How to use the look up attribute pop with curve pop

Hi, I am using the VertIndexNorm attribute generated with a line metrics node to control the template scale parameter on a copy pop. This works reasonable well, but I would like a bit more control over the values so that I can determine a more complex profile of the “tail” of each skinned entity. Looks like the look up attribute pop in conjunction with the curve pop is what I need (I may be wrong about this). But I am a bit confused about how to get this to work. I looked at the example in the file POPsGuide.0.0.1394.toe but as great as these examples are, in this instance the example provided is a bit too different from my particular case to help me. To summarize I am trying to shape the profile of the skinned shapes and would like to know how to use the look up attribute to achieve this. Thanks in advance!


trail_sm_lookUpAttribute.2.toe (2.5 MB)

This is a good example case. Have a look at this…

trail_sm_lookUpAttributeMaybeSolution.5.toe (2.5 MB)

For the Lookup Attribute POP, swap the inputs - the first input is the one with the index and the other data you are building up.

The second input is the curve. (we need to make the rollover hint on the inputs more clear)

The Lookup Index Attribute is your VertIndexNorm coming from the Line Metrics POP.

The toggle Input Attr is Lookup Index should be off (default) as your index is normalized 0-1 (we need to make this more clear)

Then what you are pulling from curve1: Value Attributes is Curve since that’s the attribute that has your ease-in ease-out curve.

You will create here a new attribute CircleScale. I made it 1.5 times larger.

CircleScale is what you give the Copy POP in its Template Scale par.

We tried to explain it a bit better here: Lookup Attribute POP

I reversed the lookup curve so you do not need to do it in math_reverseValue.

FYI, In upcoming builds of POPs you may not need the delete1 that takes out single-point line strips.

I know the Lookup * POPs are a bit to wrap your head around as there are a lot of choices of what/how to combine/re-range, but we tried to make them all as similar to each other as we can. You have have your main POP where you have your index. Then in the first section you are preparing your index. It may be 0-1 or 0-someinteger. You have your thing you are looking up into - a CHOP, a TOP, a POP curve… then what you want to call your output and the options to re-range.

Thanks for the example file and great explanation @greg ! It really clears things up.