can't get automatic keyframes in an action

[R Reynolds]

I could use some help with setting up a simple rolling action.

 

Up to and including v13 I could set keyframes by typing in a frame number, then rolling a bone to the desired position and upon release I got a keyframe. Now In v16b I can only get a frame if I hit the key button but the "keyed" roll value is always zero regardless of the bone's displayed Z rotation value. Referring to the attached screen grab; as I roll the bone the entire horizontal green timeline moves up and down as a solid line while the vertical scale stretches with it. I can only get a non-zero roll value at a key frame by manually moving the cp on the timeline. I'm assuming that there is another parameter that needs to be set.

[Rodney]

I'm not quite following you so this may be way off the mark.

 

Are you using Euler drivers in your rotation?

That can be set/initiated via Right Click.

[robcat2075]

In your screen capture the "A" key is off. Could that be it?

 

btw, v17 now has a visible warning for that situation.

[R Reynolds]

In your screen capture the "A" key is off. Could that be it?

Bingo!

 

v17 now has a visible warning for that situation

I find solace in that this was a common enough problem. I tend to go a long time between animating my models so when I stumble over the process I tend to kick my self for forgetting the basics. This has been added to my personal list of A:M tips.

 

Thanks Robert.

 

BTW Robert,

While searching for solutions for this problem, I came across your tutorial web site which had a link for a sample rig of "hose that hangs between two points" which is exactly what I'm after. Unfortunately that link leads back to the forums and is a dead end. Can you put up the link again?

 

P.P.S.

I just did a quick search for the above tutorial on the forums and discovered your birthday wishes to me which I totally missed. Thanks again.

[robcat2075]

BTW Robert,

While searching for solutions for this problem, I came across your tutorial web site which had a link for a sample rig of "hose that hangs between two points" which is exactly what I'm after. Unfortunately that link leads back to the forums and is a dead end. Can you put up the link again?

 

I just tried the link you have there and it worked and the files worked too. Try it again, maybe it was an internet hiccup.

[R Reynolds]

That's funny. If I click on the link shown in the attached screen grab I get a forum message that says the "page is either out of date or broken".

[robcat2075]

try this link to the top of the thread and go to post #6

 

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?s=&am...st&p=286136

[R Reynolds]

Now we've moved from funny to frustrating; if I select your link I still get the attached forum error.

[Rodney]

The link is working fine here Rodger.

I'm not sure whether it's your browser, browser cache, or something else but this appears to be something going on at your end.

 

I seem to recall Internet Explorer truncating some links so perhaps your browser is just truncating Robert's link.

That would explain the forum specific error that is usually generated after an invalid search or link.

 

Do you get the same thing from this link:

 

Full Link

[robcat2075]

Here, Roger, here's the post...

 

possibly simpler solution:

 

Attached File hose.mov...

 

hose.mov

 

 

 

the hose is a chain of bones with a Kinematic constraint to follow the nozzle, but they are all also Aim At Constrained to point to the "bottom target" null to make the hose always hang down.

 

They are also all Aim Roll At constrained to "HoseRollTarget" to keep them from flipping sometimes.

 

"HoseRollTarget" is constrained to float 50% between the two ends of the hose

 

you animate the nozzle first, then move the "bottom target" at each keyframe to make the hang of the hose look right. All you animate is those two bones, the rest take care of themselve.

 

more hose bones and more spline rings would make for a smoother looking hose.

 

MDL and CHOR you can examine.

 

hose.zip

[R Reynolds]

Thanks for everyone's help and I doubt it's worth pursuing further but this has just moved from frustrating to totally weird. I clicked my bookmark to the A:M forum, clicked on this topic and then clicked on Rodney's link and I got the correct page. Hooray! Then I clicked on Robert's link and also got the right page; UNLIKE EVERY OTHER TIME PREVIOUS!

 

The only parameter that was different was that I wasn't logged in to the forum. So I logged in and clicked Rodney's link and got the error page. I clicked Robert's link and got the error page. I logged out and both link's worked perfectly. I went to Robert's web page and used that link; worked like a charm. I went to the forum, logged in, went back to Robert's page; no joy.

 

I suspect that somehow this may be connected to something that happened when I upgraded my PC and moved to Win7/64. On the old hardware with WinXP whenever I'd visit the forum with Firefox I was always logged in. Now I'm never logged in even if I ask the forum to "remember" me. I really don't know, it's just one more goofy internet thing.

 

Thanks for everyone's help to get me the info.