships), my mistake, it is the head it is aimed at. But, this makes no difference in my opinion. I have tested adding the target and the aim roll at constraint, it fixes the issue.

"Create material from surface" has been available since v15.

Ok, my opinion is that it's a rig design issue. Holmes' idea was to keep the bone count down in the rig, which causes some issues. The problem is the neck uses an aim at constraint to the head translator and a roll like constraint to the head. These two constraints usually don't work well together in certain situations (it's sort of a gimbal lock issue). Most rigs deal with this problem by using a target bone to aim roll at. You can fix the issue by adding a target bone, child of the head bone, removing the roll like constraint and adding an aim roll at in the main constraints relationship. After fixing the model, if you decide to fix it, make sure you delete the keys on the neck in the chor action. You may even have the same issue with the lower spine at some point.

Can you save the chor action and post the model (no geometry) and action? I'd like to see what's going on.

From what I know of the literig, you should not be animating the neck bone. Delete any keyframes on the neck. I'm not sure what's going on with the lower hips.

As far as I know you can't rotate a decal, you have to rotate the viewport. Using the turn tool and contrl key, you can rotate the viewport on the Z axis when in front view. You can also type in the rotation by selecting the axis at the bottom right of the status bar.

Looks great Mark! I forgot how well the ocean rig worked.

But if the emission rate is zero, what is it trying to fulfill? If the rate of emissions is 1000 and you turn it off, before it finished that 1000, I believe it will continue the emission until it is completed.

It saves it to where the project file is saved, not the model file (models can be embedded). If there is no project saved, it goes to the library folder. I guess Steffen figured that was the best place.

When I did the clouds for TWO I had a popping issue as well. The popping is the sprite when it's being emitted. What I did was to set the opacity at birth so it was transparent and gradually increased it til it was at the opacity I wanted. The popping you see after you turn the sprite system off is the sprites that still need to be generated to fulfill the emission rate.

I like that cellular one!!!

Robert, couldn't you use just one plane? Animate the plane and maybe material and use motion blur.

You either have to give the second bone an exaggerated offset, in the constraint, so it is in the position you want when the dynamics are ON or you need to constrain the second bone in an action or chor, so the enforcement of the constraint is set to 100% (with compensation) after the dynamic bone has settled (enforcement is 0% til dynamics are settled). Hope that makes sense.

I like the first one.

You were in negative frames/timeline.

Cool!