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How to control a pose slider with a Null


detbear

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Hey everyone.

 

I have some % pose sliders set up on a character. I want to create a Null or Nulls to control these sliders by

translating the null side to side & up/ down.

 

Does anyone have a guide to get started doing that?

 

Thanks so much.

 

William

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Holmes has done tutorial on using multidimensional relationships - ie using something akin to smartskin to control other objects.

 

His first example uses translation of a bone to control movement of another object. You could substitute a null for the bone, and pose for the object

 

His tutu is located here

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Hmmm...I'm not sure exactly what the confusion is but I think the answer is after you create the relationship for the null controlling the pose, then close the relationship window. Then go into chor or action and move your null.

 

I don't have any video screen capture software so all I can do is describe what I've done in uploaded project:

 

1) create object with 1 bone

2) create a percentage pose for object that squashes the blob (close relationship window when done)

3) add a null to model

4) right click on ytranslate property of the null, choose new relationship. New window should come up

5) make sure pose sliders are showing, move null up in y, move pose slider that had been previously created to 100%

6) close window

7) create new action, and move your null

 

(yes it can be confusing as to which window one is working with)

NULLcontrolsposeslider.prj

createrelationshipforytrans.jpg

multidD2.jpg

multidD3a.jpg

Edited by NancyGormezano
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Nancy.....You beat me to it....I went back in.....turned on my conscentration buttons....and was able to get it working through the relationship route.

 

It's funny...I did almost the same steps you describe there....Your example will surely help people trying to do this.

 

This is a very powerful toolset in light of an experiment I'm working on here. Thanks for your help...

 

William

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  • Hash Fellow

I didn't know you could do that! That's very powerful.

 

Absent that technique, I probably would have added a bone to the model, created a smartskin for it, and then , for example, set my Pose slider to 0% when the bone was rotated 0° and at 100% when the bone was rotate 45°, then close the smartskin.

 

Next add a null to the model at wherever the bone is pointing in its default position and create a new ON/OFF Pose to constrain the bone to AimAt the null.

 

When you put the model in the chor, turn ON the constraint Pose and when you move the null, the bone will rotate to follow it, which will drive the smartskin, which moves the first Pose slider.

 

Holmes' technique is probably more bullet-proof.

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I didn't know you could do that! That's very powerful.

 

Yes indeedy. This technique has been used for quite awhile, mainly for FACE rig interfaces.

 

For example: If you have a geometry bone that is associated with the corner cps of the mouth, and the model has poses to control the corner of the lips - say for up/down and wide/narrow, in/out

 

You can define the Y translate motion of null to control the up/down pose, and the X translate to control wide/narrow pose, the Z translate to control the in/out pose

 

1 control, which you can place close to the face (or on the face if you like) gets you mucho intuitive flexibility.

 

ANOTHER NOTE......

 

Make sure you set your 1st key of the null to 00% and then move the slider to it's default % .....This way if the pose's resting/ default starting place is at 50%...you can move it in both directions.

 

Similarly, usually if one wants a pose to go from -100% to 100% then one modifies the settings of the pose to go from -100 to 100 (0% will be "default starting place")

 

right click on pose in user properties of model, select settings, change to min =-100, max = 100

 

You can set the min & max to whatever you want - so sometimes one wants those numbers to reflect some limitations on value and might set it to min -10, max 10

minmaxpose.jpg

Edited by NancyGormezano
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  • Hash Fellow
So....is it possible to set up something on screen so that just selecting/ clicking it would envoke the

relationship function. In other words like an on screen "button."

 

William

 

Is that different from the on-screen null that is driving the relationship?

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So....is it possible to set up something on screen so that just selecting/ clicking it would envoke the

relationship function. In other words like an on screen "button."

 

William

 

Is that different from the on-screen null that is driving the relationship?

 

 

Instead of say "moving/ translating the null" to cause the pose to function......could you somehow make it to where all you had to do

was just "left click once" on the null like a button to cause an on/ off pose to function.

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Instead of say "moving/ translating the null" to cause the pose to function......could you somehow make it to where all you had to do

was just "left click once" on the null like a button to cause an on/ off pose to function.

 

My gut guess is "no", because merely selecting an object onscreen isn't enough to cause a key, it has to be moved or scaled or rotated to make A:M take real notice.

 

Does it HAVE to be onscreen? We have that lovely Pose window already that lets you click things and turn them on. :)

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I'll also note the the "draggable" pose functionality is something yet different than turning ON a Pose in the Pose window, which would add another layer of complication.

 

Being able to do one drag and drop to transfer any pre-made set of keys is pretty convenient already.

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Oh man....The relationship method is messed up(or seems to be) in V16b.

 

I have a pose that is set to be 50% at default. That way when you open an action with the model the pose is at the mid point of 50%.

 

I want a null to control the entire 0% to 50%. But I can't seem to get it to work.

 

BUT when I try to set a relationship with a null it jumps all over the place. Sometimes I can get it to maybe go from 50% to 100%....But

then wen you try to set it to go down to it's 0% place it goes haywire.

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I have a pose that is set to be 50% at default. That way when you open an action with the model the pose is at the mid point of 50%.

 

I want a null to control the entire 0% to 50%. But I can't seem to get it to work.

 

BUT when I try to set a relationship with a null it jumps all over the place. Sometimes I can get it to maybe go from 50% to 100%....But

then wen you try to set it to go down to it's 0% place it goes haywire.

 

I found I was able to do this in 16b. I found it touchy if I wasn't careful about the sequence of doing things. I found I was not able to rename the first pose, and have the null still control the pose, if I had already done steps 1&2 below:

 

My steps to success:

1) create pose1 that goes from 0-100%, 50% is default. (rename pose, if you want, now!). Save model with user relationship set to 50% for this pose.

2) create null, create a multiD relationship and make keys that when you move null on x axis to 5cm (or however far you want), the pose goes to 100%, when x =0, pose = 50%, x =-5 cm pose = 0%. Close relationship window.

3) In Null's property, set manipulator options to: translate only, only allow x translate =ON, y =OFF, z= OFF.

4) create new on/off pose. Add a new constraint (translate limits) to the null. Change min/max of translate constraints to go from -5 to + 5 in x direction (or whatever units you used in step 2). Rename pose (if you want), set pose default=ON, save model.

 

EDIT: if you still can't make it work, post your model.

pose50defaultNULLlimitwithpose2.mdl

somesettings.jpg

Edited by NancyGormezano
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