Ghost Dynamics/rant

dennisgray41

https://www.daz3d.com/ghost-dynamics

This product seems to be a great idea that got itself over engineered. As a technichian I hate over engineering. The specific problem stems from the way the props are grouped in an array. When making rotations os the prop, the entire array pivots from the center which makes the prop I am trying to move spin off in some other direction when I need it to simply pivot where it is. This means that each movement requires repeated readastments. I frankly do not see where an array is an advantage over just selecting the prop that I need and I I need another, creating that one to. 

 

Richard Haseltine

You can surely select and adjust each part separately? Collision can be set to only one thing at a time, so breaking the figure up would limit users to only one object at a time.

brimstoneomega

As  Richard said, the point of that product is to give you the ability to have multiple different types of shapes collide with a figure, because, again as he said, you can only have one thing collide with a character. Hence the need for the way it was designed. I've not bought it, but have been tempted, would save a bit of post-work.

 

You can achieve the same results, with post work, if it was important to have the different shapes collide, but you would have to do multiple renders and then cut and paste and impose and layer and all that fun stuff. This product is a convenience item and has the potential to save a lot of time, a lot more than the adjustments will take, but it's up to you ultimately whether this is a product that you want to use.

dennisgray41

Richard Haseltine said:

You can surely select and adjust each part separately? Collision can be set to only one thing at a time, so breaking the figure up would limit users to only one object at a time.

Not compleatly. I have not found a way to rotate the parts that does not work from the center of the array, which is rediculously hard. If anyone has used the product and know a way do do so, I am all ears.

dennisgray41

brimstoneomega said:

As  Richard said, the point of that product is to give you the ability to have multiple different types of shapes collide with a figure, because, again as he said, you can only have one thing collide with a character. Hence the need for the way it was designed. I've not bought it, but have been tempted, would save a bit of post-work.

 

You can achieve the same results, with post work, if it was important to have the different shapes collide, but you would have to do multiple renders and then cut and paste and impose and layer and all that fun stuff. This product is a convenience item and has the potential to save a lot of time, a lot more than the adjustments will take, but it's up to you ultimately whether this is a product that you want to use.

But if I only need to have one item collide, I do not need all the extra objects and mst especially not the array. On the other hand, if I am using multiple objects and they are not just staight across like in the example, I am forced to deal with 2 or more interactive items, such that as soon as I move the second, the first is out of position. That hardly seems to simplify things to me.

Richard Haseltine

So, what transforms do the various collision objects have if you select them (or which controls are on the Viewport gizmo with one of the coliders selected and the Universal tool active)?

nemesis10

here is my workflow:

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dennisgray41

nemesis10 said:

here is my workflow:

1

2

 

3

 

So when you rotat the props only the one prop moves, and is it stil centered on the array or do you have a way to make it center on self.

nemesis10

The arrray is basically a body so that when you go to the specific prop in the scene tab, you can individually pose any prop in the array (or many of them) which gets arround the fact that you can only have one collision item.   In this case, the collision item is the array and individual props are like fingers.  I am not rotating the props; i am expanding the prop array in the scene tab and positioning the specific prop i want. Likewise if  you wanted the figure to touch something, you wouldn't rotate the entire figure but position the arm, shoulder and hand instead.

dennisgray41

nemesis10 said:

The arrray is basically a body so that when you go to the specific prop in the scene tab, you can individually pose any prop in the array (or many of them) which gets arround the fact that you can only have one collision item.   In this case, the collision item is the array and individual props are like fingers.  I am not rotating the props; i am expanding the prop array in the scene tab and positioning the specific prop i want. Likewise if  you wanted the figure to touch something, you wouldn't rotate the entire figure but position the arm, shoulder and hand instead.

But that is my whole problem. When I translate the prop it seems to work ok, but when I rotate. it rotates from the center of the array, not the prop. If I rotate only a few degrees on the y axis for example, it also translates a great distance in the x and z axis. then I have to move it all the way back and it my rotation was not right, do it again.

brimstoneomega

I think I know where the miscommunication is. As Nemesis10 said, you need to think of the prop as a figure or a person not as a prop. Give yourself the initial rotation you need to orient the thingy as closely as possible as if you have two characters you wanted to interact. Now think of that prop as the second character, you would have them reach their arm out and up to touch the first character, you wouldn't lift them into the air and rotate them sideways to have their hand touch.

Think of the prop as a person. Have the prop lift its arm out and up to touch.

dennisgray41

brimstoneomega said:

I think I know where the miscommunication is. As Nemesis10 said, you need to think of the prop as a figure or a person not as a prop. Give yourself the initial rotation you need to orient the thingy as closely as possible as if you have two characters you wanted to interact. Now think of that prop as the second character, you would have them reach their arm out and up to touch the first character, you wouldn't lift them into the air and rotate them sideways to have their hand touch.

Think of the prop as a person. Have the prop lift its arm out and up to touch.

It takes an hour or more to do that with arms. And the arms are connected and make sense. Still would have been much easier if there were a set of stand alone props.

nemesis10

I definitely think there is a miscommunication; it took me roughly less than a minute to position things for my example. 
i loaded the Ghost Dynamics prop which took seconds. I moved the array by using parameter tab and adding an x-value of -200. I expanded the prop in the scene tab, selected the fist and moved it back (x-value 200), adjusted rotation, height, etc again in seconds so it would intersect with the figure.  I repeated with the 3 finger prop so the  whole process took less than a minute.  It shouldn't take you an hour to position an arm; it should take you seconds.

If the Ghost Dynamics was a set of 50 props, you would have to decide if you used the fist or the three fingers since only one collision per figure.  Shall I make a video of my placement?

dennisgray41

nemesis10 said:

I definitely think there is a miscommunication; it took me roughly less than a minute to position things for my example. 
i loaded the Ghost Dynamics prop which took seconds. I moved the array by using parameter tab and adding an x-value of -200. I expanded the prop in the scene tab, selected the fist and moved it back (x-value 200), adjusted rotation, height, etc again in seconds so it would intersect with the figure.  I repeated with the 3 finger prop so the  whole process took less than a minute.  It shouldn't take you an hour to position an arm; it should take you seconds.

I never sais I was doing it right. That is why I am here. Hoping someone can show me what I am doing wrong.

 

If the Ghost Dynamics was a set of 50 props, you would have to decide if you used the fist or the three fingers since only one collision per figure.  Shall I make a video of my placement?

That might be helpful.thanks.