A new version of Cineversity has been launched. This legacy site and its tutorials will remain accessible for a limited transition period

Visit the New Cineversity
   
 
FBX Animation.. R23..
Posted: 13 September 2020 08:53 AM   [ Ignore ]  
Total Posts:  88
Joined  2020-07-17

Hi.. I made a little animation using a sphere to create a bouncy ball.. At the floor it has a 10% squish effect. Looks very nice and so real.. I exported this animation as an FBX, not expecting the squish to be saved, but no animation was even saved.. Nothing… No motion..

So I exported the animation as an OBJ sequence, then imported that sequence back into R23.. Excellent new feature! Very easy and very quick..!!..

I then exported that animation as an FBX expecting the entire animation to be saved since it was a sequence, but still no motion.. Nothing. Am I doing it right..?? I just added a key frame to drop the ball and used the Squish/Stretch to squish the ball..

I am only playing and testing features of C4D to learn how to use the software.. The ball has no real use. Its just the squish effect and animation I was learning..

Tesselaar..

Profile
 
 
Posted: 13 September 2020 04:41 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 1 ]  
Administrator
Avatar
Total Posts:  12043
Joined  2011-03-04

Hi Tesselaar,

Without a file, I have very little to work with. To ask each time to get a file is certainly not my pleasure. I can’t see what you have set up; without that: I can’t explore it.

Here is a screen capture. R23. Works as before. No problems.
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/oug7VXcIWGc1SpbhocJkUGQTUFGR8UG8SBtS3X5NHRV

It shows how to safely get each point as a Point Level Animation (PLA). This is the way I suggest when I have nothing to work with; It has always worked reliably.

Best

 Signature 

Dr. Sassi V. Sassmannshausen Ph.D.
Cinema 4D Mentor since 2004
Maxon Master Trainer, VES, DCS

Photography For C4D Artists: 200 Free Tutorials.
https://www.youtube.com/user/DrSassiLA/playlists

NEW:

NEW: Cineversity [CV4]

Profile
 
 
Posted: 13 September 2020 07:04 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 2 ]  
Total Posts:  88
Joined  2020-07-17

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/lsupt2cfdd6tmh7/AAAVDieLUgurp9Z-DZDpSDJla?dl=0

My ball is not so animated as yours.. I am working towards that effect.. I am just testing animation export to FBX, testing to see what animations types can be saved as an FBX..

Thank you..

Profile
 
 
Posted: 13 September 2020 07:47 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 3 ]  
Administrator
Avatar
Total Posts:  12043
Joined  2011-03-04

Hi Tesselaar,

Thanks for the DropBox File.

I can’t really see a difference in the animation (technically). Both are animated via keyframes, both receive a deformation via Squash&Stretch;.
There is nothing else to it.

The Sphere in your scene is a Primitive. Since the FBX file can’t contain these Primitives, nor can any PLA be stored on such a Primitive directly, it is precisely the same when exported (after being made editable).
Select a primitive (the Sphere) and press the c key, that converts it. We had a similar discussion about the Helix.
https://help.maxon.net/r23/en-us/Default.htm#html/5664.html?Highlight=make editable

The whole process I have shown you above is called baking. It is a standard to get data in a safe exportable state. This is what is needed to get the information for FBX usable.

Here is your file back.
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/1WcvcT6O28BfnJIb8oyettzeeofnp8sTdChowFe5va8

I hope we can call this FBX export case now solved. Wouldn’t you agree? Check the screen capture above (and the many others I have done for you); do it until it is muscle memory.

Most of your 70 (!) posts have been about FBX/OBJ export. I have shown you many ways and have done things repeatedly and patiently.

You told me that you are a teacher, so I think it should be simple to point out the obstacle if there is one left, so we can get this out of the way. The point (or block) usually is right after it went well.
However, I can’t find it in all your posts. To repeat what I did is fine a few times, but we need to look at where the bottle-neck in the communication is. There I like to loo again.

More info:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DljyrqEiPg

https://help.maxon.net/r23/en-us/index.html#html/FFBXEXPORT-FBXEXPORT_GROUP.html?

Besides, to get detailed, well researched tutorials, please make a suggestion here:
https://www.cineversity.com/forums/viewforum/96/
Thank you.

Best

 Signature 

Dr. Sassi V. Sassmannshausen Ph.D.
Cinema 4D Mentor since 2004
Maxon Master Trainer, VES, DCS

Photography For C4D Artists: 200 Free Tutorials.
https://www.youtube.com/user/DrSassiLA/playlists

NEW:

NEW: Cineversity [CV4]

Profile
 
 
Posted: 14 September 2020 05:26 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 4 ]  
Administrator
Avatar
Total Posts:  12043
Joined  2011-03-04

1)
While exporting anything from Cinema 4D:

• Are there options in the export menu that match the information that you like to export?

• Is there anything that describes the duration of the Animation?

• Is there a checkbox: Only selected?

• Is the information from the Help-Content understood?

• Is there a Cineware option in the target app, and was the file save for Cineware?

2)
After the Export:

• Is the file size anywhere in the plausible range, which can be estimated better with experience? (Allow for that knowledge to grow.)

3)
When re-importing (Merge) the exported data into a new project file, what is missing? Each format might have a natural limitation.

• Is the timing OK?

• Is any animation at all available.

4)
When something is missing, can it be produced with any baking strategy?

• Point Caching, MoGraph Caching, Capuccino baking of PSR, or PLA.

• Any other options in the Timeline? Function. Bake Object.

• If all failed with one format, is an Alembic export, then re-import (or Object manager> Object> Bake as Alembic helping.

• Would a Blend Shape (Pose Morph help)?

=========

This is a very shortlist. But I hope it helps to analyze the procedure.
Please note that any successful export or re-import does not guarantee that the target application will read the provided information.
Other applications might need an earlier version of the file format created.
Not all exported files can be re-imported.

=========

In the series “Animation Techniques for Teams” I have discuss a lot of ways to convert animations internally (!) into different formats.
https://www.cineversity.com/vidplaytut/animation_techniques_for_teams_part_01_course

 Signature 

Dr. Sassi V. Sassmannshausen Ph.D.
Cinema 4D Mentor since 2004
Maxon Master Trainer, VES, DCS

Photography For C4D Artists: 200 Free Tutorials.
https://www.youtube.com/user/DrSassiLA/playlists

NEW:

NEW: Cineversity [CV4]

Profile
 
 
Posted: 14 September 2020 05:58 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 5 ]  
Total Posts:  88
Joined  2020-07-17

Hi Dr. Sassi.. Thank you so much for all that information.. Sorry for my ignorance in regards to knowledge in using C4D. I realise I must frustrate you sometimes after reading your comments.. I am trying hard to understand all you tell me..

When I export to the FBX format, I tick the Baked option. But today, I realised that Mac C4D might not have the option to Bake. SLC does not, its only available in the Window version… I have been checking out many videos on how to use C4D, so when I searched Bake, I found this YouTube link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JddOx9G70XA where it shows the Bake option under the Rendering Tab.. I do not have this option. I can Bake Alembic, or at least that option is there for me to use. When I export to the FBX, I check the option to export Baked, but my animations are not Baked.. I searched on the C4D Help, and the only option to Bake is Alembic.

If indeed I cannot Bake in the Mac version, then its impossible for me to create an FBX animation.. Perhaps that Baked option is somewhere else in the Mac version.. But the Help should direct me to that if it was a feature…

If I bake using the Alembic, I can see the new Texture Icon.. I then turn off the Sphere and my baked ball is there and I can play the animation.. But if I save as a FBX, no animation is saved..

Tesselaar..

Profile
 
 
Posted: 14 September 2020 04:05 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 6 ]  
Administrator
Avatar
Total Posts:  12043
Joined  2011-03-04

Hi Tesselaar,

Sorry when that impression came across. Not my intention. I reject the notion that I would ever get frustrated with anyone not knowing Cinema 4D and ask a question here. I find this rather un-fair even to say!

I have put a lot of time in reading through your long-winded, rambling posts (about a 3rd party application), putting a lot of time into my replies, only to notice that they get in the majority ignored.
This ignorance, if repeated, frustrates me. There is a reason for that that you can’s see what I offer. It is like a fog between the material and you. With anyone in the past 16 years, I could cut after a while through that fog, if there was one.

I can’t get a clue what to do in this case. It is like you are not really focused, distracted, perhaps under tremendous stress, I really don’t know. I try to see a pattern when I get through to a certain degree, and when not. Weekends seem to be the time when it feels nearly impossible to get anything across.

However, that is not my job here; to begin with (finding when I get through) is the extra time I put into it.

What I like to do here is to get a question, answer to the best of what can be known, and hope that the material that I provide leads to duplication.

I work with files, they work, or they don’t. I have to ask you on an average three times to give me a file; in this thread, you have ignored me to 100% so far. This is frustrating.

I really like that you have progress. In the beginning, my impression was that you try to move to the next application when the others don’t give you what you need effortless. An illusion that never leads to a proper workflow.

This behavior has calmed down a little bit, you seemed to have noticed that Cinema 4D works, but I feel you repeatedly try to get anything done with one 3rd party application that is not really built for what you like to do.

Please try to follow what I share; there is particular attention needed. Example: When I write Timeline> Function> Bake, it is not Object Manager> Bake Object. One is for animation, the other one is static. Huge difference.

==========

Point Level Animation (PLA) is what you need, which is not at all in the YouTube link you shared above. Again: Timeline> Function> Bake. Create a copy, which is an option in the given Bake interface. I have shown you a more manual way, so you get more conscious about the process via Cache points, then use Capuccino. My idea was to introduce you after that to the Timeline option.

I mentioned that, no idea why you try to Bake the Object (which is, again: a non-animation bake and the one in the YouTube video did not mention it at all, that there would be any animation baked). I hope that gives you an idea of why I asked you many posts ago to write down the steps. I assume that was ignored as well.

==========

Bake in the Timeline
https://help.maxon.net/r23/en-us/Default.htm#html/32180.html#PLUGIN_CMD_465001219

Bake in Object Manager
https://help.maxon.net/r23/en-us/Default.htm#html/5739.html#PLUGIN_CMD_450000051

There is a lot to learn in this application. It needs attention to detail. Terms might be used again, but the context counts (a lot!!!). If you can’t see that, I fear you will find it impossible to get your head around this application.

All the best

 Signature 

Dr. Sassi V. Sassmannshausen Ph.D.
Cinema 4D Mentor since 2004
Maxon Master Trainer, VES, DCS

Photography For C4D Artists: 200 Free Tutorials.
https://www.youtube.com/user/DrSassiLA/playlists

NEW:

NEW: Cineversity [CV4]

Profile