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en:editors:poseeditor [2013/02/07 17:24]
mike
en:editors:poseeditor [2013/07/16 04:13] (current)
bobocat
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 Clicking on the red-blue-green parts of the controls and then holding and dragging will create different behaviors with mouse movements. Clicking on the red-blue-green parts of the controls and then holding and dragging will create different behaviors with mouse movements.
  
-===Fine Tuning 'X-Y-Z' Positions===+=====Fine Tuning 'X-Y-Z' Positions=====
  
 If precise control is required for a pose when on Method 1 Pose view use CTRL=A to toggle between the standard UI and details dialog box. If precise control is required for a pose when on Method 1 Pose view use CTRL=A to toggle between the standard UI and details dialog box.
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 By selecting different body part icons on the different body areas on the mannequin different controls will pop-up on screen to allow that part to me maneuvered. By selecting different body part icons on the different body areas on the mannequin different controls will pop-up on screen to allow that part to me maneuvered.
  
-**Hint:** use the interactive controls to get the part as close as you can and fine tune the numbers only if you need to be more precise.+<wrap tip> **TIP:** use the interactive controls to get the part as close as you can and fine tune the numbers only if you need to be more precise. </wrap>
  
 Experimentation and watching the tutorials is the best way to get a handle on the animation panel. ENJOY! Experimentation and watching the tutorials is the best way to get a handle on the animation panel. ENJOY!
  
 **See the [[en:editors:poseeditor:pose_edit_basic_animation_panel|Animation Panel tutorial]] to see these controls in action.** **See the [[en:editors:poseeditor:pose_edit_basic_animation_panel|Animation Panel tutorial]] to see these controls in action.**
 +
 +=====Adjusting The Height of the Model=====
 +
 +It is possible to adjust the overall height and limb proportions using the controls under the "limbs" section. These controls are found in the animation panel.  \\ 
 +
 +{{:en:editors:poseeditor:pe_limbs.png|}}
 +
 +This allows you to create models of different heights. \\ 
 +
 +{{:en:editors:poseeditor:pe_height_comparison.png|}}
 +
 +<wrap warning> **Warning** There are a number of things to be aware of when adjusting model height. </wrap>
 +
 +  * These adjustments are pose specific. You can't change the actual model proportions in the customizer, only in an individual pose.
 +  * Someone downloading a pose with adjusted height will need to have purchased the pose editor to view the height changes. They will be able to view the height in the regular game or in sequences, but only if they own the Pose Editor option. They will still be able to load the pose if they don't own the Pose Editor, but the models will revert to their standard heights and the pose may not line up correctly.
 +  * If you use a mixture of poses that have height adjustments and poses that don't in the Sequencer, the height of the models will change when the Sequencer loads a new pose. This shouldn't break the poses, but the continuity of your sequence may look a bid odd. (Hey, wasn't she taller than him in the last shot?)
 +  * If you load an existing pose and make the legs shorter, the model will float above the ground. This is easily fixed by adjusting the positioning of the model (see image below).
 +
 +{{:en:editors:poseeditor:pe_height_issue.png|}} \\ 
 +
 +<wrap tip> **TIP** - If you share poses with adjusted heights on [[http://www.gamerotica.com/|GamErotica]], be sure to include tags and a description that mentions this. That way users looking for "short man, tall girl" will be more likely to find them. We suggest a shorthand tag of "TMSF" for "tall male / short female" or "SMTF" for the reverse. You get the idea. </wrap>
  
 ===== The Pose Editor Timeline =====  ===== The Pose Editor Timeline ===== 
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 Blue Bars - Third Character = 3SomeMate Blue Bars - Third Character = 3SomeMate
 +
 +=== Filtering Keys in the Timeline ===
 +
 +You can filter the keys displayed in the timeline by closing sections that you don't want to see. E.g. if you close all the sections except for the "Face" you will only see the face keyframes displayed in the Timeline. This can be really useful when you want to adjust the timing of just one type of animation.
 +
 +{{:en:editors:pe_filtering_keys.png}}
 +
  
  
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   - The tags will be assigned to the pose. You don't need to re-save the pose.   - The tags will be assigned to the pose. You don't need to re-save the pose.
  
 +===== Keyframe Tangents and Interpolation =====
 +
 +When we set keyframes in the Pose Editor or the Sequencer, we are creating poses at specific points in time. This could be the rotation of an elbow, the position of a hip, the amount of a sneer or the position of the camera, etc. In all of these cases we can also specify what happens between the keyframes. This is known as keyframe interpolation.
 +
 +=== Smooth Interpolation ===
 +
 +Let's start with a simple example. 
 +
 +Let's say you move the model's hand up and down a couple of times, setting keyframes in the timeline as you go. 
 +
 +By default, we will see smooth interpolation between the keyframes. This is essentially drawing a smooth curve as illustrated below. The purple dots are the keyframes and the short lines are the tangents which indicate the direction of the curve at each keyframe. The hand animation shows what this will look like on your model.
 +
 +**Handy tip:** Where the curve is close to horizontal that is where the object is moving slowly. Where the curve is steep there is a lot of movement or speed. If the curve is flat there is no movement.
 +
 +{{:en:editors:curve_smooth.png|}}
 +{{:en:editors:hand_smooth.gif|}}
 +
 +This actually looks pretty good, with one exception. The last two keyframes are the same so you would expect the hand to stay in the same place between them. Because the curve is being smoothed out it is introducing unwanted motion between the third and fourth keyframes. This might not look too bad here but it can be very annoying and **it happens a LOT**. Imagine if the hand was sitting on a desk? You would see it dipping into the desk at the end of the animation.
 +
 +=== Linear Interpolation ===
 +
 +Let's look at linear interpolation for a moment. Linear interpolation is just a straight line between keyframes. The hand will go directly between the four positions at a constant speed.\\
 +
 +Clicking the little "tangent" button next to the hand in the animation panel will change the tangent type to linear. For this example I did that for all of the keyframes.\\
 +{{:en:editors:pe_animation_tangent_01.png|}}
 +
 +{{:en:editors:curve_linear.png|}}
 +{{:en:editors:hand_linear.gif|}}
 +
 +What's the drawback of this? The motion will look very robotic and stiff. People don't move like that. The hand will stay on the desk though!
 +
 +We have control over the tangents at individual keyframes so we can fix this pretty easily. If we go to the first two keyframes and change the tangent type to "smooth" we will have the best of both worlds. When you change the tangent for a specific keyframe it affects the curve between that keyframe and the one following it. 
 +
 +{{:en:editors:curve_custom.png|}}
 +
 +=== Flat Interpolation ===
 +
 +The last type of interpolation is called "flat". With this type the tangent will always be flat or horizontal. The result is that objects will go slowly when they are near a keyframe and quickly when they are between frames. This is known as "easing in" and "easing out". A nice side benefit of flat interpolation is that when two keyframes have the same value (like key three and four in our example) they will stay steady between the keyframes.
 +
 +Here's what the curve and hand look like for flat interpolation.
 +
 +{{:en:editors:curve_flat.png|}}
 +{{:en:editors:hand_flat.gif|}}
 +
 +Now go forth and animate!