Shade 12. Animation
From ShadeCamp
Contents
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Joint Animation
Move, Rotate, and Morph Using Joints
You can use joints for animating most objects in Shade. If you insert an object into the created joint, or set a skin and then change a joint value, the object will be animated.
Slider Joint
This joint is used to move an object in a straight line and is displayed as a straight line from the start point to the end point.
1 From Toolbox, select Part > Transformation Joint > Slider.
2 Drag the cursor to create a slider joint. You can move the object in a straight line in the drag direction, from the drag start point (base point) to the end point.
3 Manipulate the joint value. From Browser, select the created Slider joint and then open the Object Info window to expose the Slider Joint slider for further customization.
4 The object moves in a straight line along the joint.
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You can also manipulate joint values from the Motion window.
Rotator Joint
This joint is used to rotate an object and is displayed within the Viewport as an axis of a straight line and a circle in the direction of rotation.
1 From Toolbox, select Part > Transformation Joint > Rotator.
2 Drag the cursor to create a rotator joint. You can rotate the object using the range from the drag start point to the end point as the rotation axis.
3 When you manipulate the joint value, the object rotates.
Scale Joint
This joint is used to enlarge or reduce the size of an object and is displayed within the Viewport as a point and a straight line in the direction of enlargement.
1 From Toolbox, select Part > Transformation Joint > Scale.
2 Drag the cursor to create a scale joint. You can enlarge or reduce the size of an object in the drag direction, within the range from the drag start point to the end point.
3 If you manipulate the joint value, the object is enlarged or reduced.
Uni-Scale Joint
This joint is used to evenly enlarge or reduce the size of an object in all directions and is displayed in the Viewport using the basic point and straight lines in the directions of all three axes.
1 From Toolbox, select Part > Transformation Joint > Uni-scale.
2 Drag the cursor to create a uni-scale joint. You can evenly enlarge or reduce the size of an object in all directions, within the range from the drag start point to the end point.
3 When you manipulate a joint value, the object is evenly enlarged or reduced in the directions of all three axes.
Ball Joint
This joint is used to rotate an object through 360 degrees and is displayed as a wireframe sphere.
1 From Toolbox, select Part > Transformation Joint > Ball Joint.
2 Drag the cursor to create a ball joint. You can move the object in all directions by using the drag start point as the basic point.
3 When you manipulate the joint value, the object rotates.
Changing the Brightness of the Light
To increase or decrease the brightness of the light, use a Light Joint. If you include multiple light objects within a Light Joint, you can collectively increase or decrease the brightness of all those light objects at the same time.
1 From Toolbox, select Part > Transformation Joint > Light and then create a light joint in Browser.
2 Insert the light object into the light joint. Here, the part containing multiple light objects has been inserted into the light joint.
3 Manipulate a light joint value to animate the light brightness.
Moving an Object Along the Path
You can create a path joint for moving an object from the starting point to the ending point of the line object used as a path. If you insert an object into the path joint, or set a skin and then change a joint value, the object moves along the path.
1 From Toolbox, select Part > Transformation Joint > Path and then create a path joint in Browser.
2 From Browser, place the line object to be used as the path just above the path joint. :Move path is added after the name of the open line object. This indicates that the line object has been specified as the path.
3 From Browser, enter an object in the path joint.
4 Place the object to move at the Start point position of the line object to be used as the path.
5 Manipulate the path joint value to provide animation.
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In Shade Professional and Standard, it is possible to ad-just the direction of the object to be moved, with the Direction Control group in Path Joint Attribute of the Object Info window.
Morphing the Shape of an Object
You can create a morph joint for morphing two objects, so long as each has the same number of control points. If you insert two objects, each having the same number of control points, into the morph joint and then change a joint value, the objects and surface attributes will be morphed from one shape to another.
1 From Toolbox, select Part > Transformation Joint > Morph and then create a morph joint in Browser.
2 Enter two objects, each having the same number of control points, in the morph joint.
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The morph joint can control two or more objects. If, for example, you morph three objects, joint value: 0 be-comes the status of the top object, joint value: 0.5 the status of the second, and joint value: 1.0 the status of the third.
Two objects having 4 x 3 = 12 control points
4 Manipulate the morph joint value to provide animation.
Switching and Displaying Multiple Objects
You can use a switch joint to switch the display of multiple objects, at first displaying one, then the other. Multiple objects in the switch joint can be switched and displayed by changing the joint values.
1 From Tool Box, select Part > Joint > Switch and then create the switch joint in Browser.
2 From Browser, insert the objects into the switch joint.
3 Manipulate the switch joint value to provide animation.
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You can switch the display of the objects in the switch joint from the Select popup menu in the Switch Joint Attribute group of the Object Info window.
Limiting the Movable Range of a Joint
You can set the upper and lower limits of the movable range of the joint.
1 Select a joint and drag the limiter on Joint Attribute of the Object Info window to set the movable areas of the upper and lower limits.
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Click the joint slider while holding down the C Win or o Mac key to display the numerical value in-put dialog. From this dialog, you can change the input width of the slider as well as enter joint and limiter values as numeri-cal values.
Skin
You can set a skin for a control point.
1 Select the control point of the object for which a skin is to be set.
2 From the View menu, select Skin to display the Skin window.
3 Set the joint from the Joint popup menu of the Skin window (1) and then set the joint application value (2). Here, the Uni-Scale joint has been set with application value 1.0.
4 Similarly, set the skin for the control point just above the line object with an application value of 0.30.
5 Manipulate the configured joint value to provide animation.
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If the joint has a hierarchical structure (bone), the joint that is affected upon pressing the Bind button is auto-matically assigned.
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You can set the joint values individually by clicking the leftmost number in the Skin window and by selecting a control point.
Motion Window
Parts of the Motion Window
The Motion window is used to collectively manage all the joints in a scene when creating an animation, and to set joint values according to a sequence. This section introduces the names of the basic parts of the Motion window.
* Sequence Cursor Displays the current sequence position.
* Sequence Key Point Displays the sequence position for which the motion is set.
* Sequence Timeline Changes the sequence position by clicking or dragging.
* Sequence Key Box Displays the sequence key point. Creates or moves the sequence key point.
* Joint Value Slider Changes a joint value.
* Motion Point Displays the joint value set for the sequence.
* Active Motion Box Displays the motion point for the selected joint.
* Line Handle Changes the motion curved line.
* Motion Curved Line Displays joint value changes through the motion point connection line.
Setting a Joint Value to Provide Animation
You can create a motion point in the sequence to provide animation. Let's create an animation in which the light rotates around the Earth.
1 Click Animation in the Workspace Bar to switch the workspace to Animation.
2 Select the joint to be set.
3 Click or drag the sequence ruler to set the sequence position from which animation will start.
4 While operating the joint value slider, set the joint value (1), and then click the + button to create a motion point or keyframe (2).
5 Set the sequence position at which the sequence ruler ends (1) and then check Auto Key (2).
6 While operating the joint value slider, set a joint value (1). A motion point is automatically created (2).
7 While operating the sequence ruler, return to the start position and then click the Play button to check the created animation.
Changing Animation Timing
You can change the joint value and sequence position of a created motion point to adjust timing.
1 Select the motion point to be changed.
2 You can drag the selected area to change both the sequence position and joint value at the same time.
3 You can drag the sequence key point to change only the sequence position.
4 You can drag the motion point vertically to change only the joint value.
Making Joint Values Change Abruptly
You can bend the line handle of the motion point to make an abrupt change to a joint value.
1 Select the motion point where the line handle is to be bent.
2 Check the Cusp checkbox. The motion curved line is bent.
Looping Animation within a Specified Range
You can repeat a selected sequence range to create a looping animation.
1 Select two or more motion points that are continuous to each other.
2 Set the repetition count in the repeat text box or pulldown menu.
3 The animation is repeated backwards from the selected range, as many times as the specified repetition count.
Moving a Ball Joint and Camera Along the Path
You can set an offset movement for a ball joint or camera object in the animation path. Here is an example using a ball joint.
1 Select a ball joint.
2 Select the first sequence position (1). Click the + button to create the first motion point (2). Check Auto Key (3).
3 Select the sequence position at which the next motion point is to be created.
4 From Toolbox, select Create > Move/Copy > Joint Operation > Offset.
5 Drag the ball joint in the Viewport to create the motion point.
6 Repeat the procedure to create an offset movement path.
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You can edit the created path by dragging the control point.
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By setting the rotation of the ball joint itself at the same time, you can create an animation that moves along the path while rotating.
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The camera object path is created for each of the eye and target points.
Adding Sound to an Animation
You can create and append sound to create 3D audio effects in an animation.
1 From Tool Box, select Create > Other > Sound.
2 Drag or click the Viewport to create a sound object. The eye position of the camera becomes the mike. The nearer the sound approaches the eye point, the louder it is when reproduced; the further the sound moves away from the eye point, the quieter it is when reproduced.
3 From the opened Open window, select the sound to be reproduced.
4 From the Motion window, drag the sequence key point of the sound or drag the left end of the waveform to set the sequence position at which the sound will be reproduced (1). Set the playback volume with the joint value of the motion point (2).
Plugin Enhanced Animation
Animation with Constant Camera Facing
Standard and Professional Only
Using Set AimConstraints Camera Attributes (which utilizes a Shade plugin included with some versions of Shade), you can create animation in which an object inserted into a rotator or ball joint always faces the front of the camera. Set AimConstraints Camera Attributes is supported only by Shade Professional and Standard.
1 Select the ball joint containing the object that is made to face the front of the camera.
2 From the Attributes popup menu of the Browser, select Set AimConstraints Camera Attributes.
3 From the displayed dialog, check the Apply checkbox (1) and then click the OK button (2).
4 While operating the camera, confirm that the object always faces the front of camera as the camera moves.
Restricting the Movement of Multiarticular Joints
Standard and Professional Only
Using SmartKinematics, you can restrain the movement of the ends of the multiarticular joints. This feature is only available in Shade Standard and Professional.
1 From ShadeExplorer, open smartkinematics_robo.shd included in Shade 12 Manual of Documentation.
When the body of this doll is moved with joints, restrain the doll so that its ankles always remain in their original positions.
2 From the View menu, select SmartKinematics.
3 From Browser, select the top ball joint bodyBall Joint.
4 From the SmartKinematics window, click the Apply button of the Root group to register this ball joint in the root.
5 Next, select both the ankle ball joints, namely left_foot Ball Joint and right_foot Ball Joint.
6 From the SmartKinematics window, click the Apply button of the Goal group to register these ball joints in the Goal.
7 Switch to Joint Mode (1). Select the top body Ball Joint and then operate the manipulator (2). The shape from the ankle to the end is restrained so that it always faces the original position (3).
8 From the Edit menu, select Undo to return that shape to its original position.
9 Next, restrain the shapes from the ankles to the ends so that they do not move. Select left_end Ball Joint and right_end Ball Joint of the ankle ends.
10 From SmartKinematics, click the Apply button of the End group to register this ball joint in the End.
11 Select body Ball Joint and then operate the manipulator (1). The position relationship between the ankles and their ends is restrained (2).
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To cancel a registration, select the joint and then click Delete Attribute in the SmartKinematics window.
Linking the Movements of Multiple Joints
Standard and Professional Only
Using AimConstraints, you can link the movements of multiple joints together to represent complicated movement. AimConstraints automatically runs after the target position is configured. This feature is only available in Shade Standard and Professional.
1 From ShadeExplorer, open animation_target.shd included in Shade 12 Manual of Documentation.
This scene incorporates two rotator joints and one slider joint.
The joint named Arm Rotator rotates the upper arm.
The Lift Rotator joint rotates the lower lift pedestal.
The Shaft Slider joint moves the shaft part in a straight line.
2 First, link the Lift Rotator to the Arm Rotator.
Select the Lift Rotate joint and, from Toolbox, select Part > Plugins > AimConstraints Target.
3 From the displayed dialog, uncheck the Create object out of IK end joint. checkbox (1) and then click the OK button (2).
4 Switch to the front view, click or drag the linkage between the arm and shaft, and then create Target:AimConstraints.
5 Switch to Joint Mode (1) and operate the manipulator to confirm that Lift follows the target movement (2).
6 From Browser, right-click Target:AimConstraints and then select Reset This Joint to return the joint to its original position.
7 Next, from Browser, select Shaft Slider and create the target in the same position.
8 Insert the two created targets into the Arm Rotator joint.
9 Operate the Arm Rotator joint to confirm that the two joints are linked to the Arm Rotator joint, that the lift rotates, and that the shaft stretches.
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To unlink the linkage setting, delete the Target:AimConstraints object.
Reproducing the Movement of a Train
Standard and Professional Only
Using PathConstraints, you can move the multiarticular joints along a path. This feature is only available in Shade Standard and Professional.
1 From ShadeExplorer, open pathconstraints_train.shd included in Shade 12 Manual of Documentation. Five railway cars are linked by the ball joints and an open line object that will become the path stretches out from the head of the train (start point).
The linked railway cars are in the path joint and the path of the open line object exists above the path joint.
2 Select the path joint and, from Toolbox, select Part > Plugins > PathConstraints End.
3 Click the OK button of the displayed dialog.
4 Click the tail of the train and then create End:PathConstraints.
5 Move End:PathConstraints inside the lowest layer ball joint.
6 Operate the path joint to confirm that the train moves along the path.
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You can achieve diagonal movement by creating an up-ward path for setting the upward direction for the path. Copy the path, move it onto the train, and then place the upward path whose end point has deviated slightly within the curve. The train will thus slant inwards along the curve.
