Apollo 11 Diorama

[clintonman]

Here is an update for the bake keyframes script. There is no installer yet. Replace the node "Widgets/Tools/Bake Keyframes"
To cancel press "esc".
Check box for using the timeline range.
Entry for start and end frame when box is not checked.
Also there was a typo that prevented the bake button from working.

If you don't have the unoffical update 3 I think it can replace the old button version script in "Scripts/CustomScripts/...

[clintonman]

Still chugging along. Fixed a couple of problems with the Unreal T3D exporter and worked out a system for coordinating the T3D and the FBX exported files. I just updated the Unreal exporter to include a batch export process that ties into the FBX exporter. This will make it easier to manage the whole process. Also did a test with Lightwave/Truespace/UE4 to see if I can use Lightwave for the animations. Now if needed I can transfer the entire scene to Lightwave and do the animations there.

The animation is all blocked in. The hatch opens, the astronaut comes down the ladder, opens the equipment bay(MESA) and goes through the basic motions of taking pictures and collecting the first sample. After that it skips to the end for the takeoff. The astronaut moves as a single piece without any animation on the hands and feet.

Next up is try to do some actual character animation.

[Draise]

characterScripts.jpg

Shows some of the experimental scripts that were written for the rig. The jiggle handles script goes through each IK handle and "touches" it. It moves it with zero distance, but the skeleton still moves. This is used to relax the skeleton into a more stable configuration before keyframing. The bake character script will bake the animation keyframes. While baking it is also an automatic footprint follower. It behaves like the ik footprint script but it's action is keyable.

During testing I timed it to match a real walk on earth, myself in video form, and found that the ik system is more stable when the keys are spread out more. In a lot of my tests the keyframes were close together, increasing the instability of the ik motion. It was times at 18 frames for a step at 30fps. The moon footage shows it to be closer to 30 frames in the low gravity, so that should be even better.

Walk test



Rig overview

Right now I'm animating in trueSpace, and I'd REALLY love that jiggle script or a button that does exactly what I need! Can I use it? Pwetty pwease?

[clintonman]

Enjoy
Note that it doesn't work with limbs, so you will have to unencapsulate them before using it.

[Draise]

Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!!!

[clintonman]

Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!!!

You're welcome.

I need a better way to animate the astronauts. Doing it purely by hand will take forever. So I borrowed a friends Kinect and teamed it up with Brekel software http://brekel.com/kinect-3d-scanner/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; to try some motion capture. It has a limited capture area. I can stand from 70 to 160 inches from the sensor which is barely enough room to take 3 or 4 steps. You can't cross your limbs or it looses track. meaning you have to remain facing the camera to get a good capture. I won't be posting any pictures of my capture session since I was wearing very little clothing. The capture works best with skin tight clothing of which I have none.

The next test will be simple rotoscoping (rotomation, matchamation?) a video of myself going through the motions. I have highest hopes for this technique.

Brekel tips:
wear skin tight clothing, don't touch your head, don't bring your hands together, face the camera, don't cross your legs
write positions bvh option works with truespace and blender but not lightwave. not sure if option is better or not.
NITE skeleton smoothing: 0=more responsive and noisy motion, 1=less responsive and less noise and harder to initialize

[Draise]

Wow! Motion capture!!!

I always was curious to know how people do it.

The "don't do this" "don't do that" sounds very prude of the sensor I must admit.