Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Arik_the_Red]

I'm working on a video... and having problems in scene mode.

I have several cases where I add a figure, then a sequence... and the sequence either only partially shows, or not at all. 

In one case I have a simple rotating planet that runs a full cycle of a sequence, but when I add subsequent sequences the rotation comes close to completion, then spins backward, and the resumes spinning properly.

In another, I have an astronaut that waves and "thumbs for a ride"... but even though the sequence shows the "thumbing hand" as making a full fist, the scene mode sequence shows one finger extended but otherwise animating... and in another construction I tried it showed with all fingers fully extended but otherwise animating.

Lastly, shown below... I have a flying saucer with a "bug-eyed alien" pilot.  The object and figure portray three eye stalks, and three tentacles, all pointing straight up. So far I have rigged one eyestalk and one tentacle, and in sequence I began posing them - the tentacle arcing down to the buttons of the saucer control panel, and the eyestalk curving, with the eye looking aside.  But, when transferred to scene mode, and the sequence added, the tentacle and eyestalk remain standing straight like the others, or like in "figure mode".

Any ideas?

[ENSONIQ5]

Regarding the first point, using sequences to generate rotation can sometimes produce nasty backspin problems like these.  Adding more keyframes at the beginning and end of the sequence usually sorts it out, or alternatively use a script

Regarding the second point, Anim8or uses Controllers to generate motion, but not every element in a Scene or Sequence has a motion controller attached by default.  Once something is moved or altered in some way in Scene or Sequence modes, with the keyframe button on (green), only then is a controller created for that object.  This means that although a figure may have many moveable bones, only those bones that actually move in a Sequence will have controllers.  If the initial starting position of a bone in Scene mode differs from the starting position in Sequence mode, and the Sequence does not affect that bone, it will remain in an unexpected position for the duration of the Scene.

This is easily fixed by applying a keyframe to ALL bones in a sequence on the first frame, thereby creating a controller script for every bone in the Figure, whether it actually moves or not.  Select the first frame in a Sequence (in Sequence mode) and click on Edit>Bones>Key all bones (unfortunately this function does not yet exist in Scene mode and a similar operation would need to be done individually, element by element and bone by bone.

The third issue is harder, I can't think of a reason for this, though I would recommend trying the above all-bones-keyframed thing here as well (can't hurt I guess) and see if it has any effect.  If possible could you perhaps post the .an8 file, or even just a trimmed down version of it with the offending Figure, Sequence and Scene, and I would be happy to poke around a bit and see if I can figure it out.  Anybody else experienced this?

[EricAug]

I used to have this problem on almost every sequence.

Ensoniq5 is right - you should always keyframe every bone in the first frame of animation and you should always work with keying on. There are some cases where you would intentionally leave a certain bone without keys, or where you'd rotate a bone without keyframing it, but you shouldn't do this unless you know exactly what you are doing and why.

The glitch here is not that scene mode isn't showing the pose, but instead it's that sequence mode IS showing the pose (without proper keyframes to support it) If that makes any sense.

There are some areas where showing the pose without keys is useful (if you are somehow laying one sequence over another and are using the sequence as a modifier and want to pose it as a guide while not actually using that pose in scene mode) but I doubt most anim8or users are doing this.

[johnar]

 Just my 2 cents here.
 Whenever i have added a sequence into scene mode, i like to disconnect the connection between the sequence in scene mode.
 ie: copy at least one key from the sequence, (scene mode), and paste back into the same sequence. Then anim8or asks if you would like to change the sequence keys to ordinary keys. Click yes. (or ok?).

 That can help stop some later possible glitches. There is no longer a connection there, and ordinary keys seem to sometimes behave better without that sequence mode connection.
 Of course this means that if you update your sequence, it will no longer update in scene mode, so try to get your sequence pretty well right, b4 making that 'disconnection'.
 Later editing can be done in scene mode, but can be a bit of a pain if you have the sequence added multiple times. (like a walk).