miércoles, 21 de marzo de 2012

Pose picker - find it useful?

I have developed also a Pose Picker plugin. Another two module thingie; an editor and the pose picker.
The editor is more complex than the Item Picker pro editor, since you first have to create your set of control and then you can start storing your poses (adding pictures for reference!). Then you save the file.
The picker let you pick (duh!) any pose from your library and also let you merge the current key with a percentage of the pose you are picking (if you have an open hand and you choose 70% of a close hand pose it will give you a nearly closed hand).
So, here is the deal:
1- the editor could get confusing, specially until you get what you have to do first.
2- limited by some lscript funcionality some refresh(mainly pictures) are not happening, which lead us back to confusing.
3- The editor may contain some bugs (or not. I don't really used this one that much)
4- I don´t have the time to write a proper guide.
 That being said, I ask you: are you interested in this thing? could it be worth me finding and uploading it and you trying it?

Weight by Volume (cage) - Modeler Plugin

The main use for this plugin is to apply a weight map to a fractured object.
It automatically creates a weight map assigning each part a value according to its part cage volume.

****** COMING SOON FOR FREE  *********

jueves, 15 de marzo de 2012

Profe Rig Set - Automated Rigging

The goal of this plugin is to help you in the creation of a fast basic biped rig. It also was configured to use as few weight maps as possible. In some cases you will need to tweak it by adding specific weight maps or maybe adding extra bones. I find this plugin useful for people working in advertising, with really tight deadlines and different projects/characters every two weeks. It was recently used to rig 24 characters in a couple of days for a car commercial.

In order for this plugin to work properly you need to setup a few weight maps: Head, Neck, Left_Leg, Right_Leg, F_0, F_1, F_2, F_3, F_4 (see the "Ref" object). Load the Setup_v048-simple.lws scene. Now, load your object to be rigged. Move the joints to match your model (see the "Ref" object in order to know where to position them). Since the scene has a mirror script in the controls, you only have to move the left joints. Once you are ready, run the Profe Rig Set-simple.lsc plugin. You will be prompted to select the destination object (if you followed the previous steps, there should be only one item).

Notes: the plugins used to have some item shaped nulls for the fingers, but it turned out to be impractical, so I left the bones. The rig in the foot is, in my opinion, the best approach to have complete controls to replicate any movement an actual foot can make and not a gazillion controls.

Next update: I'm planning on adding IK in the arms (if I have the time...) 

Acknowledgement: the "Ref" object is a simplified version of RebelHill´s model. Also the idea of mirror editing came from his marvelous RHiggit product.

Here it is:
Profe Rig Set

 It's so great that I feel I can donate a few bucks!!





miércoles, 14 de marzo de 2012

Item Picker Pro

Do you like those nice pickers that let you select whatever you want in a nice floating window, like Maya or some other 3D software?

This is one of my best LW plugins and I am giving it to you for free!!
It is a two module plugin; the editor, and the picker itself.

How To Use:
To create a new picker file run the IPP Editor. Choose "New Picker". Enter the width and height (in pixels) for your picker (usually the same size as your BG image). Then select the BG image you want (like your character in a T pose). You are now ready to start the fun part! Select a bone / multiple bones / an object /multiple objects.
- Click "Box" and then click and drag over the picker window. Release, and select the default edit mode for your selection (position, rotation, scale).
- Click "Switch" to create a master Hide-Unhide button for your selection. Name it whatever you want.
- Click "Delete" to get rid of one control, then click it.
- Click "Save" to create your picker file (you can modify it later by choosing "Load Picker" at the editor)
To use the file you just created now run the Item Picker Pro plugin. It will ask you for the location of the file (only the first time).
Here is a sample of a very simple Picker:

And here you can download it:
Item Picker Pro Editor
Item Picker Pro

If you like it how I think you will, please share your good fortune with yours truly!



Fresh Start

Hello Lightwave users! I'm starting this page to share with you all some of my plugins/scripts. Share the address with your friends and come back soon!