Spring Systems VS Dynamic Constraints

[jason1025]

I thought I knew but I didn't. What I have learned about is "Dynamic Constraints and cloth" But Spring Systems although related seem to be different. I don't want to debate that part. I just want to know if there are any tutorials showing how to use the editing features in dynamics mode and assigning masses, using the constraints that are designed for spring Systems.

 

 

Could someone point me in the direction of a tutorial for this? Or could someone make a video tutorial.

 

In the tech ref they talk about using this for stuff that I would normally use a dynamic constant for like

 

pony tails, locks of hair, loose jowl skin,

ear-rings, bouncy noses, ear lobes, tubby bellies, etc.

 

Yet Spring systems are made so different in how they are made. So what gives? Are dynamic constraints the latest and greatest that make Spring systems out dated? What situations apply? I don't get it.

[John Bigboote]

I think your right...that the newer Dynamic Constraint has put the older Spring Systems 'out to pasteure' so to speak. I don't even know where you SAW the spring systems referred to in the app nowadays.

[robcat2075]

Spring systems were part of the old cloth system. A "Cloth Wizard" would run thru a selected mesh and set up a spring system unit between each pair of CPs.

 

Unless you can find more info about it that tells of exotic uses, I 'd say SimCloth, Dynamic constraints and Newton Physics have super-ceded anything it did and made it more easy to do.

[HomeSlice]

The old Spring System was complicated and even less intuitive than SimCoth IMO. I can't think of anything at the moment where a dynamic constraint, SimCLoth or Newton couldn't do better.

[jason1025]

Ok that clears things up. Below is text from the tech reference on the subject. It seems like a whole other world that I never heard about. But I am not going to explore it based on what you folks have said. If Newton, simcloth, and Dynamic constraints are the way of the future I am not going to spend time learning a dead feature.

 

Soft Body Dynamics

The Soft Body dynamics available in Animation:Master are based on

systems of Springs and Masses. There are currently two ways to create a

new Spring System.

• The Cloth Wizard.

• Right-click (Control-click on Mac) [New Spring System] on an

Action or Choreography icon in the Project Workspace tree.

Springs are used to exert forces on two masses. They have a resting length

that they try to maintain. They have parameters to control how stiff they are

as well as their damping.

After adding a new Spring System to an Action or Choreography, you will be

placed in Dynamics mode: springs and masses are drawn in the window.

This mode has a set of construction tools: you can add a single mass, add a

single spring, select a mass and move it, delete masses or springs,

constrain masses to bones, and constrain bones to springs. The setups can

be saved as single frame poses, for later application to the model.

Soft Body structures react to keyframed motion and supply secondary

motion to specific parts of a model: pony tails, locks of hair, loose jowl skin,

ear-rings, bouncy noses, ear lobes, tubby bellies, etc.

Spring System Editing

Add Mode

Click on the Add Mode button on the tool bar to begin adding springs and

masses. Click anywhere away from an existing mass to add a new mass. A

new spring will follow your mouse. Click on an existing mass to connect the

spring to, or click away from an existing mass to add a new one to end this

spring with. If you do not want a spring to continue from the current mass

hold the shift key to create a new unconnected mass. Press the key,

right-click the mouse, or select the Edit Mode button on the toolbar to return

to Modify mode.

Attaching Masses

When dragging a mass you can attach it and its springs to another mass by

right clicking (or simultaneously pressing the key and clicking on the

Mac) just as you would attach two control points together. When attaching

masses, one will be removed. If you attach two masses that have a spring

between them the spring will be removed.

Spring System Instance Menu

Delete Removes the selected object from the project.

Rename Rename the selected object

Select Cache () Highlights the object that this shortcut is to.