2_15_49 Tin Owl lands on Tin Girl's shoulder . . . .

Fortunately someone already did the hardest part of this shot, Tin Owl's flight; the action was already included for me. I'm just starting blocking and need help with something - I can't move (translate or rotate) Tin Owl once he's on her shoulder - can move his bones, just not the whole model. Does it have something to do with the actions? In addition to the Fly action there's one called Stand up3. At first I couldn't move any part of Owl, then I adjusted the settings of Stand up3 - changed the chor range to end a few frames after he lands, and have Hold Last Frame ON, Transition to next action OFF, and blend method is Blend. Now I can move the wings, head etc., so that's progress, but still can't translate or rotate the whole model, so Tin Girl's arm has to stay frozen during most of the scene which doesn't look right. I've tried constraining Owl to her forearm, but that doesn't work, he's stuck. I didn't render the whole thing because it's big, just enough to show you what I mean:

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Hopefully someone can advise me of a setting in one of the actions or something else I'm missing - THANKS !

There are probably 3 actions under Tinowl....one for flying....another for the bones and another with the model bone information in it. Whichever it is, you need to select the one with the model bone information (have a green tick after it) if you want to alter his model bone. If that's not it, it may be something to do with the constraint.....perhaps you need to set the enforcement to zero.

Other than that, I'd need to see the project.

I think that got it, the one called Stand up2 was checked; I selected Choreography Action2 and was able to move him. I learn something new almost every day here. However, I am still having weird behavior, from this project I mean. There are 4 actions under Tin Owl, and I swear the last time I looked one of them was called Stand up3, not Stand up2.* Maybe that's just from staying up too late. And the cycle length of the TinOwl_Fly action seems to have changed by itself while the computer was off. But now that I can move him I'm back in business - thanks Ken!

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*Whoever made it sure made it easier to land the Owl.

Yeah....for some reason, AM adds another 1 to an action with a number everytime you open the project. Perhaps it should be reported but it's not a big problem (for me).

I see you have a model bone folder under two of your actions. You should organize it so that only one has it (delete it out of the other).....or you may have problems with some things you want to do eg constrain to a path. Plus it's neater and less "confusing" for AM.

I deleted the one under Stand up3 (it's 3 today), and now my constraints appear to work - very good info Ken!

By the way, is there a later script somewhere than the one in the WIKI? This line is quite different in the sound file:

TIN GIRL Let us leave. I know Mrs. Yoop will find some way to recapture us. I cannot become her servant again.

in the script is:

TIN GIRL Let us leave quickly. Mrs. Yoop will find some way to escape and recapture us. I cannot bear to become her servant again.

in the sound file.

The sound file is more final. Go with that.

This is rough breakdown, sloppy because I'm rushing through with some difficulties (like learning to deal with the extra actions and posing Owl's wings). I'll work on the lip-sync now then try to clean up the chor and add some camera motion if there's time.

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Here's lip-sync for Tin Owl only:

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- I'm still working on Tin Girl's lip-sync.

Here's lip-sync for Tin Girl only:

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Take 1 :

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I'll try to improve it tomorrow, particularly Owl's landing.

Here I've tried to smooth out Owl's landing:

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I don't thoroughly understand using the multiple actions together yet (in addition to the two dialogues, there's one for Owl flying and another one for standing), so it seems to me this one's very sensitive, if I adjust something I goof up something else, accidently changing constraints or something - but I'm getting there and learning a little more each step. I'll try to improve it a little more tonight.

Take 2:

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It looks great so far. Owls movements are good and Tin Girl is doing some acting here... but there is a concern with the fact that tin owl is not reacting to tin girl moving her arm... how do you intend on keeping tin owl from looking like an attachment during those arm movements?

I don't know, do you have any suggestions? I was going to stop working on this one but maybe I'll take one more pass at it tomorrow and address that - maybe I should have him adjust one foot, about in the middle, kind of sideways step like a bird on a branch? Or just a little bobbing of his hips, knees, neck?

Thanks Rich!

P.S. I just noticed his left wing starts to penetrate his body at the end, so I corrected that and committed the change, but not re-rendered it.

Really good so far, just a couple of observations. When TO land on TG's shoulder, his wings look like they are going in slow motion. After he landed and TG waves her arm, TO flaps his wings once very quickly to steady himself - I like that. How about taking that same quick flapping movement and repeating it three or four times as he is landing - I think this may look better than the slow wing motion you have right now.

Yes, the landing transition is abit too slow and he needs to flap his wings more before (he comes into shot too quick).

On the whole it's good. If you're going to have him on Tingirls arm, then Tingirl isn't going to be moving her arm regularly.....she'll keep it up in the air. For that, I recommend using the arm poses in the arm tab that keep the arms separate from the chest movements.

For Tinowls wings while on her arm you might consider using the wings folded pose (in the All tab). They look abit in the way now.

Also, Tingirl turns her head abit too fast at the start when looking toward owl.

Eric, Ken, & Rich, thanks for a lot of good advice today. Tin Owl's flight was from an action that I accidentally slowed down somehow and I've changed that so it's faster. I couldn't get the wing fold pose to work, probably because something else I did overrides it - I tried in different actions & in the chor with different actions selected and finally gave up on that. To show his body reaction to Tin Girls inadvertent arm dips, I had him put up his wing for balance in one case and shift his foot another time, and rotate his hips a little more suddenly in both spots.

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Thanks for all your great advice, I hope it's starting to look better?

In the properties for that action (where the new keyframes that you created are located) next to "Blend Method" you have to change all your other added actions/cycles to blend or add, which ever gives the best results, and the coreography action properties- "blend method" to replace or add, whichever makes it work. Maybe someone here has more experience with it and can explain it better than me.

I also couldn't get the wing flap pose to work in one shot.....I think I resolved it by deleting the wing bones out of all actions. But you should test it first before saving if you do it.