Assigning Node(s) for Controller Handles

No matter your custom accessory is set as single or pair, with bone or hierarchy structure, you need to define the handles so that the transformations, bones or materials of the accessory can be puppeteered by the Controller.

Assign Node(s) for Controller Handles Page - Single or Pair

Because the Assign Node(s) for Controller Handles shows only single chain of bones, the relations between the Object Structure and the Assign Node(s) for Controller Handles are as shown below:

Single

You need to activate the boxes in this page for the entire accessory to be able to be set puppeteering data by Builder and be puppeteered by Controller.

Pair

You need to activate the boxes in these two individual pages for the bilateral parts of the accessory to be able to be set puppeteering data by Builder and be puppeteered by Controller.

Relation between Assign Node(s) for Controller Handles, Define Puppet Behavior and Controller

When you activate boxes in certain column, you are actually define the ability of the node in the tree view to be set with puppeteering data; and also to be puppeteered for generating animations.

The relation between this page, the next page (Define Puppet Behavior) and the controller are shown as the illustrations below:

General Accessories - Ears, Eyebrows and Other

When you create accessories of this kind, in this page, you can see up to three columns that represent the handles of Green Dot, Slider and Emotion.

Eye Accessories

Because the eye accessory is composed of somewhat complicated structure, the columns in this page are up to five that represent the handles of EyeBlink, EyeLid, Eyeball, Emotion and Iris Size.

Color Coding for Highlighted Bones

When you activate the box under certain column, the bone in the preview window will be highlighted with different colors, which informs you by which handle or handles the bone is governed. These colors represent the handles in different pages.

General Accessories - Ears, Eyebrows and Other

  1. Given a bone-skinned accessory attached to the character.
  2. In the Define Controllers >> Assign Node(s) for Controller Handles page, activate the joints to which you want to set puppeteering data.

    Different bones are individually assigned to be under control of Dot or Slider.

  3. You will see the bone or bones in the 3D view is highlighted in the colors next to the icons of the Dot and Slider.

    Highlighted in Blue: Under Dot control.

    Highlighted in Yellow: Under Slider control.

  4. Only the status of the highlighted bones can be kept by using the handles in the Define Puppet Behavior.

    Five postures of the hair are kept into the five axes (up, down, left, right and center) around the compass.

    Three postures of the bangs are kept into the three axes (left, right and center) of the slider.

Eye Accessories

  1. Given a pair of bone-skinned eye accessory attached to the character.
  2. Pick one of the eyes and access the Assign Node(s) for Controller Handles page.
  3. Take the right eye for example, in this page, activate the joints to which you want to set puppeteering data (in case A, the iris joint, in case B, the kernel joints, in case C, the eyelid joints and in case D, the eyelid joints for blinking).

    Case A: The joints (iris) under the Eyeball column are activated.

    Case B: The joints (kernel) under the Iris column are activated.

    Case C: The joints (upper and lower eyelids) under the Lid column are activated.

    Case D: The joints (upper and lower eyelids) under the Blink column are activated.

    Note:

    Because in this case, the iris is not going to enlarge or shrink, the Iris slider is taken for bending the entire eye component. That is the reason why the kernel joints are all activated under the Iris slider column in case B.

  4. You will see the bone or bones in the 3D view is highlighted in the colors next to the icons of the Eyeball, Iris, Lid and Blink.

    Case A: The activated box causes the bone to be highlighted in blue.

    Case B: The activated boxes cause the bones to be highlighted in yellow.

    Case C: The activated box causes the bone to be highlighted in light green.

    Case D: The activated boxes cause the bones to be highlighted in orange.

  5. Only the status of the highlighted bones can be kept by using the handles in the Define Puppet Behavior (in this case, the compass for case A, C, D and the slider for case B) page.

    Case A: Nine postures of the iris are kept into the nine axes (up, down, left, right, top-left, top-right, bottom-left, bottom-right and center) of the compass.

    Case B: Three postures of the eye are kept into the three axes (left, right and center) of the slider.

    Case C: Two postures of the eyelids are kept into the five axes (up, down and center) of the compass.

    Case D: Nine postures of the eyelids are kept into the nine axes (up, down, left, right, top-left, top-right, bottom-left, bottom-right and center) of the compass.

    Note:

    • If one or more joints are not highlighted with any colors, then it could be either free from being controlled or controlled by the Expression controller.

Special Color Code - Magenta

When you need a joint to be able to be given puppeteering data, you may need to horizontally activate the boxes for that joint. The highlighting color will turn to magenta, which notifies you that the joint can be set with individual postures in different controllers.
The ability to be controlled by different controllers influences the use of Controller for setting key pose as described below:

  1. Take the elephant nose accessory as the one in the note box above.
  2. Set the parameters with Builder as shown below:
  3. Click the Assign Controller Handles and horizontally activate the boxes as shown below:

    You may see that the joints with horizontally activated boxes are highlighted in magenta.
  4. Apply the settings and go to the Define Puppet Behavior page.
  5. Set postures to the axes around the compass and the slider.
  6. Click the OK button to save the data to the accessory.
  7. Apply the Controller prop. You will see the Controller panel shows. Select the accessory and switch to the Other tab.
  8. Press down the Add Key button at the bottom of the panel.
  9. Drag the green dot of the compass to an axis to set a posture key (defined previously) for the accessory.
  10. Drag the slider to an axis as well. You will find the posture you set in the last step is replaced by the one you have defined in the axes of the slider.

    You can not blend different postures from different handles to set pose keys.

    Note:

    • In order to blend up the posture from different handles, in step 3, you shall not horizontally activate boxes for one joint.
    • The accessory can then be set posture keys by blending from different handles.
    • Please note that since the puppeteering of the accessory generates animation clips instead of animation keys, the previously recorded clip will always be replaced by the later recorded one (no layer-recording technique), no matter if the boxes of a joint are horizontally checked or not.