[Problem]Transfer animation from dummy to mesh

[plastik]

First of all i`m using Softimage 7.5.

I did animation using CDS and i want to export my mesh with animation to game engine. I need to trasfer animation from dummy to my real mesh and i got problem with that. Is there any way how i can do that without problem? When i`m trying to copy animation ("Copy All Animation" e.g. from dummy wheel to mesh wheel) it cause problem - my mesh wheel will be scaled to strange size and moved from it`s initial position (0,0,0) and when i press play button it will spin around like windmill.

I tryed "Freeze All Tranformation" on dummy (right after riggin) to set these changes (dummy scaling and moving) as initial state (0,0,0), but after this simulation not working at all (car just falling down very very fast and that`s it).

So, is there any way to trasfer animation from dummy mesh to real mesh (1:1) without problems?

[Patrik Martin]

Is there any bake function in Softimage 7.5 like there is in Maya? If there is, use that

[plastik]

Yes. There is a "Plotting (Baking) Animation" function but i can understand how it works. I thought it will be easy: create animation using CDS, transfer animation from dummy to real mesh and that`s it... Well, looks like i need to find good tutorial for Softimage about "Plotting (Baking) Animation".

[Patrik Martin]

Yes. The problem is that the wheel is a child of the RelocatorMesh and therefor it has keyframes and scale that is just a offset from its parent. When you copy these keys to the high-poly it offsets from some other parent or the center of the scene (0,0,0).

[plastik]

You should add "Freeze All Transformation" support. E.g. if i`ll "Freeze All Transformation" on Dummy (body, wheels and etc.) right after rigging - i can "Copy All Animation" from dummy body and "Paste All Animation" to car body without any problem cause both object has it`s initial state as 0,0,0 (rotation, scale, translate). Without that funstion (FAT) i cant do that, because dummy body scaled/moved, dummy wheels scaled/moved from it`s initial state. And "Copy All Animation" copying all parameters incl. scale, traslation, rotation and etc (but doing it wrong way).

Or you can add some kind of automatic function that will create curves/ghost trails with all animated parameters that automaticaly will be trasfered/projected to HP mesh. E.g. I did animation using CDS and all animated parameters will be trasfered to HP mesh 1:1 like in simulation mode. I dont know how to explain this in technical way (my english is not so good). Dummy doing simulation and HP mesh recording simulation to it`s parameters and at the end you`ve got animated car that doesnt depend on dummy.

[plastik]

Problem solved

[Patrik Martin]

Problem solved

Good job

[plastik]

Solution (for Softimage) and 4WheelerFree:

1. Move all your car meshes to Scene_Root
2. Select them all and Freeze All Transformations
3. Unhide all Dummy parts (CarBodyMesh and 4 wheels)
4. Go to Constrain and press Constrain Compensation
5. Select your car body and than press Constrain -> Pose and select dummy body (CarBodyMesh)
6. Do the same with each wheel (select your car model wheel -> Constrain -> Pose -> appropriate dummy wheel)
7. Select all parts of your car model and go to Animate -> Plot -> All Transformation
8. Choose all you need in PPG or just press OK.
9. Now select all you car parts and Constrain -> Remove All Constrain
10. That`s it. Now you can delete dummy cuz you`ve got animated car model.

Special thanks for help to Softimage.ru

[Patrik Martin]

Thanks for posting the solution.

[Nataniell]

"Plotting (Baking) Animation" function is everything that was needed to resolve the mess. Good stuff and work done, guys.

[Danko23]

Ah wow that is rather neat... never heard of that functionality.

The exporter sees the objects now and exports them as bones (works perfectly).

Thanks a bunch!