Custom Animation Interface

# 1 15-04-2012 , 04:05 AM

Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2012

Posts: 23

This might be an annoying question. But is there any tutorial out there that shows
how to make those custom interfaces with curves to change facial expressions? Thanks user added image

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# 2 15-04-2012 , 05:22 AM

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Join Date: Jun 2008

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Posts: 229

I'm not sure where I learned this, but I'm just now getting into that stuff too.

In the Animation menu, under Create Deformers>Cluster, you can select multiple vertices, click Cluster, and deform all those verts at once by one selectable object.

Then you just paint or type in values for vertice weights so that you get a smooth deformation.

You can then build a curve of whatever shape, freeze its transformations once it's positioned as you wish, and point constrain the cluster handle object to it (select the control curve, THEN the cluster handle object, and under the Animation menu, click Constrain>Point, changing the point constraint settings if necessary to maintain offset or whatever), and then hide the cluster handle object.

Move the control curve and voila, your cluster moves smoothly (provided you made sure your weights were satisfactory).

--
Peter Srinivasan
Producer

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# 3 15-04-2012 , 09:17 AM

Technical Director
Join Date: Feb 2004

Posts: 2,988

Using a set driven key is usually the easiest, and most efficient, way to make an interpolated linear relationship between two values.

Eg. For an eye control; Animation control at far left, set eye closed. Control at far right, set eye open.

You would then edit the attributes on the control, to limit the min and max translate X position to keep everything nice and tidy.

Imagination is more important than knowledge.

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# 4 15-04-2012 , 04:32 PM

Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2008

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Posts: 229

True. I guess it depends on your needs. Right now I'm building an eyeball that has to do ALL the expressing of the character, so I need a lot of pretty crazy controls. I'm considering doing driven keys and making an array of expressions, but I just know I'm, gonna have to manipulate them manually at some point anyway.

--
Peter Srinivasan
Producer

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Custom Animation Interface

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