Blade 2.6 Summary

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• Introduction
• User's Guide
• Setting Up the Database
• Camera Calibration
• Capturing ROM
• Processing ROM
• Cleaning up ROM/takes
  
• Capturing/Processing takes

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• Executive Summary

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• Finger Capture
• Prop Capture
• Streaming
• Troubleshooting

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• Camera Adjustments

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  copyright © Deborah R. Fowler

Deborah R. Fowler

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click here for Blade 2.6 User's Guide

Posted on Dec 8   2013 
Updated March 27  2014  

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Blade 2.6 Streaming

Live streaming is easy in 2.6 with Motion Builder 2014.

We now have a projector for each workstation.

Be sure the characters skeleton is loaded (character management window).
Make sure the pull down menu is set to SOLVE

Streaming to Motion Builder 2014 (see note below for Offline streaming)

In Blade: click on Data Streaming (in the Editors tab also on Post Processing tab) - this will bring up a parameter window. Check Server Active  make sure the pull down menu is set to Solve make sure the cameras are connected if live streaming In MotionBuilder: under Devices, drag the vicon i/o icon to the viewport This will bring up a dialogue box check to see the ip address is set to 10.7.102.72 (to check ip address in cmd window type ipconfig) Click online Create bones Click stream bones, labeled markers You now should see your character skeleton in Motion Builder 2014. Details for the next three steps are given below the table. drag character icon onto hips of T-posed actor (characterize, biped) drag tutorial character onto view (fbx merge all takes) change tutorial character to be active with Character Input selected ClipArt for MB (on our system) fis stored in: \\sfdm-appdeploy\AppGet\Clipart

Once you see the mocap skeleton in Motion Builder - characterize (have your actor stand in a t-pose).

Go to the characters section and expand it. Find the character icon (circled in red).
Drag this icon to the hips of the mocap skeleton. Go ahead and click "characterize" and select "biped".

Now select a character to drive. For example, Gremlin, which you will find under the Tutorials folder. Be careful to pick one that is characterized (or set up your own). ie. mia_characterize, Aragor, Gremlin etc.
Drag Gremlin to the view port - a dialogue box will pop up. Select fbx merge, all takes.
Alternatively, you can grab characters from the file menu using the option Merge.

Now drive Gremlin by selecting him in the Navigator window and changing his Input Type and Source to Character. With active checked Gremlin will now follow the movement of the person in the suit.

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Trouble shooting with live streaming:

• make sure your cameras are connected
• make sure you have a character loaded (try deleting and reloading in the character management menu)
• make sure live streaming is checked on (under editors)
• make sure you have solve selected
• make sure you characterize your actor FIRST and that they are in T-POSE
• if it gets wacky, try clicking on and off Server Active - this sometimes resolves issues, otherwise, start the motion builder portion of it over

NOTE: Streaming is much more stable in 2.6 compared to 1.7.

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Offline Streaming

NOTE: Most often you will be live streaming. When offline streaming you may need to trouble shoot in Motion Builder 2014.
In blade ensure Server Active and Stream Offline Data are both checked. The offline data must be playing in blade when you stream offline***
In Motion Builder 2014, click online, then create bones and then check on stream bones (if it is already on and you do not see anything appearing  in the viewport you may need to toggle it off and on. If that fails, toggle online)

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