KineFlex (SMR Tool)

Commands / KineFlex (SMR Tool)
16 May, 2018
Tags: , , , , ,
by vlad
Part of the Smart Magnet Rig workflow

Description

KineFlex is our revolutionary on-the-fly skeletal system, introduced for the first time in EDAPT v.4.0 in 2018.
KineFlex
KineFlex uses Smart Magnet Rig metadata to allow an animator-friendly implementation of Forward and Inverse Kinematics, with bones that exist only during the current transformation and do not impose any rigidity or structural changes to the Classic Tween approach.

Essentially it is an instantly generated skeleton which takes the current location and position of the elements as initial state (on MouseDown) and disappears after the end of the transformation (on MouseRelease).

Functionality

An extremely powerful tool which allows precise quick posing, utilizing the available hierarchical structure of a Smart Magnet Rig.

KineFlex icon KineFlex appears in the tools palette next to or below Free Transform (Q) tool.
In Animate 2020 and newer, click on the … at the bottom of the toolbar, find the tool's icon in the pool of tools and drag it to a desired location in toolbar. (Click for details…)

KineFlex can be chosen directly by clicking on its icon in the tools palette or by using KineFlex (SMR Tool) command – EDAPT shortcut G – which makes KineFlex the currently active tool.

KineFlex creates on-the-fly temporary bone chains according to a Forward or Inverse Kinematics model. These chains exist only during the posing operation, while the character retains all flexibility. Symbol and Layer structure, typical for the Classic Tween workflow remain unchanged.
Essentially, this is virtual Bones implemented well and animator friendly.

How to…

Modes of operation after choosing the KineFlex tool G

Forward Kinematics (FK)

  • mousedrag: Soft FK rotation – rotates the clicked element while moving all its children relatively to its transformations, retaining children's directions unchanged.
  • Alt+mousedrag: Hard FK rotation – rotates the clicked element and all its children keeping them 'firmly' attached to their relative positions
  • Shift+mousedrag: Move chain – moves the clicked element and all its children
  • Ctrl-down: Holding down [ Ctrl ] key while working with KineFlex will temporarily switch to Selection Tool (V‑tool).

Inverse Kinematics (IK) interactions with SMR Effectors

  • mousedrag: IK transformation of the controlled IK Chain. Elements beyond the Effector move in Soft Rotation.
  • Alt+mousedrag: IK transformation of the controlled IK Chain. Elements beyond the Effector move in Hard Rotation.
  • Shift+mousedrag-and-drop: Attaching a Detached SMR Controller or detaching an Attached SMR Controller.
  • Alt+Shift+click on an Attached SMR Effector: Switches the Effector state between RIK Active and RIK Inactive.

Element Welder for KineFlex

Elements can be welded to their parent, using the Element Welder button in SMR Helpers panel. Pressing it welds the selected element of a Smart Magnet Rig to its parent. Welded elements move in Hard Rotation. Read more…

Suggested use

Posing; Advanced character animation

Where does it work?

Stage, Current frame – preexisting key(s)

EDAP Tools shortcut

G (KineFlex becomes the active tool); Shift+G (KineFlex Quick Settings)
Modifier keys: Alt+ (hard rotation); Shift+ (move); Alt+Shift-click on Effector (Switch RIK State)

Settings

You can open KineFlex Settings from Commands > EDAPT Control Panel > KineFlex or Quick Settings via the Shift+G shortcut

Colorize active chain(s) – allows to temporarily colorize the FK and IK chains for visual identification. Could be useful for trouble-shooting and while learning how to use SMR.

Rig Complexity (Animate only) – allows to fine-tune KineFlex's responsiveness/lag in Animate, based on the complexity of the Smart Magnet Rig. Complexity is a relative value and depends on the system's capabilities. On a slower computer a rig will be perceived as more complex and require a higher setting than the same rig on a newer, faster computer. Experimenting what produces the smoothest transformation on the specific user's system is the best approach.

Jump to current Keyframe – when checked will move the playhead to the left key, if necessary.

Notes

KineFlex only works with Smart Magnet Rigs
KineFlex can be disabled via the Commands > EDAPT Control Panel > Manage Commands – uncheck KineFlex checkbox

In Flash KineFlex is restricted to ActionScript 1 and 2 documents. Read more…

Error messages

KineFlex:
Duplicated elements on layers:
"AAAA" – "BBBB".
SMR ID: X

Read how to resolve duplicate elements ID conflicts here…

Known issues

Plugin tool script error in method mouseUp: If you see this message in Output, that means that the JSFL engine has crashed KineFlex. You need to restart Flash / Animate to be able to continue using it.

Parented Layers: Shrinking and drifting of rigged elements after multiple KineFlex transformations when Layer Parenting Shell is on, due to a long-standing bug in Animate. Read more…

Video demonstrations



This tool is part of the Flanimate Power Tools package. Get the latest version from Downloads.
 
Comments
Inga
31 July, 2023 at 8:50 am

Note from the Admin:
A question about the Tilda key [ ~/` ] was moved here.

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