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Of Course you you will love it :) I am biased, so you probably should not take my word for it. If you are creating animation from scratch and find aniMate2 too complex for this, then keyMate is what you want. I personally prefer this to aniMate2 when animating simple objects and cameras. For figures, aniBlocks all the way for me.
- Baking puts a key on every frame.
- Deleting a whole section is only useful if you replace what was there with something hand keyframed.
Here is a screenshot of baking an aniBlock and then selecting just the arm keys. I am about to hit that X button.
The second screenshot show after I deleted the keys and I have created a new(very simple) animation for the arms. the two keys selected on the arms are what makes him put his arm forward. It has a great zombie look.
Of course the same things could be done in aniMate2, but some people prefer traditional keyframing.
Thanks for your screenshots, I'll have a play with the timelines tomorrow.
Which leads me to wonder what are the advantages? Would you repeat the observation that Keymate is only of interest to someone wishing to create a whole new animation from scratch?
I guess it could be used to create non-mocap animations and save them as aniblocks, right?
I agree with Brian C. Morris. This is a great step in the right direction but in addition to linear & constant we definitely at least need to be able to set each key to slow or fast for this to be taken seriously, even for beginner animation. A curve editor with custom tangent handles would be excellent!
AniMate2 is a great tool and it has a graph/curve editor but I don't see a way to set the keys to fast or slow there either or even linear. I could create extra keys and drag them around to emulate the proper motion but it is sloppy and time consuming compared to the standard way of setting keys fast or slow. AniMate2 can import keys from the DS timeline (thus KeyMate) into aniBlocks with proper keys & spacing. The only problem is that I think it can only export back 1 key on every frame (not original key spacing), unless I'm missing something? So you can go from KeyMate to AniMate2 but not the other way around without converting it to 1 key per frame, which is limiting.
I also wanted to note that since I installed the updated version (not released yet) I have not had 1 crash.
Which leads me to wonder what are the advantages? Would you repeat the observation that Keymate is only of interest to someone wishing to create a whole new animation from scratch?
I guess it could be used to create non-mocap animations and save them as aniblocks, right?
It really comes down to preference. I am giving my opinion on what I see as the right tool for the right job. Others will feel differently and it would be different for them. If someone is familiar with traditional keyframing, they are going to want that. If you are wanting to learn to animate things from scratch. I think it is considerably easier with keyMate.
If, as was mentioned, further development and features are forthcoming, I'll be happy to have the tool in my box of tricks :) I'm not very experienced with animation so learning to create using the keyframe method will be good - all I can say is that the standard DS timeline is very frustrating.
I agree with all above, it is just a good start... but to do good and easy animation (without waste to many time) some important features are still missing. that's why the developer really have take a look and play around with motionbuilder, you will understand more.
you can download a trial student version with a 1 year license.
i'll wait to see hopefully more of this plugin, probably i have to wait until ds5, so be it.
i pay around $100 or more price if this can be a real animtors daz solution plugin.
(included with working kinematis)
I'm run into an issue. After animating an object with KeyMate, the keyframes themselves do not retain their interpolation change when I make the animation an AniBlock. Am I doing something wrong?
I'm run into an issue. After animating an object with KeyMate, the keyframes themselves do not retain their interpolation change when I make the animation an AniBlock. Am I doing something wrong?
You are not.
keyMate works on the Studio keys.
aniMate2 is an entirely different animation system. On big difference is that it only supports an automatic non overshooting cubic spline. You will need to do some tweaking(add some keys) in the graph editor in aniMate to get it to be the same.
The other big difference is that aniMate does quaternion interpolation. This is sometimes good and sometimes not good. The not good: If the rotation values between two keys is over 180 degrees, it will rotate the other ways. So 0 degrees to 270 degrees, in Studio it will interpolate 0 to 270. In aniMate it will effectively interpolate 0 to -90(which is equivalent to 270).
A better conversion from Studio to aniMate is probably in order, one that handles the differences automatically
OK but this there any chance of this happening anytime soon? Say AniMate 3?
I cannot tell you how wonderful it is an animator to be able to collect a series of keyframes, group them together as a solid animation block, and then be able to shrink, stretch and break them up. This is the very reason why AniMate is an absolute must-have plug-in for DAZ Studio animators. However, because of the limitations you mentioned above, it and the KeyMate plug-in are severely hobbled in their functionality. I implore GoFigure to correct this. Please.
I am sure it can be refined in aniMate2.
To manually do some thing that will be somewhat close, Save your scene, then go an do a set key before and after each of your current keys. That will be somewhat close.
I think this is what stumps me. I like to do dancing characters. If I start a turn, say from frame 0 to 30 the character turns half-way, and then, from frame 31 to60 I want the character to complete the turn, I get the character turning back the other way instead of completing a 360-degree turn.
Also, what I'm hoping keyMate can help with is this: if fame 0 to 30 I want the character to put her hand on her hip; for frames 31 to 60, I want the hand to remain on the hip; for frames 61 to 90, I want the hand raised over her head. But, when I run the animation, the movement gets blended in to one continuous progression.
Can keyMate help with these things? (I bought it; I'll be trying it.) I'd be grateful for tutorials that would show how to accomplish these things.
(I also have aniMate 2 and some aniBlocks, by the way.)
0-30 place hand on hip
keyframe on 0 of hand off hip
keyframe on 30 hand on hip.
The computer will create tweens (in-between frames) for 1-29 of the movement.
31- 60
copy keyframe 30 to keyframe 60
When the computer creates tweens, the tweens will keep the hand in the same position. (It sounds like you are missing this "hold in place" keyframe.)
61-90
keyframe on 90 of hand raised over head.
The computer will create tweens for raising the hand.
It is important to realise that places with no keyframes will have tweens. So places with no keyframes will take reference from the previous keyframe and the next keyframe.
Note - you may also have to change the interpolation of the keyframe 30-60 to Linear. The graphed line created by the keyframes above, is a spline, which isn't good at keeping a straight line. Straight lines on a graph mean no movement of the joint, whereas curved lines will show some movement of the joint.
Thank you very much for this into, camite. I'm saving it out as a file to keep. Any info on how to get a character to do a 360-degree turn and not start back in the opposite direction?
You mean in aniMate2? I'm just experimenting here. Try this, which may get you started.
Create a new blank aniBlock.
Frame 0, on the Parameters tab, move the yRotate slider (creates a keyframe), and then set it back to 0.
Frame 10, in Parameters move the yRotate slider to 90.
Frame 20, in Parameters move the yRotate slider to 180.
Frame 30 (1 sec 0), in Parameters move the yRotate slider to 270.
Frame 40 (1 sec 10), in Parameters move the yRotate slider to 0.
The figure should rotate. You can add aniBlocks either side of this block and it still rotates.
Of course that was a very simple example, and when you add complexity to it, things go wrong.
[edit - darn I always get the images in the wrong place]
The third image shows what the graph looks like from doing the above.
The second image shows a new keyframe added on frame 25 by clicking the +key. The figure now does not rotate any more
The first image shows an adjusted graph where the figure does turn now.
The principle is always the same, as explained in the previous post - block in keyframes far apart, and add keyframes to make hold positions or fine adjustments where the tweening does not work. Look at the graphed movement to see exactly what is happening. With 360 degree turns, you might have to have a lot of keyframes to hold that turn.
(The dance spin aniBlock shows a good turn.)
Ammon may have a better explanation and tip - I tend to just play around unscientifically with things until they are right.
Also, there is a potential problem at the end of the aniBlock when the figure's hip Y rotation is more/less than a certain number, which I think is about 27 degrees (Ammon, correct me here!). To make smooth aniBlock blending, the figure will do an automatic turn, if an aniBlock follows this aniBlock. This is great for blending aniBlocks with cornering, but not so great if you are hand animating and not expecting it.
Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. I'll be trying this.
aniMate2 is a brilliant solution for easy animation, and it fits in well with DAZ Studio's original purpose - to be easy for non-technical people. aniMate2 solves technical problems internally for its own aniBlocks, but because of this, it has always been a little bit tricky when making your own animation. keyMate goes back to the DAZ Studio timeline, allowing easier traditional linear animation.
My preference in the past - I haven't used keyMate much yet - has been to do keyframing on figures on the DAZ Studio timeline in small chunks. Then convert that chunk into an aniBlock, which means that I can repeat or slide that piece of animation along the timeline, and speed up and slow down. I would think that the addition of keyMate will make that easier in DS 4.5.
I recently got aniMate2 and I am really impressed with all the powerful features it has. Layering with the option to add or override is great. It does a lot of auto-magic with blending, looping, & orienting. It has a graph editor, start points, constraints, and you can even edit trajectory splines in the view-port! It's very good at tweaking motion capture, stringing together poses, managing chunks of custom motions made with KeyMate and blending any combination of those together.
I originally was under the impression it did not work well with genesis but it works great. There is a free block to fix the feet issue with old gen animations but you could easily fix it yourself in a few seconds after you know how it works.
GoFigure thanks your tutorial and reply fo my question ^^
then,, now I tried to use keymate and first simple animation with primitive obj like your tutorial,
I can understand how it work.
after that I hope to make simple walk original animation by editing aniblock.
then there seems some problem.
1. I open animate , then set walk aniblock for genesis, and set my sub original toe adjust aniblock.
2 I bake them to ds timeline by animate 2 tool.
3 I remove aniblock then, tried to edit each key poze. I open keymate tab.
4 I edit them, after save the scene. but It seems not good,, so I want to try from first step.
5 I delete every animation in ds timeline, then open animate 2 and set aniblock agaiin.
6 but after I used the keymate , animate 2 can not play aniblock animation. untill I close the scene.
I checked ds timeline key but, there is no key, and genesis keep zero poze.
and close keymate. but genesis can not move with aniblock. (I can not check the motion too)
so animate 2 seems just freeze I think.
7 if I close the scene and opne new scene or load genesis , then aniblock can work again.:roll:
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and my biggest question is,, how user make interval animation,, between two aniblock?
I often think about that,, so if make animation by aniblock , need to fill every timeline by aniblock?
Can I not mix ds timeline animation and aniblock ?
eg set run aniblock 1 to 30 key,
I hope 31 to 45 , make animation by ds timeline key, (I think if I can make this interval animation by keymate and ds timeline,,)
46 to 70 use jump aniblock .
71to 90 set anotehr animation by ds timeline with key mate,,
but I can not do it . if I missed something,,@@;
so if I need to make interval animation as another scene, then bake it as new aniblock, after save it,
mix them with another aniblock? ( I tried it, so, find animate 2 stop, after use keymate,, eventhough
there is no ds timeline key,, )
Check that you have enabled the aniMate track.
In this image, you can see a white eye icon under the top white eye icon. If you are seeing the white eye, that means the track is disabled. Click the white eye, and it should turn into a black square, and the block should work again.
(If this is what is happening, exiting the application will reset the white eye, which is why that works.)
Explanation - When you transfer from aniMate to the DS Timeline, the aniMate tracks are automatically disabled so that the blocks do not interfere with the DS Timeline keyframes.
thanks your help, oh my gosh,,,I believed the eye mark visible,, so it work ^^;
so,, if I can mix ds timeline animation,, and animate 2 block?? @@;
now I am so exciting,, because,, if I can copy poze of key in animate block to ds timeline key,,
so exciting,,,
now I am try some video tutorial,, for waking animation,,
his tutorial and animation seems so great,,,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWDFGlObdh0&list=PL3A9EF5D702546A3A&index=8
before I tried samething,, but I gave up,,,
then I believe I can do same thing by ds and key mate,,if use aniblock and edit,, it seems more easy !!
================
then,, I use animate 2 and key mate, bake one aniblock to ds timeline, and tweak each key,,
after that,, I hope to apply sub track, and edit ds time line agan,,
but if I apply onother aniblock as sub track,, the timeline key cleared ^^;
(so my way is wrong,, or is there good way to protect ds timeline key when apply new aniblock?
about same key, it can not work?)
It's not that easy to mix DS timeline and aniMate2. Mix is probably the wrong word, too, because as soon as you add an aniBlock, the DS Timeline is ignored.
When you bake the aniBlock to the DS Timeline, all frames for all joints are made into keyframes on the DS Timeline. This means that it is very difficult to change the animation using keyMate, because there are so many keyframes involved.
If you are just looking to copy a pose, then place the aniBlock on the aniMate2 timeline, go to the frame with the pose, and click a dot on the Puppeteer tab. This will save the pose into Puppeteer (you can then delete the aniBlock), so that you can recall that pose at any time by clicking the dot in keyMate. In that video (ghidghid has some good stuff) - you could copy four or five poses out of a block, by putting each pose into a separate dot.
oh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you,, really helpful,, I can cleare understand the way ^^;
yes I think it is not good way mix and use both tool at same time ^^;
OK,, now I try again,, thanks much your help !!
Thanks for all the great info Carnite!
From my understanding it is really best to only go back and forth from aniMate2 & the timeline (or KeyMate) in limited small isolated chunks. Small adjustments seem much easier to do entirely inside aniMate2 on different levels/sub tracks. It's a shame you can't go back and forth easier but I'm finding I can accomplish a lot more then expected all inside aniMate2.
Whenever I add an aniBlock to the aniMate2 timeline my DS / KeyMate timeline gets corrupted, even if I disable or delete all aniBlocks. At least 1 key is missing, TCB keys are converted to linear or constant, copies I pasted of the 1st frame no longer work. The entire timeline seems buggy until I "clear animation" for the figure. Just curious if these are known limitations or if something is wrong? I guess you need to really save or import those keys in first.
Also noticed when I animate with the DS timeline or keyMate the little black arrow key indicators in the DS timeline no longer show up consistently. Not a big deal since I prefer working in keyMate anyway but should probably be fixed.
Ever since I installed the new unreleased crash fix for keyMate, under customize I have two sets of the same keyMate hotkeys listed. And they got cleared out a few times.
I also don't understand how the studio keys at the bottom of aniMate2 are supposed to work. They don't seem constant with the DS timeline/keyMate.
Aside from these issues I find both programs very valuable. I would say they are essential if you spend a decent amount of time animating in DAZ.
Sometimes crashes here too when I delete the Genesis figure... but sometimes, not always:)
Did you message Go Figure for the fixed plug-in? So far since I added the fix, keyMate has not crashed once but I also have not been using it much since I started messing with aniMate2. I just have the issue with duplicate keyMate hotkeys. I did have 1 crash so far from aniMate2 though.
Not yet, I'll try it, thanks!
I got one when I deleted a whole (Short) animation. I froze the computer.
I'm not surprised - aniBlocks take over completely. But you could put in a bug report.
I thought that Studio Keys were the same as the Timeline. They have different colours for Translate/Scale/Morph.