controlling playhead imported FBX animation

Beginners
1

hi all,

I have a sphere made in 3D studio and scattered it in to 50 meshes through an animation. While importing i have 50 geo’s with every geo has 6 dynamic values due animation Rotate x,y,z and Translate x,y,z …total of 300 channels. What i would like to to is control each geo with an audio input based on kick or certain incoming gain but als scratch the whole animation. Is there a way to achieve that ? And which chops could help me with that ?

regards,
Ian

2

You’ll want to go into the Takes component and split out the channels for each object into their own CHOPs using Select CHOPs. Then you’ll want to output all these from the Takes component using Out CHOPs → Null CHOPs. Turn on the Null CHOPs export flags, and turn on Automatic Export By Name in them also. All the objects should be having the same as they were originally at this point.

Now you can manipulate the channel sets of each objects however you want. To scrub through the animation at will you’ll want to use a Lookup CHOP.

3

aa cool Malcolm…will give it a go

thx

4

I’m tackling a similar situation, trying to gain control of the local timeline of an imported fbx animation. I’ve followed the directions but in my case the Constant CHOP is having no effect (or little effect) on the Lookup channels. Did you get this working? The attached zip contains my .toe and imported animation.
AnimControl.zip (1.24 MB)

5

I’m still curious why this wasn’t working but for now I’ve got a solution using a Constant to trigger value changes in a chopexec with some python code. It needs some smoothing out but is working. If anyone would like more info let me know.

6

Sorry, I’ll elaborate some more. The missing piece of info I left out is that the channels you want to bring out of the Takes component is the full animation range, not the ‘current’ values that are currently coming out. Or alternatively you can modify the inside the takes component. This will allows you select the animation frame you want to use. Attached is your file with the edit.
AnimControl.zip (1.26 MB)

7

so basicly you combine all the channels into 1 main channel (by giving them all the same name ) and that is the root slider…am getting there…i think ^^

ok i got a constant working on the scrub so thats good. now i have a flower dancing from left to right and would like to have this on the beat …i get an incoming OSC beat message that should match the speed of the dancing flower. DO i need to put a logic CHOP in front of the Lookup CHOP and let the OSC message trigger the Logic CHOP ? or are there better ways to do that ?

cheers Ian