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Animation Window Observations // Feature suggestions

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Post by Igor K Handel // Aug 8, 2008, 11:00am

Igor K Handel
Total Posts: 411
pic
Hi

Continuing on with learning TS way of doing things, and observations on bits I am finding tricky or hard to use.


My interest is foremost in Characters and character animation. Been patient and trying to learn TS way of doing all the other associated bits before embarking on the actual animation side of things.


Will try to give newcomers feedback as I find it.


I suspect after first session this may turn into a biggish section for me so unless you prefer seperate posts I will continue this thread, as and when I get further into the various aspects of the animation with particular slant on character related aspect.

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Not a crit just observations, hopefully that might be relevent to other users too and perhaps encourage even more innovation. :jumpy:


In default state keyframes at frame 0 are rammed up against the left edge of window... difficult to accurately grab easily. Ok I can add some minus frames but extra work everytime start new anim.


The Scroll bar for the window displaying matrix/ skeleton etc, is so narrow its a given that it will be dragged left and right rather than purely up and down. It doesn't scale even if window is dragged wider. As real estate is an issue here what about making that window scrollable with mouse scroll wheel?


In the top right of the Fcurve window there are two input boxs for visible scale. Within first 10 minutes of using anim window it is almost a show stopper for workflow. I keep having to re-adjust these numbers just to go from one curve to another if they have wide-ish differences in amplitude.



If my first curve has a small amplitude and the second a wide amplitude I cant alternate views between em as the smaller shows as flat due to adjusting for the larger and vice versa.


Is it possible to have TS auto scale an Fcurve window based on the max min values of the selected curve's amplitude?


Obviously there would still need to be availability of user input, but at least it would become usable to flick between curves of differing magnitudes.


I realise that if multiple curves are selected at the same time its impractical but that's less of an issue. EG If I compare curves for 2 legs they are unlikely to have radically different amplitudes.


The hunting for a correct Fcurve is very quickly becoming tedious. Not sure the technical challenges this poses, but heck I have faith, I've seen what you did with the Weight Painting :)


Don't know if you agree but the bulk of character anim needs to be visual and selections where possible kept in the 3D window for speed of use. Hunting for the correct Fcurve, drilling through skeleton heirarchies in the anim window is exceptionally slow.


What about if I select any part of a limb or an associated Ik handle in the 3D window, that limb is highlighted/selected in the Fcurve heirarchical window, thereby reducing the hunting around vastly?


Or if an Fk anim.. if I select a joint in the 3D window, it is auto selected in the heirarchical anim window, then I only have to chose move, rotate or scale.

Currently I have to select skeleton, find the right limb, find the right joint, and then start what was all I really wanted to do in the first place... see or edit the fcurve.


The already cramped anim heirarchy window is further cramped by having all this seperate matrix / skeleton / think I've seen owner matrix too.


In Character anim I would like quick access to joints/ ik. In addition if I want to move "Freddy" as a whole in world space I need access to a root/ parent/ top of heirachy group handle/ null call it what you will.


This null (which is ideally a visible selectable entity in the 3D window, and one that can be placed like an IK handle at users preferred 3D position in relation to Character) is how I would ideally like to control the overall object in world space.


So in the anim window I need access to the move rotate scale of this. All this matrix/ skeleton/ object matrix stuff is just complicating things.. maybe it's me but give me simple uncluttered fcurve with access to joints/ IK a null or skeleton root, and we are in business.


Hope this helps

IK

Am I trying to re-invent the wheel here? Have I missed something in the past. Surely I can't be the first or even 50th along this path?
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