Handle COMP
Summary
The Handle Component is a new IK tool designed for manipulating groups of bones. Whereas the previous IK tools only allowed for a single end-affector per bone chain, this new method allows for several end-affectors per bone. Furthermore, the bones need not be a chain. Any setup, including branches, are handled.
One typical example is the use of motion capture data. In higher-end systems, you could have a cloud of marker positions and a skeleton to be driven by it.
This Handle Component works in tandem with the Handle CHOP. The following setup is commonly used: Given a hierarchy of bones, attach one or more Handle Components to specific locations on each Bone Component. Assign each handle a target in space to follow. Create a Handle CHOP which collects this information and calculates the rotation channels for the bones. Export these values back to the bones.
Parameters - Handle Page
Target /target - Where the Handle will pull the bone towards (like an end-affector).
Offset /tx /ty /tz - Displacement tx,ty,tz relative to the origin of the bone where the handle is anchored.
Weight /weight - When multiple handles are attached to a bone, higher weighted handles draw closer to their target.
Twist Only /twistonly - When enabled the handle only contributes the z rotation of the bone, when disabled it points the bone (rx, ry, and rz).
Falloff /falloff - This value affects how much parent bones are affected when the child bone is reaching a target. It affects the flexibility of the chain.
Rotation Limits /lr[xyz]min /lr[xyz]max - These affects how much the bone is allowed to rotate with respect to its parent.
Parameters - Display Page
The Display parameter page controls the component's material and rendering settings.
Material /material - Selects a MAT to apply to the geometry inside.
Render /render - Whether the Component's geometry is visible in the Render TOP. This parameter works in conjunction (logical AND) with the Component's Render Flag.
Draw Priority /drawpriority - Determines the order in which the Components are drawn. Smaller values get drawn after (on top of) larger values.
Wireframe Color /wcolor - Use the R, G, and B fields to set the Component's color when displayed in wireframe shading mode.
Light Mask /lightmask - Defines which lights will illuminate the geometry in the Component. Accept Pattern Matching as described in the Scripting Guide.
Parameters - Common Page
The Common parameter page sets the component's node viewer, clone relationships, and path variable.
Node View - Determines what is displayed in the node viewer, also known as the Node Viewer. Some options will not be available depending on the Component type (Object Component, Panel Component, Misc.)
- Geometry Viewer - Shows a 3D geometry viewer displaying the geometry inside the component. This option is only available for Object components.
- Control Panel - Displays the Control Panel, only available for Panel Components.
- Operator Viewer - Displays the node viewer from any operator specified in the Operator Viewer parameter below.
Operator Viewer /opviewer - Select which operator's node viewer to use when the Node View parameter is set to Operator Viewer.
Clone /clone - Path to a component used as the Master Clone. If the component specified as Master exists, then this component becomes a clone.
Path Variable /pathvar - Specifies a variable name you can use anywhere inside the component as the path to that component. See Path Variable.
Load On Demand /loadondemand - Loads the component into memory only when required. Good to use for components that are not always used in the project.
External .tox /externaltox - Path to a .tox file on disk which will source the component's content upon start of a .toe. This allows for components to contain networks that can be updated independently of the .toe file. Paths used to locate .tox files should not contain expressions or root variables. Built-in and Environment variables (like $MYDOCUMENTS, $DESKTOP and $HOME) are accepted. If the .tox file can not be found, whatever the .toe file was saved with will be loaded.
Use Backup Copy if External .tox is Missing /savebackup - When this checkbox is enabled, a backup copy of the component specified by the External .tox parameter is saved in the .toe file. This backup copy will be used if the External .tox can not be found. This may happen if the .tox was renamed, deleted, or the .toe file is running on another computer that is missing component media.
Sub-Component to Load /subcompname - When loading from an External .tox file, this option allows you to reach into the .tox and pull out a COMP and make that the top-level COMP, ignoring everything else in the file (except for the contents of that COMP). For example if a .tox file named project1.tox contains project1/geo1, putting geo1 as the Sub-Component to Load, will result in geo1 being loaded in place of the current COMP. If this parameter is blank, it just loads the .tox file normally using the top level COMP in the file.
Re-Init Network /reinitnet - This button will re-load from the external .tox file (if present), followed by re-initializing itself from its master, if it's a clone.
See Also
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