Gamasutra - Features - "Giving Life to Ratchet & Clank: Enabling Complex Character Animations by Streamlining Processes" [02.11.03]


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By John Lally
Gamasutra
[Author's Bio]
February 11, 2003

Introduction

Dissecting the IK Setup Tool

Walks and the Walk Guide

End of Cycle

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Features

Giving Life to Ratchet & Clank:
Enabling Complex Character Animations by Streamlining Processes

End of Cycle

Like all character-driven projects, Ratchet & Clank presented our animation team with a unique set of artistic and technical challenges. Our artistic philosophy was built on the understanding that our characters were the instruments though which a player would experience our universe. We knew that in meeting these challenges, our puppets would transcend mere game space and become the entities that our players would identify with, vilify, and even personify.

However, this philosophy needed to be coupled with practical methodology if it was to see our project to its conclusion. From this necessity grew our testing practices, MEL shortcuts, and real-time animation procedures. Throughout production, these methods removed many of the barriers that would otherwise have obstructed the artistic efforts of our animators.

As the Insomniac team cycles into our next project, we continue to refine and expand upon the systems and procedures we developed during Ratchet & Clank. Though our procedures continue to evolve, our underlying goals remain unchanged. For in the end, we can only prove a technology's worth by an audience's response to our characters.

Listing 2. Sample code from the Driven Key Generator.

// The "if" gate checks for changed X-Translation values
// between the Default and Posed frames.

if ($txa != $txb)
{

// Sets the Driver Attribute and the Current Joint's
// X-Translation to their Default Values;
// Sets a Driven Key Frame for the Default Values.

setAttr $atnm $dr0;
setAttr ($current + ".tx") $txa;
setDrivenKeyframe -currentDriver $atnm -attribute
translateX $current;

// Sets the Driver Attribute and the Current Joint's
// X-Translation to their Posed Values;
// Sets a Driven Key Frame for the Posed Values.

setAttr $atnm $dr1;
setAttr ($current + ".tx") $txb;
setDrivenKeyframe - currentDriver $atnm -attribute
translateX $current;

// Prints command summary to the Script Editor for
// easy reference.

print ($current + ": TX has been keyed for slider
value 0: " + $txa + " and slider value 10: " +
$txb); print " \n";

}

// In this loop segment, $current is the current joint,
// and $atmn is the attribute name. $dr0 and $dr1 represent
// Default and Posed Driver values. $txa & $txb are the
// Default and Posed X-translation values, respectively.

// (Note: All flags are listed in their long forms.)

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