First mcjMidiLoad Beta Available - Midi File loader script for Daz Studio

mCasual

ruphuss said:

sorry casual as I do not know where else I could ask you this

matanim works fine but the animation in the surface tab is not save able in a studio 4.7 szene

any help ?

to address this problem

in the thread here

http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/46023/

or on my site here

https://sites.google.com/site/mcasualsdazscripts4/mcjanimatsave

i posted a special script to save/load the material animations using Daz 1,2,3 and 4

in fact if someone animates materials using midi/music they'll need to use it too

---
in the image below, by animating the vertical offset of a filmstrim image

mCasual

while i'm at it i'll add fingering helpers

side-side

lift ( section 1 of the finger only

curl ( all 3 segments of the finger)

curl tip ( sections 2 and 3 of the finger )

...

there it is, almost ready for the rollout

- - -

since i often spend time selecting fingers 1,2,3,4 and Bending all 12 knuckles

i include a Tab , to do it faster!

-- unfortunately DS4.7 shrinks my cute little hand icons

mCasual

the hand pose script can be found here

http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/54267/

and/or here

https://sites.google.com/site/mcasualsdazscripts5/mcjhands

if you have trouble downloading the installation zip package
here's a link
https://sites.google.com/site/mcasualsdazscripts5/mcjhands/mcjHands.zip?attredirects=0&d=1

even available for DS 1.8 !

Imago

I can't wait to try the complete kit!
I think it can be extremely useful for many different purposes!
Keep the good work!

Keiron

Hi Casual

I've just installed the Hand Script and it works great

Thats a dificult problem sorted, very well done

Thank you for all of your hard work much appreciated

Kind wishes

Keiron

Eustace Scrubb

I paid good money for a plug-in to do this in DS2 & 3 (HandGrip), and it wasn't updated, either. Now you're giving it all to us for free?

I salute you! Thank you!

Imago

I tried the script and it's very useful.
But I think there are an error on some label: Twist wrist seems to bend it and Bend wrist seems to twist it... I'm worng?

mCasual

ImagoPictures said:

I tried the script and it's very useful.
But I think there are an error on some label: Twist wrist seems to bend it and Bend wrist seems to twist it... I'm worng?

it's something i said i'd do yesterday but i'll do today

this script was designed for piano hand poses
so the rotations are aligned with the shoulders ( chest ) of the figure
When playing the piano the hands point in front of the figure
so the wrists bend perpendicular to that
One advantage of that is that the fingers don't go sideways and off-keys
( as could happen with the usual wrist bend )

so today i'll add a mode where the wrist bend is a wrist bend

note that the shoulders movementsare also designed
for cases where the shoulders are bent almost 90 degrees

mCasual

here you can see, in pianist mode, the arms twist around a perfectly vertical axis
so the pianist hands move horizontally

in non-pianist mode, the arms will twist around the shoulder segment

mCasual

and the new version

coming up this afternoon

with have an "other hand" button !

you could stay all day in the script ! hours of fun

Eustace Scrubb

I have to wait a few more hours, don't I? :(
;)

mCasual

Eustace Scrubb said:

I have to wait a few more hours, don't I? :(
;)

i'd say, less than 35 minutes from now.

gotta test it in DS4.7 and/or ds4.8 and ds1.8 and 2.3

mCasual

DS4.8 test conclusive

but pushing the publishing deadline ... 40 minutes from now

so i can add saving/reloading your two settings, the step angle and the piano checkbox

1:37 - the script will also save/restore the settings in the "fingers" tabs
i reviewed and corrected the rotation directions so they match the arrow in the little thumbnail images
i still have to check DS1 and DS2 compatibility.

1:54 - gotta fix the fingers rotation too for Left/Right rotation inversion issues

mCasual

last issue to fix is the wrist bend icons

( DS 1.8 doesn't seem to allow text+icon on buttons )

my DS2.3 was recently sort of uninstalled and i have to wait for the content scan to end !!!

while we wait, enjoy this on-hold classic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRqI5R6L7ow

....

DS2.3 check, check

mCasual

oops we were not even on the right thread !!

anyway, the new mcjHands is ready !!

https://sites.google.com/site/mcasualsdazscripts5/mcjhands

direct link to the download ( it's the little blue down-arrow you know )

https://sites.google.com/site/mcasualsdazscripts5/mcjhands/mcjHands.zip?attredirects=0&d=1

Keiron

re new mcjHands

Hi Casual

This is superb

Very easy to use

Very well done

Many Thank's

Your a Star

CEGC Chord Left and Right

PS She can Boogie with this LOL

Left hand Pinki c1 then Thumb c2, move Pinki e1 then Thumb e2, move Pinki g1 then Thumb g2, move Pinki a1 Thumb a2, move Pinki a1# then Thumb a2# move Pinki g1 then Thumb g2 return to begining

or just c1 move e1 move g1 move a1 move a1# move g1 return to begining

Keiron

Imago

Amazing work as always!
With this new script, posing hands is matter of second! I never reached this speed in my workflow posing hands!
Thanks very much!

mCasual

well i'm back from the usual digression mcjWindowWall, mcjWallDoor, mcjIsoSurface3 ....

the next objective is to post the Midi-Loader tool

this loads the midi music data into a "midi" node in the Daz Studio scene

i just have to make sure i understand the midi tempo/timebase messages correctly

objective 1 : mcjMidiLoader ( today?)

the second objective is to post the script specifically tailored to the mcjWurzkeil keys animation

objective 2 : mcjWurzkeilPlaysMidi

third objective is to post the script which helps animate the wrist positions of a figure while playing keyboard

objective 3 : mcjPianist

fourth objective is to post the script which lets you animate everything else, for example, the drum playing demos,
color organs, laser harps, bouncing balls etc etc etc etc

objective 4 : mcjMidiAnim

i also plan to make a more universal keyboard animator

objective 5 : mcjKeyboardPlaysMidi

-------

figure 1 - new assistant Zoé at the Wurzkeil

Keiron

Hi Casual

Welcome back

Found this

MIDI Time Signature and BPM

In this guide I'm going to explain how MIDI files keep time. There's quite a lot of information about MIDI time keeping on the internet but I found that usually the sources said the same thing as each other and didn't provide much context. Here I've tried to provide some context of how each of the following numbers would be used in practice.
MIDI Time Signature:
Type: Meta Message value: 255 (0xFF)
Sub Type: Time Signature Message value: 88 (0x58)
Message Format: FF 58 nn dd cc bb
The time signature is important for several reasons. Firstly it's vital to properly notate a piece of music. For MIDI editing software like Finale it's important to be able to retrieve the standard sheet music time signature. The software would need to know the time signature numerator and denominator to lay the music how the author intended i.e. where to put the bar ends.
[nn] Numerator The numerator represents the numerator of the time signature that you would find on traditional sheet music. The numerator counts the number of beats in a measure. For example a numerator of 4 means that each bar contains four beats. This is important to know because usually the first beat of each bar has extra emphasis.
[dd] Denominator The denominator represents the denominator of the time signature that you would find on traditional sheet music. The denominator specifies the number of quarter notes in a beat. A time signature of 4,4 means: 4 beats in the bar and each beat is a quarter note (i.e. a crotchet). In MIDI the denominator value is stored in a special format. i.e. the real denominator = 2^[dd].
[cc] MIDI ticks per metronome click The standard MIDI clock ticks every 24 times every quarter note (crotchet) so a [cc] value of 24 would mean that the metronome clicks once every quarter note. A [cc] value of 6 would mean that the metronome clicks once every 1/8th of a note (quaver). Be warned, this midi clock is different from the clock who's pulses determine the start time and duration of the notes (see PPQN below). This MIDI clock ticks 24 times a second and seems to be used only to specify the rate of the metronome - which I can only assume is a real metronome i.e. a device which makes a tick noise at a steady rate... tick, tick tick...
[bb] 32nd notes per MIDI quarter note This value specifies the number of 1/32nds of a note happen every MIDI quarter note. It is usually 8 which means that a quarter note happens every quarter note - which is logical. By choosing different values it's possible to vary the rate of the music artificially. By putting a value of 16 it means that the music plays two quarter notes for each quarter note metered out by the midi clock. This means the music plays at double speed.

MIDI Tempo:
Type: Meta Message value: 255 (0xFF)
Sub Type: Set Tempo Message value: 81 (0x51)
Message Format: FF 51 tt tt tt
This meta message signifies a change in the tempo of the music. This is given by a change in the number of beats per minute (BPM) of the piece.
[tt tt tt] Micro seconds per quarter note The tempo is given in micro seconds per quarter beat. To convert this to BPM we needs to use the following equation:
BPM = 60,000,000/[tt tt tt]
Pulses Per Quarter Note (PPQN):

In MIDI notes are measured in pulses rather than in time. The note start time and duration will be a discrete number of pulses. Pulses per quarter note can be found in the header part of the MIDI file and specifies how many midi pulses make up one quarter note. This is useful for determining note values - if the current PPQN is 96 and a note's duration is 48 we know that it's a quaver. It's also vital for determining the rate at which the MIDI file should be played. The tempo tells us how long each pulse should last. The BPM measures how many quarter notes happen in a minute. To work out the length of each pulse we can use the following formula: Pulse Length = 60/(BPM * PPQN)

mCasual

keiron said:

... Pulse Length = 60/(BPM * PPQN)

thanks, now i'm more confident the midi-loader will work on any midi file, even on ''Take 5''

oops wait wait ... getting doubts ... i picked 96 as the PPQN .... but they say the "header" so maybe the PPQN is the number 384 in the MFILE statement

yes indeed

also the midi pulse is 460.8 Hz in this case

---------------

. o O( i think i should never let a midi rendition of a Spice Girls song play in loop more than 10 times )

instead let's be done with it and play the real thing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA5jsa1lR9c

the MV is 1996 btw

Keiron

Hi Casual

Keep up the great work

OK so I like the Spice Girls to LOL

Keiron

mCasual

keiron said:

Hi Casual

Keep up the great work

OK so I like the Spice Girls to LOL

Keiron

well actually 2become1 i like because i find it comedic, but i like Viva Forever, plus i see they've got animations in the MV! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wkuqRFXNvI

mCasual

unfortunately color properties animation keys are integer based and don't seem to have interpolation control
so the script has to create 1 key per keyframe
plus the fact that DS4 doesn't save materials animations
so the color animation option will be there but necessitate more care
( there's also ERC-like solutions and UV tricks )

mCasual

what i will call "transfer tables" This table define which animation is triggered by which midi note

for my tests i used a text file which i edited in Excel

but you'll have a viewer-editor right in Daz Studio

in this case all the 61 keys of the wurzkeil keyboard get X-Rotated by
0 degrees when the note is off
and
7 degrees when the note is On at full volume

i'll add an option where a note is Off when the volume is 0 and On when the volume is non-zero

---
Fig 2 shows the table i used to animate the Ambient Strength of the notes

the property name "0/ Ambient Strength" is a typo!

but anyway, it shows that you'll be able to animate any "strength" type of material-property or the UV tiling/offset

Fig 3 shows the table i used to animate the diffuse color of the notes

you can see color codes for black, white and red

---
you know, it would be possible to actually activate a midi synth instead of animating things in the scene
but i wont get in that !!! stop me
( soft synth, real synth, speech synth, vst plugin synth , kinect, theremin, etc etc etc )

Keiron

Hi Casual

"you know, it would be possible to actually activate a midi synth instead of animating things in the scene
but i wont get in that !!! stop me", no go for it
How about using a colourful suit on Victoria or Micheal to control your MIDI Keyboard LOL

Ah just thought "you could make a new shaped instrument like a number of multi legged spiders" each could play an octave range

"Your making a program with endless fun"

Just think of all the Keyboards up to 88 keys you could animate by rotating the keys or up and down
Piano's, Keyboards, Organ's, Handheld Keyboards, Accordians, Sax, Trumpets, Drums, Strings it's endless

Changing the colours, great fun you could animate the Daz Suit to Music LOL very cool

Great job

Keiron

mCasual

mcjStorePose : one of the midi tools will let you save animation snippets as a script file ( similar to a pose preset )

Last time, we saw you can animate

-named properties ( ex: XRotate )
-material colors ( ex: Diffuse Color" )
-material strengths ( ex: "Ambient Strength" (

there will also be

- (name/label) morphs ( ex: Blink Right" )

and there will be

-scripts

In the animated gif example below, the script to run upon a note being played
is the Hi.dsa script, which happens to be an animation snippet recorded earlier
using mcjStorePose

Keiron

Hi Casual

Great Idea linking MIDI to an Animation Sequence

Since were gifted with two thumbs and eight fingers you would possibly have no more that 10 occurences at one time, unless you can also use your toes LOL

I did wonder if I should have used 24 FPS or 48 FPS instead of 30 FPS, as I though that may be easier to sync the MIDI clocks to the VIDEO together

You can usually Quantatise the played notes to force them to play exactly to the exact notes in a Bar, this looses some of the way someone plays but for animation it may not need to be so precise

This may be worthy of a read

re MIDI timing and Song Pointer Info

http://recording.songstuff.com/article/MIDI_sync/

Kind wishes

Keiron

mCasual

keiron said:

... timings ...
Keiron

in fact in my most recent test i was noting that if someone plays note very fast
( used https://code.google.com/p/virtualpiano/ )

then, the way my script is set up, i can lose keyframes , because my test animations
start 5 frames before the note sound arrives ( she hits the keyboard on the 5th frame
Animation clips are clashing

so that's one issue i'll address somehow

about quantization, i'm not sure yet if i'll force notes to happen on exact movie frames

daz studio allows keyframes to happen between movie frames

note that one could render movies at 120 frames per second, and add motion blur
the result would be a 24, 25 or 30 fps video where we could perceive what happens between frames

--------

maybe i'll make the note-hit happen on exact frames
or have this as an option

----

just now realised the v in the midi messages is velocity not volume
i was counting on the fact that so far v was always 0 for the midi-off events
but i see a midi file here with

0 Meta SeqName "MidiPiano Record File"
0 TimeSig 4/4 0 8
0 KeySig 0 major
0 Tempo 500000
0 Meta Copyright "MidiPiano.net"
0 Meta TrkEnd
TrkEnd
MTrk
0 Meta TrkName "Record Track"
0 PrCh ch=1 p=0
0 PrCh ch=1 p=0
1249 On ch=1 n=76 v=80
1615 Off ch=1 n=76 v=64
2022 On ch=1 n=72 v=80

mCasual

there will be an 88 keys version of the Wurzkeil ... soonishingly

Keiron

Hi Casual

Now thats a cool, 88 key keyboard thank you

"just now realised the v in the midi messages is velocity not volume
i was counting on the fact that so far v was always 0 for the midi-off events
but i see a midi file here with "

Note off can be 0 or 64 or on other models 0 to 127
It looks like there are 3 bytes

Byte 1
starts with a 1
sss= type Note off= 8n, Note on = 9n
nnnn=channel
1sssnnnn

Byte 2
starts with a 0
leaving 0 to 127 for Notes
0nnnnnnn

Byte 3
Starts with a 0
Leaving 0 to 127 for Velocity
0nnnnnnn

or maybe in text you could use if text = "on" then y=1
if text = "ON" then y =1
if text = "off" then y = 0
if text = "OFF" then y=0

then use y for up and down or rotate

For safety it's wise to send a note OFF to all channels just in case a midi data gets lost and a note gets stuck
in Animation case for the Instrument maybe all keys etc should be set to there start position at the end of play

MIDI Note-on Message
The MIDI note-on message is used for turning on MIDI notes. The note-on message is a channel message and is consequently restricted to one of 16 pre-defined MIDI channels (i.e., numbers 0 through 15). The basic format of the MIDI note-on message is shown below:

Most-significant Nibble Least-significant Nibble Byte 1 Byte 2
1001 MIDI channel [0 - 15] Key Number [0 - 127] Velocity [0 - 127]

MIDI Note-off Message
The MIDI note-on message is used for turning a currently playing MIDI note off. When the note is turned off, it is just like an instrumentalist releasing a note. Hence, when the note is released, its sound should start decaying according to the timbre of the currently sounding instrument. One thing to keep in mind is that you need to know the key-number and the MIDI channel that were used when turning the note on. Turing a note-off that isn't currently registered with the MIDI synthesizer as being on will have no effect.

Most-significant Nibble Least-significant Nibble Byte 1 Byte 2
1000 MIDI channel [0 - 15] Key Number [0 - 127] Velocity [0 - 127]

MIDI Channel: In the General MIDI specificiation, MIDI channel 9 is reserved for the use with percussion instruments. In this context, a percussion instrument means an instrument that has no note-setting or pitch setting. For instance, a Low Floor Tom is a percussion instrument in this context, while a Timpani is NOT a percussion instrument. The Timpani is not considered to be a General MIDI percusion instrument because you can specify a pitch. All of the remaining channels (0 through 8, 10 through 15) are reserved for use with pitched or non-percussion instruments.

Key Number: For pitched instruments (i.e., non-percussion instruments), the key-number specifies the piano-key number. The General MIDI specification assigns the number 69 to A440 (i.e., the international standard that assigns a pitch of 440 Hertz for Middle-A on the standard piano keyboard). Before General MIDI, different mappings were supported by different manufacturers. For percussion instruments the MIDI key value is used for specifying the instrument number. Again, General MIDI specifies a list of standard percussion instrument table. That table assigns a specific instrument number for each MIDI key value.

Velocity: The velocity specifies the volume or force, with which the note is played. The concept here comes from a keyboard. The faster that one strikes a piano keys, the louder the note will sound. Additionally, the timbre or instrument quality will change along with the velocity. More expensive MIDI synthesizers will change the timbre of the played note as the velocity in the note-on message changes. In my experience, only the most feature-rich computer-based MIDI synthesizers/sound-drivers will vary the timbre with the velocity. Notice the primary limitation! Once a note is played, there is no way of chaning the velocity. As I'll discuss is a future article, there are ways of modifying the channel-volume, but there is no way of changing the volume of an individual note.