progress with DarthFurbys technique...

[funksmaname]

Hi guys...
So, i spent a while trying to get to grips with the headturns with actions thing and i think its going pretty well - i did this todaypC&Cs welcome:
Nacho Man <<older file, see updated file in another post below

some things i noticed:

while creating the action frame, if you click on the folder layer before going to any other layer, the actions pallete will never default out to the main timeline! (this is good in conjuction with rylleman's 'select parent' script - props)

so heres the question... i cant work out how to make blinking actions (or blinking without having to manually keyframe the blink every time depending on the heads poition mid-tween. I tried using switch layers, i tried putting actions in a folder just over the eyes - but the positioning always messes up... has anyone worked out an efficient technique?

Anyway - i gotta go for now, looking forward to your comments
Peace.

[AmigaMan]

Love to see your work but can't work out how to open the file?? I just get bombarded with pop ups and ads every time I try and view it

[Genete]

so heres the question... i cant work out how to make blinking actions (or blinking without having to manually keyframe the blink every time depending on the heads poition mid-tween. I tried using switch layers, i tried putting actions in a folder just over the eyes - but the positioning always messes up... has anyone worked out an efficient technique?

Make the points movements in the action relative to a bone that define the position of the points. In this way you will have a blink movement relative to the bone coordinate system. If the bone moves the blink movement moves.

In other words. Bind the points that are affected by the action to a bone. Also be sure that there is no keyframe to that bone inside the action. So move the bone the blink moves also. I was very happy when I discovered it by my self.

Enjoy! and go to bed early...
-G

BTW: Good good job!!!!!

[funksmaname]

I just get bombarded with pop ups and ads every time I try and view it

Thats weird, i see 15 people have managed to see it... the popups might be an issue on your machine?? :S

Bind the points that are affected by the action to a bone.

They are under the head bone, but maybe the influence of that bone isnt big enough... will experiment

BTW: Good good job!!!!!

Thanks

[ulrik]

Great work, I really like the character, he's got personality!

[jahnocli]

Nice! But I expected the mouth to open wider -- looks like he's whispering.

[funksmaname]

Nacho Man 2

Thanks for all yoru comments...
You were right about the mouth... while i was there, i also deformed his face and beard to make it look more natural. Let me know what you think.

I couldnt work out the blinking thing, i keyframed it in the end... whenever i put an action for it, the points would move to their own co-ordinates even though i had a bone maybe its because i did all the movements before i created the bones - i need to experiment with a new file and assigning the bone before i create the headturn action??

[AmigaMan]

I managed to download and view fine at work and it looks excellent. Really nicely done. I attempted something using this technique last week then got distracted creating a character for a friends project. I must have another go as my results were nowhere near as impressive as yours.

[Genete]

I couldnt work out the blinking thing, i keyframed it in the end... whenever i put an action for it, the points would move to their own co-ordinates even though i had a bone maybe its because i did all the movements before i created the bones - i need to experiment with a new file and assigning the bone before i create the headturn action??

Look this example.

http://www.darthfurby.com/genete/Other/ ... blink.anme
http://www.darthfurby.com/genete/Other/ ... -blink.swf

The clue is that you have to make the eye blink action independent of the head turn action. Then if you bind it to a bone then you can play freely with each bone. Also take account that you can move the eye's bones inside the head turn action and also deform the eye with other bone (for example 90 degrees rotated with the vertical one and linked to it)or with this bone too. Don't deform the points of the eye by hand when make the head turn because if not the eye blink action done with points will override the head turn action.

Other approaching to do this is make the head turn with point motion actions and the eye blink only with bones. Put a pair of bones simulating the point movements of the eyelids and bind those points to the bones. Just rotate the bones. Now if you deform the points of the eye (included the eyelid) by the turn action by point motion, then the blink action (only bones should work) and make its job properly.

By the way. It doesn't matter what you do before if the action or the bone. But I recommend to create the action always at the higher top lever layer becasue you never know if that action will need other layers interaction. Accordingly to that, call the action from the top lever layer to spread the action through all the sub layers. Remember that you can use "partial" actions of the sub layers just calling them independently. For example if each eye were in a layer you can make a wink easily.

Hope it helps
-G

[funksmaname]

lmao that is a funny animation!

yeah, my problem is i did a point head turn, and trying to do point blink at the same time from another action - i will have to find my favourate workflow...

...in other news - MASKING ive not played with masking at all yet, and i just noticed what you did with your blink there... i will have to experiment with it... my eyes on this character are quite complicated (following DFs vid)

Thanks for all your help, hope you like the update.