Cineversity

Hi.. Is there a simple way to animate the compression of a spring, so the shape of the coil does not flatten.. I have the spring, so I do not want to model it..

Thank you..

Hi tmath129,

If a Spring as a polygon model is squeezed, it needs to be rigged to keep the Coil shape as it was before. This might be a lot of work, while a new spring is perhaps set up more quickly. Since I have no information about your spring, I can so far only provide this:

A short screen-capture, and an example file:
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/3KvkRy57pyV67IJ2o1kirZN9QLaDCb2CuN5BdaNpokq

I’m happy to look into any questions you have. Perhaps you like to share the scene file here as zipping, or I can provide an upload link.
Please note that I touch only DropBox, Amazon, Google, Adobe, or Amazon, as well as Wetransfer. Please, no abbreviated URLs.

I will look in the morning into it (way here it is past midnight).

My best wishes

Hi Dr. Sassi.. Wow… Great demo..!! and I managed to follow it and animate the spring.. Up and down it goes..  However, when I saved the animation as a FBX… the animation does not save.. Is there a way to achieve this.??

Tesselaar..

Hi Tesselaar,

Yes, generated object like the Sweep, while animated by the child objects are not exportable via FBX.
One way would be to turn the object into a PLA animation, which works fine with a Spring.

Is it possible for you to use Alembic instead? Which works fine.

Would you mind to share your animated spring (as a zip file here) so I can showcase all the steps needed?

Where do you want to use the file?

I have not used it, but nitroBake2 seems to do this automatically (a 3rd party plugin)

All the best

Hi Dr. Sassi.. That was what I was thinking… I am only animating and exporting 3D aviations from software as proof of concept to use inside a 3D Virtual Reality scene… I gave up with my taking 3D Toons since no software had it all accept C4D, but the process was too hard.. I have Maya 2020, but not so easy to use. Not for me being a primary school teacher. C4D seems to be the software I need to focus on using since I know does work.. Well, I was hopeful with the spring.. I found a nice piston spring on GrabCAD, where I wanted to use it as proof of concept to import an animated 3D Spring into a Virtual Reality.. I want to add interesting 3D objects where young students can click on and see in 3D the motions of the object. With the Taking Toons, that was supposed to be a progress from video.. The idea was cool and we did get excited but we have failed to achieve that for now..

I animated your spring, using the hight and adding key frames.. I loved the way that worked.. It was common-sense GUI.. Easy to follow.. I will try to create my own spring, using your steps.. I can create a spring using Rhinoceros. Its the only 3D CAD software I have been using for many years.. The processes to me are very logical..

I tried to open the Alembic into Simlab Composer, but it failed.. SLC has many many option to export and import. If you are an educator, you can get a copy for free to experiment with…

The only reason why I am trying to export as the FBX format, is its a new feature in Simlab Composer to an animated FBX media into a VR.. But I am really open.. I do not care which formate I use, as long as I can import it into a 3D VR..

I checked out that nitroBake2.. Are you saying that baking a model can export as an animated 3D.. I cannot use the Bake option in Simlab Composer since it only works on Windows. Perhaps that’s the same with that plugin..
The YouTube was very interesting.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNQZTahEzHg

Is there a software that can convert a Alembic to an FBX.. No software I have can even open an Alembic..

Thanks a lot for your reply, Tesselaar, the more I know about your target, the better.

I’m not familiar with SLC. Too sad, it doesn’t have C4D as an import listed nor Alembic.
FBX was developed by Kaydara and later the core of MotionBuilder, a nearly quarter-century history.
I was introduced in 2004 to it while exploring Motion capture and the exchange of it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FBX
It has been an industry standard, but I feel more and more that other formats have some advantages; hence studios move on to use Alembic more and more.

Anyway, I love scene files, they work, or they don’t, no long discussion is needed.

Here is a small test file, FBX, with a spring. 24 frames, to keep is small:
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/7dIa50jDkkWxHwUQ7p16ZJArcsQMUEkkkAVYChGuntA

Of course here is a short clip of how it was converted:
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/s1I2aZh2oNuHfJVZzoNT9mnxVB8h7PyDQtJpCaP9PHQ

======

Please have a look into this set up as well.
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/Oz4eMLJL5pzuj51sLDX85ybOM6D0BYUabiH9j5eEtd0

It uses the core power of FBX and what it was designed for. (Look how small the file is!) But you might also notice the complexity involved.
Hence, why I tried to keep it simple with the initial suggestion.

All the best

Simple I love… LOL

I managed to follow this…
Import Alembic cache files
In the Animation menu set, select Cache > Import Alembic > . For information, see Alembic Import Options .
In the Alembic Import window, select Cache > Alembic Cache > Import Alembic.
Click Import. The Alembic objects are imported as a separate hierarchy at the root of the scene.

But for me, as with the FBX, only a single frame seems to have been saved as an FBX from a ABC file from C4D.. It went into Maya from C4D fine.. But sadly no animation..

I downloaded your small FBX test but there is no animation.. I opened it in the FBX viewer and loaded it into Simlab Composer.. It seems only one frame is viewable….

Hi.. I have DropBox.. How do I share a movie..??

Tesselaar..

An animated FBX from Mixamo works very well inside a VR.. However, the options are limited to their free-bees, but we can pay to get our own.. We do not have the budget for that.. Schools don’t have much money.. I already pay out many things out of my own pocket for students. Most teachers do…

The last link you sent, does animate in SLC.. and in a VR, however, parts of the model go crazy… I will send you the move of it doing this..

I made my own spring.!!!. I did not realise I had to drop both profile and spring into the sweep… I made it cone shaped.. Well, I achieved something great.. Thank you for a great video…

Tesselaar..

First time I have ever been able to animate a spring.. C4D is great.. Now I know, I could actually teach year 10+ students.. C4D does offer free education software so there is no excuse for schools to include it.. I really need to learn much more.. I also really want students to create their own content to add into 3D Virtual Reality..  But for young students they just need to be able to view media in 3D VRs.

I just need to work out how to get the animation into SImlab Composer as an animation.. I can create an action from there..

Hi Tesselaar,

I will try to reply to each post below the quote.

tmath129 - 23 August 2020 09:41 PM

Simple I love… LOL

I managed to follow this…
Import Alembic cache files
In the Animation menu set, select Cache > Import Alembic > . For information, see Alembic Import Options .
In the Alembic Import window, select Cache > Alembic Cache > Import Alembic.
Click Import. The Alembic objects are imported as a separate hierarchy at the root of the scene.

But for me, as with the FBX, only a single frame seems to have been saved as an FBX from a ABC file from C4D.. It went into Maya from C4D fine.. But sadly no animation..

I downloaded your small FBX test but there is no animation.. I opened it in the FBX viewer and loaded it into Simlab Composer.. It seems only one frame is viewable….

Keep one FBX, a simple animation, somewhere safe. USe this if you test the import options. A file that works in some application and in other not, will give you some ideas about the options. This file should be able to be shared with the support.

As I wrote, FBX needs either Skin Deformation, which requires polygons, or anything directly connected to points.
Often the detour with Alembic has worked, as it often creates more a baked than a generated version of the file. As usual, test everything first with a small and simple file before investing a lot of time.

tmath129 - 23 August 2020 10:01 PM

Hi.. I have DropBox.. How do I share a movie..??
Tesselaar..

Dropbox is great, thanks for that! Upload and share. Make sure you get a link that works externally. In the past, I sometimes got a link that was more of an internal (AKA private) path. If you have trouble, I will look into it, or I provide for the time being an upload link.

tmath129 - 23 August 2020 10:08 PM

An animated FBX from Mixamo works very well inside a VR.. However, the options are limited to their free-bees, but we can pay to get our own.. We do not have the budget for that.. Schools don’t have much money.. I already pay out many things out of my own pocket for students. Most teachers do…

The last link you sent, does animate in SLC.. and in a VR, however, parts of the model go crazy… I will send you the move of it doing this..

Inside a VR means in your case SLC, as you wrote and based on that in VR HMD (indicating head mounting displays)? I guess so.

tmath129 - 24 August 2020 12:19 AM

I made my own spring.!!!. I did not realise I had to drop both profile and spring into the sweep… I made it cone shaped.. Well, I achieved something great.. Thank you for a great video…

Tesselaar..

GREAT!

Yes, a profile on top (but below the generator), the path below that, on the same hierarchy level. Note that the Spline interpolation defines the density in the case of the resulting mesh. Try always to keep the density as low as possible. A common mistake is to create a super dense mesh, which will slow down anything at one point. The realtime requirements for a VR experience are mainly based on the viewer, any delay will result in motion sickness feelings. YES, machines these days have much more power than my exploration of my first project of this kind (Back in 1992/3). Today even an iPhone can provide this; no large backpack of gear is needed.

tmath129 - 24 August 2020 12:58 AM

First time I have ever been able to animate a spring.. C4D is great.. Now I know, I could actually teach year 10+ students.. C4D does offer free education software so there is no excuse for schools to include it.. I really need to learn much more.. I also really want students to create their own content to add into 3D Virtual Reality..  But for young students they just need to be able to view media in 3D VRs.

I just need to work out how to get the animation into SImlab Composer as an animation.. I can create an action from there..

Yes, learning 3D animation is undoubtedly a plus for many people. It is an international language, and it will help in un-counted jobs to visualize ideas and procedures. Only an idea that can be successfully communicated has a chance of being realized. This means that the one using it as communication support will have much better opportunities.
Besides, 3D printers all over ht place these days; it has become a universal tool to produce.

If I have not addressed a question, please let me know.

My best wishes.

See if this works.. I have never created a Dropbox link before.. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/lsupt2cfdd6tmh7/AAAVDieLUgurp9Z-DZDpSDJla?dl=0

If it opens, you will see my spring and the results of your animated spring placed inside a VR…

I totally agreed with the 3D being an international language.. Its like maths.. Many students come from a many different cultures, but they will mostly understand a visual 3D objects, and to make it fun, it can be seen in a VR environment. For a young person to be able to fly/walk around a 3D object and interact with it, really inspires them to want to learn more..

My obstacle is importing a 3D animation into SLC then a VR easily.. Once I resolve that issue, I can create many more animations. Its easy to add static 3D object into a VR.. I can also add many engineering animations/simulations, like this one I added into a 3D PDF.. But to view it you will need the Acrobat Reader.. 
A 3D PDF uses the U3D format.. I can export a U3D from Photoshop, but I cannot export the animation..

Hi Dr. Sassi.. Can you please tell me if you only get to see the 3 files I added.. I have never done Dropbox so I worry all my files are viewable to others.

Thanks a lot, Tesselaar, for the files.

Yes, I can see all three now; for a while, there were only two. I was putting together a new clip and a file for you.
Have a look here
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/tMWnvO14JeMhjU8SU1UJP0I3C6hZaoQJQ2icifm1VS5

The first 30 sec I use Unity to showcase how it works with the file …11.c4d As you can see, there is no problem.

In the second half (…21.c4d), I like to introduce the idea of Blend Shapes as an option in VR. Since VR is not only a passive environment, the interactivity should be more significant than just looking at things. Here Blend-shapes come into the game or other animations. Blend-shapes are smaller than a long sequence, and perhaps some trigger could be installed in your app SLC - which I have no clue about.

In summary, please contact SLC and show them that the scene explodes in their current version. If I’m not wrong, this is an ancient problem (See Euler Angle), and it seems to flip at a particular position. This is not something I can fix in Cinema 4D. I took the time to set up a 3rd party scene (UNITY) with this same file, and it works flawlessly.
If in doubt, perhaps import it back to Cinema 4D or any other FBX savvy software. Just to see where the problem is.

… and yes, you are correct, math is a universal language as well. But also something that trains the brain in seeing patterns, sequences, and so much more. Train only the muscles that you like to keep is also true for the brain.

So, it is getting close to midnight here again. I call it a day.

My best wishes for your class.

Thank you so much Dr. Sassi.. Sounds like my working hours.. Midnight, so you are having an early night. LOL.. I have decided to take this week off from school.. Queensland are on the verge of a second CoVid wave.. Very scary.. Our daughter is still at school but she is at a small school. I teach are big schools where many students have bugs..

Thats good you can only see the 3 files. Yes, I did have another folder but I removed it and put all 3 files into one. I became worried that all my DropBox files were viewable. I might use the same link for any other files I share..

i will send SLC support your comments with the file.. They are very good with support as long as I email them.. They are always eager to fix issues..

Thank you for all your support…

Tesselaar..