CHARACTER STUDIO 1.15 README

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INTRODUCTION
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Character Studio 1.15 is being released to maintain compatibility with 3D Studio MAX 2.0. 
 
Note that Character Studio 1.15 features are identical to Character Studio 1.1  for MAX 1.2.  Minor modifications have been made to existing features to improve utility and repair critical defects.  There are no modifications to  existing documentation. 

Minor corrections have been made to defects during the course of porting to 3D Studio MAX 2. These corrections are listed below.  

In addition, a new technique is described for combining 3D Studio MAX's new FFD Space Warp Modifier with Physique, to achieve significantly improved skinning behavior.

If you already own an authorized copy of Character Studio 1.1, Character Studio 1.15 will not need re-authorization in order to function fully.  Simply install Character Studio 1.15 after the MAX 2.0 update installation. After installation, Character Studio 1.15 will use the identical authorization code from its previous release. 

If you have not previously purchased and authorized Character Studio, this is a great opportunity to check it out.  You can operate Character Studio 1.15 in preview-only mode, allowing you to open, preview, and even render existing MAX scene files that contain Character Studio characters and animations.  You will not be able to create or modify any Character Studio data without purchasing a complete copy of Character Studio 1.1 or 1.15 from your local dealer.  


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FILE CHANGES SINCE CHARACTER STUDIO 1.1A
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This section identifies files which have been modified or added since the previous release of Character Studio 1.1A.

Path names below indicate the location of the added/modified files as theywill be installed on your PC disk drive:

	3DSMAX\cstudio\Readme.wri 			(modified)
	3DSMAX\cstudio\FFDSkin.wri 			(new)
	3DSMAX\plugins\Biped.dlc 			(modified)
	3DSMAX\plugins\Biprc.str 			(modified)
	3DSMAX\plugins\Physiqrc.str 			(modified)
	3DSMAX\plugins\Physique.dlm			(modified)
	3DSMAX\cstudio\Export\PhyExp.h		(new)
	3DSMAX\cstudio\Export\PhyExp.wri		(new)


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BIPED MODIFICATIONS
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The following modification have been made to Biped for Character Studio 1.15

1) Anchored hands or IK-Blended hands will not rotate when the user rotates the arm's elbow (using biped's special "rotate elbow/leave hand fixed" lower arm x-rotation). This makes it possible  to easily position the elbow after the hand in locked down. 

2) For legs with 4 links (an extra dinosaur/horse bone), the extra bone rotation will always keep the foot stationary. That is, it will effect the ik-solution without moving the foot. This will allow users to animate characters with 4 links in freeform mode, since the rotation of this extra link (during interactive manipulation) should not displace the IK locked position. Even when no locks are present, this functionality is much more intuitive.

3)  The running/jumping dynamics is now _always_ continuous in both position and speed, even in cases that are physically impossible. Also, you can now always set the "ballistic tension" parameter independently at both touchdown and liftoff. Old animations may look slightly different (probably better)with the new approach, so some fine-tuning of ballistic tension might be warranted.

4)  It's now possible to set the "dynamics blend" parameter at each vertical key. This allows the physically-based vertical dynamics of both walking and running  to be blended with pure spline interpolation of heights. For example a figure could jump, and then be carried by a helicopter (with dyn. blend = 0.0), and then fall back to the ground.

5)  In cases where the figure has feet in contact the ground, upon setting a vertical key, Biped will insure that the vertical height is lowered so that the touching feet are not floating above their contact points.

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PHYSIQUE MODIFICATIONS
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The Physique Attach to Node function is now a Pick Mode operation.   This allows you to attach to a node using 3D Studio MAX’s Pick Object  dialog and pick an object by name.

You can now copy and paste a Physique modifier from one object to  another with 3D Studio MAX’s Edit Modifier Stack operation.  By Instancing  the Physique modifier, you can add objects to your Physiqued selection.

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PHYSIQUE EXPORT INTERFACE
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Character Studio Version 1.15 for 3D Studio MAX Version 2.0 includes direct export functionality for game developers who wish to import Physique Vertex Assignments into their Game Engines.  The SDK for Physique Export is provided by the single file, PhyExp.h, and is explained in detail in PhyExp.wri. Both of these files can be found below the root "cstudio" studio directory on your computer after installation.  Look in:

	c:\3DSMAX2\CSTUDIO\EXPORT

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NEW DEFECTS
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Character Studio 1.15 exhibits the following new defect:  


BIPED REDRAW PROBLEM WITH HEIDI DRIVER AND DUAL PLANES.        

Adjusting the height of a Biped before creating key frames or footsteps causes display problems in inactive, visible views. The inactive views do  not get redrawn and many bipeds are displayed on the screen.  You must select redraw all views to clear the display.  

Workaround: This defect may only occur while using the Heidi display driver with dual planes active and if no key frames have been created for the Biped. Turning off the dual planes option in the viewport configuration panel while using the Heidi driver, or switching to the OpenGl display driver appears to resolve this problem.  Alternatively, creating key frames for the Biped will also eliminte the display problem.

WORKING WITH LINK CONTROLLERS

When an object is linked to the biped's center of mass or pelvis with a Link Controller, and another biped object is attached to that object using IK Blend, you may be unable to move the center of mass.  Linking a particle emitter to a biped will have similar results.   If either of these problems occur remove the link, and relink it afer moving the biped object.

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SKINNING A CHARACTER USING FFD SPACE WARPS AND PHYSIQUE
Written by Adam Felt
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Using an FFD Space Warp (new with MAX 2) with Physique can
produce smoother intersections and deformations at complicated areas such as the shoulders and armpits of a character.  This is very important for polygonal models in which stretching vertices  can result in sliver shaped polygons and poor shading.  By allowing the FFD to control the mesh you can achieve smooth blending across links.

1. Place a FFD(Box) Space Warp around the torso area of your character.  The box should be wide enough to extend to past the shoulder muscles of your character.   The number of control points you use for the FFD is important.  You want to use as few control points as possible, but enough to deform the mesh in just the right places.   Try putting a row of control points right in the crease of the armpit and a couple rows up on top of the shoulder.  You can fine tune this later by going back down in the stack to the FFD to adjust the number control points.
 
2. Select the FFD and the mesh and apply a physique modifier to both.  Attach the modifier to the pelvis.  You may want to apply physique to the two objects separately, but there are benefits to having them instance the same modifier
 
3. Select the mesh only and add a mesh select modifier to the mesh above physique in the modifier stack.  Go to vertex sub-object level, and select the set of vertices that lay inside any FFS Space Warps you are using.  If you are using a nurbs model you will want to use a NsurfSel modifier to select sub-object control points that lay inside the FFD lattice.
 
4. While in vertex sub-object level, bind the mesh to the space warp.  Now only the selected vertices or CVs will be effected by the FFD.
 
5. With the mesh selected, go down in the stack to the physique level and assign all vertices or CVs effected by the space warp as blue(rigid).  This should be the same vertices or CVs as selected in step 3.  Assign the rest of the vertices or CVs that fall outside of the FFD deformable in the same way you normally assign vertices to links with physique.
 
6. Select the FFD space warp and adjust the vertex 
assignments of the control points so they are assigned to the proper links if necessary.  This can be done in the same way as done using physique with a mesh, only there is less assignments to deal with.  Although less assignment provide smoother surface deformation with the FFD, control point and their link assignments must be thoughtfully placed.
 
7. Adjust the bend tension and bias for the upper arm link, located in the clavicle, until the shoulders stretch and contract as they should.
 
8. Add a tendon to one of the spine links and attach the control points to the adjacent arms.  Adjust Radial distance, Stretch, Pull, and Pinch until the lats look correct when the arms are raised and lowered.  If your character has clavicle motion, which it should to look natural, the tendons might look better if the control points are linked to the clavicles.

ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS

Since tendons are no longer needed to fix problems in the armpit area, all other physique controls are free to work as they are designed to.  

Adjust the link scale to make the shoulders smaller or larger.

Adjust the tendon parameters to shrink or enlarge the lats.

Add another tendon on a lower spine link to limit or extend the limits of the lats.

Add Bulge angles for flexing muscles.

Adjust cross section control points for fine muscular detail at bulge angles.

The list goes on.


