This MOCAP session was booked as it was hoped that the character would be rigged, and the a level would be created. Since Jack found out that Motionbuilder must require a skin modifier for rigging to work, then he has had to learn a whole new technique, and this has taken longer than necessary. The group has now realised rigging could have taken place with a default character in the previous months, as it is now holding the group's work up.
Simon had finished creating the first level, and showed the group, which turned out to look good, now that the dimensions of the MOCAP room had been defined. A ROM test was supposed to take place to see if a character model (a default one) would work inside the level, but since the Datastation would not connect to Tarsus (the program running on the 2nd monitor), the group could not test any data. This cost the group a valuable session in the MOCAP room, and another session is to be booked for friday, with an assistant, to make sure the group were following the right directions.
Alex has also been working on a rope-bridge level, and this should be completed by friday.
Frances has said that the Flash animations she works on can be exported to AVI, which should be able to be imported into Motionbuilder.
Greg had a short talk with Andy Bain about what to do next, and he has said to work on the mine cart level, as it would be good to see it working in action. It could easily be done by 'faking'. The audience could control the mine cart by shouting "LEFT!". At this point, someone in the MOCAP room using Motionbuilder, could trigger a camera animation along a set route. This looks like it is in real time, but instead it is just an already created animation of the level.
Tasks for this week are:
Simon - Finish creating the first level, and start working on a new level (the mine cart level - this can be bigger than the other levels, as we need it to last for a while.) Think of ideas what to appear on the track of the mine cart level. Also to send the level he has created to everyone via email, so the group can work on it on friday in the MOCAP room.
Alex - Finish the ropebridge level, screen-shot it, and upload to the Google Group, so the whole group can see. By everyone seeing a finished level, this will show progress, and hopefully improve motivation in the group.
Jack - Finish rigging the character, and ask Alex Counsell if any help needed.
Helen - Try to find a hosting website where the website can be seen by everyone. Any showing of progress will motivate the group.
Frances - Continue on animations within Flash.
Greg - Continue production process and book MOCAP session for friday.
The group can finish this project if they put their minds to it. Andy Bain mentioned even if the mine cart level worked, it would be good enough to show as the performance.
Monday, 23 February 2009
Monday, 16 February 2009
MOCAP Suite 3 - 16th February 2009
As Simon was ill, and Frances was busy, only Greg, Jack, Alex and Hel managed to come to the pre-booked MOCAP session. The original plan was to have the character finished and be tested in real time with a level, but since the character had only just been finished the night before, then no rigging could take place.
We were told on Wednesday that the size of the MOCAP room was 9 x 5 ft, and Simon had created a default level to use for the template when creating levels, but this looked extremely small. When we went into the MOCAP room, we tried measuring the MOCAP room with our feet, as a size 9 foot is roughly equal to one foot. It was then proven that the room was not 9 x 5 ft, but infact, 20 x 12 ft, which is alot better than the suggested size. We do not know why Alex Counsell told us it was 9 x 5, as this seemed extremely small, and there was no room to place the character or move about. So a new default level was created in 3D Studio Max, with the correct dimensions, and Jack and Alex rescaled the character to fit into the levels. This would be the template file to use for all the levels, and the levels could be built using this. Since Alex had now finished the character, then he said he would not mind working on some levels, as he prefers levels. This would certainly be of benefit to us, and if Jack could help as well, then the levels would be finished within a couple of weeks.
Frances had uploaded concept art to the Google Group so Helen could upload it to the website, and this would take place in the next week.
The roles for this week were:
Frances - Work on the animations (although they may not be able to be done in Flash, as Motionbuilder does not import flash files, and this will have to be thought about)
Helen - Upload the images to the XML gallery, and get it working. Upload the website to a hosting site, so the group can view it.
Jack - Rig the character, so it can be placed in Motionbuilder, and therefore next week when there is another MOCAP Suite session booked, it will work in real-time.
Alex + Simon - Work on the levels. Simon to work on the first level with the sundial, and the cave level. And Alex to work on the ropebridge level.
Greg - Work on the production process and book another MOCAP Suite session for next monday.
A MOCAP Suite session was to be booked for next monday, so the real time data can be experimented with, with the new character and new levels. This can then be shown to Alex Counsell.
We were told on Wednesday that the size of the MOCAP room was 9 x 5 ft, and Simon had created a default level to use for the template when creating levels, but this looked extremely small. When we went into the MOCAP room, we tried measuring the MOCAP room with our feet, as a size 9 foot is roughly equal to one foot. It was then proven that the room was not 9 x 5 ft, but infact, 20 x 12 ft, which is alot better than the suggested size. We do not know why Alex Counsell told us it was 9 x 5, as this seemed extremely small, and there was no room to place the character or move about. So a new default level was created in 3D Studio Max, with the correct dimensions, and Jack and Alex rescaled the character to fit into the levels. This would be the template file to use for all the levels, and the levels could be built using this. Since Alex had now finished the character, then he said he would not mind working on some levels, as he prefers levels. This would certainly be of benefit to us, and if Jack could help as well, then the levels would be finished within a couple of weeks.
Frances had uploaded concept art to the Google Group so Helen could upload it to the website, and this would take place in the next week.
The roles for this week were:
Frances - Work on the animations (although they may not be able to be done in Flash, as Motionbuilder does not import flash files, and this will have to be thought about)
Helen - Upload the images to the XML gallery, and get it working. Upload the website to a hosting site, so the group can view it.
Jack - Rig the character, so it can be placed in Motionbuilder, and therefore next week when there is another MOCAP Suite session booked, it will work in real-time.
Alex + Simon - Work on the levels. Simon to work on the first level with the sundial, and the cave level. And Alex to work on the ropebridge level.
Greg - Work on the production process and book another MOCAP Suite session for next monday.
A MOCAP Suite session was to be booked for next monday, so the real time data can be experimented with, with the new character and new levels. This can then be shown to Alex Counsell.
Wednesday, 11 February 2009
Alex Counsell Meeting Three - 11th February 2009
Another meeting was organised with Alex Counsell, as there hadn't been one since December. Not much had been done in the time, so the group had practically nothing to show.
It was proven that Simon's level he created could not fit in the mocap room, as the area was too big, and this was not thought about when he created it. It may be possible to use the level, if we can get the level to move around the character, but that is something we will have to research.
Since the MOCAP room is only 9 x 5, the area is really quite small, and basically impossible to work with when creating levels.
Alex suggested the idea before, but the idea came up of a moving level, where the level moves around the character, and we were going to use this concept with a mine cart level, where the character was to duck, and move left and right, avoiding obstacles and steering the way. We thought that the concept could also be used to create other moving levels, where the character stays still, then moves left or right, whilst the level is moving a steady pace. Obstacles would come towards the character and they would have to avoid them by moving left, right, ducking or jumping. The concept could also be used on a moving platform, the character moves onto the moving platform at the right time, and is taken further, hence giving us more space to work with.
Our next plan of action is to create a simple level in Motionbuilder so we can work with the default model for all levels, then we know the space that we can work with. This can be done just using simple blocks for obstacles. Once this is done, we must import the character in, so we can resize it, and create a relative size, so the character fits in with the level environment. If necessary, we can just use a block for the character, and attach ROM data to that, so it can easily be tested without the need for our character model. Alex Counsell told us that the character cannot be rigged until it is the right size, as once the character is rigged, it is almost impossible to resize.
Once the basic character and levels are tested, then more complex levels can be added, and puzzles can be implemented.
Once we have got a working example of a level and character in Motionbuilder, we must show Alex Counsell, and this MUST be done in the next couple of weeks, otherwise we have a chance of failing.
Motionbuilder must be researched so we know it inside out, and this can be done by using relevant tutorials that come with the software, and internet tutorials. The sooner this gets done, the more confident we will feel about our performance. Alex Counsell told us that Motionbuilder 2009 features are still being tested.
It was said that there is only 10 weeks left for us to finish, which gives us little time, and we have hardly achieved anything, so the next few weeks will be a MASSIVE push to catch up.
It was proven that Simon's level he created could not fit in the mocap room, as the area was too big, and this was not thought about when he created it. It may be possible to use the level, if we can get the level to move around the character, but that is something we will have to research.
Since the MOCAP room is only 9 x 5, the area is really quite small, and basically impossible to work with when creating levels.
Alex suggested the idea before, but the idea came up of a moving level, where the level moves around the character, and we were going to use this concept with a mine cart level, where the character was to duck, and move left and right, avoiding obstacles and steering the way. We thought that the concept could also be used to create other moving levels, where the character stays still, then moves left or right, whilst the level is moving a steady pace. Obstacles would come towards the character and they would have to avoid them by moving left, right, ducking or jumping. The concept could also be used on a moving platform, the character moves onto the moving platform at the right time, and is taken further, hence giving us more space to work with.
Our next plan of action is to create a simple level in Motionbuilder so we can work with the default model for all levels, then we know the space that we can work with. This can be done just using simple blocks for obstacles. Once this is done, we must import the character in, so we can resize it, and create a relative size, so the character fits in with the level environment. If necessary, we can just use a block for the character, and attach ROM data to that, so it can easily be tested without the need for our character model. Alex Counsell told us that the character cannot be rigged until it is the right size, as once the character is rigged, it is almost impossible to resize.
Once the basic character and levels are tested, then more complex levels can be added, and puzzles can be implemented.
Once we have got a working example of a level and character in Motionbuilder, we must show Alex Counsell, and this MUST be done in the next couple of weeks, otherwise we have a chance of failing.
Motionbuilder must be researched so we know it inside out, and this can be done by using relevant tutorials that come with the software, and internet tutorials. The sooner this gets done, the more confident we will feel about our performance. Alex Counsell told us that Motionbuilder 2009 features are still being tested.
It was said that there is only 10 weeks left for us to finish, which gives us little time, and we have hardly achieved anything, so the next few weeks will be a MASSIVE push to catch up.
Tuesday, 10 February 2009
Meeting Nine - 9th February 2009
Since everybody in the group was available at different times, and did not know their timetables until later than expected, no meeting could take place. A quick meeting was organised today, as the situation was growing worse.
Our group work around a tight schedule, and make it hard for everyone to be available at the same time. Simon lives 40 minutes away, so can only be in Uni on certain days, and Alex has a part time job with hours that change every week. Digital Media students are free most of the time, but with these 2 members not being able to be around, a booking for the MOCAP room is almost impossible. Since it is best that all members of the groupm should be at the MOCAP room, it is hard to arrange a time where everybody is free.
Simon had now completed the first level, and sent this in an email to all of us. This was quite detailed, and maybe too detailed for the level. A meeting would need to be arranged with Alex Counsell about reducing the requirements since there is only 10 weeks left, we cannot create the 5 levels he suggested.
Frances has been working on some sketches, and will continue working on them.
Alex still has not finished the character, that was set in October 2008, due to other issues, but this should be finished immediatly, as we cannot afford to waste time, and we need the character to be used in the next MOCAP session.
Helen had now created a fully functioning flash website which showed the production process, about the group members, and xml image gallery. This was taking shape but she was still waiting for Frances to upload images to the google group.
The roles for this week are:
Alex - Finish the character by the end of this week so Jack can rig it
Jack - Wait for Alex to finish the character and rig it once sent to him
Simon - Continue the levels, but make them less detailed
Frances - Create sketches and concept art for Helen to upload to the XML image gallery
Helen - Continue with the flash website, and once Frances had uploaded the images, upload them to the XML gallery
Greg - Continue Production Process
Everyone - To write up their report for their work they've done, and upload it to the google group or the blog, so it can be uploaded to the flash website.
A MOCAP session was arranged for 10am next wednesday, but apparently we can only book the room on mondays and fridays, making it very hard for us to all be there at once. Mondays 1pm-4pm was suggested, but because Greg, Frances and Helen have a lecture then, the work would have to be carried out by Jack, Alex and Simon, and Greg, Helen and Frances would check after their lecture.
A meeting with Alex Counsell was arranged for wednesday morning at 10am to reduce the requirements.
Our group work around a tight schedule, and make it hard for everyone to be available at the same time. Simon lives 40 minutes away, so can only be in Uni on certain days, and Alex has a part time job with hours that change every week. Digital Media students are free most of the time, but with these 2 members not being able to be around, a booking for the MOCAP room is almost impossible. Since it is best that all members of the groupm should be at the MOCAP room, it is hard to arrange a time where everybody is free.
Simon had now completed the first level, and sent this in an email to all of us. This was quite detailed, and maybe too detailed for the level. A meeting would need to be arranged with Alex Counsell about reducing the requirements since there is only 10 weeks left, we cannot create the 5 levels he suggested.
Frances has been working on some sketches, and will continue working on them.
Alex still has not finished the character, that was set in October 2008, due to other issues, but this should be finished immediatly, as we cannot afford to waste time, and we need the character to be used in the next MOCAP session.
Helen had now created a fully functioning flash website which showed the production process, about the group members, and xml image gallery. This was taking shape but she was still waiting for Frances to upload images to the google group.
The roles for this week are:
Alex - Finish the character by the end of this week so Jack can rig it
Jack - Wait for Alex to finish the character and rig it once sent to him
Simon - Continue the levels, but make them less detailed
Frances - Create sketches and concept art for Helen to upload to the XML image gallery
Helen - Continue with the flash website, and once Frances had uploaded the images, upload them to the XML gallery
Greg - Continue Production Process
Everyone - To write up their report for their work they've done, and upload it to the google group or the blog, so it can be uploaded to the flash website.
A MOCAP session was arranged for 10am next wednesday, but apparently we can only book the room on mondays and fridays, making it very hard for us to all be there at once. Mondays 1pm-4pm was suggested, but because Greg, Frances and Helen have a lecture then, the work would have to be carried out by Jack, Alex and Simon, and Greg, Helen and Frances would check after their lecture.
A meeting with Alex Counsell was arranged for wednesday morning at 10am to reduce the requirements.
Tuesday, 3 February 2009
MOCAP Suite Lesson 2 - 3rd February 2009
As this week was during the break between Semester One and Semester Two, the group wanted to try book a Motion Capture session, and to get Alex in the suit, as he had not done last session. Everybody turned up to this session to learn how to mark up Alex in the suit. As taught last time, the group ran through the procedure of setting up Vicon iQ and configuring each of the cameras. Since Jack had written a step by step guide of how this was done, this was easily achievable, with a little help from Geoff. The step by step guide can be viewed here:
Step By Step Guide
Alex was put in the suit, and we were shown how to mark him up. There are 52 markers, and are placed evenly around the body. Markers on the left hand side were symmetrical to the right hand side. This video shows where the markers are to be placed:
Applying Marker Tutorial
Once we were familiarised with that, we could continue on the process of the ROM test, cleaning up the data, and then importing to Motionbuilder, attaching the data to a model, and then setting up real-time. This is all explained on the step by step guide.
As this was only our group's second attempt at using Vicon iQ and Motionbuilder, we would need alot more practice, so more sessions will have to be booked.
Since Alex has not finished the character, we had to use an already created model, but as soon as Alex has finished his model of the character, we can use that next time in the MOCAP suite.
Step By Step Guide
Alex was put in the suit, and we were shown how to mark him up. There are 52 markers, and are placed evenly around the body. Markers on the left hand side were symmetrical to the right hand side. This video shows where the markers are to be placed:
Applying Marker Tutorial
Once we were familiarised with that, we could continue on the process of the ROM test, cleaning up the data, and then importing to Motionbuilder, attaching the data to a model, and then setting up real-time. This is all explained on the step by step guide.
As this was only our group's second attempt at using Vicon iQ and Motionbuilder, we would need alot more practice, so more sessions will have to be booked.
Since Alex has not finished the character, we had to use an already created model, but as soon as Alex has finished his model of the character, we can use that next time in the MOCAP suite.
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