Medhue Simoni

Although this might have been true at some point, it is not true today, especially since THE BENTO PROJECT. With Bento and Fitted Mesh, avatars, and their clothing, today are affected quite significantly by our custom Body Shapes. That said, rigging avatars and clothing is not small task, so the results will be sketchy, at best.

If I understand your question correctly, then you can't really do this. If you are using a Bento head, and you want as many of the sliders to work as possible, then you can not use translation animation, for the most part, besides with bones that are not affected by the sliders. Animation will not fix things when a translation animation is played on these heads. You would need to wear a default body shape, then rightclick/Reset skeleton and animation, and then wear your custom body shape again, to get back to your actual shape.

I have a number of forum post where I've put video tutorials on how to make things or do things in SL. None of the videos are there now, and pretty much all the links around the web pointing to these forum posts are now completely pointless. Seems strange that I see many product review videos still in the forums, but the actually useful videos are now gone. Why was all this time spent making product review videos available, but it seems no effort to salvage video tutorials? Will we be able to embed video again soon, or do we all need to wait for LL? It only makes sense to allow embedded videos, as then users are coming to the forums for this stuff, instead of places like YouTube.

I actually brought this up at the meeting last week, and I talked to Gaia of the Machinimatrix team. Quite a few people were asking where to find these files. Vir Linden said that they would try to create a new page for these files, as we are no longer in the testing phase. Gaia told me that some of the files still need updating. I will try to remind her today. There are also a number of add ons or plugins, covering all the major 3D packages. For Blender, there is Avastar http://blog.machinimatrix.org/ For Maya, there is Mayastar https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/MayaStar-Rigging-System-for-Fitted-Mesh-Regular-Mesh/5454253? For 3Ds Max, there is, what I think is being called Mesh Studio, and is created by Polysail. I'm not sure about links for that 1

Woo, this is going to take getting used to. Where's the video input? DAMMIT! Oh, wait, there is code here. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hZnE0OO-yMA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

DreamCrawler Martin wrote: Hello! thank you for replying I did as you recommended, reduced the framerate to 15 fps, reduce the frame length to 50 (no need to specify the FPS in maya, the bvh exporter will just reproduce all the frames in the timeline, all you need to do is specify the frame speed in the BVH after exporting). So in this 50 frame animation I reproduce the issue as basic as possible: 1 Add mFaceJaw, mFaceLipCornerLeft & mFacelipCornerRight keyframes on frame 0. (Both rotation and translation, all 3 axes, 6 curves) 2 Go to frame 25 and Rotate mFaceJaw bone to open mouth. Then rotate & translate both LipCorner bones to give the avatar a nice smile. 3 Keyframe all 3 bones on frame 25 (both rotation and translation, all 3 axes, 6 curves) 4 Export a 50 length animation in BVH format. 5 Result: Once in BVH uploader preview you can see the issue: Jaw rotates correctly until half of the animation (frame 25) but the mFaceLipCorner bones keep translating until frame 50 (end of animation). So much lower framerate, just 50 frames total, just 3 keyframed bones. Issue still reproduces when uploading the BVH. I know using blender with .anim format solves it. But it literally stops any maya user to animate. If you have the character in Blender with Avastar also, then I would test that bvh file from Maya in Blender. Avastar has a very good retargeting system, if the animation doesn't convert over perfectly. I'm not saying do it all in Blender, but just to test Maya's bvh exporter using Blender.

GatoUke wrote: Would you kindly guide me in the right direction onto where to start for create bento compatible animations with Blender? (specifically for bento hand) Aside from obviously donwload Blender, what else do I need? I understand that I need this Avastar add on, but I'm confused as to what version do I need... Is there any tutorials for beginners I can watch? Thanks before hand Avastar2 is the bento version. I have some tutorials on using blender and avastar, especially animation, but I don't have much on Bento yet. Avastar is just getting finalized, so I did not want to make any tutorials until it's ready. Search Medhue on Youtube to find my videos.

Cathy Foil wrote: So you could make your smile instead of using 350 frames with 175 frames and then Blender export it with 15 FPS or with Maya edit the BVH file to Frame Time: 0.066666 I am no animation expert but I been doing some experiments and this is what I been able to gather. If you are using Blender you could just export out as an .anim file. These types of files bypass the optimization process. However just like it is good to be an efficient modeler for mesh animating with as few frames as possible will also help decrease your files size and lag and should load faster for your customers. Medhue knows much much more about animating than I ever will. Perhaps he will weigh in on this topic. I should probably add that it is not just a matter of changing the frame rate. For example, if you make an animation that is 2 seconds long, but at 30 fps, then you have a total of 60 frames. If you change the frame rate to 20 fps, then in order to keep the animation with the same timing as the original of 2 second, you'd have to change your total frames to 40. In Blender, this is done easily by scaling the frames, which I usually do in the Dopesheet/Action editor. I have no idea how this is done in Maya tho.

DreamCrawler Martin wrote: Hello bento creators! I recently started updating one of my avatars (a werewolf) to bento since it got broken with the update (who was supposed not to mess with any previously working avatar. but oh well). So got it rigged with bento skeleton and the model is working well on SL.Time to build the animations: Right now I am building complete expressions: Smiles, frowns, growls, etc etc. They move the whole face. And here comes the issue/strange bug. I succesfully made an snarl expression and a few others. Also got the tail animated, hands moving properly etc etc. So the rig is properly done, and the BVH's are exporting as they should. Then i got into an smile expression. 350 frames. The bug/issue/strange behaviour is: Eyebrows, ears, eyelids move as they are supposed to. Jaw, lips, tongue: Moves MUCH slower as it should. In fact, it does not even finish the 20% of the whole movement by the end of the animation. These are the tests I have done: Exporting the whole 0 to 350 frames of the animation: I get the slowest result. Everything moves well except of jaw, tongue and lips. Exporting just 0 to 250: that part of the animation goes sightly faster. Exporting 0 to 150: The short piece of animation moves faster, most likely as it should. Is anybody else finding this issue? Looks to me like Cathy has covered the issue well. As far as how many frames and FPS you should use, all I can say is how I do it and why. I usually make expressions using about 20-30 frames, at around 10-15 FPS. So, the animation ends up looping after about 2 seconds. I make them 2 seconds long with some slight movement so that they have enough time to blend into each other nicely. I keep them short with a lower FPS so that they are smaller actual files and they will load quicker. A facial expression really doesn't need a high frame rate, as the movement is generally not that fast. A blink can be very quick, but you really only need a half dozen frame or so to see the animation well. Generally speaking, I like to only use a high enough frame rate to see the movment well. IMHO, the only animations in SL that actually need a frame rate of 30 or above are animations like running, dancing, and maybe strike animations for combat. Just my thoughts.

Jiyunii wrote: Right, so, I want to get started making animations and the like. I've got 3ds Max, I'm in the process of downloading DAZ. What I'm not seeing is anything on how to actually make animations except a lot of out of date material dating back years. The best I've been able to find is a "beta" bento skeleton download from back in december, which I've no idea if it's even useable or up to date. People who've posted that they are looking into find resources or creating resources have been incommunicado for months or more now. Does anyone know of where I might acquire useable resources for animation (and preferably, avatar) creation? Anything in any fileformat will help, I'm sure there is a way to pound it into a useable format through voodoo and dark computer magic. It'd be nice, if anyone from LL is readin this, if an official resources page for content creation could be put up, one with models and files compatible with modern 3d applications. The wiki pages are wildly out of date and there doesn't appear to be any post beta information on the bento skeleton. The "content creator" page that google pulls up for the official site just directs users to 3rd party groups. Daz can't really do the job. Me, I'm a Blenderhead. IMHO, there is no better animation program. Avastar is an Add on for Blender that makes creating Bento creators easier, and animating them easier. With Avastar's animation export, we have access to generating .anim files, which is SL's inherit animation file format, and their own, not the same an Maya's. With anim files, we can use higher priority animation, up to 6, and it animates bento properly. Avastar also comes with a better retargeting system for retargeting animations to the Bento avatar. If you want to use 3DS Max, then contact Polysail in SL. She is working on the Bento plugin for it, and it comes with an animation exporter. If you want to use Maya, then contact Cathy Foil in SL. She has a plugin for Maya with all the newest Bento stuff, and an animation exporter.

Tari, I never said you can't be outraged by more than 1 thing at a time. I was just pointing out that we have been dropping bombs on these very same nations for a very long time, without so much of a peep from LL, nor the from the residents of SL, via the forums. It is not logically consistent to not voice your outrage about the bombings, but then voice it when a new president does almost exactly the same thing as others. As I feel the need to counter any hate that might come my way, for basically stating the obvious, I will elaborate on my views. Spiritually, I'm a buddhist. Politically, I'm a libertarian. Fiscally, I adhere to the Austrian School of Economics, which is free market capitalism to an extreme. Why am I all these things? Well, because they are all logically consistent to each other. All of them are against the use of force to accomplish goals. No, I did not vote for Trump. I also feel that LL made a very bad move here because they are alienating half the nation that did vote for Trump. Go look at the electoral results map. What you see is that the people in the largest cities voted for Hillary, while many in the rural areas voted for Trump. Which do you think make up the majority of people in SL? I would venture to guess that it is the people in the large cities that are already here, and the people in the rural areas that don't even know what SL is. So, LL just alienated everyone that isn't in SL already, hence hampering their future progress. This past year, I moved from the suburbs of Detroit to the middle of nowhere in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Nobody here knows anything about SL. Jobs here are rare, and most are shocked an amazed at what I do for a living. Do you really think the people here are going to see what LL said and want to jump right into this world? Think again! OH, on a funny note. Many people here think I'm from 1 of the native american tribes in the area. You should see their faces when I tell them I'm half korean, part french, and irish.

Devriv wrote: Perhaps you misunderstood Medhue’s statement. He asks a very important question, one which, remarkably, despite the presence and abundance of assertive commenters in this thread, remains glaringly unanswered. With Medhue’s permission I’ll reword it only slightly: “How about people stand against the [destruction] of these nations, instead of [standing against] a ban on immigration?” The question is so simple, basic and reasonable that it would require a very good education not to ask it. In a free society, it is just the question asked by informed citizens and political commentators. Here, in this thread, it has remained unanswered because the media has not yet provided an answer that someone could safely regurgitate. Thank you, Devriv! I sit here and read all this outrage, over an immigration "ban". Where was and is the outrage over real people dying, on almost a daily basis? Getting blown to bits? This has gone on for well over a decade. Please people, direct your outrage to the bad policies that created this situation. I'm sure that Trump will likely continue this same program that Obama expanded on. Let's stop the cause, and there need not be any bans. Back in the day, we got nations to cooperate and love us with trade, and exporting our products. We did it with voluntary solutions, not with using force. Force and aggression is the problem. Instead, we see people on the left arguing whether it is OK to sucker punch those that they don't agree with. Yet, these same people want to project moral superiority on the topic of immigration. That is just crazy!

KokaiNe666 wrote: OK. Thank you. Can I do one looped frame animation fixed bones put there as a background animation? Yes, but I generally try to have some small movements in the background animation.

KokaiNe666 wrote: Сould you tell us why in this case it's your animation on your video? - (I have poor English, so I ask you to answer written form, perhaps on the video you say it, but I can not figure out unfortunately.) You should always have some animation playing in the background for every Bento bone you are using. If you do not, then when you do decide to play an animation with that bone, it will snap into place, instead of blending from the background animation to the currently overriding face animation. It just makes things smoother, and the face is the last place where you want bones snapping into place.

Klytyna wrote: Medhue Simoni wrote: If she has somehow accomplished this without using the method that I suggested, then kudos to her. Me, I don't see how it could work. As soon as any animation with bone translation is played on the face, except for some bones, it will change the location of the bones, and only detaching and reattaching the body shape, and then probably resetting skeleton could get you back to your original shape. Ok, "totaly zeroed" poses don't really work, but... After you have played "rotate/translate bones - facial expression number x" pose, then the pose is stopped, you then play a "almost reset rotate/translate bones - face neutral" pose, dont move the bone back to zero degrees rotation zero translation, move it back to 0.001 degrees rot 0.001 m trans. In stead of your head pose selector alternating between unposed and pose, it alternates between expression posed and almost neutral posed. This is not about posing and not having a pose. This is about whether you can play an expression with translation and get the face to go back to body shape that the user wanted. For instance, if the user wants a very wide mouth, using the mouth width slider, and you play an translation animation moving those lip bones, the mouth can't go back to the body shape it had originally, as the slider had used translation to make the mouth wider. Now, if you are saying that somehow, playing as translation animation with 0.001 translation fixes this, which is strange because translation has 3 axis, then I've never heard of it. Rotation is irrelevant.

KokaiNe666 wrote: hmm .. I thought catwa like that did it ... - No? Look at the date on the video. Many were still testing things. If she has somehow accomplished this without using the method that I suggested, then kudos to her. Me, I don't see how it could work. As soon as any animation with bone translation is played on the face, except for some bones, it will change the location of the bones, and only detaching and reattaching the body shape, and then probably resetting skeleton could get you back to your original shape.

KokaiNe666 wrote: I do a woman's head and want to use sliders and animations with translating for her. My problem - how to return the skeleton to its original position after playing the animation with TRANS (face). This problem is especially noticeable if the user changes the slider and create your shape. I have read this topic and you say - use a background animation to return the bones back after TRANS animation. But what should be the "background" animation? What's inside? Here's my blender, I do like to your video - What you are trying to do is not really possible. You can use the default positions and have as many sliders work as possible, but you lose the ability to use bone translation and make better expressions. The only way to get the best of both worlds is to make your own slider system, using bone translation to get the same affect as the sliders, and then having your system save the bone locations, and playing those animations that accomplish this as underlying animations.

KokaiNe666 wrote: I learned to use 2 types of animation you want to create one animation and play it with a low priority, but - what is to be animation, TRANS or Rotation? and some bones in it should be involved, ALL? Hi KokaiNe666, I'm somewhat confused by your questions, but I'll try to answer them generally. It's really up to the creator to decide how they want to do things. There is no right way. That said, in my Bento creations, I have many different animations playing, and controlling different parts of the avatar, all at the same time. Many of these are only animating specific parts, like just the eyelids for blinking. Some animations, like the werewolf roar in the video, need to take over all, or most of the bones to work properly.

I also think it is sad that LL decided to do this, but not for the same reasons that others are stating. Before anyone goes making assumptions about me, my mother was an immigrant, and at 10 years old, I helped her become a citizen. I was a very curious child, always asking about my mother's country of birth, which was Korea. She instilled in me that I'm an American, and that her home country would never accept me as a korean. I've seen racism against me not only in Korea, but here in the states. Now, back to LL's statement..... It saddens me because our country continuously bombs many of the nations that are now on this ban list, yet, not once have we seen LL stand against these bombings of mostly innocent people. The whole reason the ban is in anyway needed is because we are bombing them. How about people stand against the bombing of these nations, instead of a stupid ban against immigration. 1 actually kills thousands, if not millions. The other simply inconveniences people. Me, I want the bombings to stop. I want real lives to be saved. Immigration bans, IMHO, take a back seat to the REAL evils that are going on in the world.

Thanks ChinRey! ChinRey wrote: the importance of actually seeing the LoD models in-world - or rather on the beta grid to avoid wasting Lindens on failed uploads. No matter how carefully we do the math and how closely we study the preview, it's just not the same as actually seeing the item rezzed in a sim. Study the model at different distances and you're bound to notice details that shouldn't have been left out of a LoD model and, even more often and more positively, details that could safely have been left out after all. I think that should probably be a whole other video. The beta grid stuff should be it's own video also, IMHO. Personally, I don't use the beta grid at all, unless LL is developing something that can only be tested on the beta grid. Yes, I spend a ton on uploads testing things, but I just look at that as part of the process.

I have some tutorials on the subject of Bento, but......... at this point, they would be somewhat confusing, as Avastar's bento version is somewhat still in beta. If you want to see what is possible, or have extensive experience to deal with the problems, then I give some clues as to how to do things. Just search for Medhue Bento on Youtube.

Basically, every Bento Head, body, or avatar is designed by individual creators, which all do things, or weight their meshes in different ways. Initially, every Bento product is created to specifically fit the DEFAULT SL body shape. Customizing these heads/avatars with the body shape takes some care to use the right adjustments within the body shape sliders to get nice results. The people selling these body shapes obvious think they have the right combinations of sliders to create an attractive head/avatar. What is BENTO? Well, Bento is a brand new skeleton developed by LL, with the help of many of us avatar creators. This new skeleton is revolutionary, as it allows mesh head/avatar creators to create avatars that can be customized with the body shape sliders in SL, as well as create unique products like heads, wings, tails, fingers, and crazy avatars that use bones to animate them. This is a vast improvement in also the total data sent to our viewers, because of the bones vs using many meshes to look like they are animated. The total lag produced by using all these meshes to fake animation will be greatly reduced.

As your update says, this is a Firestorm issue, and that being said, you should file a jira with the Firestorm team. But, me, I'm wondering, why did you make a different mesh, or making it blink in such a way? With Bento, we now have eyelid bones, and you could easily make the eyes blink without all this trickery.