deformer_shapes

 Short usage manual:

  • Create your Avastar shape as usual (only use the shape sliders for deforming the Avastar. This should give best results.)
  • Create your mesh attachments as usual (no need to use special skeleton constraints)
  • Upon exporting your mesh attachment you only set the new option “Include Deformer Shape”. This will generate an XML file besides the Collada file. This XML file can later be used by the SL Importer as “Custom deformer shape”. Note: This file is NOT meant as storage for the current Shape. It is ONLY(!) used for the Mesh deformer.

 

Avastar-1-dev-723

We have added some improvements for the experimental Mesh Deformer:

  • It turned out that the Mesh Deformer can only handle one mesh at a time. So we added a constraint which disables the “Include deformer Shape” option  when more than one mesh is selected.
  • The generated XML File has now the same name as the dae file but with an .xml extension.
  • Please understand that the Mesh Deformer support is experimental and can change at any time. The deformer is not even released by Linden Labs and it is still not even clear if it will ever come.

Please be very careful with this feature and by no means use it for your mesh business.

However please feel free to report any issues with this tool. We rely on your feedback!

Changeset:

  • Imp: Removed some bones from the Shape normalization to allow face morphs with meshes.
  • Fix: Shape export throws an exception when Avastar UI was not loaded.
  • Imp: Now the shape export can only be selected when exactly one rigged mesh is selected.
  • Imp: Name of exported Shape.xml is now similar to the name of the dae file (only with .xml extension)

Todo’s:

  • Completing the Documentation
  • Review (and partially redo) the existing videos

Highlights:

  • Improved experimental Support for the Mesh Deformer

Known bugs:

  • The Spine attachment bone has a wrong orientation. Thus attachment animations of the aSpine bone will turn the bone upside down. Only the aSpine bone is affected. For all other bones animations work just fine. No workaround known.
  • The .bvh export is broken. Workaround: Use the much more versatile .anim export instead.

More Questions ?

Ask Gaia Clary in Second Life, or send email to mailto:gaia.clary@machinimatrix.org

Have Fun

Gaia & Magus & Domino

 

Where is the Download ?

  • I lost my download link:
    Please check in the FAQ.
  • I already purchased Avastar-1:
    You find the new update in your Product Download folder.
  • I want to buy Avastar-1:
    You can buy directly from Paypal (see left column of this page), or go to the Jass-Shop in Second Life and purchase from the Avastar-1 vendor.

Important notes:

  • We believe that we have fixed most issues with Avastar by now. However please continue reporting any issues. Every test case can help us to isolate new problems. Special thanks to Darien Caldwell, Optimo Maximus and Eleanora Newell for invaluable remarks and finds.
  • We have tested the new Avastar update on the development version of Blender. Avastar should now run on all Blender 2.6 versions up to Blender 2.65a.