Tutorials LightWave 3D Export Aura [2] Pixel Tracking to LightWave

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by 'Deuce'

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Tutorials LightWave 3D Export Aura [2] Pixel Tracking to LightWave Step01

This
is a simple look at a powerful option that
is available to you in LightWave® 7.5.

When you setup an animation
rig, or a complex scene for someone else,
you have 2 choices.

You know where the controls
are. You should, you made them! But to
tell someone else how to use your rig,
or your scene, you can write an instruction
paper or email, or you can use "Proxy
Objects". It's proxy objects that
we're going to explore now.

A proxy object allows
you to create a handle, that is easily
identified and selectable, that automatically
selects something else. If this is confusing,
I hope to clear that up quickly.

First off, we have a way
to make a simple null object look different
than just a simple 'cross' in our viewports.
This is using the "Item Shape" custom
object plugin. This goes hand in hand with
proxy objects, so let's look at that first.

Click on the "Items" tab
at the top of the interface, then choose "ADD" and
add a null. It really doesn't matter at
this point what you name it.
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Tutorials LightWave 3D Export Aura [2] Pixel Tracking to LightWave Step02

At
the bottom of the interface, with the null
still selected, click on "Item Properties".
This will open a window to set the properties
of this null. We want to go to the "Geometry" tab,
and click and hold on the "Add Custom
Object" popup menu. Select "Item
Shape" and release.
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Tutorials LightWave 3D Export Aura [2] Pixel Tracking to LightWave Step03

Double
click on the listing that says: "Item
Shape: Standard".

This is where we can
choose something different for how the
null looks. Some suggestions, if your control
that you are creating is for rotation only,
say for the pivoting of a head, or hand,
make the shape a "Ball" -- like
wise, if it's a control for an IK handle,
the standard (at least that I have seen)
is a "Box".
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Tutorials LightWave 3D Export Aura [2] Pixel Tracking to LightWave Step04

The "Axis" control,
determines what axis the shape will be
drawn on. Now, some of the shapes, like
the ball and the box, doesn't really change
the look with different axis' chosen. But
the "Ring" shape sure does.

Below that is the "Scale" setting.
This is how large to make the new shape.
This is personal preference, but note this:
You can select the object by it's size,
so larger Item Shapes are easier to select.
For certain shapes, you can have it filled
as well. That's the box below Scale labeled "Filled".
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Tutorials LightWave 3D Export Aura [2] Pixel Tracking to LightWave Step05

"Label" is
if you want a name to hover around the
new Item Shape. This is very handy, as
it will always be right-reading to the
camera or any viewport.

"Justification" determines
where the name is drawn in relation to
the center of the object, and "Draw
Line To" is whether you wish a line
to be drawn to a specific item or not.

Now, the last 3 items
are used if you are just making an Item
Shape that is going to be directly used.
I feel that they are pretty self explanatory
-- and the "Opacity" at the bottom
is really great for making the object itself
not so "obtrusive".
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Tutorials LightWave 3D Export Aura [2] Pixel Tracking to LightWave Step06

Now
that we have the "Item Shape" under
our belt -- let's look at the other part
-- PROXY OBJECTS.

Ok -- so Proxy Objects
are objects that if you select them, they
select something else automatically. Ok
-- so prove it already!

Clear your scene. Add
a null again, doesn't matter about it's
name.

Now, Click on the "Scene" tab
at the top of the interface, and toward
the bottom is a button labeled "Master
Plug-ins". If you can't find it there,
it might be hidden under a "More" drop
down. You can also find it under the "Layout" drop
down and under "Plugins" there.
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Tutorials LightWave 3D Export Aura [2] Pixel Tracking to LightWave Step07

Now,
in this panel, click on "Add Layout
or Scene Master" and add the plugin "ProxyPick"

Double click on "ProxyPick
(none)" and you will see the controls.
They are simple, but let's go through them.
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Tutorials LightWave 3D Export Aura [2] Pixel Tracking to LightWave Step08

Proxy
Object is the Null, or whatever object
you wish to be the selector.

Target Item is the selectee.

"Apply Label" will
but the Name of the Target Item above the
null and draw a line showing the link between
the Proxy Object and it's target item.

So let's do something
simple to see what this does.

For ProxyObject -- choose
the null and for Target Item -- choose
the Light. Then click on "Apply Label".
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Tutorials LightWave 3D Export Aura [2] Pixel Tracking to LightWave StepInsertA

Now,
see what has happened? We have a null,
that has a hovering title "Light" over
it, and a dashed line that connects it
with the light. If you select the camera,
then try to select the null -- you select
the light. You cannot select the null separately.
The only way right now is to use the "Objects" mode
at the bottom of the interface, because
there is only one object in the scene,
you can select it.
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Tutorials LightWave 3D Export Aura [2] Pixel Tracking to LightWave Step09

Now,
reopen the "Master Plugin" panel,
and click on the check mark beside the
plugin. This will temporarily deactivate
it, but leave it all setup.

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Tutorials LightWave 3D Export Aura [2] Pixel Tracking to LightWave Step10

Now,
click on the Null and choose "Item
Properties" and go to the Geometry
Tab and double click on the "Item
Shape" plugin to pull up it's settings.

Now you see why we started
here. These are the settings that ProxyPick
will setup by default. If we want to make
any changes, we can here. Like make it
a different shape rather than "None".
Or to take away that dotted line -- trust
me, with many of these proxies in a scene,
the lines can get old really quick.

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Ok
-- lets put this to use.

Load up the PrixyTute_LegIK.lws
scene file.

Here you'll see a very
simple IK leg, setup with the "reverse
foot" IK setup for the foot.

So what we're gonna do
is to make a couple of ProxyPick objects
to choose the Heel Handle and the Ball
of the Foot.

Add 2 nulls, and call
one ProxyHeel and the other ProxyBall.

Open the Master Plugins,
and add ProxyPick

Double click on "ProxyPick
(none)" and set the "ProxyHeel" to
ProxyObject and "Heel_Handle" to
the Target. (note -- you'll see when you
open the Target Item popdown, that all
the bones are available too -- you can
proxy select ANYTHING!) Then click on "Apply
Label".

Now, add another instance
of "ProxyPick" and do the same
thing for "ProxyBall" and "Ball".

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Tutorials LightWave 3D Export Aura [2] Pixel Tracking to LightWave Step12

Now,
before closing this panel, turn off the
plugins by clicking on the check marks
beside them. This is why. We want to give
these proxies a different look, and one
thing that is inherent in the way they
work. Since you cannot select them directly,
you might want to move them out of the
way. So if we parent them to another Null,
named "ProxyMaster" or something,
we can have a way to move them out of our
way.
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Tutorials LightWave 3D Export Aura [2] Pixel Tracking to LightWave Step13

So,
add another null and call it "ProxyMaster".

Select your two proxy
nulls and parent them to the "ProxyMaster".
You might also at this point, move the
two nulls apart from one another.

You'll also note that
I made the ProxyMaster null hidden. No
sense in clutter.

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Tutorials LightWave 3D Export Aura [2] Pixel Tracking to LightWave Step14

Now,
select the ProxyHeel object, and open it's
Item Properties.

Go to the Geometry Tab,
and double click on the "ItemShape" plugin.

Choose the "Box" Shape,
and you'll see that the box is way to big.
So scale it down to something like, 220mm.

Also, in the sense of
no clutter, turn off the "Draw Line
To".
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Tutorials LightWave 3D Export Aura [2] Pixel Tracking to LightWave Step15

Now,
select the ProxyBall object, and open it's
Item Properties.
Go to the Geometry Tab, and double click
on the "ItemShape" plugin.

For this one, we only
want to rotate it on it's pitch, so we
can remind our users of that by choosing
the "ring" shape. So, choose
the ring shape, and pick "X" for
the axis. This lines up with the pitch
of the ball control. It's a little big,
so make it 220mm as well, and get rid of
that darn line. You might like it, and
if you do feel free to leave it, but it
get's in my way.
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Tutorials LightWave 3D Export Aura [2] Pixel Tracking to LightWave Step16

One
last step -- we need to turn the proxypick
plugin back on.

Go to the MasterPlugins
panel and click where the check mark was
to turn it back on.
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Tutorials LightWave 3D Export Aura [2] Pixel Tracking to LightWave Step17

One
last step -- we need to turn the proxypick
plugin back on.

Go to the MasterPlugins
panel and click where the check mark was
to turn it back on.

Now if you click on the
Proxy Objects, you'll select the controls.
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I hope this has been helpful,
and you now understand how to use these
simple little controls. You might find
that you create them for yourself for a
scene that you use over and over again.

Thanks for your attention.

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1 Tutorials LightWave 3D Export Aura [2] Pixel Tracking to LightWave Qua Jan 26, 2011 2:14 am

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