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AE Texture Animator
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AE Texture Animator // The Garage
Post by Délé // Jun 4, 2007, 11:55am
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Délé
Total Posts: 1374
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Ok, here is a newer version of the Texture Animator script. This one is specifically designed to be keyframed in the Animation Editor for offline rendering output. This is NOT intended for realtime playback, doing so may bog down tS. Each script can animate up to 30 stills (or 1 second at 30fps). This version can be daisy chained so you can easily link together as many as you need for longer texture animations.
Here's the Script:
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Default Aspect:
FrameIN - This is the number you will keyframe in the AE to animate the texture. Whatever this number is set to is the frame that will be output to the texture. How to set keyframes for this will be shown further below.
Master/Slave - These radio buttons let you identify that particular script as a Master or a Slave. If you are only using one script make sure it's set to Master. If you are daisy chaining two or more of these scripts together, set the first one to Master and the rest to Slave. This will ensure that it will animate through the chain correctly. Only the FrameIN on the Master script needs to be animated.
Bitmap00 Chain IN - If you daisy chain multiple scripts, this is where you would link the previous BitmapOUT into. Basically it transfers the bitmap from the previous script in a chain to the next one.
FrameOUT - This links into the FrameIN on the next script in a chain. So if you daisy chained two of the Texture Animation scripts together, the FrameOUT of the Master script would link into the FrameIN on the Slave. This transfers the frame number from the previous script in a chain to the next.
BitmapOUT - This links into the texture input on your object if you only use one Texture Animation script. If you daisy chain two or more together, this will link into the "Bitmap00 Chain IN" on the next script in the chain, until the last one which will link into your objects texture input.
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Set Aspect:
From a library, Drag and Drop up to 30 still frames to each slot in the order they are to be animated through.
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Hook Up (Using One Script):
Make sure the script is set to Master. Link the BitmapOUT into the bitmap input on your object.
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Hook Up (Daisy Chain):
You can daisy chain as many of the scripts together as you need. Set the first script to Master and the rest to Slave. Link the FrameOUT from the Master script to the FrameIN on the Slave. Also link the BitmapOUT from the Master script into the "Bitmap00 Chain IN" on the Slave. This will transfer the information from the Master to the Slave. Then link the BitmapOUT from the last slave in the chain into the texture input on your object.
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Post by Délé // Jun 4, 2007, 11:58am
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Délé
Total Posts: 1374
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How To Set Up Your Object
In order to use the script you'll need to export your objects texture to the outside of the node. First make sure you apply a texture with an image on it to your object. Use whatever shader is appropriate for your intended output (Vray, Lightworks, DX). If you are going to animate a displacement map, select your object and click on the displacement tool to apply the displacement map. Make sure you have the Link Editor window open.
Now go inside of your object by clicking on the orange box on your objects 2d node in the LE.
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If you're going to animate a displacement map, click on the "Displacement Mapper" node. RClick on the Height Map input and select Export. This will export the bitmap input to the outer node.
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If you want to animate a diffuse map, burrow down into the "material" nodes until you find a the bitmap input. It will be in a different place depending on which shaders you're using. Vray, Lightworks, and DX materials will all have these bitmap inputs in slightly different places. Just dig around a bit in the material nodes until you find the bitmap input. RClick on the bitmap input and select "Export". Again, this will export it to the outer node.
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Click on the orange triangle at the top right corner of the LE. This will bring you back out of the node you're in. You will probably have to export the bitmap input again from this level.
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Now you should have whatever maps you want to animate on the outer node of your object. You can link the scripts bitmap output directly in from here.
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Post by Délé // Jun 4, 2007, 12:00pm
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Délé
Total Posts: 1374
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How To Keyframe The Texture Animator
Now that you have everything hooked up, here is how to animate the Texture Animator script. Note that if you have many daisy chained together, you only need to animate the Master script.
Select the Master script in the LE. RClick on the Record button in the Animation Editor window. This will bring up the Keying Panel.
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Click on the "FrameIN" in the Keying Panel. This will activate that input to be animated. Deactivate any other attributes that may be active. We only need to animate the "FrameIN".
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Now set the scrubber in the AE to frame 0. Set the Master script to 1 and click the record button. Now move the slider however many frames you have. So if you have 30 frames, set the scrubber to frame 29 (remember you're starting from 0). If you have 45 stills, set the scrubber to frame 44, etc. Now set the Master script to however many frames you want animated. If you have 30 stills, set it to 30...if you have 45 stills, set it to 45, etc. Click the record button in the AE again. The script should now be animated. Each frame in the AE will set a new image for the texture. It might bog down when you try to scrub through it so be warned. It should update fine for offline rendering though.
If you have any trouble or questions, just ask and I'll try to clarify anything that may be unclear. :) |
Post by Jack Edwards // Jun 4, 2007, 10:57pm
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Jack Edwards
Total Posts: 4062
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Nice tutorial Dele! And thanks! :banana:
-Jack. |
Post by Délé // Jun 5, 2007, 3:09pm
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Délé
Total Posts: 1374
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Thanks Jack. :)
Here are a couple of scenes showing the Texture Animator hooked up. The first one shows how to hook up one (if you only need 30 or less frames), the second shows how to daisy chain a few together. |
Post by spacekdet // Jun 6, 2007, 12:32pm
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spacekdet
Total Posts: 1360
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Wow, that looks like it took a lot of work to figure out and to implement.
Some fine brain work there Dele.
Too much for a monkey like me... I only know what button to press when the light flashes 3 times and a bit of Monkey Chow rolls out of the dispenser.
I'm looking forward (and backwards) to the day when animated textures are once again as easy and 'Click and Tick':
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Post by Burnart // Jun 6, 2007, 1:05pm
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Burnart
Total Posts: 839
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I'm with you spacekadet! I am awestruck by the potential power of the LE but I don't think I have the mental agility nor it must be said a driving desire to nor the time to really learn how to use it. (So far this week I haven't had a chance to do anything in tS at all - I only look at the forum during coffe breaks at work!)
:banana: All kudos to Dele and Jack and others who are treading this territory and sharing their results. |
Post by Délé // Jun 6, 2007, 1:28pm
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Délé
Total Posts: 1374
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It's really not as difficult as it looks guys. Once you have a grasp of the LE, it really only takes 2-3 minutes to setup the script to run a few seconds of texture animation. You're missing out on a lot of fun stuff and useful tools if you don't learn the LE. ;)
Still, I do understand. It's not for everyone. And a one button solution for texture animation would be much better and will be great when that is finally implemented. :) |
Post by SteveBe // Jun 6, 2007, 1:54pm
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SteveBe
Total Posts: 282
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Thanks Délé!!:)
Sorry to say this spacekdet, but ju bin owned!!;) |
Post by Burnart // Jun 6, 2007, 2:35pm
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Burnart
Total Posts: 839
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LE would be good to know I acknowledge that but its not high on my tS learning prioities - in large part because it is so alien. I'm just going to learn abou modelling texturing animation using the icons etc. I think as time goes by and tinkering with it becomes a standard every session thing then I might start thinking more creatively about the LE but to reiterate what I said before I'm not an explorer going boldy etc I'm happy:p for others to forge a path for me to follow later. |
Post by spacekdet // Jun 6, 2007, 6:02pm
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spacekdet
Total Posts: 1360
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Darn show-off orangutans...what do those forest dwellers know, anyway?
Let's see him pull 6 G's and get launched into orbit all while looking swell in an orange flame-retardant flightsuit. |
Post by roman // Jun 7, 2007, 9:16pm
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roman
Total Posts: 320
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Stephen, Kubrick has nothing on you man! |
Post by weaveribm // Jun 8, 2007, 12:44pm
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weaveribm
Total Posts: 592
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I sense a Clockwork Orange competition in the works Roman :)
Just in to get a local copy Délé so it can sit side-by-side with my testing your AETA script in a 7.5 window. Somehow I feel encouraged to invest in a bigger monitor. Shh she doesn't know it yet :)
Peter |
Post by Steinie // Jun 8, 2007, 1:40pm
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Steinie
Total Posts: 3667
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I think Roman was referring to 2001 A Space Odyssey |
Post by prodigy // Jun 8, 2007, 5:20pm
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prodigy
Total Posts: 3029
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In particular this take...
ACTION!! |
Post by mrbones // Sep 25, 2007, 9:41pm
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mrbones
Total Posts: 1280
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Texture animates fine, but displacement is not working for me, any hints? Displaces on the first frame and then stops. |
Post by Délé // Sep 26, 2007, 7:49am
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Délé
Total Posts: 1374
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I did a little test and I see what you mean. When you advance frames the displacement map doesn't update for some reason. The script itself is working as it should. The texture is changing. For some reason however, tS is not updating to the new displacement map in the 3d view. If you move forwards and backwards you can get it to change but that certainly won't work for rendering. Unfortunately I don't see any way around it right now.
This is definitely a bug. Hopefully it can be fixed for 7.6. |
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