zandoriastudios

Robert--you truly are a gentleman and a scholar! That was very impressive!

In 8.5p it was easy to load different BVH files and swap them out. It would be asinine to have to re-rig a character to use a new motion--you should be able to have multiple constraint relationships you could set up in advance to use BVH files from different sources. But you should only have to rig it once for any source... https://zandoriastudios.com/tutorials/am-mocap-tutorial/ Step 3Once your skeleton is constrained to follow the motion capture, create a Pose from the Action. Be sure that the Key filters are set as shown below. Name your pose “BVH” and save your model. This pose will now be usable to load any BVH file that is set-up the same way. Step 4To load a new motion capture file for your model, create a new action and drag-and-drop the “BVH” pose into the action. Right-click the channel for the “shortcut to BioVision BVH File1”. NOTE: Do not right-click the shortcut, make sure that it’s the channel. Choose “Capture sequence” and load the BVH file that you wish to use. Your model will follow the new BVH file, it doesn’t matter which file you used for making your constraints, just be sure that the BVH file was set up the same way. You can find lots of free BVH files on the web to practice with.

very cool! I love 3D printing

https://zandoriastudios.com/tutorials/uv-tutorial/ Here is a tutorial that I did several years ago that may still be helpful

wow! nice job on the medals! That makes me want to enter the next contest

Great Job!

I like that cell shaded look for Papa Bear! When I was working on the first TAR short, I really wrestled with the "look". The more you try and add all of the bells and whistles, the more that it starts to have that homogenized look like every other CG animation. I wrote a post about it here: https://zandoriastudios.com/2014/03/18/stylizing-the-look/

Actually Ken Heslip modeled the hippogyraf. I only textured it

It is good to hear from you! The pictures that you shared on Facebook of your travels are great--I imagine that the opportunity to travel the world gives you a new perspective. I appreciate all that you have done to help the A:m user community, and for inviting us to the Hash Bash, and sharing your dream with us. If you have ever felt that I was ungrateful for what you have done to help me personally, I apologize. I value your friendship.

yeah, you can do that... I guess I will have to do a tutorial at some point, but I've been working on a graphic novel version on my iPad Pro, instead of animating. I did this for a modeling contest where they were giving away a Form2 printer...didn't win

Sorry the audio quality was distracting... for elbows/knees, it is simpler because there is only one axis of rotation. for hips & shoulders, it is a good idea to have a fan-bone (or series of them) that orients like the main bone, but doesn't store the roll--that keeps the twist away from the joint when the bone rolls. First do the Weighting then in a test action, pose the joints and see where the problems are at the extremes. To get a smooth smartskin, you want to try and set keys at the extremes and let the default pose be your neutral in-between. eg.: raise the arm-- set a key, lower the arm--set a key. the smartskin will use the default position as a key when blending. Use the rotate manipulator and wiggle it on the extremes to make sure there is data in ALL of the rotation channels. In the extreme position, you will likewise make a smartskin for the rolled position(s) at the extremes. Depending on your fan-bones (or if you didn't use them), you may need an extra roll smartskin keyframe in-between the extremes and neurtral positions. (eg. extreme at +90º and -90º roll, and another keyframe at +45º and -45º): This is so you can counteract the "pinching" of the CPs when the bone rolls. as before, make sure that there is data in all of the channels.... You should only need 1 smartskin/bone. Keep clearing your action and then repose the joint. where you see a problem, right click and edit Smartskin1 to add the keyframe... be sure to untoggle the relationship Icon when you are done tweaking it....

ZBrush sculpt of "TUSK" https://www.artstation.com/artwork/YoDZY

Did they ever really stop? I wondered if they just started calling in "proprietary" or stopped talking about it altogether--I remember Martin was very pissed when they hired his programmers, and when they were bought by Disney....

Rodney, How thick is your build plate? could you just have a new one cut out of acrylic or masonite and replace it?

Rodney, what is the print bed made of? On the newer Pro model it is tempered glass..,. I'm wondering if you could just replace it, since it is removeable. My Printrbot Simple metal is just powdercoated sheet metal--I cover with blue painters tape. Getting a good first layer is important to keep from coming off of the build plate, but i usually have to pry my prints off with a putty knife.... My frustrations with clogs, calibration, etc left mine sitting dormant for months, but eventually I sat down and really dialed it in--You need to measure your filament with calipers, and adjust your settings so that printer really can calculate the amount of material flowing... Also you need to be able to access a G-Code terminal so that you can manually enter offsets to the z-height to get your first layer just right. The enclosed extruder assembly on this M3D bothers me, since I am always having to unclog my hot end from experimenting with different materials like bronze, copper, wood... It is helpful to be able to take it apart, replace the nozzel, etc. In my experience ,so far, no 3D printer performs as beautifully or flawlessly as their marketing would indicate...this make the experience for the user very disappointing. But, when it works--it is awesome!

Is Bullet physics being beta/alpha tested in A:M now? Is there a thread about that? I would love to just select a group and have automatic dynamic options like for jiggle, or have something like a chain that is a part of a model automatically simulate in a choreography. Newton is hard to do something reusable, when it is so complicated to set up and build it in the choreography... It would just be awesome if you could select a group in the model and then set it's properties for dynamics, cloth,soft bodies, hard bodies, etc. and then have everything simulated later in the choreography, And it would work everytime you drop that character into a choreography ( no need to tweak, redo, or recreate).

I did a Siggraph video covering this issue. I cover the fan bones for shoulder and thigh, and also smartskin: https://youtu.be/gkBmYlRwP_8

Honored to be included on the list of A:M heroes! Thank you! I haven't made much more progress on TAR, except for roughing out a script for a graphic novel...I've been staying busy doing freelance design work (if you see Little Debbie "back to school" little red schoolhouse display at your grocery store or Walmart this season, I did that), for POP displays and a lot of modeling as a designer for hire on Shapeways.com

I loved it! The look, the animation, everything! Kudos!!!

Mark--I'm suprised that story boarding is giving you a creative block! It's just like doing a comic layout, only the panels are always the same size, and you don't have to leave room for balloons!

here is the link to my mocap tutorial: https://zandoria.wordpress.com/tutorials/am-mocap-tutorial/

A workflow from ZBrush to A:M: https://zandoria.wordpress.com/2013/12/24/642/ This works with textures too--so if you UV map in ZBrush and create Displacements and normal maps, you can use them in the decals in A:M

We were all playing with something fairly simple: "Pick up an axe, and throw it." Bonus points for "getting hit in the head with an axe"

I understand what you were wanting to do with your sets. If it is only a NetRender issue, then maybe you could devise a plan for rendering with several instances of A:M instead? Whether you build sets using Action Objects or build them as Choreographies, you are only dealing with shortcuts to the different models (chairs, etc), so that is inline with your philosophy of only making it once. You can turn off whatever objects you don't want to render or work with at any time. What I think that you guys should do is to storyboard your actual short--Then use those storyboards to plan the choreographies for each shot--you will easily see that some elements can be simple background layers (whether done inside AM or in After Effects), and you don't have to have a complete 3D world. Just layout each shot and save out that Choreography with the shot number....

Try blue painters tape on the build plate.