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mcjTransport, model/animate spline based tubes - Version 1 is out !!

24

Comments

  • JimmyC_2009JimmyC_2009 Posts: 8,891
    edited December 1969

    Wow, it hasn't been easy for you, but it looks like you got there in the end. Good thinking!

  • mCasualmCasual Posts: 4,607
    edited September 2012

    the keen eye will have noticed that in the first post, i mentioned the word "animated"

    well, each time you'll run mcjTransport, you 'll have the option of specifying a new morph name

    so you can have as many tube-shapes as you want for the same tube

    in the image below i created 3 morphs/shapes

    then i animated their morph strength

    so using this, you could have Aiko plugging her guitar's cable in the Amplifier
    as in this scene
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Dvwd8Hyh-Y

    at frame 0, // morph1 at 100% // morph2 at 0% // morph3 at 0%
    at frame 10, // morph1 at 0% // morph2 at 100% // morph3 at 0%
    at frame 20, // morph1 at 0% // morph2 at 0% // morph3 at 100%
    at frame 30, // morph1 at 100% // morph2 at 0% // morph3 at 0%

    lalinea.gif
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    Post edited by mCasual on
  • mCasualmCasual Posts: 4,607
    edited September 2012

    i thought i'd have the script ready today, but there's one last and important feature i want to add

    remember the image of the road in page 2 of this thread, the road was horizontal

    in another case it was twisting a specified number of times

    i'll add the possibility to tweak the "roll" (sideway tilt ) of the road

    this is essential if, for example you want a flat ribbon to wrap around a character's arm or leg

    so ... you'll have to be patient smore

    laced3.jpg
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    Post edited by mCasual on
  • GreymomGreymom Posts: 1,110
    edited December 1969

    Better and better!

  • JimmyC_2009JimmyC_2009 Posts: 8,891
    edited December 1969

    These boots look terrific! It is hard to believe that it can be done in DS.

  • mCasualmCasual Posts: 4,607
    edited December 1969

    JimmyC_2009 said:


    These boots look terrific! It is hard to believe that it can be done in DS.

    well actually they were not done in DS,

    i was trying to illustrate, that mcjTransport could be used to create flat ribbons, that follow a character's leg or arm

    so you could make the strings and straps using mcjTransport

    the rest of the shoe would still be done in a modeler like Hexagon or Blender

    though, the shoes for A3 are available free over here
    http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/4670/
    they are props, not a "real" figure but still usable

  • mCasualmCasual Posts: 4,607
    edited December 1969

    as of this morning this is the UI

    The simplest use would be like this

    - select the number of sides and segments for your tube
    - press the "build" button
    - set Daz Studio's timeline appropriately
    - create a null
    - animate the null, which creates a path
    - press the "update tube" button
    - done

    mcjtrui.jpg
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  • JimmyC_2009JimmyC_2009 Posts: 8,891
    edited December 1969

    I like the interface too. Yes, my post was a bit confusing in regard to the shoes, I only meant the straps, that was staggering enough for me :)


    When you get around to producing a script that can do shoes as well, can I be your business manager?

  • mCasualmCasual Posts: 4,607
    edited September 2012

    so here's the last piece ( well maybe i'll add something) of the puzzle

    the "roll" of the animated marker ( the square with green lines ) is transfered to the tube

    the animation of the marker is just 3 keyframes on a 32-frames playrange

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    Post edited by mCasual on
  • mCasualmCasual Posts: 4,607
    edited September 2012

    knotty tube with (non-tiling) voronoi bump map

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    Post edited by mCasual on
  • JimmyC_2009JimmyC_2009 Posts: 8,891
    edited December 1969

    Looks like a knotted hose pipe. There must be loads of uses for this script. I am really going to get into this one when it is released.

    Brilliant work!

  • mCasualmCasual Posts: 4,607
    edited December 1969

    looks like i'll need one more day

    i added the possibility to save a path as a profile curve

    so you will be able to create profile curves without using mcjSuperLathe

    also, the profiles dont have to be closed loops ( so i guess that's no longer called 'tubes' )

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  • mjc1016mjc1016 Posts: 15,001
    edited September 2012

    Casual said:
    looks like i'll need one more day

    i added the possibility to save a path as a profile curve

    Umm....while you're at it, could you possibly get it to wash the dishes? :-)

    This is looking fantastic. Take all the time you need...

    Post edited by mjc1016 on
  • mCasualmCasual Posts: 4,607
    edited September 2012

    i'm adding the possibility of welding the vertices at the beginning and at the end of the tube
    ( since it was available in mcjRibbons, mcjLathe and mcjSuperLathe )

    capagear.jpg
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    weldmetoo.jpg
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    weldme.jpg
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    Post edited by mCasual on
  • JimmyC_2009JimmyC_2009 Posts: 8,891
    edited December 1969

    Welding is good. It looks useful.

  • MattymanxMattymanx Posts: 6,902
    edited December 1969

    mighty impressive

  • TugpsxTugpsx Posts: 738
    edited December 1969

    Casual said:
    i'm adding the possibility of welding the vertices at the beginning and at the end of the tube
    ( since it was available in mcjRibbons, mcjLathe and mcjSuperLathe )

    You have the best collection of scripts hands down that have been presented to any community. I am very impressed witht he amount of work you have contributed to the DAZ and other community and greatful for all I have learned from you over the years.

    thanks again for sharing not just the results of your hard work, but also the knowledge of how it was accomplished and the know how to do it ourselves.

    Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach him to fish, feed him for a lifetime. this you most certainly have done.

    Looking forward to diving into this new adventure.

  • mCasualmCasual Posts: 4,607
    edited September 2012

    Tugpsx said:

    . . . . . . ..

    Looking forward to diving into this new adventure.

    thanks !

    i hope the final script wont be too scary to use

    so i created a section of the UI called "advanced",

    if one doesn't touch the advanced controls

    they still can use the script, to do less complicated tubes

    ---

    a gear profile , with a non-closed 4-keyframes path ( 4 copies )

    zack.jpg
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    Post edited by mCasual on
  • SkelchSkelch Posts: 275
    edited December 1969

    This is awesome stuff Thanks!

  • mCasualmCasual Posts: 4,607
    edited September 2012

    is today the day ? probably

    hang in there

    in the meantime here's a (cover of a) song including the word "probably"
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwvyQZ7KMtU
    hey there's a version with Prince on guitar http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgRLrOyxUBo&feature=related

    fig 1 is a test after i solved the issue of paths that starts non-horizontally

    hanginthere.jpg
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    Post edited by mCasual on
  • mCasualmCasual Posts: 4,607
    edited September 2012

    in case you wonder wassup wassup

    in figure 1 you can see a tube that follows an animated marker's path

    animation keyframes are spaced 4 frames

    so, the marker positions between keyframes are computed by daz studio

    unfortunately the kind of curve used tends to overshoot

    and that's why you see ugly little kinks here and there

    in figure 2 you can see that i can impose monotone cubic splines, which dont overshoot

    and that's wassup, i'm adding monotonizing to the script

    ..... ( time passes )

    and in fig 3., the same path after monotonization

    so all this post could be called monotonization monogatari

    if you're interested in that topic, i followed this algorithm : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monotone_cubic_interpolation

    ...

    and in fig. 4 here's 256 of them

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    Post edited by mCasual on
  • mCasualmCasual Posts: 4,607
    edited December 1969

    as you could gather, the 3D path is created by you, by animating a marker

    as you could see in previous images it's possible to weld the tube ends to form a ring

    but animation curves in daz studio dont make clean loops

    so here too i'll do something about it in the script

    wodaz1.jpg
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  • Tempest!Tempest! Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Looking dandy!

  • Testing6790Testing6790 Posts: 1,091
    edited December 1969

    I can't wait to get this, try to use it, then immediately give up because it's bound to be way to complicated for me lol

  • mCasualmCasual Posts: 4,607
    edited September 2012

    Paradigm67 said:
    I can't wait to get this, try to use it, then immediately give up because it's bound to be way to complicated for me lol

    there will be a default non-expert mode

    here's the instructions for that mode

    - create a marker, for example, a primitive sphere, 3cm diameter
    - launch the script
    - select the number of sides and the number of segments for the tube, ex: 4 sides, 32 segments
    - using Daz studio's facilities, animate the marker, over the animation range of frame 0 to 32
    - select the marker and the tube in Studio's scene tab
    - launch the script
    - press the "Update Tube" button

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    gallileo.jpg
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    Post edited by mCasual on
  • TheNathanParableTheNathanParable Posts: 1,043
    edited December 1969

    Wow, this looks brilliant. Definitely looking forward to this. :)

  • mCasualmCasual Posts: 4,607
    edited September 2012

    If you want to see the user manual as it is being written

    https://sites.google.com/site/mcasualsdazscripts2/mcjtransport

    it's also the web page where the script will be downloadable .... soonishingly

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    Post edited by mCasual on
  • TugpsxTugpsx Posts: 738
    edited December 1969

    This is seriously one facinating project. Its like finding the widget for most widget.
    Thanks for sharing your work with us.

  • mCasualmCasual Posts: 4,607
    edited December 1969

    Tugpsx said:
    This is seriously one facinating project. Its like finding the widget for most widget.
    Thanks for sharing your work with us.

    thanks!

    i eventually when i get around to installing the plugin sdk for DS4.5, i may port this.

    image below is the latest interface

    as i write the manual i test it and finish implementing / correcting the features

    it took more time then i thought, but it's feature-rich and can share curves with mcjSuperLathe

    nuz1.jpg
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  • Kendall SearsKendall Sears Posts: 2,995
    edited December 1969

    Is the plugin coded so that an extension could be written to use SVG files for path input?

    Kendall

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