Smart Bones and Constraints next steps: Custom Controls

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burntys01
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Mar 05, 2015 10:33 pm

Smart Bones and Constraints next steps: Custom Controls

Post by burntys01 »

I am building my first rig and setting up control bones through constraints, and I realized that I couldn't make a custom visual control setup for this character rig. Using constraints and control bones is working ok for me now, but I would like to have a visually custom control setup so that I can pass this rig onto my team of animators that isn't as familiar with AS (I am pretty new myself). I make these kinds of setups in Cinema 4D and After Effects all the time, and feel that AS would benefit from the same options.

Having worked with AS drawing and transform tools, I get that a custom control setup may be troublesome on traditional vector layers. I would propose the ability to make a non-rendering "controls" layer, where the shapes that users have made in AS or imported .png files can be set up. Each individual element can be named in the property bar up top like bones, and they will be accessible through the constraints menu for bone setup. They can also be used to create smart bone actions, or have smart bones constrained to them to drive the action. The shapes will have options of driving scale x,y, rotation, and position x,y when a user interacts with the control layer objects to limit or open up what the control object can do for the end user. It would be useful to have a control layer active toggle checkbox to switch between editing mode for creating the custom control art, and active mode for interacting with the controls based upon the properties set up for each object.

I am sure there are things I have left out, and that the list of features requested here is incomplete, but I would be super happy with having the ability to add a user created custom control setup. Maybe this is already possible and I just am too new to the software. Let me know. Posting an image of a rough mockup that I would probably set up, without the mouth controls because it is just more position constraints whose functionality would be similar to other controllers shown.

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jayfaker
Posts: 151
Joined: Sat Feb 14, 2015 7:21 pm

Re: Smart Bones and Constraints next steps: Custom Controls

Post by jayfaker »

This is really cool. I've been working on similar things myself. You can set vector/image layers as non-rendering, so that's a start. I've been drawing backgrounds for bone dials, etc. You could also have images assigned to the bones, so it LOOKS like there are custom buttons , BUT you would still be grabbing the bones, not the images.

The big thing that would have to change a little is that bones have become the paradigm here. Bones always manipulate vector/image layers and never the other way around. So unlike after effects, you can't grab an image layer and move it hoping to control any bones (or anything else). There would have to be some way to either embed images into the bone layer, or a way to make images parents of bones (maybe a group layer with a bone layer and other image layers that are assigned to them? Maybe they would be assigned in the constraint window?)

Anyway, I think it would be an important step towards moving ASP into the professional pipeline world.
seren animation
Posts: 16
Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2014 3:58 pm

Re: Smart Bones and Constraints next steps: Custom Controls

Post by seren animation »

Yeah this would be good to see in anime studio, which has more in common with cinema 4D/maya than with toonboom/flash.
Smart objects as well as smart bones, where position of objects as well as size and rotation (and maybe other attributes) can be mapped to parameters.

I'd also like to see these smart controllers be externally controlled with mapping to OSC/midi for control with ipads/phones and midi controllers, just like you can do with DAWs like ableton live.
sillyanimate
Posts: 145
Joined: Mon Feb 15, 2016 7:28 pm

Re: Smart Bones and Constraints next steps: Custom Controls

Post by sillyanimate »

yes yes this would make animating easier
Don't forget! No one is perfect!
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