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Bone COMP

Summary

The Bone Component is the foundation of all of the Character Tools. It is a Component with most of the properties of a Geometry Component. It also has some extra features such as length, two types of geometry, end-to-end linking, and kinematic parameters.

The Bone Component is used to create hierarchies of limb-like objects that form part of a hierarchy or chain of Bone Components that are parented to one another. The movement of the chain of Bone Components is "solved" or computed based on several methods including Inverse Kinematics. The parenting attribute of bones is unique in that each bone attaches to the end, not the origin, of the parent bone.

It is recommended that you use the Bone Creation state, accessed through the state icons above the Viewport, to construct such a chain because placing individual Bone Components and establishing their parenting relationships from operator to operator is extremely time consuming and not at all intuitive. In addition, a chain created using the Bone state will produce a better behaved bone chain.

By default, bones do not render. They contain two types of display geometry: "link geometry" and "capture region geometry". The former consists of a narrow diamond shape which has been stretched to the length specified in Bone Length, and placed along the Bone Component's negative Z-axis. The latter consists of two or more user-controllable ellipses that are used to define capture regions used in skeleton sops. You can specify whether either of the two types of geometry are displayed.

The actual movement of the Bone Components is controlled through an IK CHOP (when using the standard Capture/Deform model). This is effected through an expression in the Transform channels of the Bone Component. If you want to override this behaviour, then you need to delete the bone's translate channels such that they are no longer over-ridden by chop control.

If you make a bone the child of a non-bone Component, then it will attach to the origin of that Component. If you want to reposition the bone relative to its non-bone parent, you must remove the expression in the bone's translate parameters.

PythonIcon.pngboneCOMP_Class


Parameters - Xform Page

The Xform parameter page controls the object component's transform in world space.

Transform Order xord - - This allows you to specify the order in which the changes to your Component will take place. Changing the Transform Order will change where things go much the same way as going a block and turning east gets you to a different place than turning east and then going a block. In matrix math terms, if we use the 'multiply vector on the right' (column vector) convention, a transform order of Scale, Rotate, Translate would be written as T * R * S * Position.

  • Scale Rotate Translate srt -
  • Scale Translate Rotate str -
  • Rotate Scale Translate rst -
  • Rotate Translate Scale rts -
  • Translate Scale Rotate tsr -
  • Translate Rotate Scale trs -

Rotate Order rord - - This allows you to set the transform order for the Component's rotations. As with transform order (above), changing the order in which the Component's rotations take place will alter the Component's final position. A Rotation order of Rx Ry Rz would create the final rotation matrix as follows R = Rz * Ry * Rx

  • Rx Ry Rz xyz - R = Rz * Ry * Rx
  • Rx Rz Ry xzy - R = Ry * Rz * Rx
  • Ry Rx Rz yxz - R = Rz * Rx * Ry
  • Ry Rz Rx yzx - R = Rx * Rz * Ry
  • Rz Rx Ry zxy - R = Ry * Rx * Rz
  • Rz Ry Rx zyx - R = Rx * Ry * Rz

Translate t - - This allows you to specify the amount of movement along any of the three axes; the amount, in degrees, of rotation around any of the three axes; and a non-uniform scaling along the three axes. As an alternative to entering the values directly into these fields, you can modify the values by manipulating the Component in the Viewport with the Select & Transform state.

  • X tx -
  • Y ty -
  • Z tz -

Rotate r - - Theis specifies the amount of movement along any of the three axes; the amount, in degrees, of rotation around any of the three axes; and a non-uniform scaling along the three axes. As an alternative to entering the values directly into these fields, you can modify the values by manipulating the Component in the Viewport with the Select & Transform state.

  • X rx -
  • Y ry -
  • Z rz -

Scale s - - This specifies the amount of movement along any of the three axes; the amount, in degrees, of rotation around any of the three axes; and a non-uniform scaling along the three axes. As an alternative to entering the values directly into these fields, you can modify the values by manipulating the Component in the Viewport with the Select & Transform state.

  • X sx -
  • Y sy -
  • Z sz -

Pivot p - - The Pivot point edit fields allow you to define the point about which a Component scales and rotates. Altering the pivot point of a Component produces different results depending on the transformation performed on the Component.

For example, during a scaling operation, if the pivot point of an Component is located at -1, -1, 0 and you wanted to scale the Component by 0.5 (reduce its size by 50%), the Component would scale toward the pivot point and appear to slide down and to the left.

Objects17.gif

In the example above, rotations performed on an Component with different pivot points produce very different results.

  • X px -
  • Y py -
  • Z pz -

Uniform Scale scale - This field allows you to change the size of an Component uniformly along the three axes.

Note: Scaling a camera's channels is not generally recommended. However, should you decide to do so, the rendered output will match the Viewport as closely as possible when scales are involved.

Parent Transform Source parentxformsource - - Select what position is used as the transform source for this obejct. Can be one of "Parent (Hierarchy)", "Specify Parent Object", or "World Origin".

  • From Parent Object (Hierarchy) hierarchy -
  • Specify Parent Object specify -
  • World Origin worldorigin -

Parent Object parentobject - Allows the location of the object to be constrained to any other object whose path is specified in this parameter.

Look At lookat - Allows you to orient this Component by naming another 3D Component you would like it to Look At, or point to. Once you have designated this Component to look at, it will continue to face that Component, even if you move it. This is useful if, for instance, you want a camera to follow another Component's movements. The Look At parameter points the Component in question at the other Component's origin.

Tip: To designate a center of interest for the camera that doesn't appear in your scene, create a Null Component and disable its display flag. Then Parent the Camera to the newly created Null Component, and tell the camera to look at this Component using the Look At parameter. You can direct the attention of the camera by moving the Null Component with the Select state. If you want to see both the camera and the Null Component, enable the Null Component's display flag, and use the Select state in an additional Viewport by clicking one of the icons in the top-right corner of the TouchDesigner window.

Forward Direction forwarddir - - Sets which axis and direction is considered the forward direction.

  • +X posx -
  • -X negx -
  • +Y posy -
  • -Y negy -
  • +Z posz -
  • -Z negz -

Look At Up Vector lookup - - When specifying a Look At, it is possible to specify an up vector for the lookat. Without using an up vector, it is possible to get poor animation when the lookat Component, for example, passes through the Y axis of the target Component.

  • Don't Use Up Vector - Use this option if the look at Component does not pass through the Y axis of the target Component.
  • Use Up Vector - This precisely defines the rotates on the Component doing the looking. The Up Vector specified should not be parallel to the look at direction. See Up Vector below.
  • Use Quaternions - Quaternions are a mathematical representation of a 3D rotation. This method finds the most efficient means of moving from one point to another on a sphere.
  • Don't use up vector off -
  • Use up vector on -
  • Use quaternions quat -
  • Use Roll roll -

Path SOP pathsop - Names the SOP that functions as the path you want this Component to move along. For instance, you can name a SOP that provides a path for the camera to follow.

Roll roll - Using the angle control you can specify a Component's rotation as it animates along the path.

Position pos - This parameter lets you specify the Position of the Component along the path. The values you can enter for this parameter range from 0 to 1, where 0 equals the starting point and 1 equals the end point of the path. The value slider allows for values as high as 10 for multiple "passes" along the path.

Orient along Path pathorient - If this option is selected, the Component will be oriented along the path. The positive Z axis of the Component will be pointing down the path.

Orient Up Vector up - - When orienting a Component, the Up Vector is used to determine where the positive Y axis points.

  • X upx -
  • Y upy -
  • Z upz -

Auto-Bank Factor bank - The Auto-Bank Factor rolls the Component based on the curvature of the path at its current position. To turn off auto-banking, set the bank scale to 0.


Parameters - Pre-Xform Page

The Pre-Xform parameter page applies a transform to the object component the same way connecting another Object as a parent of this node does. The transform is applied to the left of the Xform page's parameters. In terms of matrix math, if we use the 'multiply on the right' (column vector) convention, the equation would be preXForm * xform * Position.

Apply Pre-Transform pxform - Enables the transformation on this page.

Transform Order pxord - - Refer to the documentation on Xform page for more information.

  • Scale Rotate Translate srt -
  • Scale Translate Rotate str -
  • Rotate Scale Translate rst -
  • Rotate Translate Scale rts -
  • Translate Scale Rotate tsr -
  • Translate Rotate Scale trs -

Rotate Order prord - - Refer to the documentation on Xform page for more information.

  • Rx Ry Rz xyz -
  • Rx Rz Ry xzy -
  • Ry Rx Rz yxz -
  • Ry Rz Rx yzx -
  • Rz Rx Ry zxy -
  • Rz Ry Rx zyx -

Translate pt - - Refer to the documentation on Xform page for more information.

  • X ptx -
  • Y pty -
  • Z ptz -

Rotate pr - - Refer to the documentation on Xform page for more information.

  • X prx -
  • Y pry -
  • Z prz -

Scale ps - - Refer to the documentation on Xform page for more information.

  • X psx -
  • Y psy -
  • Z psz -

Pivot pp - - Refer to the documentation on Xform page for more information.

  • X ppx -
  • Y ppy -
  • Z ppz -

Uniform Scale pscale - Refer to the documentation on Xform page for more information.

Reset Transform preset - This button will reset this page's transform so it has no translate/rotate/scale.

Commit to Main Transform pcommit - This button will copy the transform from this page to the main Xform page, and reset this page's transform.

Xform Matrix/CHOP/DAT xformmatrixop - This parameter can be used to transform using a 4x4 matrix directly. For information on ways to specify a matrix directly, refer to the Matrix Parameters page. This transform will be applied after the regular Pre-Transform transformation. That is, it'll be applied in the oder XformMatrix * PreXForm * Position.


Parameters - Bone Page

Display Link displaylink - Enabling this option allows you to toggle the display of the link geometry in the Viewport on and off.

Rest Angles restangles - - Defines the relative weighting of rotations about Rx, Ry, Rz, the bone's x,y,z axis for the Inverse Kinematics solver.

  • X restanglesx -
  • Y restanglesy -
  • Z restanglesz -

Bone Length length - This parameter changes the overall length of the Bone Component. It affects the size of the bone geometry and the positioning of the capture geometry and also determines the "end" of the bone -- i.e. where Bone Components that are children of this bone will be positioned. By default, its end is oriented so that it lays along the local negative Z axis.

Dampening ikdamp - This parameter prevents bone chains from locking in a dramatically straight line when they are fully extended. This type of locking motion tends to make characters look robotic. The dampening field is a number between zero and one. The larger the number, the greater the dampening effect. Dampening is applied to the entire bone chain as the chain approaches its full extension. The end affector is thus allowed to drift off the end of the bone chain. The net effect is that when the chain is nearly fully extended, a relatively large end affector motion will cause a relatively small motion in the end of the chain. This gives the animator finer granularity in controlling the bone chain when it is fully extended.

X Angle Range xrange - - Specifies the maximum and minimum rotation angles.

  • beginxrange -
  • endxrange -

X Damping Angle xdamp - Applies damping to the rotation of the bone when the rotation in each axis falls within the angle specified by X / Y Angle Range.

X Damping Rolloff xrolloff - Specifes the rate at which the damping increases as the rotation varies through the angle specifed by X / Y Angle Range.

Y Angle Range yrange - - Specifies the maximum and minimum rotation angles.

  • beginyrange -
  • endyrange -

Y Damping Angle ydamp - Applies damping to the rotation of the bone when the rotation in each axis falls within the angle specified by X / Y Angle Range.

Y Damping Rolloff yrolloff - Specifes the rate at which the damping increases as the rotation varies through the angle specifed by X / Y Angle Range.


Parameters - Capture Page

The Capture page is used to automatically create a capture region used by either the Capture or Deform sops (see Capture SOP and Deform SOP of the SOPs section). The capture region consists of at least two ellipses, and they may be translated along the bone's length.

Region Centre / Top Bottom Cap Heights

Objects13.gif

All the geometry that is generated by the Bone Component is created using regular SOPs. Therefore, it is customisable by simply changing the Bone Component's SOP network. The bone's display can be easily altered by changing its contained SOPs.

Display Capture Geometry displaycapture -

Region Center crcenter - - Position of the center of the region.

  • X crcenterx -
  • Y crcentery -
  • Z crcenterz -

Top Height crtopheight - Height of the region from the centre to the top cap.

Top Cap crtopcap - - The X, Y, Z radii of the top/bottom hemisphere.

  • X crtopcapx -
  • Y crtopcapy -
  • Z crtopcapz -

Bot Height crbotheight - Height of the region from the centre to the top cap.

Bot Cap crbotcap - - The X, Y, Z radii of the top/bottom hemisphere.

  • X crbotcapx -
  • Y crbotcapy -
  • Z crbotcapz -


Parameters - Render Page

The Display parameter page controls the component's material and rendering settings.

Material material - Selects a MAT to apply to the geometry inside.

Render render - Whether the Component's geometry is visible in the Render TOP. This parameter works in conjunction (logical AND) with the Component's Render Flag.

Draw Priority drawpriority - Determines the order in which the Components are drawn. Smaller values get drawn after larger values. The value is compared with other Components in the same parent Component, or if the Component is the top level one listed in the Render TOP's 'Geometry' parameter, then against other top-level Components listed there. This value is most often used to help with Transparency.

Pick Priority pickpriority - When using a Render Pick CHOP or a Render Pick DAT, there is an option to have a 'Search Area'. If multiple objects are found within the search area, the pick priority can be used to select one object over another. A higher value will get picked over a lower value. This does not affect draw order, or objects that are drawn over each other on the same pixel. Only one will be visible for a pick per pixel.

Wireframe Color wcolor - - Use the R, G, and B fields to set the Component's color when displayed in wireframe shading mode.

  • Red wcolorr -
  • Green wcolorg -
  • Blue wcolorb -

Light Mask lightmask - By default all lights used in the Render TOP will affect geometry renderer. This parameter can be used to specify a sub-set of lights to be used for this particular geometry. The lights must be listed in the Render TOP as well as this parameter to be used.


Parameters - Extensions Page

The Extensions parameter page sets the component's python extensions. Please see extensions for more information.

Object ext0object - A number of class instances that can be attached to the component.

Name ext0name - Optional name to search by, instead of the instance class name.

Promote ext0promote - Controls whether or not the extensions are visible directly at the component level, or must be accessed through the .ext member. Example: n.Somefunction vs n.ext.Somefunction

Re-Init Extensions reinitextensions - Recompile all extension objects. Normally extension objects are compiled only when they are referenced and their definitions have changed.


Parameters - Common Page

The Common parameter page sets the component's node viewer and clone relationships.

Parent Shortcut parentshortcut - Specifies a name you can use anywhere inside the component as the path to that component. See Parent Shortcut.

Global OP Shortcut opshortcut - Specifies a name you can use anywhere at all as the path to that component. See Global OP Shortcut.

Shortcut iop0shortcut - Specifies a name you can use anywhere inside the component as a path to "Internal OP" below. See Internal Operators.

OP iop0op - The path to the Internal OP inside this component. See Internal Operators.

Node View nodeview - - Determines what is displayed in the node viewer, also known as the Node Viewer. Some options will not be available depending on the Component type (Object Component, Panel Component, Misc.)

  • Default Viewer default - Displays the default viewer for the component type, a 3D Viewer for Object COMPS and a Control Panel Viewer for Panel COMPs.
  • Operator Viewer opviewer - Displays the node viewer from any operator specified in the Operator Viewer parameter below.

Operator Viewer opviewer - Select which operator's node viewer to use when the Node View parameter above is set to Operator Viewer.

Enable Cloning enablecloning - Control if the OP should be actively cloneing. Turning this off causes this node to stop cloning it's 'Clone Master'.

Enable Cloning Pulse enablecloningpulse - Instantaneously clone the contents.

Clone Master clone - Path to a component used as the Master Clone.

Load on Demand loadondemand - Loads the component into memory only when required. Good to use for components that are not always used in the project.

Enable External .tox enableexternaltox - When on (default), the external .tox file will be loaded when the .toe starts and the contents of the COMP will match that of the external .tox. This can be turned off to avoid loading from the referenced external .tox on startup if desired (the contents of the COMP are instead loaded from the .toe file). Useful if you wish to have a COMP reference an external .tox but not always load from it unless you specifically push the Re-Init Network parameter button.

Enable External .tox Pulse enableexternaltoxpulse - This button will re-load from the external .tox file (if present).

External .tox Path externaltox - Path to a .tox file on disk which will source the component's contents upon start of a .toe. This allows for components to contain networks that can be updated independently. If the .tox file can not be found, whatever the .toe file was saved with will be loaded.

Reload Custom Parameters reloadcustom - When this checkbox is enabled, the values of the component's Custom Parameters are reloaded when the .tox is reloaded. This only affects top-level parameters on the component, all parameters on nodes inside the component are always reloaded with the .tox.

Reload Built-In Parameters reloadbuiltin - When this checkbox is enabled, the values of the component's built-in parameters are reloaded when the .tox is reloaded. This only affects top-level parameters on the component, all parameters on nodes inside the component are always reloaded with the .tox.

Save Backup of External savebackup - When this checkbox is enabled, a backup copy of the component specified by the External .tox parameter is saved in the .toe file. This backup copy will be used if the External .tox can not be found. This may happen if the .tox was renamed, deleted, or the .toe file is running on another computer that is missing component media.

Sub-Component to Load subcompname - When loading from an External .tox file, this option allows you to reach into the .tox and pull out a COMP and make that the top-level COMP, ignoring everything else in the file (except for the contents of that COMP). For example if a .tox file named project1.tox contains project1/geo1, putting geo1 as the Sub-Component to Load, will result in geo1 being loaded in place of the current COMP. If this parameter is blank, it just loads the .tox file normally using the top level COMP in the file.

Relative File Path Behavior relpath - - Set whether the child file paths within this COMP are relative to the .toe itself or the .tox, or inherit from parent.

  • Use Parent's Behavior inherit - Inherit setting from parent.
  • Relative to Project File (.toe) project - The path, when specified as a relative path, will be relative to the .toe file.
  • Relative to External COMP File (.tox) externaltox - The path, when specified as a relative path, will be relative to the .tox file. When no external COMP file is specified, or when Enable External .tox is not toggled on, this doesn't have any impact.


Info CHOP Channels

Extra Information for the Bone COMP can be accessed via an Info CHOP.

Common COMP Info Channels

  • num_children - Number of children in this component.

Common Operator Info Channels

  • total_cooks - Number of times the operator has cooked since the process started.
  • cook_time - Duration of the last cook in milliseconds.
  • cook_frame - Frame number when this operator was last cooked relative to the component timeline.
  • cook_abs_frame - Frame number when this operator was last cooked relative to the absolute time.
  • cook_start_time - Time in milliseconds at which the operator started cooking in the frame it was cooked.
  • cook_end_time - Time in milliseconds at which the operator finished cooking in the frame it was cooked.
  • cooked_this_frame - 1 if operator was cooked this frame.
  • warnings - Number of warnings in this operator if any.
  • errors - Number of errors in this operator if any.


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