Bouncing Ball

[EnCore Mayne]

i'd like to make a prim bounce up and down. can i use animesh for this?

[Alyona Su]

You could. But it would be a LOT of work for a simple bouncing ball. I don't know what your intention or requirements are, but the APS would be a much easier way to create it, but again: overkill for a simple bouncing ball (though a bouncing ball is exactly what the creators uses as an example in the tutorial videos):

https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/zEDAPSAnimated-Prim-System/2760746

Edited April 30, 2019 by Alyona Su

[EnCore Mayne]

i may have missed the boat on Animesh. haven't paid any attention to it at all since conception But, if it can be used to simulate movement of an avatar's attachment i'd love to learn how. just wondering if a simple as can be, one prim movement, can be done with it. no commercial tools. it should be something anyone can do.

[Alyona Su]

On 4/30/2019 at 9:35 AM, EnCore Mayne said:

i may have missed the boat on Animesh. haven't paid any attention to it at all since conception But, if it can be used to simulate movement of an avatar's attachment i'd love to learn how. just wondering if a simple as can be, one prim movement, can be done with it. no commercial tools. it should be something anyone can do.

1) It must be mesh (so requires 3D Modeling app), 2) it must be rigged to SL Skeleton (So, 3D Modeling app that supports SL rigging), 3) Animation to "squish and stretch" the mesh as it "bounces) - so that's an animation app, the free one most popular being Q-Animator), 4) and reposition script to move the object up and down in virtual space.

That's what it will take to create an Animesh bouncing ball. To create a prim bouncing ball with the APS is a few seconds and clicks all done in-world (watch the tutorial video) - but it's certainly not a smooth or graceful as the Animesh *could* be.

Though in both cases the real question is: what is the big picture? Certainly, there would be more than just a bouncing ball (because either system would be overkill for such a simple thing) - if that ball is part of a larger whole, then you need to decide which is the better method for the whole: Animesh or something like APS. Or, sometimes a mixture of both is the way to go. Like how some sims are 100% Mesh (horrible places to be) and others are 50/50 Prims and Mesh (much better places to be, because optimized builds) - it's the same with animated creations.

[EnCore Mayne]

i am familiar with and use all the mesh tools necessary with the exception of the antiquated QAvimator (referenced by you as Q-Animator). if i understand correctly, to animate a mesh object it must be rigged to a bone of the SL skeleton. having to use an entire skeleton for a single bone seems like overkill. guess i'll have to keep reading up on the animesh to see if anyone else has the same concept.

[Ana Stubbs]

4 hours ago, EnCore Mayne said:

i am familiar with and use all the mesh tools necessary with the exception of the antiquated QAvimator (referenced by you as Q-Animator). if i understand correctly, to animate a mesh object it must be rigged to a bone of the SL skeleton. having to use an entire skeleton for a single bone seems like overkill. guess i'll have to keep reading up on the animesh to see if anyone else has the same concept.

It's absolutely overkill, but this is all we have at the moment. I think there were some noises made about custom skeletons, but at the rate things are progressing, I wouldn't hold your breath for animesh 2.0

[Alyona Su]

18 hours ago, EnCore Mayne said:

antiquated QAvimator (referenced by you as Q-Animator)

Yes, yes. Which confirms how antiquated it is LOL.

[EnCore Mayne]

i've managed to get the bouncing ball animesh done in the SL viewer but in my preferred viewer Firestorm there's no "Animated Mesh" checkbox like the SL viewer. how do i turn on animesh in Firestorm?

[So Whimsy]

5 minutes ago, EnCore Mayne said:

i've managed to get the bouncing ball animesh done in the SL viewer but in my preferred viewer Firestorm there's no "Animated Mesh" checkbox like the SL viewer. how do i turn on animesh in Firestorm?

You have to have the latest release of the firestorm viewer 6.0.2.-something. When you use that viewer animesh is automatically turned on.

[EnCore Mayne]

i have the latest Firestorm viewer. anything i attempt with Firestorm, upload, script, add animation, wear doesn't work. when i then relog into the SL viewer i can switch on the Animated Mesh from the Features tab, reset script, et voila it works. only when i set the Animated Mesh checkbox with the SL viewer do i see the Developer>Metadata>Joints of the object's rigged skeleton.

[OptimoMaximo]

On 5/1/2019 at 7:01 PM, Alyona Su said:

1) It must be mesh (so requires 3D Modeling app), 2) it must be rigged to SL Skeleton (So, 3D Modeling app that supports SL rigging), 3) Animation to "squish and stretch" the mesh as it "bounces) - so that's an animation app, the free one most popular being Q-Animator), 4) and reposition script to move the object up and down in virtual space.

That's what it will take to create an Animesh bouncing ball. To create a prim bouncing ball with the APS is a few seconds and clicks all done in-world (watch the tutorial video) - but it's certainly not a smooth or graceful as the Animesh *could* be.

Though in both cases the real question is: what is the big picture? Certainly, there would be more than just a bouncing ball (because either system would be overkill for such a simple thing) - if that ball is part of a larger whole, then you need to decide which is the better method for the whole: Animesh or something like APS. Or, sometimes a mixture of both is the way to go. Like how some sims are 100% Mesh (horrible places to be) and others are 50/50 Prims and Mesh (much better places to be, because optimized builds) - it's the same with animated creations.

You are correct on most things there, except a little detail that is worth mentioning

Squash and stretch can be achieved only within some extents, as it requires scale data too to go along with joint repositioning. Scale data is not supported by the internal animation format except for the mPelvis joint, which makes every animated scaling be inherited by all child joints you might be using, basically making the squash and stretch animation be visually crippled. For all the rest you're totally right

[Alyona Su]

1 hour ago, OptimoMaximo said:

You are correct on most things there, except a little detail that is worth mentioning

Squash and stretch can be achieved only within some extents, as it requires scale data too to go along with joint repositioning. Scale data is not supported by the internal animation format except for the mPelvis joint, which makes every animated scaling be inherited by all child joints you might be using, basically making the squash and stretch animation be visually crippled. For all the rest you're totally right

This is true, which is why I mentioned the APS system.  I can only explain what I heve firsthand personal experience with and for full disclosure: I know just enough of this stuff to be dangerous, I not only deny any professional knowledge or status, I take steps backward into the shadows when those subjects come up. LOL

[RachelWales]

On 5/1/2019 at 1:01 PM, Alyona Su said:

1) It must be mesh (so requires 3D Modeling app), 2) it must be rigged to SL Skeleton (So, 3D Modeling app that supports SL rigging), 3) Animation to "squish and stretch" the mesh as it "bounces) - so that's an animation app, the free one most popular being Q-Animator), 4) and reposition script to move the object up and down in virtual space.

 

Enlightening post.

I have been trying to make a simple prim "jump" in order to get started with animesh. I can change a dance script in an animesh but that's it. I acquired a 100 percent mesh figure on the market and couldn't animate that either.

Wondering if anyone can direct me to a forum which talks about rigging a mesh object to an SL skeleton. Think that may be the missing piece for me. I have a couple of simple dance scripts for animesh figures. I am just exploring scripting and building and would like to learn more about this area.

[Singerman Marquette]

Actually making a bouncy ball isn't all that difficult, if you can wrap your mind around how the animation bones can be relocated during anims, and with special weighting techniques. In the video here we show our Animesh prim baby using his Bouncy Ball Toy, somewhere in the "Let's Install Some Addables" section of the video (Around the 4:20 mark). This video shows one of our Cherub-type Youngin's.

 

Edited June 22, 2019 by Singerman Marquette
adding time of mentioned feature in video