In PoseMode, press Wkey or use the Pose pulldown menu. It calculates the
positions of all selected Bone end points, over the time as indicated with
the Scene start/end frame. This then is drawn as a path, with little black
dots on every frame, and a white dot on every 10 frames.
Paths are not saved in files, and not calculated automatic yet on changes.
To make this relative fast, but also reliable, I had to add a new method
in the Dependency graph system, to find exactly (and only) these parents
of an Object that influence its position. This is needed because the path
should show the actual global coordinates of the entire animation system.
When using 3d window "unlocked" (own layer and own camera possible), the
dependency updates didn't work, these were only using Scene layers.
Changed the dependency graph call DAG_scene_flush_update()
to accept an argument for all visible layers in a Screen.
First note that this is new functionality, unfinished, and only for
testing and feedback purposes. I'll list below what works, and what will
need work still.
This text is also in cms: http://www.blender.org/cms/Ipo_Drivers.680.0.html
An IpoDriver is like an IpoCurve, but instead of a Bezier curve, it allows
to connect a property of other Objects as input for the "channel". For
example, IpoDrivers can be used to have a Shape Key being "driven" by
the rotation of a Bone. Or the RGB colors of a Material get driven by the
XYZ location of an Object.
Editing of Drivers happens in the IpoWindow. Here you can notice that the
channels (right hand window) now have an "active" channel indicator.
To add a Driver, you have to use the "Transform Properties" Panel (Nkey).
Here you can add or remove a Driver to the active channel, and use the
buttons to fill in what kind of relationship you want to establish.
Driver Objects
Note that any Ipo Channel can become driven now, but that only Object
transformation or Pose Bone transformation can be used to become a
Driver now.
At this moment, only the local transformation is taken into account.
For Objects that means the location/rotation/scale value without Parent
transform (as shown in "Transform Properties" Panel for Objects).
For Pose Bones it means that only the Pose transform (changes of rest
position) is Driver information (also as shown in Transform Property
Panel in Pose Mode).
Mapping of Drivers
When an Ipo Channel is "driven", the mapping is by default one-to-one.
It is only restricted by already built-in limits for Channels, like
for Material the "R" value can only range from 0.0 to 1.0.
Also note that when mapping rotations, the actual rotation values
in Ipos are scaled down with a factor 10.0. (180 degrees actually has
in the Ipo system a value of 18.0). This is an ancient year zero
convention in Blender... it is a bit hidden, because the ruler
(vertical as well as horizontal) displays the virtual values correctly.
Only the Properties panel shows the actual value.
When you draw an IpoCurve in a Driven channel, this curve will define
the mapping between the Driver output (horizontal) and Driven input
(vertical, as usual).
A nice new option to use is "Insert one-to-one curve" (press I-key,
or in pulldown menu). This will also zoom the display in exactly to
fill the window, allowing easy edit. If you use this option with
degrees, it will map 180 degree rotation to a range of 1.0 unit.
Live updates
Since the Drivers are integrated in the Ipo system, they will always
be updated whenever an Ipo is evaluated. This happens at least on
frame changes.
For interactive feedback, updates while transforming objects were
added in these cases:
- Driven Object Ipos, by other Objects or Pose Bones
- Driven Shape Key Ipos, by other Objects or Pose Bones
You can also insert Drivers on Action Ipos, but these are only evaluated
on frame change now.
Todo
- Drivers can also get a text button, allowing a 1 line Python script
to be executed.
- Make UI for it a bit less hidden... maybe with visualization in 3D?
- Allowing global transform coordinates as Driver too.
Issues
- renaming Bones won't rename drivers
- (file) appending the Ipo won't append the linked driver Objects
User doc: http://www.blender3d.org/cms/Shape_Keys.678.0.html
- The mixed use of "Vertex Key","Key" or "RVK" in Blender was a bit
confusing. Also a 'vertex key' assumes keys per vertex, which actually is
only a single key for the entire shape. The discussions on blender.org
forums all mentioned "Shape" or "Blend Shapes", which I think is an OK
name for a "Vertex Key" in the UI. :)
- Most work was code spaghetti cleanup. Doing shape-keys now nicely goes
via the depgraph and DerivedMesh. That then allows to have different
shapes per object, with the new "Pin" feature.
Objects now define what Shape is shown (ob->shapenr)
- Added a Shape Panel in the Edit buttons with the various options
- Fixed a lot of issues in the IpoWindow, with drawing the channels.
For example, deleting a key-line there caused the entire Relative option to
go wrong, same for moving the lines up/down.
Changing key-line order now reflects in order of channels. The active
Shape is drawn more clear now too.
- Noticed it doesnt work yet for curves/lattice. Need modifier advise!
Best is to forget yesterday's commit and old docs. New docs are underway...
Here's how IK works now;
- IK chains can go all the way to the furthest parent Bone. Disregarding
the old option "IK to Parent" and disgregarding whether a Bone has an
offset to its parent (offsets now work for IK, so you can also make
T-bones).
- The old "IK to Parent" option now only does what it should do: it denotes
whether a Bone is directly connected to a Parent Bone, or not.
In the UI and in code this option is now called "Connected".
- You can also define yourself which Bone will become the "Root" for an IK
chain. This can be any Parent of the IK tip (where the IK constraint is).
By default it goes all the way, unless you set a value for the new IK
Constraint Panel option "Chain Lenght".
- "Tree IK" now is detected automatic, when multiple IK Roots are on the
same Bone, and when there's a branched structure.
Multiple IK's on a single chain (no branches) is still executed as usual,
doing the IK's sequentially.
- Note: Branched structures, with _partial_ overlapping IK chains, that don't
share the same Root will possibly disconnect branches.
- When you select a Bone with IK, it now draws a yellow dashed line to its
Root.
- The IK options "Location Weight" and "Rotation Weight" are relative,
in case there's a Tree IK structure. These weights cannot be set to
zero. To animate or disable IK Targets, use the "Influence" slider.
- This new IK is backwards and upwards compatible for Blender files.
Of course, the new features won't show in older Blender binaries! :)
Other changes & notes;
- In PoseMode, the Constraint Panel now also draws in Editing Buttons, next
to the Bones Panel.
- IK Constraint Panel was redesigned... it's still a bit squished
- Buttons "No X DoF" is now called "Lock X". This to follow convention to
name options positive.
- Added Undo push for Make/Clear Parent in Editmode Armature
- Use CTRL+P "Make Parent" on a single selected Bone to make it become
connected (ALT+P had already "Disconnect").
On todo next; Visualizing & review of Bone DoF limits and stiffness
- removed {lattice,curve}_modifier functions
- changed render code to use displist for curve rendering
instead of making its own. required adding a bevelSplitFlag
field to DispList. I also fixed the bevel face splitting
which did not work correctly in many situations.
- changed so all curve data creation happens in makeDispListCurveTypes,
includes making bevel list and filling polys
- changed render code to use displist for surface rendering
- removed Curve.orco variable, built as needed now
- removed stupid BLI_setScanFill* functions... why use a function
argument when you can use a global and two functions! Why indeed.
(this fixed crash when reloading a file with filled curves and
toggling editmode)
- bug fix, setting curve width!=1 disabled simple bevel for no
apparent reason
- cleaned up lots and lots of curve/displist code (fun example:
"if(dl->type==DL_INDEX3 || dl->type==DL_INDEX3)"). Hmmm!
- switched almost all lattice calls to go through lattice_deform_verts,
only exception left is particles
- added DBG_show_shared_render_faces function in render, just
helps to visualize which verts are shared while testing (no
user interface).
- renamed some curve bevel buttons and rewrote tooltips to be
more obvious
- made CU_FAST work without dupfontbase hack
Also by the way I wrote down some notes on how curve code
works, nothing spiffy but it is at:
http://wiki.blender.org/bin/view.pl/Blenderdev/CurveNotes
variables, these are still in same place. enable button automatically
makes/enables modifier.
- changed hook to hook modifier conversion to happen on direct link,
required to make sure we don't forget to free any memory for files
saved with 2.38 that have hooks.
- update modifier interface to enforce modifiers with the require-original-
data flag to not move beyond deforming modifiers.
- enforce only one softbody modifier allowed
NOTE: Once again, no modifier stack for lattice yet means softbody for
lattice does not work atm.
can only follow deform (for example, they store mesh vertex
indices)
- added ModifierType.foreachObjectLink for iterating over Object
links inside modifier data (used for file load, relinking, etc)
- switched various modifiers_ functions to take object argument
instead of ListBase
- added user editable name field to modifiers
- bug fix, duplicate and make single user didn't relink object
pointers in modifier data
- added modifiers to outliner, needs icon
- added armature, hook, and softbody modifiers (softbody doesn't
do anything atm). added conversion of old hooks to modifiers.
NOTE-THE-FIRST: User name field is not initialized on loading 2.38 files
so if you have saved stuff with a cvs blender you will see blank names.
NOTE-THE-SECOND: Since modifiers aren't evaluated yet for non-Mesh
objects, hooks for lattices and curves are broken. Don't updated if
you actually, say, *use* Blender.
NOTE-THE-THIRD: Old hooks used a quirky weighting system during
deformation which can't be extended to modifiers. On the upside,
I doubt anyone relied on the old quirky system and the new system
makes much more sense. (Although the way falloff works is still
quite stupid I think).
- added modifier_supportsMapping function
- update CCG to set actual vertex normal (and not just
interior face vertex normal, bla bla bla no one knows
what this means nevermind).
- renamed modifierType_get_info to modifierType_getInfo for
consistency and to increase my commit line count.
- update EditMeshDerivedMesh to calculate (and use new) normals
when given deformed vertices
- added
- update editmode modifier calculation to also calculate a cage,
not working 100% atm, in particular if a deformer follows a modifier
that returns a DerivedMesh the cage is not accurate.
- added ccg derivedmesh drawMapped{Vert,Face]NormalsEM functions
- currently UI for selecting the cage mesh is rather irritating,
will be updated
based on time change. would be nice if dep graph could handle this.
- made dep check if modifiers need update on time change
- fix render crash (access null)
- added new Build Effect modifier type. compared to old one works as
a full member of modifier system, means can apply subsurf, etc on
it, reorder, what have you. and it is all nice and self contained.
- removed old Build effect, old files convert to new style on load
- couldn't help myself, added a randomize feature to build effect
- removed Python BuildEffect support
current depgraph... that's when an object has multiple "parents", which
have different relation types. (one parent moves Object, the other
deforms). In that case the result was undefined.
Solved it nicely with the DAG building code, resulting in quicker flushing
of changes even.
Also noted a bug in the drawview.c 'object_handle_update' call, which
should not check for layers. The DAG flushing clears recalc flags for
invisible layers, if possible. Now need to write that @#!# doc!
- cleaned up 'version correction' a bit. There was code slowing down
current files even (armatures were evaluated all, even when not in
current layer, was added to make sure they get converted OK).
Send me old files that crash now! :)
- on reading older files with path-constraints, a fix had to be added.
- error "badd call to addqueue' found when using header-less window for
filewindow
Seems to give issues in MSVC, and wasn't needed after all.
Further fixed dependencies in constraints between armatures and armatures.
It didn't update the other armature when the armature-object itself moved.
Aim was to get a total refresh of the animation system. This
is needed because;
- we need to upgrade it with 21st century features
- current code is spaghetti/hack combo, and hides good design
- it should become lag-free with using dependency graphs
A full log, with complete code API/structure/design explanation
will follow, that's a load of work... so here below the list with
hot changes;
- The entire object update system (matrices, geometry) is now
centralized. Calls to where_is_object and makeDispList are
forbidden, instead we tag objects 'changed' and let the
depgraph code sort it out
- Removed all old "Ika" code
- Depgraph is aware of all relationships, including meta balls,
constraints, bevelcurve, and so on.
- Made depgraph aware of relation types and layers, to do smart
flushing of 'changed' events. Nothing gets calculated too often!
- Transform uses depgraph to detect changes
- On frame-advance, depgraph flushes animated changes
Armatures;
Almost all armature related code has been fully built from scratch.
It now reveils the original design much better, with a very clean
implementation, lag free without even calculating each Bone more than
once. Result is quite a speedup yes!
Important to note is;
1) Armature is data containing the 'rest position'
2) Pose is the changes of rest position, and always on object level.
That way more Objects can use same Pose. Also constraints are in Pose
3) Actions only contain the Ipos to change values in Poses.
- Bones draw unrotated now
- Drawing bones speedup enormously (10-20 times)
- Bone selecting in EditMode, selection state is saved for PoseMode,
and vice-versa
- Undo in editmode
- Bone renaming does vertexgroups, constraints, posechannels, actions,
for all users of Armature in entire file
- Added Bone renaming in NKey panel
- Nkey PoseMode shows eulers now
- EditMode and PoseMode now have 'active' bone too (last clicked)
- Parenting in EditMode' CTRL+P, ALT+P, with nice options!
- Pose is added in Outliner now, with showing that constraints are in
the Pose, not Armature
- Disconnected IK solving from constraints. It's a separate phase now,
on top of the full Pose calculations
- Pose itself has a dependency graph too, so evaluation order is lag free.
TODO NOW;
- Rotating in Posemode has incorrect inverse transform (Martin will fix)
- Python Bone/Armature/Pose API disabled... needs full recode too
(wait for my doc!)
- Game engine will need upgrade too
- Depgraph code needs revision, cleanup, can be much faster!
(But, compliments for Jean-Luc, it works like a charm!)
- IK changed, it now doesnt use previous position to advance to next
position anymore. That system looks nice (no flips) but is not well
suited for NLA and background render.
TODO LATER;
We now can do loadsa new nifty features as well; like:
- Kill PoseMode (can be option for armatures itself)
- Make B-Bones (Bezier, Bspline, like for spines)
- Move all silly button level edit to 3d window (like CTRL+I = add
IK)
- Much better & informative drawing
- Fix action/nla editors
- Put all ipos in Actions (object, mesh key, lamp color)
- Add hooks
- Null bones
- Much more advanced constraints...
Bugfixes;
- OGL render (view3d header) had wrong first frame on anim render
- Ipo 'recording' mode had wrong playback speed
- Vertex-key mode now sticks to show 'active key', until frame change
-Ton-
objects with circular dependancies where not handled correctly
when sorting bases.
the fix is actually a workaround only and may evolve later
also add changes to xcode project for recent commits
Works like a charm... well it now replaces the old base-sorting hack. :)
Next stage will be to define how to further integrate it. Plus some
minor code cleanups... static/internal functions versus external, etc.
