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Blender Head Shapekeys

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kat:
Hmm... you should be able to utilise the morph without any other sequence data interfering. If this is not happening it likely means the FBX doesn't contain clearly demarked morph data. In the Action Editor (not the Dope Sheet) make sure an Action exists per Shape Key sequence - the Blender/IMVU pathway needs clearly defined Actions as representations of sequences otherwise it doesn't know what to do with the file. All sequences need to have an Action by the way otherwise they don't export correctly.

Also when exporting SHAPE KEYS to FBX make sure "Apply Modifiers" is disabled in "Geometries" (this breaks mesh shapes caused by using Shape Keys) and optionally try disabling "NLA Strips" and "Force Start/End Keying" in "Animations".

The Action Editor is also where you change the name of the sequence, just click the name/ID input field and type (likely shows Action or Action.001 by default).

EdieMaye:
Hello Kat,

Thank you for the reply. I did everything as you specified, and it still exports a .fbx that will cancel my actions/poses once the shapekey ends. I can set it to loop indefinitely. Which will be fine with static poses, when I create them, but I'd rather have my animations persist even after the morph ends. Not to mention I sell posing packs and if I set the morph to a loop it overrides every pose afterward until the product is removed or you change a node and/or etc.

Any ideas what may be the cause?

kat:
Hmm, post a screen shot of your project settings in IMVU. In the meantime just to clarify... you are able to export a shape key/morph that imports into IMVU properly, and will play when activated? It's just that once the sequence plays through IMVU reverts to the defaults? Is that right?

EdieMaye:
My apologies for the hiatus Kat, but I am back.

When I create the animation sequence in Blender and export to IMVU it uploads and plays successfully for me. I can edit the parameters for loops. Even signify what portion of the frames to loop, but once the face morph finishes it resets the avatar's body to default. WHEN I include it within the pose itself. For instance I make a pose and name it br2. Trigger br2 and it plays with the morph and then concludes when the face morph ends although the pose was set to loop with 0 and the face was at a 3 loop maximum.

But, I discovered that if I make two separate actions: .XAF with br2 and then the other with the .XPF, still br2. Type br2 to initiate both simultaneously. The face animation plays and concludes without interruptions with the pose .XAF itself.

It feels like an unnecessary step, and I have yet to test this with an avatar itself. So far it has only been tested with an empty derivable, (PID#14110317,) and an empty mood, (PID#10945930.) I have seen other derivable avatars that were able to manage this with a single trigger, and this is what I am trying to accomplish here.


avatar prior to animation.


Avatar during. (Eyes are closed with a loop value of 3.)

Once the face morph concludes the avatar returns to the prior pose. But, doesn't return to default stance.Standing poses.

kat:
If I'm understanding this correctly, you're doing this;

- Action
-- xaf
-Action
-- xpf

... which works. But this;

- Action
-- xaf
-- xpf

... doesn't?

If you have different loop values set that means one is still playing when the other is finished. When both are part of the same action I'm guessing IMVU won't/isn't reset properly to defaults because it must consider the Action still active, causing part of it to 'stick'. Separated to their own Actions however, they will run based on the parameters set for the individual sequences independent of the one another - using multiple Actions to trigger different elements of a project is a legit use of them by the way.

The only way I can think to fix this would be to loop the skeletal sequence to match the morph or change the skeletal animation at source so its as long (duration) as the looping morph (notwithstanding the challenge of syncing them together when using this approach). Or do what you did and create separate Actions for each element that should animate.

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