UU differences - uu changes not out yet, list based on communications

• some UI differences
• if bridge is off will set to "auto",
  webpage version gives error and you will need to set "auto" or "on" depending on your needs

Installation

1. install persistent base
2. install the SyncSpecial tsx plugin to Model space
3. drag RsObj into the link editor and press the install button

https://grizzlypeak3d.github.io/DJV/index.html DJV can be used to playback the resulting image sequence.

The Unofficial Updates has Sequence Player in the Blue Custom Toolbar

Usage:

Using default options

The default options can be used to render Model and Workspace animations together using the D3D Renderer. Extra options are required to render animated NURBS, Metaballs and Stand Alone Deformations

Render to File wll render image files to disk. Uncheck to preview an animation without creating any image files.

Add the AutoRecord Bake and Bake Selected Only options to bake a workspace animation for a selected object into modelspace.

Use Bake Selected to Workspace to bake from modelspace to workspace.

Render Model Scene to an Image Sequence

1. Open 3D Workspace and Modelspace views
2. Load the Lace Curtains scene from the model side scene library
3. Play to get the ending animation time (frame 61)
4. Workspace Animation View set the timeline from 0 to 61
5. Can add Workspace animations to be included with the final render
6. Open the D3D Render panel
7. Check Render to File
8. Press Start to open the Render to File dialog
9. Press the Render button

Model Scene with Protected Workspace Materials

Protection stops Modelspace from altering the Workspace materials.

Material protection is needed for NURBS, metaballs and particles that use workspace materials.

1. Open 3D Workspace and Modelspace views
2. Create a particle system
3. Play to get the end of the particle simulation (frame 20)
4. Workspace Animation View set the timeline from 0 to 20
5. Paint the TruParts object with a workspace material
6. Open the D3D Render panel
7. UnCheck Render to File for demo purposes
8. Model View Processing checked on
9. Press the Protect Workspace button to open the panel
10. Check Protect Materials on
11. Select the TruParts object and press the Add button
12. Press the Start button
13. It will ask "Remove the Material Backup from the scene?" after it's done. Yes or No is up to you.
14. The model view will close after the end so the final protect materials can run.

If trueSpace runs out of memory during the run it will stop, set itself up to continue from where it left off and give a "restart truespace" message to the user. After restarting the Resume Previous Render will be checked and when pressing Start it will begin from where it left off.

Model Scene with shape animated NURBS and Metaballs

1. Open 3D Workspace and Modelspace views
2. Create a NURBS object and Metaballs object
3. Animate the shape of the NURBS and the positions of the Metaballs ball objects to change it's shape
4. Workspace Animation View set the timeline to match the modelspace animation
5. Open the D3D Render panel
6. Model View Processing checked on
7. Render to File off for demo purposes
8. Now when you press the Start button no animation shows in Workspace
9. Open the NURBS and Metaballs panel
10. Check Special Mesh Processing and press Start again
11. Now when you press Start the Metaball object animation shows in Workspace
12. Select the NURBS object and press the Make NURBS as Special button
13. Now the NURBS object has a new name ending with "_SPECIALMESH"
14. Press Start and now both Metaball and NURBS animations show in Workspace

Metaball and NURBS objects with shape change animation both require the Special Mesh Processing to be active.

NURBS require the additional step of a name change with a "_SPECIALMESH" postfix

Model Scene Stand Alone Deformation

1. Open 3D Workspace and Modelspace views
2. Create a mesh and a stand alone deformation object
3. Now animate the shape of the sa deform and the mesh or just animate the position of the mesh.
4. Attach the mesh to the sa deform object
5. Workspace Animation View set the timeline to match model view
6. Open the D3D Render panel
7. Model View Processing checked on
8. Render to File off for demo purposes
9. Open the Stand Alone Deformation panel
10. Check Special Mesh Processing on
11. Select the mesh object and press the Make Target as Special button
12. Check Individual Object Sync on. Everything in the scene will sync as an individual item except for items added to the exceptions list
13. Select the sa deform object and press the Exceptions List Add button. Use the link editor or Scene View to make the selection since sa deform objects are not visible in Workspace. This protects the sa deform from Workspace sync commands.
14. Select something that is not the sa deform or mesh objects since it seems like tS Modelside want to edit them when selected in the Workspace view.
15. Save the scene from Modelside as an scn format file. RsScn will not preserve the sa deform object.
16. Press the Start button to see the deform animation in Workspace

The mesh object must have some animation even if it's too small to see in order for the sa deformer to change it's shape.(tS bug?)

The scene(scn) and or the sa deform object(cob) should be saved before the model view is closed. If not the sa deform will be wrecked. It will also be wrecked when tS is closed.

Any material change in workspace will wreck the sa deform object.

Workspace Script based Animation

1. Open a 3D Workspace view.
2. Open a Link Editor view
3. Open Workspace Animation View
4. Load the Clock scene from the Scenes - Active library
5. Press the Start button on the Run Clock command node to get a feel for what the scripts do
6. If you try to use the standard Render to File it will result in errors. Press the Stop button to stop the scripts
7. Set the Animation View timeline from 0 to 45, this should be long enough
8. Open the D3D Render panel
9. Uncheck Model View Processing
10. Open the Scripts aspect of the D3D Render panel
11. Select the spinner command node in the link editor
12. Press the Select buttons for both Entry and Exit Command Node
13. Press Create Hook - the Timer Event will be disconnected and an extra command node will be added after the spinner node
14. Go inside the TrueClock node and select the TOD command node
15. Again Press the Select buttons for both Entry and Exit Command Node and press the Create Hook button
16. Go back to the Default aspect
17. UnCheck Render to File for the first run to be sure it's all working
18. Press Start to begin
19. "Remove hooks and restore scripts? - answer No if you will be running it again, say a second run for the actual rendered images
20. When completely done answer yes to the "remove" question or go to the Scripts aspect and press the Remove All Hooks button

File Dialog:

Default:

Use this panel to render a model view animation using the D3D Renderer or to render only the Workspace D3D view when Model View Processing is unchecked.

Usually the Workspace only render would be combined with the advanced script processing tools.

When AutoRecord is on and Selected Only is unchecked keyframes will be created for all scene objects that have animation, not just the selected item.

NURBS and Metaballs:

Use this panel to render metaballs or model view vertex animation assigned to NURBS object. The tsx plugin will process metaballs and any mesh that has a name postfix of "_SPECIALMESH"

NURBS and Metaball objects will have their layer changed and this will cause a synchronization from Model to Workspace

Stand Alone Deformations:

Use this panel to protect model view stand alone deformations.

The Target is the mesh that will be deformed

The deformer is protected by syncing everything in the scene except for the deformer.

Protection:

Use this panel to protect workspace objects from model view changes.

TODO talk about the tsx here?

Misc:

Use this panel to set memory usage limits to prevent crashes. The D3D Render will crash tS when memory usage reaches a value of around 1550MB or 2280MB with NTCore installed.

Every time a material is restored some memory is lost. The amount of memory being used can be seen in the status display while rendering.

Install the NTCore 4GB Patch https://ntcore.com/4gb-patch/ to increase trueSpace memory

Script:

Use this panel to setup command based scripts to run.

IDEA: some kind of presets?

A command script can be driven from the combination of a Watch Dog Event or Timer node attached to some animated object. This arrangement cannot be rendered normally since command scripts are not compatible with the animation rendering process. This method is an alternative way to drive the scripts during the D3D render process. This method assumes a chain of command nodes with the start and end command nodes encapsulated inside the same node. The start and end can be the same node for a chain of one. The hooks will disconnect the Control In connector from the Timer or Watch Dog and add a return node to the end of the chain. The input does not have to be a Watchdog or Timer, those are just the most likely input nodes and no input nodes is also an option.

RemoteRunComplete node is the return node added to the scripts

Some notes

Notes:

• Both Workspace and Modelspace 3d views need to be visible.
• Dont mark metaballs as special, they're born that way
• sa deform looks like to rename it must do in both workspace and modelspace
• animations that start with a hold will not bake properly to modelspace, model requires a change before any keys are created
• Script works with modelside vertex, facial and particle animation as well as transform animations.
• Protect Workspace materials does not work with freeform standalone deformation objects
• application of workspace materials to any item in a scene will break modelspace standalone deformations
• switch model to workspace will wreck workspace d3d materials
• do anything to a specific object in model will wreck it's workspace d3d materials
• sa deform lattice controlled object must have some motion to "activate" the lattice effect
• modelspace renaming is relentless, bad if script needs consistent naming but uses default workspace "comma space number" name, always good idea to name things

SyncSpecial.zip - c++ source code for visual studio 2008

test notes

• Script Based Anim - if modelspace may need to Protect Unnamed and fix any errors caused by rename before proceeding
• NURBS vertex anim check Special Mesh Processing and select and Mark as Special
• MetaBalls work via the plugin without need for special name
• Particles just work
• Mesh Vertex Animation - just works
• Standalone Deformation vertex animation optional - Individual Object Sync, set object as exception - works
• both watchdog and timer may only work if visible in the link editor - not 100% reliable
• not possible to protect names in any meaningful way, scripts must be written with that in mind

potential future todo, "Your current D3D Render code for clips does not take into account unlinked clips"

April 14, 2025

• Cancel then Restore Materials fixed
• render ask before overwriting files
• Remove hooks and restore scripts - only ask the question after a render to file, not preview run
• UI changes
• lack of animation warning questions
• bake to workspace check not already animated

April 13, 2025

• bug fixes, UI updates
• bake keys from model to workspace

April 10, 2025 - PreRelease

• load on demand installer
• replace crashy python script with tsx plugin
• default protections internal to the script, different methods of protection
• memory leak test for protect materials or anything else that might eat memory

November 4, 2019

• new python method - script assigned to flag object - much more stable
• changed cancel button wording
• button to open protect workspace
• can bake keyframes to modelspace again

October 31, 2019

• fixed Script Processing commands - register, unregister and run complete
• add option to disable Model view auto keyframes (AutoRecord)

September 18, 2019

• slightly improved modelspace frame number values - works properly with frame 0 and only updates once per animation loop

September 17, 2019

• Use status line "D3D" instead of "Model" connector
• UI updates by trueBlue
• Add post render protect workspace so have backup when closing the model view

September 7, 2019

• fixes for python special mesh processing
• works with standalone deformation when material protection is turned off
• more reliable

August 25, 2019

• integrated the new Protect Workspace script
• improved abort handling

April 3, 2019

• use persistent installer
• special process for NURBS, deformation and metaball shape animations
• hide cameras and lights
• enhanced command script support

April 18 2012: Works with Std/Rosetta(no modelspace) version, gets the proper animation range to render, better button highlighting and is more reliable.

back to the trueSpace Rendering Plugins and Scripts list