Turn prop/figure invisible/visibile at specific frame in timeline

ladywolf1ladywolf1 Posts: 123
edited September 6 in The Commons

Hi! Is there a way to turn a figure/prop invisible/visibile (and viceversa) in the timeline at specific frames? I looked around and some people suggested
1) to turn on/off the visibile in render/viewport option but it doesn work, as soon as a I switch it on/off from the previous switching on/off it stays like that the fulle timeline.
2) use a plugin that animates textures (don't remember the name rn sorry!) in order to turn down/up the opacity at specific keyframes. (dunno if this will actually work? Anyone tried it for this purpose?)
I've also read about having the object away from camera, the moving it/resizing it at the right keyframe but I don't like the effect... 
Any idea/help? Thanks! :)

Post edited by ladywolf1 on

Comments

  • crosswindcrosswind Posts: 7,144
    edited September 6
    Bool values don't go to keyframe...so sometimes we have to throw figures / Props to the sky or under ground haha.. Yes, off the view of Camera. The product you mentioned may be this? https://www.daz3d.com/abas-animated-shaders-system
    Post edited by crosswind on
  • GordigGordig Posts: 10,094

    It is possible to animate visibility, but I believe it requires a script that I don't think I still have, but Richard Haseltine has dropped a couple times.

  • crosswindcrosswind Posts: 7,144
    I also remember there was a script that Richard ever mentioned... Wait for his chime in.
  • QuasarQuasar Posts: 640

    This product shows night be able to do what you need.

    https://www.daz3d.com/texture-animator

  • crosswindcrosswind Posts: 7,144
    edited September 6

    Ah ~~ a thought just came into my mind.  In fact for this requirement, you don't need any product or script at all ! Though a Bool property cannot be keyed, a Float property can !

    You may just create a Float property named Visible in CurrentKey, set its Default Value to 1.0. Then in Property Hierarchy, link Visible to the 2nd Stage Sub-Component of Visible in CurrentKey.

    Then go to next frame, set its value to 0, the figure disappears, in both Viewport and Render !  And this process of creating a Float property and setting links to target Bool properties can be automated by a Daz Script for sure.

    Edit: Be noted, this way just works for "Show / Hide a figure or a Prop" for animated range. If you want to have a sort of "fade in / fade out" effect, you still need to use some products like above-mentioned to manipulate Surfaces settings.

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    Post edited by crosswind on
  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,289

    it works in the recent public builds, I dont know about the release but I have certainly animated visibility 

    https://hpclscruffy.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/684256/i-see-render-visibility-is-now-animated-yay

    LOL scruffy (DAZ website hampster?) makes an appearance in Google search

  • ElorElor Posts: 1,609

    From a previous discussion on what is hpclscruffy:

    Richard Haseltine said:

    We are told, by a human who knows:

    HPCL = High Performance Caching Layer
    Scruffy = A Futurama character reference, used as the codename for the product delivery system backend

  • crosswindcrosswind Posts: 7,144
    edited September 6

    WendyLuvsCatz said:

    it works in the recent public builds, I dont know about the release but I have certainly animated visibility 

    https://hpclscruffy.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/684256/i-see-render-visibility-is-now-animated-yay

    LOL scruffy (DAZ website hampster?) makes an appearance in Google search

    Yay! and I dbl-checked it, it also works in current General Release, yay!

    @ladywolf1  If you aim to render the animation and already use the latest DS General Release 4.22.0.16,  just directly set Visible in Render at the frameyes

    Post edited by crosswind on
  • crosswind said:

    Ah ~~ a thought just came into my mind.  In fact for this requirement, you don't need any product or script at all ! Though a Bool property cannot be keyed, a Float property can !

    A Bool property can be keyed, if it is set to be animatable.

    You may just create a Float property named Visible in CurrentKey, set its Default Value to 1.0. Then in Property Hierarchy, link Visible to the 2nd Stage Sub-Component of Visible in CurrentKey.

    Then go to next frame, set its value to 0, the figure disappears, in both Viewport and Render !  And this process of creating a Float property and setting links to target Bool properties can be automated by a Daz Script for sure.

    Edit: Be noted, this way just works for "Show / Hide a figure or a Prop" for animated range. If you want to have a sort of "fade in / fade out" effect, you still need to use some products like above-mentioned to manipulate Surfaces settings.

  • crosswindcrosswind Posts: 7,144
    edited September 6

    crosswind said:

    Ah ~~ a thought just came into my mind.  In fact for this requirement, you don't need any product or script at all ! Though a Bool property cannot be keyed, a Float property can !

    A Bool property can be keyed, if it is set to be animatable.

    So how to set it to be animatable?
    Post edited by crosswind on
  • crosswind said:

    Richard Haseltine said:

    crosswind said:

    Ah ~~ a thought just came into my mind.  In fact for this requirement, you don't need any product or script at all ! Though a Bool property cannot be keyed, a Float property can !

    A Bool property can be keyed, if it is set to be animatable.

    So how to set it to be animatable?

    In the New Property dialogue, or via script http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/software/dazstudio/4/referenceguide/scripting/api_reference/object_index/property_dz#a_1ac2b8a8822b367a10411030921df48b8f

  • crosswindcrosswind Posts: 7,144
    edited September 7

    Richard Haseltine said:

    crosswind said:

    Richard Haseltine said:

    crosswind said:

    Ah ~~ a thought just came into my mind.  In fact for this requirement, you don't need any product or script at all ! Though a Bool property cannot be keyed, a Float property can !

    A Bool property can be keyed, if it is set to be animatable.

    So how to set it to be animatable?

    In the New Property dialogue, or via script http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/software/dazstudio/4/referenceguide/scripting/api_reference/object_index/property_dz#a_1ac2b8a8822b367a10411030921df48b8f

    Thank you Richard ! I didn't notice that before ! But has the attribute been always there ? And after creating the property, it could not be found in any user-facing settings but just in DSF / DUF ?

    Post edited by crosswind on
  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 101,349
    edited September 7

    I don't think it is possible to change it directly through the UI, possibly to avoid people making things animatable by setting when they fundamentally are not.

    Post edited by Richard Haseltine on
  • ladywolf1ladywolf1 Posts: 123
    edited September 8

    crosswind said:

    Ah ~~ a thought just came into my mind.  In fact for this requirement, you don't need any product or script at all ! Though a Bool property cannot be keyed, a Float property can !

    You may just create a Float property named Visible in CurrentKey, set its Default Value to 1.0. Then in Property Hierarchy, link Visible to the 2nd Stage Sub-Component of Visible in CurrentKey.

    Then go to next frame, set its value to 0, the figure disappears, in both Viewport and Render !  And this process of creating a Float property and setting links to target Bool properties can be automated by a Daz Script for sure.

    Edit: Be noted, this way just works for "Show / Hide a figure or a Prop" for animated range. If you want to have a sort of "fade in / fade out" effect, you still need to use some products like above-mentioned to manipulate Surfaces settings.

    But will this work:

    1) on textures or only figures?
    2) Will it work if you turn on for xxx frame, then off for xxx frame, then on again for xxx frames? 

    The question is generic for future purposed, but for this specific example, I'm trying to have a prop appearing at a certain keyframe. Stay there til near the end, then disappear.

    Post edited by ladywolf1 on
  • FrankTheTankFrankTheTank Posts: 1,131

    you can also simply scaling it down in size so it basically disappears immediately. You need to keyframe it so its 100% one frame and 0% the next frame for example or vice versa. Or if that doesn't work for you for some reason, you can simply keyframe it so it moves way out of frame immediately, far enough away that it does cast any shadows in the scene. I've used both methods depending on the requirements of the scene.  

  • crosswindcrosswind Posts: 7,144
    edited September 8

    ladywolf1 said:

    crosswind said:

    Ah ~~ a thought just came into my mind.  In fact for this requirement, you don't need any product or script at all ! Though a Bool property cannot be keyed, a Float property can !

    You may just create a Float property named Visible in CurrentKey, set its Default Value to 1.0. Then in Property Hierarchy, link Visible to the 2nd Stage Sub-Component of Visible in CurrentKey.

    Then go to next frame, set its value to 0, the figure disappears, in both Viewport and Render !  And this process of creating a Float property and setting links to target Bool properties can be automated by a Daz Script for sure.

    Edit: Be noted, this way just works for "Show / Hide a figure or a Prop" for animated range. If you want to have a sort of "fade in / fade out" effect, you still need to use some products like above-mentioned to manipulate Surfaces settings.

    But will this work:

    1) on textures or only figures?
    2) Will it work if you turn on for xxx frame, then off for xxx frame, then on again for xxx frames? 

    The question is generic for future purposed, but for this specific example, I'm trying to have a prop appearing at a certain keyframe. Stay there til near the end, then disappear.

    1) It's only for the figure rather than textures...

    2) Yes, with this way, you just need to add a couple of keyframes in between disappear and appeart, and set Interpolation Type to Constant

    But since Visible in Render property already works well for being keyed ( animatable... ) in both DS GR / PB, you don't need to use the way I suggested... unless you really want to have this disappear / appear effect in Viewport. cool

    Post edited by crosswind on
  • ladywolf1ladywolf1 Posts: 123

    crosswind said:

    ladywolf1 said:

    crosswind said:

    Ah ~~ a thought just came into my mind.  In fact for this requirement, you don't need any product or script at all ! Though a Bool property cannot be keyed, a Float property can !

    You may just create a Float property named Visible in CurrentKey, set its Default Value to 1.0. Then in Property Hierarchy, link Visible to the 2nd Stage Sub-Component of Visible in CurrentKey.

    Then go to next frame, set its value to 0, the figure disappears, in both Viewport and Render !  And this process of creating a Float property and setting links to target Bool properties can be automated by a Daz Script for sure.

    Edit: Be noted, this way just works for "Show / Hide a figure or a Prop" for animated range. If you want to have a sort of "fade in / fade out" effect, you still need to use some products like above-mentioned to manipulate Surfaces settings.

    But will this work:

    1) on textures or only figures?
    2) Will it work if you turn on for xxx frame, then off for xxx frame, then on again for xxx frames? 

    The question is generic for future purposed, but for this specific example, I'm trying to have a prop appearing at a certain keyframe. Stay there til near the end, then disappear.

    1) It's only for the figure rather than textures...

    2) Yes, with this way, you just need to add a couple of keyframes in between disappear and appeart, and set Interpolation Type to Constant

    But since Visible in Render already works well in both GR/PB, you don't need to use the way I suggested... unless you really want to have this disappear / appear effect in Viewport. cool

    Yeah my concern was... how do I see what I'm doing if I can't see it (the pun...) in the viewport but only in the render...? Sadly if that's the case doesn't seem a perfect solution? Prone to mistakes?

  • crosswindcrosswind Posts: 7,144

    ladywolf1 said:

    crosswind said:

    ladywolf1 said:

    crosswind said:

    Ah ~~ a thought just came into my mind.  In fact for this requirement, you don't need any product or script at all ! Though a Bool property cannot be keyed, a Float property can !

    You may just create a Float property named Visible in CurrentKey, set its Default Value to 1.0. Then in Property Hierarchy, link Visible to the 2nd Stage Sub-Component of Visible in CurrentKey.

    Then go to next frame, set its value to 0, the figure disappears, in both Viewport and Render !  And this process of creating a Float property and setting links to target Bool properties can be automated by a Daz Script for sure.

    Edit: Be noted, this way just works for "Show / Hide a figure or a Prop" for animated range. If you want to have a sort of "fade in / fade out" effect, you still need to use some products like above-mentioned to manipulate Surfaces settings.

    But will this work:

    1) on textures or only figures?
    2) Will it work if you turn on for xxx frame, then off for xxx frame, then on again for xxx frames? 

    The question is generic for future purposed, but for this specific example, I'm trying to have a prop appearing at a certain keyframe. Stay there til near the end, then disappear.

    1) It's only for the figure rather than textures...

    2) Yes, with this way, you just need to add a couple of keyframes in between disappear and appeart, and set Interpolation Type to Constant

    But since Visible in Render already works well in both GR/PB, you don't need to use the way I suggested... unless you really want to have this disappear / appear effect in Viewport. cool

    Yeah my concern was... how do I see what I'm doing if I can't see it (the pun...) in the viewport but only in the render...? Sadly if that's the case doesn't seem a perfect solution? Prone to mistakes?

    Yep, your concern makes sense to me to some extent. Only making Visible in Render animatable is not that perfect... Daz better make Visible animatable as well IMHO ~~ devil

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,289
    edited September 8

    I would love more parameters animatable like other programs

    colour along spectrum and lightness/darkness

    skydome rotation

    texture intensity (especially for emission)

    horizontal and vertical UV offset

    tiling

    displacement, normal, bump intensity

    subdivision

    well just about everything to be honest, why cripple the program?

    (yes I know scripts exist like Matanim, Texanim etc for some of this but if it's doable in the UI why not?)

    Post edited by WendyLuvsCatz on
  • A concern is the likelihood of auto-keyframing (as DS does, at least for now) material settings or other properties is that it is likely to confuse a lot of users. That said, using http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/software/dazstudio/4/referenceguide/scripting/api_reference/samples/elements/post_load_material_proxy_create/start will allow the creation and saving of links between material properties and animatable node properties.

     

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,289

    it's never been a problem for me in Carrara, Poser or iClone in 14 years but of course one does get an actual keyframe created in the expanded timeline too one can select and delete.

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