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Some model ideas I have in mind before closing here.
🕑 Added 2020-12-08 00:54:55 +0000 UTCHey guys! I hope you all are doing good!
So, before I start everything, let me say please keep your guard up. Yes, this year has been the worst to literally everyone. I know it's hard to be alone in these depressing ass months, but right now it's not the best time to be together.
We are only separated by distance, it's better to be it distance, than being for life. Please take care guys, if you really love your relatives, show them by taking care of them. Let's hold for a bit more.
Anyway, depressing shit is out of the system, so let's get into the actual interesting things... interesting for me at least.
So, I've been talking with a friend about the creation of certain tools that could help every SFM user. You guys see, aside of models, I also know a bit of programming, some "game dev principles" (aka "I've watched a few tutorials in Youtube, so that means I'm automatically educated as a Game Dev") and some uninteresting things more.
Thanks to that, I've been thinking about some tools and some extra models that could help you creators of all skill levels to practice, learn more, and actually, use some of these in your creation compositions. Some of these ideas have been discussed, and one in particular wasn't, but I thought it could be good to add.
Here's the list of things I have in mind to tools for creators.
Note: These are going to be released to the public, but I want you guys to be the first to know about them.
SFM Script: Frame Tools.
Short description: Some tools for animators that can help them to plan motions with ease.
== Full description ==
The Frame Tools is a "collection of python scripts" (just 2, wow, such collection...) oriented to frame/time contexts.
Originally thought as a "Tool for beginners", the Frame Tools kept getting bigger with the need of extra information and a couple of suggestions from a big creator also interested in making SFM a tool easier to use for everyone.
The current planned tools are the following:
Frame Sheet: A spreadsheet where the user will input the frame rate and the tool will spit the real-time value of all the frames contained in 1 second of the given frame rate.
Example (24 fps):
Frame Real Time.
0 0
1 0.041
2 0.083
24 1
And so on.
While this tool doesn't have a complex use, it is intended to have a quick spreadsheet to see how long a motion is going to be, or if you need it, how many frames do you need to get the desired length of a motion.
Motion Helper: The main tool that spawned the Frame Tools idea. It is a two-table tool where the creator would input where they think the keyframes for a motion are, and which framerate the motion is. Then, the creator would set the framerate they want to recreate that motion.
The tool will then, make a conversion from that target framerate to the creator's desired framerate.
Example
Framerate: 60 fps to 24 fps.
Keyframe-60. Keyframe-24
0 0
12 4.8
20 8
Yes, that's a 4.8, such keyframe is not possible, but that's not the point, for the full description of how to use this tool is going to be explained in the documentation.
Initially thought as a "full recreator" tool, reality imposed itself and gave me the actual use of this tool: it is meant to teach beginners and intermediate users key differences between framerates and keyframe spacing, both very important aspects for animators.
As for advanced users: it gives them the chance to manipulate motion lengths in the desired framerate, and if we can push it further, to actually recreate motions to a certain extent.
There are a few other tools in mind, but it might need its own post, and since it's going to contain documentation, I think it's best for that to leave it once it's done.
== Closure for "Frame Tools" ==
These tools are oriented for creators of all levels. One of the key features I would like to add, is about adding the keyframes automagically to the Graph Editor, but last time I remember, and from me looking at it, SFM Python is a fucking nightmare, and I think I will just keep it simple.
If you guys think there is a particular tool in the context of time, let me know! We can further expand this idea!
SFM Model Tool: The Cube.
Short Description: The Cube is meant to be a "Universal placeholder."
=== Full Description ===
The Cube is... well... A cube. It is a cube that will contain flexes to make it bigger, to make it smaller, to make it thin, and to make it round. Yes. Round.
Why such flexes? Well, the cube, what LordAardvark then confirmed it to me, was oriented to be used to be "a universal placeholder". Well, I won't put words on his mouth. He confirmed me the use was to be one of "a placeholder". I was the one that called it a "universal placeholder", out of pretentiousness yes, but also because of the functions it has:
- If you make it big, you can use it as a wall, or a floor placeholder.
- If you make it small, you can use it as a chair, a table, or any other kind of furniture placeholder.
- If you make it thin, you can use it for very specific looking place holder, like bottles and books.
- If you make it round, you can use it both to simulate specific looking for props, or as "character heads" placeholders to later be replaced with actual characters, either for scene purposes (crowd) or for actual content purposes.
It will also contain 6 different colors to help you visually know which placeholder is which. They are also planned to have a big ass "FRONT" text so you know which one is the front in the case the creator needs to visually know how a "front" would look like on camera.
Again, this one is pretty lengthy, and I actually have... or well, I still hope I have, the writing idea somewhere about how to use it and such. It's lengthy because it covers a lot of areas, like placeholder placing, camera placing and tweaking, how to use such placeholders in your favor... Let's say it started as a post to help beginners to jump from using lit BSPs and actually take the jump to black_void and scenebuild, and I thought "maybe a Cube can help beginners to make the jump" and... well, that's that.
== Closure for "The Cube" ==
The Cube is an idea I had for a long time. I think it can be useful for creators of all levels, from beginners to advanced.
I think it's a good idea worth doing.
self note: dude, I can't write "Length." I keep getting red markers on that word...
Model Edit: Famous Kaylan's liquid models.
Short Description: All of Kaylan's famous liquid models getting rigged.
=== Full Description ===
Long, long time ago, there was a release of some meshes that were very famous in the scene. They were released by Kaylan, and they were quite famous back in the day. There was however, another set tagged "Experimental" which where some of those meshes, but they were rigged.
Fluids and liquids are not the strenght of SFM, and chances are they may never be, but as always, we can help to make things more usable or to give more choices.
Like I mentioned, the "Experimental" models didn't contain every mesh of Kaylan's original upload, so I was thinking, "what if I do my own 'Experimental' version of them?"
So, in my head have the idea in how build them:
- Give them a number of bones.
- Rig them according to their location.
- Fix "invading" weights.
And, for the bones, I have the current setup in mind:
(Every dash means hierachy)
- Root Bone.
-- Mesh Root Bones.
--- Mesh Bones.
For example, it would be like this:
- Root
-- Bone 1 Root
--- Bone 1
-- Bone 2 Root
--- Bone 2
And so on.
The reason to re-rig Kaylan's meshes (some may argue they are too outdated) is because SFM is just very, very poor when it comes to fluids. Creators are bound to use Particle systems and meshes, unlike actual 3D software that have fluid systems with collisions, so what I'm trying to do in here is improve the current systems creator use by rigging those meshes.
And, the reason to use such setup, is actually very simple:
- By giving roots to the rigged bones, you can make posing more assisted and by design, make it easier.
- By adding more bones, while I'm more likely to hit the 3-weight limit, it's also going to add more posing options, which is always welcome.
- While SFM has its own root bone, rootTransform, I decided to add a general "Root" bone so people who doesn't run SFM have an easier time porting them to their software of desire.
== Closure for Kaylan's Meshes ==
Kaylan's meshes are maybe the most famous props and important props created for SFM. They had such impact that a lot of builders keep on building props to improve such lacking resource for SFM. I think they are up for an update. I know I'm not the best to do it, but still, I want to give it a shot, no pun intended.
=================
So that's some of the ideas I've been having for a long time. Some of them were even thought of before Sheva's release: in my writings, the Cube was supposed to be released before Sheva, and the post was going to contain the message of joke of people leaving because the Cube was released before Sheva and me saying "Sheva is going to be the last model released anyway."
What do you guys think? Is there something that caught your eye? Or something else to expand about the frame tools? Please mention it!
Also, as always, no release date because those are evil!
Anyway, that's all, wash your hands guys!
