The zombies in your graveyard
scene are even more complex than the willow tree. To further improve
the performance, you can replace some of the zombies with proxies.
However, unlike the tree,
the zombies in your scene are contained in assets. The procedure
for creating proxy assets is slightly different from creating a proxy
for other objects.
To export an proxy asset
- Re-open your graveyard1.ma scene file
(
File > Open Scene).
- In the Outliner,
select zombieShuffle1:zombie_shuffle_AST.
- Select
Assets > Export Proxy Asset > .
The Export
Asset Proxy Options window appears.
- Select Edit > Reset Settings.
- Change the Name to zombieProxy.
- Click Apply and Close.
The File
Browser appears.
- Name the proxy zombieProxy1 and click Export.
A proxy file is created
for the zombie. This file is the base for your proxy.
To create a proxy file for the zombie
shuffle
- Save the current scene as graveyard2.ma.
- Select
File > Open Scene and
open the zombieProxy1 file.
The file contains a single
locator node inside an asset named zombie_shuffle_AST. This locator
represents the position of the zombie in the graveyard scene.
Since the zombie is far
more complex than the tree as well as being animated, you will create
a proxy from scratch, as opposed to using the original model as
a starting point like the willow tree.
- Select Create > Polygon
Primitives and make sure that Interactive Creation is
turned off. Then select Cube > .
The Polygon
Cube Options window appears.
- Select Edit > Reset Settings.
- Set the cube properties to the following:
- Width: 10.676
- Height: 24.042
- Depth: 15.215
- Click Create.
Maya creates a polygon
cube in the scene.
- Open the Channel Box and
set the following:
- Translate Y:
12.044
- Translate Z:
2.073
- Open the Attribute Editor.
- In the pCube1 tab, change the cube’s
transform name to zombie_proxy.
- In the Pivots section
of the Attribute Editor, set the following:
- World Rotate Pivot:
0.000, 0.000, 2.073
- World Scale Pivot:
0.000, 0.000, 2.073
This cube will act as
a stand-in for zombies in your graveyard scene. Because it is approximately
the same size as your zombie, you can use it to accurately predict
spacing in your scene.
NoteThe image above is
just a comparison. The actual zombie model should not be part of
your proxy file.
- Select
Modify
> Freeze Transformations.
If you want, you can
make the proxy more elaborate by modeling it into a shape that is
closer to the actual zombie.
Next you need to add
animation that approximates the zombie’s shuffling animation.
To animate the proxy zombie
- Set the Playback End Time box to 200.
- Make sure the time slider is set to frame
1.
- In the Outliner (
Window > Outliner),
expand zombie_shuffle_AST and select zombie_controller_GRPProxy.
- + select
zombie_proxy and then select
Edit > Transfer Attribute Values > .
The Transfer
Attribute Values window appears.
- Select Edit > Reset Settings.
- Click Apply and Close.
The proxy object moves
to the same location as the locator. This ensures it will be positioned
correctly in the graveyard scene.
- In the Outliner,
middle-drag zombie_proxy onto zombie_controller_GRPProxy.
- Select zombie_shuffle_AST press ‘s’.
Maya sets a keyframe.
- Set the time slider to frame 200.
- In the Attribute Editor,
set proxy_zombie’s Translate Z to 25.578.
- -click
the Translate attribute and select Set Key.
Now if you play the scene,
the cube moves approximately the same distance and speed as the
zombie shuffle animation.
- Select
File > Save Scene.
You can repeat these
steps for each zombie you want to create a proxy for. Make sure
you name the proxies appropriately so you know which zombies to
apply them to since they are not interchangeable.