Hi,
I’ve been having a problem of late and I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong.
After creating and rigging a character, I have painstakingly repositioned all the body parts into walk and run cycles. I have then moved these into my library for use in different scenes.
The problem I’m now having, is when I move the template into a new scene, the head of the character is displaced, even though it is properly pegged as a child element of the entire character’s main peg. I know I haven’t rigged things incorrectly because for example, the walk cycle of one character is fine - the head does not become displaced when dropping into a new scene, but the same character when repositioned in a run cycle becomes separated. I can’t continue because if I try to reposition the head, I have to do it on every frame, and then when I separate the key frames on the main peg, to create in-betweens and adjust the timing of the run, the head moves around. I don’t understand this. It is part of the main peg, so it should not suddenly become independent of it and separated.
Can anyone explain what is happening here and why?
Thanks very much.
DanB.
Hi Dan,
If you try to Edit the template are you also noticing the displacement on the head? Also, when you made the original character was there a keyframe in the location that you picked to make the template or were the keyframes outside of the range of the selection (before or after).
If you still can’t figure what is going on you could always try to send us the template in question and we will try to analyze it when we have a chance.
Best regards,
Ugo
Hi Ugo, thanks for the reply.
I considered that as a possible reason, but it doesn’t appear to be the answer.
I’ll try to explain exactly how I did things. Sorry if it gets a little wordy or confusing.
I started with the cutout character in his original, standing profile position: no keyframes attached.
With the main peg collapsed, I then extended everything to 8 frames (the number of “keyframes” in my walk cycle) and put a transform-tool keyframe on each (again using the main peg collapsed).
I then uncollapsed/opened everything, and moved all the bodyparts appropriately for each frame in the walk cycle, keyframing on the head and torso pegs, but on the built-in pegs for the arms, legs, etc.
Everything worked fine. The walk cycle was complete so I dragged it into the library. I used it for another scene and there was no problem. I attached it to a “movement” peg, which I used to resize and move everything. No problems.
Later, I tried to create a run cycle. Using the same original walk cycle, I added one keyframe on the main peg immediately after the last keyframe of the walk cycle (having extended it one more frame with everything collapsed). From the menu I then clicked “removed keyframe” on that newly created extra keyframe to reset the character back to his original profile. Done. No problems.
Extending things further, I repeated the whole process to create the run cycle. I then highlighted and dragged only the run-cycle portion of the main peg into the library. But when I dropped this into a new scene, the head was displaced, and I later noticed the green pivot point on the torso had also been moved.
Thinking this may have been because I dragged only part of the peg into the library (which is what you are alluding to in your question I think), I tried again, dragging the whole peg in (i.e. including the walk and run portions together). When I pulled this into a new scene though, again the head was displaced on the run cycle. What confuses me is that EVERYTHING is the same on this peg as in the original. In other words, if there is a problem causing the head to suddenly become displaced as the slider moves into the run cycle, then that problem should also exist in the original which I dragged into the library. Yet it does not. The original is fine. It is only after it is dragged into a new scene that it becomes displaced.
I have the same problem with another cutout character, only this time it happened immediately after creating the walk cycle. Again, original worked fine, but once dragged into a new scene, the head only becomes displaced.
I have been using a workaround thus far, but anticipate serious problems in later scenes if I cannot remedy this. Other posts on here seem to touch on similar problems, but it is hard to pinpoint an exact solution from the replies - everything suggested I feel I have already done correctly.
Anyway, sometime when you are not too busy if you could give me a possible explanation, I’d appreciate it. It’s not a matter of great urgency or anything, just a minor annoyance, and I know you guys have got zillions of queries to deal with over there. I know I have made an error somewhere, but the frustrating thing is I just can’t find it!!
Cheers.
DanB.
Hi Dan,
I might have found where the error is. First, in the process you should always after having created your still character make a master template out of it without any animation. This is the template that should be used to create all the action.
The fact that you are using an animated template as a master to create other animation might create double values of offset for some reasons. Therefore, whenever you want to work with a master/action template concept, everything should be made out of the main Master which does not have the any action and has a single keyframe on each layer. My guess is that for some reason the action was used as a master and the action did not have a keyframe on the head. Therefore when you imported it back in a new scene that head got displaced somehow. This is why you should also always stack your template on top of the Master has it contains all of the default locations values of all the pieces of the software.
This may already be what you are doing. If this isn’t doing the trick you might have to send us the project so we can analyze some more what is happening.
Best regards,
Ugo
Ugo,
Okay, thanks for looking into it for me. I will try rebuilding the run cycle from the still profile character. If it doesn’t work I will write back. Appreciate your help as always.
Another question for you.
I was under the impression that you could duplicate entire scenes by putting all elements in the scene in a peg, collapsing the peg and moving it into the library, from where you drag it out again after opening a new scene. In fact I have done this before without a problem. However, I am now trying to do it again, but it won’t work. I select the top element under the new peg element, hold down the shift key and select the very bottom element (so all elements get selected), and then try to drag it all under the new peg; however, when I try to do this, I am getting a little white circle with a line through it, telling me it won’t work. Are there some elements that can’t be dragged under a peg? I noticed the sound element by itself can’t be dragged in, but the colour transforms, etc. can. What should I do here? I want to repeat the scene in its entirety and add a bit to it, but I don’t want to change the original scene.
Thanks very much.
DanB.
Hi,
The only elements that can’t be dragged under a peg are sounds. If you have sounds scattered around in your timeline and one is part of the selection it would indeed block the moving of elements. Simply put them out of the list and you should be able to move your stuff in the peg.
Best regards,
Ugo
Got it. Thanks very much!
DanB.