Vertex Morphing Sample

[Kukla Interactive]

I found a vertex morph sample, I try same project, I create 2 same teaport model.
Teaport1 - Normal (not changed)
Teaport2 - Deformated (I change vertex positions)

2 models are same vertex number

I select 2 teaports and make a group DXMORPH named.
and I Exported. but not worked.

Please can you help me with pictures (my english not good) I dont understand how to export or use with 3dsmax.

PS: I using Panda XFile Exporter, but I try DxMesh exported not worked...

[BUnzaga]

Can you post the documents, resources?

[ucm]

This is all I could find with searching through DX Studio; I hope some of the information in these two places help. I would like to try my hand at DXMorphing some day too :-)


Wiki: Vertex Morphing


Forum Topic: Changing morph targets,

[ucm]

I just read that Wiki article ( Wiki: Vertex Morphing ) for the first time and I "think" I get it!

@SUPPORT: If I get any of this wrong please let us know ;-)

/*



MESH
 |
  - any other meshes, bones, etc
  - any other meshes, bones, etc
  - any other meshes, bones, etc
  - any other meshes, bones, etc
 |
 |
  - DXMORPH_Head
   |
   | - Current
   | - Neutral
   | - Eyes_Closed
   | - Smile
   | - Scared
   | - Laugh
   | - Sad
   | - Mad
   | - Cry
   | - Hurt_Eye
   | - Closed_Eye_Left
   | - Closed_Eye_Right
   | - Spock_Eye_Brow_Up
   | - Spock_Eye_Brow_Down



*/

OK Here's how I "believe" it is supposed to work:


in your modeling program:

Step 1: In your modeling program create your model how you like it in it's default vertices positions ( this is called "Neutral" in the Wiki article )

Step 2: Save your model so that you have a backup of the Neutral Expression

Step 3: Now move the vertices around to create your desired expression. Make sure this is the final position of your expression!

Step 4: Save your model as it's own different file; give it a name to help you remember what Expression it is.

Step 5: RE-Load your original "Neutral Expression" model

Step 6: Repeat Step 3 through Step 5 until you have your various desired expressions.


in the DX Studio Editor:

Explaination: In the Wiki Article you see:
> Inside this subgroup, the very first child subgroup must have a copy of the neutral mesh. This will be where the moprhed copy is stored, so will change at runtime.

^-- this is the subgroup named: Current Note that this is where DX Studio will get the verticies group and display them in the player. This will change at runtime as you choose different expressions to morph by a specified amount.

In other words: If you call in your script:

objects.myObject.subgroups.Spock_Eye_Brow_Up.morphAmount = 0.5;

Then what will happen is that DX Studio will make your myObject "morph" half of the way of your Spock_Eye_Brow_Up expression.

Illustration:



Timing Script, ( enjoy ):

//Scene Level

var morphSpeed = 0.1; // <-- Change this to change the speed of the eyebrow raising;
           //   try 0.01 to go ten times as fast or
           //   try 0.05 to go twice as fast or
           //   try 0.2 to go half as fast

var morphIncrement = 0.1; // <-- Change this to adjust the smoothness of the morphing
             //   try 0.01 to go more smooth

function onInit(){

  objects.myObject.subgroups.Spock_Eye_Brow_Up.morphAmount = 0.0;
  // ^-- the Current subgroup will be set to the Neutral subgroup ;-)

  scene.setTimer("raiseEyeBrow", 2); // <-- Wait 2 seconds then start raising his eyebrow...

}
function onTimer(timerId){
  if(timerId == "raiseEyeBrow"){

   objects.myObject.subgroups.Spock_Eye_Brow_Up.morphAmount += morphIncrement;
   // ^-- the Current subgroup will be set increased by the  "morphIncrement"  amount of the Spock_Eye_Brow_Up position

  if(objects.myObject.subgroups.Spock_Eye_Brow_Up.morphAmount + morphIncrement >= 1.0){

   objects.myObject.subgroups.Spock_Eye_Brow_Up.morphAmount = 1.0;
   // ^-- the Current subgroup will be set to the Spock_Eye_Brow_Up subgroup ;)

  }else{

   scene.setTimer("raiseEyeBrow", morphSpeed);

  }

}

Step 7: expand your meshes in the mesh definitions panel in the editor.

Step 8: right-click on the top-most subgroup and add a subgroup after it. Then rename that subgroup to DXMORPH_anyNameYouWantHere




Step 9: import all of your Expression models including your Neutral Expression model. You will see them as their own mesh definition.

Step 10: right-click on the top-most node ( aka top-most subgroup ) of your Neutral Expression model and left-click on Copy

Step 11: right-click on the DXMORPH_anyNameYouWantHere you made in step 8 and left-click on Paste > Inside

Step 12: rename this to --> Current

Step 13: once again; right-click on the DXMORPH_anyNameYouWantHere you made in step 8 and left-click on Paste > Inside

Step 14: rename this to --> Neutral


Now for the fun part: ( for each of your Expression models )

Step 15: right-click on the top-most node ( aka top-most subgroup ) of your Expression model and left-click on Copy

Step 16: right-click on the DXMORPH_anyNameYouWantHere you made in step 8 and left-click on Paste > Inside

Step 17: rename this new subgroup to anything you like <-- FYI: remember that when you refer to this in the objects.myObject.subgroups. that this is where you will type in the name of this and the following Expressions you add in ;-)

Step 18: Repeat Step 15 through Step 17 until you have your various desired expressions added as subgroups of the DXMORPH_anyNameYouWantHere subgroup


Step 19: You'll end up with something approximating this:





That should do it :-)

Now in your script; every time you call:

objects.myObject.subgroups.<a style="color:#000099;">myExpression[/URL].morphAmount

Then DX Studio should morph the "Current" subgroup from whatever state it is in to the .morphAmount you specify of the the <a style="color:#000099;">myExpression[/URL] subgroup (H)


DX Studio Rules!!

[Kukla Interactive]

Thanks I understand...

[VerlSnake]

Hello UCM !

First of all: Thank You very much for the Vertex Morphing Timing Script !

Further remarks/questions:
- I have done lots of attempts to create a working DXMORPH subgroup in the manner described above:
* Create DXMORPH subgroup inside DX Studio
* Import each morph target model separately
* Copy/Paste/Rename morph target subgroup meshes inside DX Studio

BUT: All those attempts have failed ! When activating one of the morph targets, the DX Studio Player crashes with a runtime exception !

The way I got a working DXMORPH subgroup is:
- Creating a model containing all morph target meshes
- Exporting that model in the X format
- I have done that with Deep Exploration
- Importing the X format model into DX Studio
- Renaming the top node of the imported mesh to DXMORPH_anyNameYouWant
- Renaming the morph target subgroups appropriately, if not already done in the X model


Of course I would also like to have the option to create a DXMORPH subgroup in the manner You described above: Inside DX Studio ! Is it just me who encounters those runtime exception crashes ?


The goal I am very much after is really the following:
- Having a skinned mesh with bone animation AND morph target animation
- Imagine for example a character which is bone-animated; I import the head as a separate mesh in order to be able to add morph target animation to it

So what I have done is the following:
- Importing bone-animated models - including the bones and mesh groups - via FBX or X into DX Studio
- Add morph-target-based animations to those models by creating a DXMORPH subgroup
- The experiences I have had so far:
* Runtime exception crashes of the DX Studio Player
* Runtime exception crashes inside the DX Studio Editor during the DXMORPH subgroup creation process
* If all went well without crashes: Triggering a morph target does not result in any animation; this holds true when not playing the bone animation, too.

So the important question is: Does DX Studio allow playing morph-target-based animations in conjunction with bone-based animations at all ? If yes: Could someone be so kind and post a recipe for it along the lines UCM did above ?



DX Studio Version used: v3.3.10 (beta)


TIA for clarification of this very important topic !

Cheers and Tsch