Clip Blender CHOP

Summary

NOTE

License: Only available in TouchDesigner Pro.

The Clip Blender CHOP is a an engine for blending, sequencing and scripting animation clips. It loads animation channel data that is formatted using Clip CHOPs. It reads clip CHOP paths from a specified DAT list which can be dynamically scripted. The Clip Blender plays clips from the list DAT; each time it reads a clip, it pop's the item off the list, and when the next clip plays through it will continue playing and popping clips off the list until it is empty. Once the list is empty the last animation in the sequence is looped.

Animation clips will typically come from an FBX or USD asset but can also be read using the Houdini bclip format or raw chan format. Animation clips found in FBX assets must be extracted from the asset hierarchy and then loaded speerately into a Clip CHOP. All Clip CHOP's loaded into the same clipblender must have the same number of channels, all channel names must match and the all clips must be the same sample rate. If any of these 3 important requirements are not met, there will likely be animation glitches.

Use the Info CHOP and Info DAT to extract information about its current state. See also the Clip CHOP and Clip DAT.

clipblenderCHOP_Class

Parameters - ClipBlender Page

Default Clip CHOP default - Operator path to a valid Clip CHOP.

DAT List datlist - Operator path to a valid Table DAT.

Target target - ⊞ - This parameter works in conjunction with the root transform channels as defined on the Channels page of the clpblender CHOP as well as the Clip CHOP parameter called Position Type. When Position Type is set to "Blend To Target" it will blend the root transform channels for the current clip to the new position defined in this parameter.

X targetx -

Y targety -

Z targetz -

Play Speed playspeed - Provides a scale value to slow down or speed up the playback of the animation sequence.

Step Forward stepforward - Unknown

Step Backward stepbackward - Unknown

A End Script aend - Broken

Delay Samples delay - Delays the output of animation data by the specified number of samples.

Reset reset - When On, resets the clipblender and holds it ready to play the clip defined by the Default Clip CHOP parameter.

Reset Pulse resetpulse - Instantly reset the cliblender and start playing the clip defined by the Default Clip CHOP parameter.

Parameters - Channels Page

Output Time Remaining timeremaining - A channel of the name defined in this parameter will return the time remaining in the current clip.

Time Channel timechannel - A channel of the name defined in this parameter will return the time elapsed in the current clip.

X Root Trans xtrans - The translate X channel of the animation hierarchy that defines the Clipblender Motion Root.

Y Root Trans ytrans - The translate Y channel of the animation hierarchy that defines the Clipblender Motion Root.

Z Root Trans ztrans - The translate Z channel of the animation hierarchy that defines the Clipblender Motion Root.

X Root Rot xrot - The rotate X channel of the animation hierarchy that defines the Clipblender Motion Root.

Y Root Rot yrot - The rotate Y channel of the animation hierarchy that defines the Clipblender Motion Root.

Z Root Rot zrot - The rotate Z channel of the animation hierarchy that defines the Clipblender Motion Root.

Queue Enable qenable - Specifies the name of the queue enable channel that may be added to all animation clips that will be loaded into this clipblender. A "Queue Enable" channel may be added to the animation clip to define when this clip is safe and unsafe for blending into other clips. If the animation is not safe for blending, the channel would be set to 1, which means the clipblender should "Queue" the next clip in the sequence instead of playing it. When the channel is 0, the any animation request will be executed immediately.

Queue Trigger qtrigger - Unknown

Pre-Rotate Adds prerotate - Unknown

Parameters - Transform Page

Transform Next Clip doxform -

Translate t - ⊞ -

X tx -

Y ty -

Z tz -

Rotate r - ⊞ -

X rx -

Y ry -

Z rz -

Print State printstate -

Log Jumps logjumps -

Jump Min jumpmin -

Jump Max jumpmax -

Jump Area XY jumpxy -

Fix Jump fixjump -

Log logpulse -

Parameters - Common Page

Time Slice timeslice - Turning this on forces the channels to be "Time Sliced". A Time Slice is the time between the last cook frame and the current cook frame.

Scope scope - To determine which channels get affected, some CHOPs use a Scope string on the Common page.

Sample Rate Match srselect - ⊞ - Handle cases where multiple input CHOPs' sample rates are different. When Resampling occurs, the curves are interpolated according to the Interpolation Method Option, or "Linear" if the Interpolate Options are not available.

Resample At First Input's Rate first - Use rate of first input to resample others.

Resample At Maximum Rate max - Resample to the highest sample rate.

Resample At Minimum Rate min - Resample to the lowest sample rate.

Error If Rates Differ err - Doesn't accept conflicting sample rates.

Export Method exportmethod - ⊞ - This will determine how to connect the CHOP channel to the parameter. Refer to the Export article for more information.

DAT Table by Index datindex - Uses the docked DAT table and references the channel via the index of the channel in the CHOP.

DAT Table by Name datname - Uses the docked DAT table and references the channel via the name of the channel in the CHOP.

Channel Name is Path:Parameter autoname - The channel is the full destination of where to export to, such has geo1/transform1:tx.

Export Root autoexportroot - This path points to the root node where all of the paths that exporting by Channel Name is Path:Parameter are relative to.

Export Table exporttable - The DAT used to hold the export information when using the DAT Table Export Methods (See above).

Operator Inputs

Input 0: -
Input 1: -
Input 2: -

Info CHOP Channels

Extra Information for the Clip Blender CHOP can be accessed via an Info CHOP.

Specific Clip Blender CHOP Info Channels

queue_state -

clipcurrent_start -

clipcurrent_end -

clipcurrent_frame -

clip_blending -

clip_current_time -

clip_start_blend_time -

clip_end_blend_time -

trigger_clip_wait -

clipa_ -

clipa_parent_ -

clipb_ -

clipb_parent_ -

trigger_ -

clipa_last_ -

clipa_parent_last_ -

clipb_last_ -

clipb_parent_last_ -

clipcurrent_ -

clipcurrent_parent_ -

clipnext_ -

clipnext_parent_ -

total_jumps -

Common CHOP Info Channels

start - Start of the CHOP interval in samples.

length - Number of samples in the CHOP.

sample_rate - The samplerate of the channels in frames per second.

num_channels - Number of channels in the CHOP.

time_slice - 1 if CHOP is Time Slice enabled, 0 otherwise.

export_sernum - A count of how often the export connections have been updated.

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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