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Keymate? Graphmate? Animate? what mate?

DogzDogz Posts: 898
edited August 2013 in The Commons

Quick question as I'm little confused with the various animation plugins for DS,
I have DS 4.6 but I don't have an animate 2 licence (so pretty much stuck with animate lite which is a bit too basic).
if I just want to make some pretty simple key frame animations (with out Aniblocks) Can I just buy Keymate for this? or does it require Animate 2 in anyway? Doesn't look like it does, but I just want be sure before I cough up 20 bucks :)

Cheers.

Post edited by Dogz on

Comments

  • DZ_jaredDZ_jared Posts: 1,316
    edited December 1969

    Key mate does not require animate, nor does Graphmate. Both are awesome powerful tools for animation. If you are just looking for greater control over your key frames than DAZ Studio gives you then KeyMate is probably sufficient. GraphMate essentially allows you to edit the animation graphically. Time is on the X axis, amplitude is on the Y axis.

    Hope this helps.

  • DogzDogz Posts: 898
    edited December 1969

    Helps enormously and just what wanted to know - many thanks D_J
    :D

  • WoolyloachWoolyloach Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    DAZ_jared said:
    Key mate does not require animate, nor does Graphmate. Both are awesome powerful tools for animation. If you are just looking for greater control over your key frames than DAZ Studio gives you then KeyMate is probably sufficient. GraphMate essentially allows you to edit the animation graphically. Time is on the X axis, amplitude is on the Y axis.

    Hope this helps.

    I was wondering about this too - thanks for the info! :)

  • JaderailJaderail Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    And for a really big bang use all three, AniMate2 for fast set up, KeyMate for perfect control editing and GraphMate for getting everything to be smooth and many other nice features.

  • DogzDogz Posts: 898
    edited August 2013

    Well I just bought Keymate,and I'm really annoyed that it wont allow me to keyframe/animate morphs on a morphable object! It restricts what you can key frame to translate, rotate and scale, which to me is crazy, probably practical in most cases, but in my particular case its more than infuriating. :-(
    I don't know, If animate 2 can do what I need^, and if I can get key mate refunded - Ill go for Animate 2 instead.
    Uninstalling Keymate as I we speak.
    EDIT: RESOLVED.

    Post edited by Dogz on
  • JaderailJaderail Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    I've morphed objects just on the standard Timeline. What type object?

  • DogzDogz Posts: 898
    edited August 2013

    like wise I have animated morphs before on the standard time line also, which is why its totally insane if Keymate can't do it.....

    Post edited by Dogz on
  • DogzDogz Posts: 898
    edited August 2013

    Edit, ok it seems you CAN keframe morphs with key mate IF they are morphs under pose controls (e.g change facial expressions on Geneis) but if they are under Actor / Morph loader, it seems you can not.
    test with Genesis and you'll see what I mean..... In my case its a prop I built myself.

    EDIT: RESOLVED.

    Post edited by Dogz on
  • JaderailJaderail Posts: 0
    edited August 2013

    Hmmm... I never noticed but then I've only bounced a ball and such with it. I'm waiting on a better PC to get deep into full mode. That might really bite.

    Post edited by Jaderail on
  • DogzDogz Posts: 898
    edited August 2013

    Its completely nuts if you ask me, why on earth did the creator think it was so inconceivable that people wouldn't want to animate morphs?, I mean -to the point that they actually locked them out or something? there are many practical uses for morphs in animation.
    Crazy!

    EDIT: RESOLVED.

    Post edited by Dogz on
  • DZ_jaredDZ_jared Posts: 1,316
    edited August 2013

    What is it exactly you are trying to do? Keymate allows you to key in morphs. You have to have a base key frame though. For example I load Genesis create a key frame at frame 0. Advance timeline 10 frames and then morph Genesis into basic female. Add another key frame. I now have a 10 frame animation of Genesis morphing to Basic Female.

    If you let me know what you are trying to do I can either tell you how to do it or recommend another plugin/tool for Studio.

    *Edit* you have to do it at the root level of the figure in Keymate. There isn't a way to create the shaping key from within the Animate interface. You have to apply the shape in the shaping or parameters tab and then add the key in keymate. There isn't a way to access shapes from within keymate. The overall result is the same though.

    Post edited by DZ_jared on
  • DogzDogz Posts: 898
    edited December 1969

    Ok, thank Daz_Jared, yes I was aware of the need for the parameters tab to dial in the morphs.
    The good news is after completely reloading Daz studio, and reloading the scene its now working! Actor/morph loader is showing up under the parameters tab.
    I guess I forgot the golden tech support rule (turn it off and on again) seems to have done it anyway (shrugs)

    I can only apologise and conclude that I must have done something screwy - although I honestly don't know what.
    well I'm a happy bunny now and I take back my earlier frustration.

    Thanks guys ....and Keymate > big thumbs up :)

  • DZ_jaredDZ_jared Posts: 1,316
    edited December 1969

    Dogz - I'm glad you got it working. I'd like to imagine that your expression and thumbs up is similar to that of your excellent forum avatar :-)

  • ghastlycomicghastlycomic Posts: 2,531
    edited December 1969

    I bought all three.... haven't used them yet. %-P

    But they were on sale so I couldn't resist.

  • TaozTaoz Posts: 9,971
    edited December 1969

    NoWorriesMate! :-)

  • DogzDogz Posts: 898
    edited December 1969

    Ill definitely pick up animate 2 next time its on sale. :P

  • almahiedraalmahiedra Posts: 1,353
    edited December 1969

    I also was curious about the mate-tools. Thread was very informative.


    This http://roosterteeth.com/archive/?id=6052&v=more and this http://roosterteeth.com/archive/?id=7615&v=more were animated in poser, mesh were from maya. Can I suppose that with mate-tools we could do something so with genesis, genesis 2?

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