Applying motion clips

Motion clips affect the body parts of the actor except for face and hands. From idle to walk motions these animations can be used in complete form or edited within the timeline for that motion. The available attributes for editing include length, lead in, lead out, blending, and splicing.

Adjusting the motion

Length allows you to adjust the action by looping the motion as many times as needed or by speeding up and slowing down the motion. This is accomplished by shortening or lengthening the motion with the loop button turned off.

The motion clip is represented by the grey rectangle, which turns blue when selected. This rectangle may be long or short depending on the length of the animation stored within it.

Note

To slow down a motion move the cursor over the end of the selected clip. Hold down the left mouse button and pull the end of the clip to the right side of the timeline. This lengthens the motion which slows it down.

To speed up a motion move the end of the clip to the left, shortening the motion clip and speeding it up.

If you cannot stretch or expand the motion then make sure you have the Loop button toggled on at the top of the timeline toolbar.

The following image compares the same clip with different lengths on the timeline:

Note

To loop a motion make sure the Loop/Speed button is activated, place your cursor over the end of the clip, and pull to the desired length on the timeline. The animation will then loop to that point.

Controlling facial expressions

Expressions and facial puppeteering are two exciting features for facial control in iClone. With the Puppeteering panel in iClone you control the facial bones by selecting which area you want to control.

You can preview your actions for practice then press record and move the face around with the mouse. These actions are recorded along the timeline for you. This takes a little practice.

This is considered an advanced skill outside the scope of this book and will not be covered in detail, nor is it a part of our on-going project. This is a powerful tool we need to be aware of and practice with after we master the basics and move on to more advanced features as our skills grow.

The facial Puppeteering panel is displayed in the following image as this feature is used to select and move various parts of the face:

Invoking hand motions

iClone hands is a very powerful feature that is often overlooked by most users. The hands can be controlled as one unit through motions or individual finger control with key framing can be used for more complicated animations or tweaks to the hand motions.

Like any motion, hand motions can be edited through the timeline. If a motion doesn't do exactly what you want, you have the option of using the Motion Editor to modify the existing motion to better fit your needs.

To invoke the Hand motions select the Animation tab, then click on the Hands button or with the character selected right-click on the characters, move your cursor over Motion Menu then Hands.

The next image shows the right-click popup menu with the Hands selection located in the sub-menu. Use this menu as a shortcut not only to the Motion Menu, but to the other menu features as well:

You can also control the finger and hand movement through the main motion editor, the Edit Motion Layer dialog. The dialog allows you pick the bone or finger you wish to manipulate.

Manipulating character's fingers

The iClone motion editor is a sleekly designed pop-up that allows you to select which bone or finger you want to manipulate.

On the Body side of the editor you can select individual bones for movement. On the bottom left you will find the Mirror checkbox that mirrors movement to the opposing limb. The bones can be manipulated along their axis by the Move and Rotate tools in the top toolbar.

There is also an IK Constrain option. IK (Inverse Kinematics) sets up the bones as a chain where movement on one bone effects the movement of the attached bones. This is another area you are highly encouraged to experiment with.

The fingers work the same as the bones. Select the fingers you want to move and use the appropriate tool to move or rotate them.

Using paths to move objects

Paths are another 3D tool with a long history. Paths can be projected to the ground, which is very handy for vehicles.

Paths apply movement to an object such as a car moving along a street, an airplane moving across the sky, in a dogfight or an air race, cars on a racetrack, and small crowds. A character using a path combined with a looped walk motion can be a very convincing background asset.

The physical paths are never visible in the final render even if they are visible in the viewport.

The simplest method of using a path is as follows:

1. Click on the object that is to move along the path.
2. Go to frame 1 or whatever frame you need the action to start in.
3. Use the Select Path tool to click the first waypoint in the path.
4. Move time scrubber to the end or to the last frame of the action.
5. Use the Select Path tool to click on the last waypoint in the path.
6. Click follow path and orient the object in the right direction.

Boom! Instant object movement.

The following image demonstrates using a path to land an aircraft in a smooth movement:

Paths can twist, curve, and go in any direction.

Tip

In fact you may experience some trouble in orienting your paths when you first start drawing them on screen. Use the grid when possible and the snap to grid when practical.

Use the path edit tools to move and/or rotate the path to match your needs. You will eventually adapt your own methods of creating paths in the 3D workspace.

Note

For the movement to be smooth use a path. For terrestrial vehicles use the Project to Terrain checkbox option to force the path to glue to the terrain.

Now that the overview is out of the way let's have some fun.