GIG reference manual

Organic

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Section contents

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Introduction

GIG Organic Animation is an advanced tool based on spline curves and surfaces which can be interactively controlled to model and animate skins and skeletons. Skins themselves can be modeled and animated as well, this includes 3D skin morphing. Any GIG model can be converted into a skin surface.

Splines can be connected to create skeletons. These skeletons can be moved and animated using forward and inverse kinematics. Constraints can be set to guide the animation and the interactive manipulation, e.g. to prevent the foot of an animal from moving through the ground by using lock point.

Isosurfaces attached to an animated skeleton yield smoothly joined limbs and bulging muscles. In fact, any GIG model can be attached to the skeleton. Using the skeletons together with the inverse kinematics walking humans and animals, waving plants and trees, and other organic shapes can be created.

Splines and skins can also be animated using the dynamics from the particles module, so organic models can move under influence of gravity, vector fields, and collision detection. Like the particles, the dynamics of the skins and splines can be interactively manipulated.

To quickly create key-framed animations of splines and skeletons, realtime user-interaction recording is possible. This records the interactions of the user with the model into a keyframed animation which can be adjusted at a later stage. Also the recording frame interval can be specified.

General warnings

Do not try to add or delete points during an animation. Always first model and then animate.

When simulate goes haywire, reduce the timestep parameter.

Do not scale xyz in transform on organic models, but use taper, etc., instead.

Active solid versus active spline
Most buttons work on the active solid, like:
connect solid, start, end, size, skin active, uniform skin, row closed, col closed, display surface, surface basis, add point, delete point, reset spline, rigid, kinematic, auto orient, auto length, free branches, dynamic, constraints, fix, unfix, find fix, freeze, delete ani, reset simulation

Some buttons work on the active spline (which is always a part of the active solid), like:
branches, lock point, Points box , convert, points
Branches versus connect solid
Branches are for creating spline hierachies to make skeletons for humans and plants, etc.

Connect solid is for connecting solids to splines to create Sculptor muscles or text along a spline.

Copying connections and branches
When copying solids with connections or branches, the connection and branch information will be lost. To make a copy while retaining this information, save the solid to a file and then do a group and get solid. This will ensure that the connection and branch information will be copied as well.

Freeze versus lock
Freeze in Organic means no keyframe updates. Lock in Particles means no simulation updates.

Record versus record flipbook
Record is for recording user interface interactions into a keyframe animation.

Record flipbook is for storing wireframe images into a flipbook animation which can be played back in realtime to preview the animation before rendering.

Using the entry boxes
Input boxes have a recessed light gray background. The input boxes can be selected by clicking the left mouse button in the box. The mouse cursor will disappear and input kan be typed in from the keyboard. The normal edit buttons can be used to edit, like Esc, Delete, Backspace, Home, End, abd the arrow keys. With a left mouse button click or with an Enter or Return the input can be confirmed. The input can be cancelled with a right button click or Esc.

Selection Lists
Selection lists are indicated with a light gray background and have a slider bar on the right side. Make a selection by clicking twice on a list item.

Scroll the list by clicking on the slider bar with a left mouse button click. The mouse cursor will disappear and while holding the middle mouse button pressed the slider bar can be moved. With a left mouse click the scrolling is confirmed, with a right mouse click the scrolling is restored.

Scroll wheels and Step buttons
Scroll wheels are used to vary values.

Scroll wheels have the appearance of wheels, illustrated by vertical lines.

To use scroll wheels, click on the wheel with a left mouse click. The mouse cursor will disappear and while holding the middle mouse button pressed the wheel can be rotated either right or left to increase or decrease values. With a left mouse click the new value of the wheel is confirmed, with a right mouse click the original value is restored.

Step buttons are used to increment values and are indicated with '+' or '-'. Clicking the step button will either increase or decrease values by a fixed step value.