XSI blendshapes

[abnoid]

Hi everyone,

I am doing a XSI project and am struggling with using blenshapes I was hoping you could help or ask someone who knows.
I come from a maya background and in maya they have this thing called the blendshape editor that is located in the animation menu, im looking for this in XSI, something that will allow me to use already sculpted blendshapes (to drive facial expressions)

The scene I am using was created by another person (who i have no contact with at the moment) and I see the blends are in the file when I unhide all, but I dont know how to drive the shapes on the main head.

Thanks for helping me learn XSI!

- D

[lemonnado]

Animate -> Shape -> Shape Manager
Cheers
Lemo


PS: www.xsibase.com is a far better resource for you regarding XSI.

PPS:Hit the question mark in the XSI boxes. Good Help System!. And in Help->XSI Reference, there is a great intro to shape modeling.

[billrobertson42]

What is a blendshape?

[wckedsunny]

Bill blend shapes are like shapes between two main keyframes of animation where a pose changes .... most probabaly or maybe they are the two different keyframes

[-Nii-]

If I remember correctly, blend shapes = morph target = shape key

[jacquesBroquard]

Hi,
Have you gotten a chance to view the extensive guides Softimage had produced? If you haven't there is a guide titled 'Shape Animation'. It's about 100 pages and answers many first time user questions. I encourage you to check it out.

Downloadable here:
http://www.softimage.com/downloadsrv/process.asp?file=/dlm/products/xsi/v5/documentation/XSI50_Tutorials.tar.gz

Best,
Jacques

[billrobertson42]

Thank you gentlemen.

Nii, I think you're correct. This thread (http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?t=58449) indicates that it's all the same thing.

[lemonnado]

Blend Shapes etc. consist out of groups of points which are key framed. Facial animation is traditionally made with shape animation. Simplified: 1. Keyframe neutral expression, 2. deform head to smile and keyframe etc. Then you can use those 'states' of the mesh as 'presets', line them up on the timeline and the system will generate all the transitions between them. Lipsync is also made like that. You define facial expression for the Letters and then line them up according to the voice recording.

Imagine, the other only alternative would be to move single points manually, keyframe those manipulations... would take a few years.

Lemo

[billrobertson42]

Yes, I've seen it in the "P" software. :lol:

[pixelsoul]

What is this P software?

[lemonnado]

Pssssssttttt... Don't mention the "P (http://www.e-frontier.com/article/articleview/1597/1/281?sbss=281)" software...
Lemo

[-Nii-]

LOL! P software. That's a good one =P. There seems to be alot of anti P sentiment I've seen around professional 3d forums actually. Well I guess the reason is obvious, but it's still strangely popular...

[lemonnado]

Yup, it's the software everybody plays with. But never wishes to be seen with by his friends...
Lemo

PS:Btw... V7 comes out in a few days.. Not that I care... cough cough.