[Plugin]$ Keyframe Animation

Regular Polygon

@diego castro said:

download the plugin and it works great, is a big job.

Glad to to hear it.

Only lacks one important thing to buy it without hesitation, and this is compatible with the VRay renderer,

I am nearly certain that the animation is compatible with the VRay renderer. But, I don't own VRay, so I haven't tested it. Maybe someone who owns VRay could verify this, and post their results here.

The steps to export the animation are pretty simple. First you create the animation using key frames. Then you convert the key frames to ordinary SketchUp scenes, which I call "Tweens" because they contain the animation between the key frames. This is complicated for the script, but easy for you; just select the menu item, Plugins » Keyframe Animation » Create Tweens. The scenes created should be compatible with the VRay renderer, since they are ordinary SketchUp scenes. You can control how many scenes/tweens are created between key frames by adjusting the Frame Rate first.

Fletch

Just so that people are aware, Keyframe Animation renders well (in initial testing) with Twilight Render Plugin for Google SketchUp.
Keep up the good work, RPolygon.

KeyframeAnimation-TwilightRender-bedassembly.avi

Regular Polygon

@Fletch: Thanks for sharing your results. That rendering is amazing -- now I know how this looks without building it.

I can verify that Keyframe Animation is compatible with Kerkythea. I used the plugin, su2kt.rb, by Tomasz, to export the all the tween frames. Kerkythea rendered the images in about 20 minutes. Then I used VirtualDub to stitch them together into an AVI movie.

[flash=480,385:3esvpvna]http://www.youtube.com/v/tZm4CwkHQ4k?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0[/flash:3esvpvna]

@mariocha: Interesting idea, animating the light source. It doesn't quite work when exporting to Kerkythea, so I had to settle for stationary lights. I may revise the script to add this functionality in the next update.

diego castro

hice algunas pruebas y desafortunadamente no es compatible con VRay.

@unknownuser said:

I don't own VRay, so I haven't tested it. Maybe someone who owns VRay could verify this, and post their results here.

existe una version demo de VRay de 30 dias (http://software.asgvis.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=298&Itemid=233)
podrías mirar cual es el problema de incompatibilidad y hacerlo funcionar, podría tratarse de un problema sencillo de resolver talvez.

por si te animas a mirar el problema y nunca has manejado VRay te dejo una imagen de los lugares clave para configurar la salida de animación

en "save file se debe especificar la carpeta en la que se guardara las imagenes

seria muy bueno si lo logras!

Machine traslator:

I did some tests and it is unfortunately not compatible with VRay.

@unknownuser said:

I do not own VRay, so I have not tested it. Who Owns Maybe VRay Could someone verify this, and post Their results here.

there is a demo version of VRay of 30 days (http://software.asgvis.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=298&Itemid=233)
could see what the problem of inconsistency and make it work, it could be a simple problem to solve maybe.

if you dare to look at the problem and have never managed VRay leave you a picture of where to set the output key animation

"save file" must specify the folder where images are saved

would be very good if you do it!

mariocha

Here is a new year wish.
KFA makes the light source move; only 2 scenes.
Rendered with LightUp, frame by frame of the tweens files.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xgnt8j_bon-ann_creation

Regular Polygon

There is an interesting mannequin model, by Chris Glasier, posted on his [plug-in] Skel_animation topic. This looks like a very useful model for testing out plugins capable of human figure animation. So, I thought I would see what Keyframe Animation could do with it. I made several key frames, and exported a movie of the animation. Here it is.

[flash=640,505:25hp8sz8]http://www.youtube.com/v/eS4QUrALcrE?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0[/flash:25hp8sz8]

The SketchUp model is attached, if you want to experiment with your own animations.
mannequin.skp

I did change the way the components in the mannequin are grouped. I made the hand a sub-group of the forearm, because it moves relative to the forearm. Likewise, the forearm is sub-group of the upper-arm. And the lower-leg is a sub-group of the upper-leg. It is not absolutely necessary to group objects like this, it just makes things a lot easier. It also proves that Keyframe Animation can animate sub-groups -- in this case they are three levels deep.

The Keyframe Animation 1.0 page has more demos, documentation, a video tutorial, and the latest version to download.

Regular Polygon

I can see how a code-based approach would be useful in certain situations. My approach is pretty much the opposite. I am trying to give non-programmers an intuitive way to define an animation. Basically, the animation relies on the change in the orientation of the component between two key frames. It is both a math problem and programming problem, which made it extra fun to work on.

@chrisglasier said:

I'm not in the plug-in competition but otherwise would be very happy to collaborate in some way.

I am not in a plugin competition either. Am I overzealous about communicating this plugin’s functionality? That is possible.

chrisglasier

@regular polygon said:

There is an interesting mannequin model, by Chris Glasier, posted on his [plug-in] Skel_animation topic.

Actually, the model was made by ArqDirk not me - all I did was "straighten" one of his out to make it easier for testing. There are many in the warehouse by him and others.

By the way, my purpose was not to create yet another animation plug-in but to expose the difference between a code-based set up as Matt used in his Automatic Sketchup and a more layman's wysiwyg approach that relies on specific information - in this case physical data (hidden in component definitions and transformations), functionality (e.g. lower limb always follows upper limb), and most importantly a specific set of recognisable names that are used for control and could be used to search for alternative parts of the same type.

This integration of information could be referred to as Object Oriented Information Technology in that physical objects have classes and methods similarly to OOPS. With this a diverse range of non-creative tasks might be automated. This is my real interest so please be aware I'm not in the plug-in competition but otherwise would be very happy to collaborate in some way.

And good luck with your plug-in.

mariocha

@regular polygon said:

... if you want to experiment with your own animations...

I did, ... with my own model
http://vimeo.com/19417552

chrisglasier

@regular polygon said:

I am not in a plugin competition either.

Well you are because it is commercial (which in itself is just fine).

@unknownuser said:

Am I overzealous about communicating this plugin’s functionality?

You are not.

@unknownuser said:

I can see how a code-based approach would be useful in certain situations.

Totally misconstrued. Code-based approach is good for specific tasks that are commissioned by those that can afford them - e.g. banks, airlines and stock markets. Code-based approach is also good for paperwork type applications like Word and Excel that are essentially blank. What you and I have been doing with animation plugins is to mix code and information to offer something that can be manipulated by anyone ... and that points the way to escape the subliminal stranglehold of software "total solutions". Don't you think?

Krisidious

I think $19 is more than fair... and I wonder if 3rd world citizens are charging 3rd world prices for their 3D renderings?

Regular Polygon

@mariocha
Wow! Now that is what I call a professional demo.

Regular Polygon

@chrisglasier said:

Totally misconstrued. Code-based approach is good for specific tasks that are commissioned by those that can afford them - e.g. banks, airlines and stock markets. Code-based approach is also good for paperwork type applications like Word and Excel that are essentially blank. What you and I have been doing with animation plugins is to mix code and information to offer something that can be manipulated by anyone ... and that points the way to escape the subliminal stranglehold of software "total solutions". Don't you think?

I guess I am still not clear on the distinction. Why would Excel belong to the code-based camp? It is not limited to specific tasks; anyone can configure a spreadsheet to compute what they want. Is this basically a distinction between programs that rely on text-based input as opposed to applications that use a GUI?

chrisglasier

@regular polygon said:

@chrisglasier said:

Totally misconstrued. Code-based approach is good for specific tasks that are commissioned by those that can afford them - e.g. banks, airlines and stock markets. Code-based approach is also good for paperwork type applications like Word and Excel that are essentially blank. What you and I have been doing with animation plugins is to mix code and information to offer something that can be manipulated by anyone ... and that points the way to escape the subliminal stranglehold of software "total solutions". Don't you think?

I guess I am still not clear on the distinction. Why would Excel belong to the code-based camp? It is not limited to specific tasks; anyone can configure a spreadsheet to compute what they want. Is this basically a distinction between programs that rely on text-based input as opposed to applications that use a GUI?

Yes - more precisely selection.

chrisglasier

Sorry RP that was somewhat curt - I had to rush off to a Chinese New Year dinner. And selection is probably not quite the right word, but what I meant might be explained by comparing writing a cash cheque and using an ATM. Much of the non-creative processes are allocated to the machine (pressing buttons being creative!). But we cannot get a similar advantage with tasks that are too diverse to interest software companies, so the easiest option is to emulate paperwork. This is a terrible denial of the potential of a proper marriage of information and technology - which I think these animation plug-ins go some way to illustrate.

Fletch

updated post above with bigger/better animation example.
[flash=600,360:46s1ixag]http://www.youtube.com/v/fHXGUjAY8SM?fs=1&hl=en_US[/flash:46s1ixag]

Regular Polygon

I downloaded the demo, and tested things out, and it turns out that VRay is not compatible after all. The problem is that VRay doesn’t export the layer visibility properties for each scene when it renders the scenes in batch.

I wrote customer support at V-Ray about this issue. They confirmed my suspicion, and said they plan to fix this in the future. Here is the ticket.

So, there is no work-around for this problem, Keyframe Animation requires layers to create the animation. Each layer has objects on it at a different point the animation. Each tween has a different layer that is visible. The effect is that the objects appear to move as you flip through the tweens.

VRay will render each tween individually OK -- just not in batch -- but that would be too tedious.

Fletch

Thanks RP - looking forward to giving it a try.

rohallorah

I think this could have some greatpossibilities!! I look forward to trying it out. Thanks R P
Has anyone tried it yet?

cperkins

Hi! I need to start off by saying this is just fantastic work man. The hard work of persistent developers like yourself is what keeps my interest and use of SketchUp going every day.

Are you aware of or encountered any file size limitations when generating the tween scenes? I have this model that I previously animated with Proper and then rendered with Twilight. It's not complex at all really, but it's just over 20MB with all components included. I downloaded Keyframe and recreated what I did with Proper; ended up being 7 scenes. When I went to create the tweens I never got the dialog that asks for confirmation to create x number of scenes. However, the 'model.tweens.skp' file was created, just without any scenes included. At first I suspected there might be a limitation on the number of scenes SketchUp can create so I dialed the frame rate down from 24 to 10 and retried but got the same result. Then I tried creating a fraction of the animation with only two scenes and again got the same result. The next obvious thing to do was to try and strip the model down so I deleted the majority of the components and got rid of 15 of 20MB. The next attempt at creating the tweens was successful, as you can see in the video below, yet the focus of the animation is missing (items inside of case).

[flash=400,300:20oxahao]http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=22483626&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=1&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&loop=0[/flash:20oxahao]

I would have said "oh well' but I really really want to use your plugin to get object/camera animations out of SU and into Kerkythea. Twilight is awesome but it's painfully slow due to what I'm guessing is the 32-bit architecture it relies on.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Chris