Thanks Red. My main objective when writing PaceMaker was ease of use. I wanted to produce something that had a UI so simple that anyone could pick it up and start creating animation from the start .
I also wanted the program to assist the animator in the artistic sense - not just be an animated model property editor.
When working with CharacterFX I could never get the IK tool to work properly or move in a realistic fashion. Fragmotions IK is slightly better but it still remind me of a cardboard cutout doll with paper-fasteners for joints.
It just wasn't inspiring.
I decided then that I wanted to create a physics based IK tool that would create realistic motion and be very easy to use.
Psionic quoted on his website "the implementation of IK in PaceMaker is simply stunning"
High praise indeed from one so knowledgeable. That made me feel like I'm going in the right direction.
PaceMaker also allows you to motion capture rag-doll simulated impacts and record the result as keyframes.
You can mass produce animation sequences of idles, deaths, falls impacts in literally the space of a few minutes.
To create these same animation sequences in a standard animation tool would take you weeks - and it still wouldn't have the same quality.
You can also record an IK session allowing you to control the model in puppet fashion.
It can create a skeleton, automatically assign vertex weighting and make you a cup of tea.
Well actually it cant make the tea - yet.
I have many great plans for this little tool - I've only just scratched the surface of what can be done with the physics.
All in all to sum up the major difference , CharacterFX, Fragmotion - I would say - are fully featured animated model editors - PaceMaker is an animators tool and hopefully source of inspiration.
I also wanted the program to assist the animator in the artistic sense - not just be an animated model property editor.
When working with CharacterFX I could never get the IK tool to work properly or move in a realistic fashion. Fragmotions IK is slightly better but it still remind me of a cardboard cutout doll with paper-fasteners for joints.
It just wasn't inspiring.
I decided then that I wanted to create a physics based IK tool that would create realistic motion and be very easy to use.
Psionic quoted on his website "the implementation of IK in PaceMaker is simply stunning"
High praise indeed from one so knowledgeable. That made me feel like I'm going in the right direction.
PaceMaker also allows you to motion capture rag-doll simulated impacts and record the result as keyframes.
You can mass produce animation sequences of idles, deaths, falls impacts in literally the space of a few minutes.
To create these same animation sequences in a standard animation tool would take you weeks - and it still wouldn't have the same quality.
You can also record an IK session allowing you to control the model in puppet fashion.
It can create a skeleton, automatically assign vertex weighting and make you a cup of tea.
Well actually it cant make the tea - yet.
I have many great plans for this little tool - I've only just scratched the surface of what can be done with the physics.
All in all to sum up the major difference , CharacterFX, Fragmotion - I would say - are fully featured animated model editors - PaceMaker is an animators tool and hopefully source of inspiration.