State Panel
 
 
 
Command entry:Select a Crowd object. Modify panel Global Clip Controllers rollout New Choose a GlobalClip object. Select the object in the list. Edit Synthesis dialog State panel
Command entry:Open Track View Hierarchy Global Tracks Block Control Global Clip Properties (right-click) Synthesis dialog State panel

Controls on the State panel let you set up states for non-bipedal motion synthesis and link motion clips to states.

Interface

Synthesis States drop-down list

Displays the current state. Choose a state to modify from the list. You can change the state name by editing the text in the list window.

New State

Creates a new state and adds it to the list.

The default name is “ClipState,” optionally followed by a number. You can change the state name by editing the text in the window.

Delete State

Deletes the current state. This is undoable.

Edit Properties

Lets you modify the current state. Displays the ClipState dialog for the current state.

Clear Properties

Returns the state to the default settings and removes clips from the MotionClips window.

MotionClips group

MotionClips window

Displays motion clips used by the current state.

Use Add Clip to associate clips with the state. If you assign more than one clip to a state, character studio picks the clips randomly during synthesis based on their respective weights.

MotionClip Weight

Determines the chance that a clip will be chosen during synthesis. Range=0 to 1000.

Highlight the clip in the list, and then set its weight. A higher weight means that a clip is more likely to be chosen.

Add Clip

Displays the Select MotionClip dialog. Highlight a clip and click OK to add a clip to the current state.

Remove Clip

Removes the highlighted clip from the current state.

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Precedence

Sets the precedence for the current state. Range=0 to 1000.

If multiple states qualify for activation based on their properties, character studio uses the clip associated with the one with the higher precedence first. If more than one state has the same precedence, then the one with the greater weight is played first.

Weight

Specifies a weight value for a state.

If two states have the same precedence, the state with a greater weight will be give higher priority considered during random selection.

Animation Start Percent

Specifies where in the clip's animation you want it to start playing when the state is active.

At the default value of 0, the animation will start once the state is active. If the value is 66, the animation will start playing two-thirds of the way in once the state becomes active. You can also randomize where the animation starts by specifying a Animation Start Deviation value other than 0.

Animation Start Deviation

You can randomize where the animation starts by specifying a Animation Start Deviation value other than 0. Range=0.0 to 1.0.

State Active Percent

Specifies the percentage of time the state needs to be valid over its interval in order for it to be selected. Range=0 to 100. Default=50.

Clip Select Seed

Changes how the random selections occur.

If the value stays the same, you are guaranteed to get the same random selections for that state.

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OK

Accepts changes and closes the dialog.

See Also
  • ClipState Dialog

    In character studio, in crowd animation with non-bipedal motion synthesis, a state is a particular property or set of properties of a delegate's animation; for example, the period during which it is pitched upwards and is decelerating. After determining the delegate's state, the motion synthesis engine chooses a motion clip for animating the object, or character, linked to the delegate; for example, a bird. When preparing a simulation that uses motion synthesis, you use the ClipState dialog to define states and associate states with motion clips.