How do you make an RPC stop?

[Rollo]

Hi - new to this forum. Couldn't find a more appropriate thread, so apologies if this post should be else where....

Anyway, we're attempting to integrate a considerable number of moving objects into a model - these objects are actual modelled movement of people (from a specialist modelling package) to which we are attaching the Archvision 3.5D RPCs (the ones that walk). They great, but is there any work around that makes their walking motion stop when they are stationary (i.e. not tracking)? The tracking controlled by the model output so we can't simply alter the tracks.....and there are about 4000 of them
evil.

Any helpful tips?

Many thanks

[TheAllusionist]

Yikes, 4,000, I think you should look into crowd software. Do you just want all of them to stop at certain times or individually control them, and we would assume you are using Max unless you say otherwise because this is about RPC. Non-Linear editores and your dope sheet is how you might control this, but like I said, 4,000 is too many to deal with that way, they have to be grouped and their animation track stopped and started as needed in the animation editor. I have never done anything like this in Max, maybe someone else will pipe in and give some useful information or even say ArchViz makes a tool for that........... I don't know.

Welcome to the forum!

[Rollo]

I'm sorry to say that we're on a PC base evil: - again. I like these icons though), using 3DS 8 (SP3) and VRay1.5 (SP1) -k....not enjoying using that).

The actual tracking/movement of the RPC's is controlled individually by the modelling software - and that works fine. My problem is now an asthetic one that when a 3.5D RPC stops moving across a surface, their arms and legs keep on moving (walking on the spot).

We've also had problems with the RPCs appearing to 'ice-skate' across the surface, but solved that by slowing the framerate down in the movie generator (to just about acceptable levels....it's not be a fun project this one).

Thanks for your reply - and thanks for the welcome. Nice to be here.

[Rod]

Just an idea, but could you hide the walkers at the last frame you need them to walk and replace it with a stationary replacement for the rest of the time? at that point if you made 2d ones that weren't a RPC you call them in as proxies.

[TheAllusionist]

Rods answer is brilliant in it's simplicity, but they are actually talking about foot slippage so to speak. The path/spline that controls their movement has nodes either to close or to far apart depending on the scenario. I don't use RPC's I can't help you, but in standard character animation foot slippage use to be a problem, the newer programs/plugins tend to have you place foot steps down even if they do use a path spline. Hey if you ever do a an ice rink animation, you know what to do, same goes for a Michael Jackson impersonators convention

Really though, 4,000 animated people, you are asking for all sorts of problems, should probably use still people in the general animation and when the camera is now moving forward just panning, etc. then have animated characters. Just my two cents worth, maybe you are working in a major production house with super computers, but for the typical bloke, that is just asking for trouble.

[Rollo]

Many thanks for the comments and suggestions. Considering the number of objects, the individual swapping between motion and static RPC's is not ideal. We have opted to go for some 'clever' video editing and panning of the camera.......that should keep the client happy for now.

I think that the main problem is that we are using RPC's at all - with the benefits of hindsight we should have searched more widely for a solution. Also we should not have used VRay with motion objects - that decision was out of our hands, but I will protest more strongly in the future .

Thanks again

[neha]

Welcome to the forum.

I did an animation with walking people (nowhere close to 4000 though ), and faced similar problem. The only solution I could find then was to either keep them walking till the last keyframe, or walk them out of the POV if I didn't want someone to be there throughout the animation, or make them stop at a point really close to the end of sequence so that the motion of standing at one place and moving hands & legs in walking motion wouldn't be evident. Thats the only thing I can think of...