Houdini 22.0 Character KineFX

Set Driven Keys

Drives transforms and channels on multiple TransformObject nodes with a single driver control or animation clip.

Since 22.0

This component reads the animation stored in an animation clip and plays it back based on the value of a driver control. As the driver moves between a range of values (Fit Min and Fit Max), the poses in the clip’s frame range (Start Frame to End Frame) are applied to the driven TransformObject nodes.

Single driver control moves the driven nodes through a range of poses

The driver can be an existing control or a new control created by this component (a slider added to the component’s menu). Add a Setups multiparm entry for each driver-animation relationship.

For a step-by-step walkthrough of using this component with the APEX Rig Pose SOP, see working with set driven keys. The APEX SetDrivenKey recipe provides a ready-made example setup.

Parameters

Name

The name to add to the nodes created by this component.

Setups

The number of setups that define a control that drives an animation clip.

Settings

Animation Layer

The animation layer in the animation clip to read the channels from. If Driver is empty, this animation layer name is used as the driver control name.

T

When turned on, the clip’s translation channels are applied to the driven TransformObject nodes.

R

When turned on, the clip’s rotation channels are applied to the driven TransformObject nodes.

S

When turned on, the clip’s scale channels are applied to the driven TransformObject nodes.

Start Frame

The start frame of the animation. The driver’s Fit Min value maps to this frame.

End Frame

The end frame of the animation. The driver’s Fit Max value maps to this frame.

Clip Path

The path to the animation clip (.clip folder) in the character folder structure that stores the channels used to drive the TransformObject nodes.

Driven

Nodes

The TransformObject nodes to drive. This parameter accepts APEX path patterns, so you can specify tags in this field, for example #<tag>.

Driver

Driver

The control and channel whose value drives the animation. Append the channel to the control name using a colon, for example, myControl:ry. If Driver is not set to an existing control and channel, this component creates a slider in the component’s menu that drives the animation:

  • If you don’t append a channel to the control name, a slider set to the name of the Driver is created in the component’s menu. For example, if you set Driver to L_footAnkle_ik, a slider named L_footAnkle_ik is created in the component’s menu. In this case, the left foot control doesn’t actually drive the animation; a slider named L_footAnkle_ik drives the animation.

  • If you set Driver to a control name that doesn’t already exist, a slider with the specified name is created in the component’s menu.

  • If you leave Driver empty, a slider with the Animation Layer name is created in the component’s menu.

Drive animation using the gear menu slider

Fit Min

The driver value that maps to the Start Frame of the animation clip.

Fit Max

The driver value that maps to the End Frame of the animation clip.

Parent

Parent

The parent of the driver control when a new control is created by this component. This parameter accepts APEX path patterns, so you can specify tags in this field.

Tags

Tags

The tags to add to the driver controls created by this component.

Shape

The APEX Configure Controls SOP provides more options for changing the look of the controls.

Shape

The shape of the controls. It can be set to any of the built-in APEX control shapes.

Color

The color of the control shapes.

Translate

The translation of the control shapes.

Rotate

The rotation of the control shapes.

Scale

The scale of the control shapes.

See also

KineFX

Overview

Preparing character elements

Rigging with APEX graphs

  • APEX graph basics

    Introduction to the APEX graph evaluation framework.

  • APEX graph debugger

    Inspect the values of an APEX graph’s ports within the APEX network view.

  • APEX Script basics for graph building

    An overview of APEX Script, a code interface for building APEX graphs.

  • Graphs for numerical operations

    Example graphs of numerical operations like adding two values, fetching multiple results, and retrieving information from geometry.

  • Graphs for viewport animation

    Example graphs of animate state functionality like creating controls and constraints, and defining joint hierarchies.

  • Graphs for deforming geometry

    Example of a SOP network and APEX graph for deforming a 3-joint tube geometry.

  • Graph metadata

    Information added to graph nodes and ports.

  • APEX path pattern

    A set of rules that allow you to filter and select elements within graphs, skeletons, geometry, and the character folder structure.

  • APEX graph nodes

    APEX nodes provide operations for building up the functionality of APEX graphs, which are used in KineFX to create character rigs and perform other geometry manipulation.

  • APEX updates for H22

    New and updated APEX graph nodes for Houdini 22.

Building rig graphs with APEX Script

Rigging with rig components

Animating in the viewport

  • Animation workflow

    Example networks of adding characters, props, characters, and animation to a scene.

  • Animating in LOPs

    Rig and animate characters and props in the context of a USD stage.

  • Working in the animate state

    Select and manipulate controls, define transform limits for controls, and add skin controls to a character.

  • Animate state menus and HUDs

    Menus, HUDs, toolbars, and options in the animate state.

  • Animate state hotkeys

    Hotkeys available in the animate state.

  • Posing

    Pose characters in the animation scene by using locators, copying and pasting controls, and mirroring poses.

  • Motion paths

    Visualize the motion of controls as curves in 3D space.

  • Constraints

    Create relationships between controls in the animate state.

  • Dynamic motion

    Add physically-accurate projectile motion to your animation in the animate state.

  • Ragdoll

    Add a ragdoll simulation to your animation in the animate state.

  • Full body IK

    Apply full body inverse kinematics to pose the character using high-level targets rather than manipulating individual joints.

  • Secondary motion

    Add physically-accurate effects like lag/overshoot, jiggle, and spring to your animation in the animate state.

  • Control selection sets

    A tree view of controls, selections, and selection sets for the animate state. Allows management of control selection and visibility.

  • Motion mixer

    Combine and edit the animation clips of multiple characters in a timeline-based view.

  • Character picker

    Create a 2D layout with simple buttons for selecting character controls in an animation scene.

  • Animation catalog

    Save, manage, and apply animations and single-frame poses to an animation scene.

  • Animation layers

    Create multiple layers of animation without affecting the original animation.

  • Animation toolbar

    A customizable toolbar consisting of simple slider tools that quickly apply modifications to animation controls and curves.

  • Animation bookmarks

    Frame markers that help organize and identify the different parts of your animation.

Customizing the animate state

SOP-based animation

  • Physics-based motion

    Add physically-accurate motion to your animation using the Projectile Motion and Pendulum Motion SOPs.

  • Ragdoll simulations

    Add a ragdoll simulation to your animation using the Ragdoll Solver SOP.

Deformation

  • Blend shapes

    Create blend shapes using blend shape SOP nodes.

Animation retargeting

Pre-H20

Panes

  • Motion mixer

    A timeline-based view of the animation clips and motion effects of multiple characters.

  • Character picker

    Create a 2D layout with simple buttons to select character controls in an animation scene.

  • Rig tree view

    A hierarchical view of character components, including packed character folders, KineFX rigs, and Object node rigs.

  • Animation editor

    View and edit animated parameters and their transitions between keyframes.

  • Geometry spreadsheet

    Displays details about the geometry selected in the network editor.

Appendix