Howto Set

How to create a set

There are multiple options for creating a set.

All in one big set model

This involves creating a single model with everything in it. For example, if it is a small apartment, you would have the floor, walls, ceiling, furniture, kitchen appliances, etc. all in one model.

In this case, each object that might move in a choreography would have one or more bones created in the model.

Advantages:

• You see everything together at modeling time.

Disadvantages:

• This approach does not really reuse models, but copies them.
• When a model gets larger than 10,000 patches, it gets very slow.

Compose multiple models in an action

This involves creating an action, and then adding various models as "Action Objects". To do this, simply create the action, and then drag an object from the Objects folder in the Project Workspace into the action window, and it is added as an action object.

Nancy Gormezano:

I have found that it is best to assemble sets in an action - with those elements that are static - ie won't eventually be moving in the chor. For example, if you will be moving the apples in the bowl (someone picks it up - eats it) - then those should be added in the chor - they will be easier to get ahold of and animate.

But the bowl (if doesn't move) could be assembled with the table, chairs, walls, etc in an action as action objects.

Advantages:

• Allows you to compose sets that are reusable in multiple choreographies

Disadvantages:

•  ?

Compose within a choreography

This involves creating a choreography as a set. You simply move all of the objects that you need and position them. If you are only working with one scene, you are ready to animate; otherwise you can animate by copying the template choreography.

Advantages:

•  ?

Disadvantages:

•  ?

Information from this article comes from this forum post: http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=36768

Compose within a pose

This is the most flexible choice. It involves creating poses for a model, each with a different part of the set. The OFF pose has the objects inactive and the bones hidden; the ON pose has the objects active and the bones unhidden.

Advantages:

• When there are multiple models of the same type, the splines are not duplicated. This results in a large savings of memory and disk space and load time.
• Different objects can be turned on and off.

Disadvantages:

• Light lists are not settable between objects in different poses

See the post below for a tutorial: http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=46318