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By Magique - 15 Years Ago
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I don't think iClone can do this, but I've found it's always a good idea to ask here before I assume that. I've looked at the manual and played with the program and cannot figure out how to do this, if it's even possible, so I'm asking here. I want to be able to take a character walk animation and blend it with the character waving or pointing or something like that. So The characters is walking along and then he waves. The wave animation and walk animation are 2 separate animations that need to be blended together. I know I can manually manipulate the character's arm in the middle of a walk and make it do something else, but it would be much nicer to just blend the 2 animations together.
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By Paumanok West - 15 Years Ago
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Magique (6/22/2011)
I don't think iClone can do this, but I've found it's always a good idea to ask here before I assume that. I've looked at the manual and played with the program and cannot figure out how to do this, if it's even possible, so I'm asking here.
I want to be able to take a character walk animation and blend it with the character waving or pointing or something like that. So The characters is walking along and then he waves. The wave animation and walk animation are 2 separate animations that need to be blended together.
I know I can manually manipulate the character's arm in the middle of a walk and make it do something else, but it would be much nicer to just blend the 2 animations together.
Yes, sorry, no can do. I don't think this will change with iClone 5, either. :crying:
I suspect this is one of the costs of fundamentally making iClone so easy to use.
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By Paumanok West - 15 Years Ago
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sw00000p (6/22/2011)
Maqique,
Being that your a Senior Member, have you tried scripting it? Use Persist and Desist and simply point to each animation!
PW, I'm shocked at your response! You Really don't know how to do this?
sw00000p
swoop, no, I haven't a clue! The thing is, you've long been dropping hints that suggest you know a lot more about scripting than we do... I know that sounds like a negative comment, but it absolutely is not. My point is that some of us on the forum share lots of info with the community, but nobody is really teaching us about scripting. Why can't you be that person? :)
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By Magique - 15 Years Ago
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sw00000p (6/22/2011)
Maqique, Being that your a Senior Member, have you tried scripting it? Use Persist and Desist and simply point to each animation! PW, I'm shocked at your response! You Really don't know how to do this? sw00000p I have only once looked at scripting and didn't learn much when I did. I would prefer to not have to learn scripting to accomplish something like this. Game engines and other animation packages accomplish this very easily. It's pretty common in modern 3D software. The previous poster says that iClone cannot do this. You're saying it can be done. Can you show a video of the results?
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By Magique - 15 Years Ago
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sw00000p (6/22/2011)
Maqique,
iClone3 AML Tutorials:
http://developer.reallusion.com/amleditor.aspx
To Blend Upperbody and Lowerbody motions:
LEARN THIS BABY and YOU CAN DO EVERYTHING
http://developer.reallusion.com/aml/Avatar_Persona_All/index.asp
EDIT:
To make it work with iClone4... See Above Post!
COME ON! YOU CAN DO IT!
sw00000pThat's great. So it IS possible to do this. The problem is, I want to make movies, not write programs. And this is coming from someone who's been a software engineer for the past 23 years. Funny that, but this'll just get nuts if I try to make a film where I'm spending 5 hours to get blended animations working for every scene I need them in. I'm happy it can be done, but man am I going to have to learn a lot of scripting to get to where I need to be.
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By Magique - 15 Years Ago
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sw00000p (6/22/2011)
Magique (6/22/2011)
sw00000p (6/22/2011)
I have only once looked at scripting and didn't learn much when I did. I would prefer to not have to learn scripting to accomplish something like this. Game engines and other animation packages accomplish this very easily. It's pretty common in modern 3D software. iClone is NOT a Game Engine! You Cannot expect 'Her to Act As One! Common in Modern Software..... What Other Real-Time Movie Maker can you blend Motions... IN THE $200 dollar range??? sw00000p Well, Cal3D is a free, open source animation library that has animation blending. Here is a video showing it in action: http://download.gna.org/cal3d/skeleton-win-low.avi And if there's free source code showing how to do it, it shouldn't be that much of a hassle to incorporate it into iClone. I'm a 3D programmer myself and although I never got around to implementing blended animations, I investigated it and it wasn't that much different than the base code for running single animations. It was mainly a matter of weighting the affects of the various animations on the different body parts.
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By Magique - 15 Years Ago
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sw00000p (6/22/2011)
Everybody is too DARN LAZY! and Just Wants it to Work!
Is it a lot of work? H E C K YEA!
What do you expect for $200 Bucks?
sw00000pWhat is your objection to having an easy way to do this? Do you LIKE it to be complicated and hard to use?
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By Magique - 15 Years Ago
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sw00000p (6/22/2011)
You Could Blend your animation in BLENDER... (FREE) Then bring 'EM into iClone
sw00000pOK, so you're suggesting I learn how to use a ridiculously complex software tool like Blender to do this? And so I somehow get my character into Blender, somehow blend the animations, and then somehow export them back to iClone. All things I have no clue how to do and don't want to.
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By Magique - 15 Years Ago
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sw00000p (6/22/2011)
Magique (6/22/2011)
sw00000p (6/22/2011)
Maqique,Can you show a video of the results? The previous poster says that iClone cannot do this. You're saying it can be done. Can you show a video of the results? HERE SHE IS: http://developer.reallusion.com/aml/Avatar_Persona_All/index.asp The previous poster says that iClone cannot do this. You're saying it can be done. SHE CAN TO::P sw00000p Yes, I saw this video already and responded. Nice video, but you didn't make it or did you?
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By Magique - 15 Years Ago
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sw00000p (6/22/2011)
Maqique, (Mr. Scripter) YOU KNOW ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ABOUT ANIMATION! (MR. SCRIPTER) * You DO NOT need to take your iClone character into Any Program to Blend Animation!
* You spent ONLY $200 dollars and want it to Blend Animation For You!
* NO OTHER REAL-TIME MOVIE MAKER, for $200 bucks, BLENDS ANIMATION! IF you ever climp off that High-Horse, you might see just how simple your request is!
(MR. SCRIPTER) why don't you follow (THE GIVEN TUTORIALS) and get with the Program! LAZY AZ
sw00000p
I've reported your rude and offensive comments to the moderators. I will no longer engage in a dialog with you. Have a nice day.
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By Peter (RL) - 15 Years Ago
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sw00000p (6/22/2011)
Thank You! They delete or ban me... so be it! I'm not lying or stretching the truth. Just being real. ICLONE is Awesome and you must follow the tutorials! PERIOD! Have a nice day Hi sw00000p I do not want to delete posts and certainly don't want to ban anyone but... Could you perhaps just tone it down a little. I know you have a rather unique way of writing your posts but to those who may not be used to your style this can come across as rather aggressive and just a little sarcastic. Also as I'm sure you are aware, writing on forums in all capitals is considered shouting and as your posts often contain lots of sentences in all capitals this gives the impression that you are shouting at other forum users. This may or may not be your intention but again please can you try and tone it down a little. There are no rules that say we all have to agree on everything but please let's keep things polite and respectful at all times. Thanks.
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By martok2112 - 15 Years Ago
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Ten lashes for sw000p! Then make 'im walk the bloo'y plank! Arrrrgghhhh....send 'im ter Davy Jones' Locker! (After he's been drawn and quartered, burned at the stake, shot and beheaded!) :D (Just kidding, sw000p. :) )
Hello, Magique,
My name is Steve, and every now and again, I'll create a tutorial for some common functions in iClone (where previous tuts may have gotten buried over time, as does sometimes happen in forums).
Although this is a little extra work, this tutorial can show you how to have a character do two separate things, walking and hosing down a vehicle (which you can apply this tut to having a character walk and wave). The process is actually a lot quicker than the tutorial makes it look. :) It doesn't require any AML programming. It's all done straight in iClone.
I hope this will help.
https://forum.reallusion.com/Topic85033-86-1.aspx
Now, this tutorial's primary focus is on how to make a character move/animate along a movement path, but a bonus to this tutorial is how to make a character walk and do something else at the same time. That's the part you're gonna wanna focus on. Although I do hope you find the totality of the tutorial a big help. To get to the part you wish to focus on, start with figure 004b. :)
Respectfully,
Steve (Martok2112)
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By colour - 15 Years Ago
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sw00000p (6/22/2011)
Peter (RL) (6/22/2011)
sw00000p (6/22/2011)
Thank You! They delete or ban me... so be it! I'm not lying or stretching the truth. Just being real. ICLONE is Awesome and you must follow the tutorials! PERIOD! Have a nice day Hi sw00000p I do not want to delete posts and certainly don't want to ban anyone but... Could you perhaps just tone it down a little. I know you have a rather unique way of writing your posts but to those who may not be used to your style this can come across as rather aggressive and just a little sarcastic. Also as I'm sure you are aware, writing on forums in all capitals is considered shouting and as your posts often contain lots of sentences in all capitals this gives the impression that you are shouting at other forum users. This may or may not be your intention but again please can you try and tone it down a little. There are no rules that say we all have to agree on everything but please let's keep things polite and respectful at all times. Thanks. Sir Peter, I'm sorry and will tone it down! It burns me up when newbies want everything for free! Neverthess, I shall tone it down! sw00000p :D:D:D:D You've gotta laff at swOOOOOp's SOH :D
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By sal of salmar productions - 15 Years Ago
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The way I see it is..... if you pay for a spoon - then it should work like a spoon - no matter how expensive or inexpensive it may be. It really is as simple as that. Hey, If you went to work and getting paid to do a particular job that you said you could perform and then could not do it or did it poorly - you would be gone. That's just how I see it.
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By animagic - 15 Years Ago
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salmar productions (8/25/2011)
The way I see it is..... if you pay for a spoon - then it should work like a spoon - no matter how expensive or inexpensive it may be. It really is as simple as that. Hey, If you went to work and getting paid to do a particular job that you said you could perform and then could not do it or did it poorly - you would be gone. That's just how I see it.You still have to learn how to hold the spoon. There's no way around it.
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By sal of salmar productions - 15 Years Ago
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Good point ....I hope the box the spoon came in didn't provide the instructions or else you might have 3 different ways of using the spoon - but you just an get the cellophane off the spoon to make it work properly.
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By Rampa - 15 Years Ago
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Here is a useful link if you still want to futz with AML editor.
http://www.reallusion.com/iclone/help/amleditor/
And more to this threads topic here:
http://developer.reallusion.com/aml/Avatar_Persona_All/index.asp
Basically, anything you want to have happen at the same time as something else (like walking and waving) needs to be initiated from the right-click menu of the character or done manually as you know. The reason for this is that when using the "perform", "move", or "Operate" commands you are initiating scripts that have higher or lower priorities for different body parts. It is possible to have the Move be high priority for the lower body and low priority for the upper body. At the same time, the Perform can have a high priority for the upper body and a low one for the lower body. If you select both commands from the menu, it uses the AML script for the character. If you add the animation by dragging or double clicking, there is no AML being used.
From an old posting:
The AML editor will still work with a couple caveats. Firstly, You cannot open any current generation AML files, but can create new scripts that work. Secondly, it likes to save some garbage in the XML file which must be cleaned out in a seperate XML or TEXT editor. The garbage is only in the paths to the animation clips (look in the latter part of the file for the pathways to the clips). Find something that looks like "$\C:. . . .\iClone Temp" Remove the stuff between the "$" sign and the "\iClone temp". Now resave your file and load it into a character in iClone. There is no other problem in using these AML files once they are cleaned up.
Now for the juicy part. Walk and run loops consist of a beginning, middle, and end. Basically you need to set the speed settings of the motions differently. On the left lower portion of the AML editor are controls for "speed", "accelerate", and "decelerate". I found that for Violet's walk and run, "accelerate" and "decelerate" should be the same as the "speed". I made them all about 90 for walk and 150 for run. Trey should have his "accelerate" and "decelerate" set at double his speed. I always set my "priority" drop down menu to "animation" (always finishes final animation loop, but may under or overrun the walk point a bit).
Wow! Now its starting to feel a bit more like walking in Moviestorm. [BigGrin]
I have managed to cobble together an AML that has male and female walking and running, turning, walking backwards, and flying and landing. Now I am almost ready to start making my own motions.
And more to this threads topic here:
http://developer.reallusion.com/aml/Avatar_Persona_All/index.asp
Hope this is helpful!:D
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By Rampa - 15 Years Ago
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Oh. The walk stuff in that post was to get the feet to stop sliding.:hehe:
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By rontarrant - 15 Years Ago
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Yup.
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By colour - 15 Years Ago
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Hmmmm............Doesn't iClone Blend Animations anyway, via the next Motion "Attachment" at the beginning, not end, of each Motion, that overlaps the end of the previous Motion? I'll see if I can find the relevant Manual page. ADDED -Can't find it, which isn't surprisung, since the Manual doesn't have a logical aplphabetical Index. But it's there somewhere, with a pictorial demo. There's also a Pose Blend Template, in addition to various Timeline keyframe Manual Tuts.
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By AverageJoe - 15 Years Ago
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I went to the online manual for IC4, and searched for blending: http://www.reallusion.com/iclone/Help/iClone4/Pro/09_Animation_Timeline_Editing/Speed_Loop_and_Blending.htm Online IC4 Manual: http://www.reallusion.com/iclone/help/iclone4/PRO/
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By Magique - 15 Years Ago
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To be clear, we are not talking about transitioning from the end of one animation to the start of the next. That is the kind of blending iClone provides. We are talking about taking 2 or more animations and combining them at the same time. So if you have a walk animation and a wave animation and combine them then you get a character walking and waving at the same time. Or if you have a drunk animation and a wave animation then you get a drunken guy waving. And these systems usually allow you to specify the strength of the animations.
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By colour - 15 Years Ago
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Magique (8/26/2011)
To be clear, we are not talking about transitioning from the end of one animation to the start of the next. That is the kind of blending iClone provides. We are talking about taking 2 or more animations and combining them at the same time. So if you have a walk animation and a wave animation and combine them then you get a character walking and waving at the same time. Or if you have a drunk animation and a wave animation then you get a drunken guy waving. And these systems usually allow you to specify the strength of the animations.OK -I gotcha.;) Only; "Blending", not "Combining", was mentioned in a previous Post. As I recall, correctly/incorrectly, this has been mentioned before. My current expertise with iC4PRO, is limited to only Animation Templates & Edit Motion Layer. However, one Project on the "Back-burner" would benefit from "Combined motions". I've yet to trawl through the PDF User Manual, to see if this is possible. BTW - I have "Foxit" PDF Reader, which is superior to Adobe for Searching, but only if you know either the exact or similar word(s). Otherwise & since iC4 doesn't have an Electronic Manuual integrated within the Program with an Alphabetical Index (iC5 req already Posted), it's down to trawling through the PDF Manual, to see if "Combining" Motions is hidden under a different description under an obtuse heading.:ermm:
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By Magique - 15 Years Ago
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I used the term "blending" because that's what "combining" animations is called in every game engine/system I've seen. So sorry for the confusion here. Combining animations in this way is possible, but it is a tedious, manual process in which you must "hand" animate the parts you want to combine. So you can make the character wave while walking by editing the motion layer and dragging the arm to make it wave. Not quite what I had in mind, of course.
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By AverageJoe - 15 Years Ago
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It may be referred to as combining in game engines, but in many of the animation packages I use or have used, it's usually referred to as layering animations.... Just a BTW note....
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By animagic - 15 Years Ago
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Not everybody has an extra $4,000 in these difficult times, so we try to make do...
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By DELETED2 - 15 Years Ago
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Hmm, this is an interesting thread.
OK. My tuppence goes down the avenue of "easiest most time saving.".
Not a million miles away from us all is an exceptional modeler who perhaps could be contacted for assistance. I dont know if he can help, but in theory and by example output of his work I'd say 99% probability of a yes.
He's made some superb Centaurs and Centauresses. Half Horse and Half Human.
My logical solution would be to ask it he could create an Avatar that was a human form but that accepted animations for its relevant half.
So you could apply one animation to the upper body waving and the legs to do something else.
I seem to remember he had motions for the 4 horses legs and motions applicable to the Human upper segment on the one avatar.
My question to him would be, can you make it so that a single avatar appearing as a single avatar can accept orders for the lower and upper independently of one another and if so, make it so. It's not a desired answer and possibly not within the timescales required either but...... It's a facility otherwise non-existent in iClone.
I disagree that Swoooop should do anything but carry on as he does, I enjoy reading his words, not neccessarily because he's descriptively tutorialistic in his summarising but because his logical approach and theoretics in many ways 'improvisionaly' match my own.
Now I'm not so dozy soft and pussy-footed that a bit of heat in someones manner makes me burst out crying and sue Reallusion.
But perhaps with a superior vocabulary he'd rock boats in a superior manner. The better biter is often the intellectual. :P
It is enfuriating when you have what psychologically amounts to children demanding more pocket money, yes. But all that is is goal striving.
That's the end result of frustration, determination, mental hyperactivity and blind all-out striving to succeed and this mind-state isn't reasonable any more than it's patient.
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By colour - 15 Years Ago
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Didn't understand a word of that last Post:ermm: English translation please;) Hmmmm...........I wonder if sW0000p's open to being tapped for a few bob.:Whistling:
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By Paumanok West - 15 Years Ago
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colour (8/27/2011)
Didn't understand a word of that last Post:ermm:
English translation please;)
Hmmmm...........I wonder if sW0000p's open to being tapped for a few bob.:Whistling:
Actually, what would be a hoot would be to get a lively conversation going between swoop and Armstrong. That would be mind-bending! :P
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By Rampa - 15 Years Ago
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From the previously linked site:
Blend Perform with Walking Motion (Priority Node)
In this section you can learn to use Priority node to blend perform motion with body movement, where you can have someone walking using WASD keys, and then press a perform hotkey to have certain parts of the body perform another motion. This is very useful when you want someone to walk and then pick up a book and then walk away again carrying the book tucked under their arm, instead of swinging wildly in their hand. Or you can have someone run, stop and wave hello to their friends on the way. Both of these cases can apply to priorities.
How does priority work? When you add an animation clip to a command you can set priority to body parts. Each of the priorities are defined by three levels: Normal, High and Ultra High. When I have punch that has ultra high and a walk motion that has normal- in this situation the punch will overwrite the walk motion's data and perform punch of the character.
From this table we can see that the character will have a Punch upper body and a Walking lower body.
Move Command (Walk) Perform (Punch)
Upper Body Normal Ultra High
Lower Body Ultra High Normal
Here you can learn the trick on how you can have punch animation while the actor is walking.
1. Select the animation clip you want to set the priority to. Click "Add New One".
2. Select the body part (Upper Torso) from the "Priority Node" drop down list.
3. Highlight "$.UpperTorso" in the priority list. Set this priority to "Ultra High".
Its quite possible, and quite flexible as well. Bummer the AML neds a bit of cleaning (check my post from before).;)
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By Rampa - 15 Years Ago
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This posting talks about "Director Mode", but the AML can be triggered by the right-click menu, or "Director Mode".
Hopefully iClone 5 will make the process easier. You might want to build some sort of "super persona" with all your needed gestures in the "Perform" sub-menu.
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By Rampa - 15 Years Ago
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Sw00000p. I figured you must have been down that route at some point:)
I know that Peter mentioned scriptability for iC5, but that was regarding flashing lights or such. We'll see soon enough. I always got sidetracked into walk creation and never got a huge collection of gestures into the AML. Now Its just wait and see.
This is only a hobby of mine, not something I'll ever use to make money (so far anyway), so I'm actually content with just futzing about with iClone. I'll be excited to see your cool Unity creations when you have something.
Regards. R
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By colour - 15 Years Ago
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I'll be excited to see your cool Unity creations when you have something.
You "might" have to wait a verrrrrrrrrrrrry long time, Rampa;)
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By namunger - 15 Years Ago
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colour (8/27/2011)
Didn't understand a word of that last Post:ermm:
English translation please;)
Blatant disregard of Rule #17:P
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By sal of salmar productions - 15 Years Ago
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This was one of the best threads I have read....ever - It clearly shows all the same dynamics of a family (a big family.) It is nice to see a great group of people with wonderful different points of view - trying to help one another - with such passion and often times extreme humor. I am honored to have witnessed it - thank-you all.
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By DELETED2 - 15 Years Ago
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namunger (8/28/2011)Blatant disregard of Rule #17:P
Having read the disweighted and badly emphasised contents of this link I feel bound for Grammatically oriented defence. :P:D;)
Important:
See this because here are the contents in question with my OWN corrections as an Author.
It Says...
1. Use one word for many:
a. Know definitions:
The letter was written by someone who had not signed his or her name.
The letter was anonymous.
WRONG:
a. Is incorrect because the first announcement makes reference to a single person. The second "correction" implies that it COULD have been written by an organisation or, indeed, no one at all but rather an automated device.
b. Use front modifiers:
He requested a trial by a jury of his peers.
He requested a jury trial.
WRONG:
The initial "corrected" statement clearly states that he wishes judgement by SUPERIOR people to himself.
The "corrected" statement simply misses this point and implies it could be a jury of tramps, delinquents and animals.
c. Avoid overlapping subordinate constructions:
A watch is an intricate instrument to measure time, which many people consider the gift that is the most valuable of all.
A watch measures time, which many consider the most valuable gift.
WRONG:
The "Correction" misses the point that the watch PRECISELY measures time, unlike an egg timer which is a rough approximation, and the "corrected" value reference misses that people consider it the most valuable of EVERYTHING there is, rather than potentially what it was amongst.
d. Avoid tautology:
He referred to basic and fundamental principles of physics.
He referred to basic principles of physics.
WRONG:
The "corrected" statement misses totally that, even though a physics crisis takes place at the perimeter of light speed in an orbiting state around a black hole at the event horizon, this is fundamental to light speed but by no means is it a basic principle. It relies on a whole multitude of other factors. Mass speed for one. Referential awareness for another.
e. Avoid empty subjects:
It is truth which will prevail, he argued.
Truth will prevail, he argued.
WRONG:
In this the "Corrected" statement misses completely that the arguer makes reference to "The Truth" and that by not singularly stating Truth as a whole, he makes reference to it comparatively and that the one element of many, The Truth, will prevail.
f. Don't overdo it:
At each end of the sunken garden, worn marble steps, flanked by large oak trees, lead to the burial ground.
The garden has steps at both ends.
WRONG Terribly.
The "Corrected statement kills the knowledge that, the steps are ancient; that they are well used because marble is solid but these are worn down, that, also, the steps lead in a circle because at BOTH ends of the garden the steps lead to the same place in a loop. Marble also has classd, wealth and beauty associated. Oak trees depict a beautiful avenue.
The mystery is, why is there a garden in the middle of the Burial ground at all, and that has steps that loop to the same destination?
2. Use the active voice:
The ship was overloaded by the stevedores.
Stevedores overloaded the ship.
WRONG:
Already it defies understanding in its own right.
Stevedores= A firm or individual engaged in the loading or unloading of a vessel.
Was the ship overloaded by many firms and so therefore many cargoes? Or many individuals of one Firm and so therefore a single company.
IN ANIMATION:
If you clip and cut information; "precis" the data, you'll end up with semi-muted actors and a ten minute full length feature film.
Sometimes embellishments are more depictional than you realise.
;)
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