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Alphageekgirl's - modo magic website \ Tag: locator

MODO noobs & hobbyists

So, you're an avid part-time MODO user, but you'd still like to be able to keep up-to-date with all the neat tricks and cool ways you can optimize your MODO workflow.

Being a hobbyist sometimes it can be weeks or months before I manage to find some spare time to mess around with MODO, by which time, I've almost forgotten everything. :-/

This site is just as much for me as it is for you. It's a place where all can keep all the tips and tricks I come across, and it's fully indexed, so you should be able to find whatever you're looking for very easily :)

I'm no MODO expert - far from it, but every other month I'd like to be able to present you with a new article that'll become a new string to add to your modo bow.

If you're a longterm 3D artist or professional, then I can't guarantee there'll be much here you don't already know. You can always have a poke around though., or if you are looking for something specific, use the Search menu up the top (and the links with topics, categories and tags underneath) to find exactly what you're after. If you don't have any luck, let me know if there is anything in particular that you're looking for.

- Debi (alphageekgirl)

Recent Posts

Tag: locator

0
January 20, 2013 Posted by Debi in All Articles, ANIMATION, Constraints, Deformations, Morphs, Step-by-Step

Creating directional constraints for eyes

Description

When rendering out characters, most times it's preferable to have them looking straight at the camera. But you may need to move the camera around quite a bit so that you can get just the right angle, which means, you will need to keep manually adjusting the eyes so that they continue to look towards the camera. There is a way though that you can constrain the eyes to remain fixed on a particular spot (locator). That way you can then move the locator anywhere around and the eyes will follow, making it a lot easier for you to set up your shot.

If however, you move the locator really close to the eyes, they will go cross-eyed, so using a central controller can help deform the eyes in a non-destructive manner.
Step-by-Step

    Prepare eyes

    • Turn on deformations by pressing O.
    • Select Enable Deformers so they are visible to the camera
    • Put each eye into separate Item mesh layers
    • Select each eye Item individually and center pivot points inside each eye > Edit > Center to Bounding Box > Center

    Setup Tab

    • Select the Setup tab up the top and then press the Setup button (the viewport will be highlighted) - this effectively turns off deformations temporarily. Leave it on until the end.
    • Select one eye at a time, under the Commands menu > Deformers > Transform  . This will add a transformer inside the eye item. It will also create a Transform Effector, which essentially is a locator that the eye will become constrained to.
    • Rename the Transform Effectors Left & Right. As they will both be created in world space sitting at 0,0 they'll be difficult to tell apart.
    • Making sure that the eyes are visible (i.e. hide any distracting layers), from the Item List
    • Select one Transform Effector at a time, and while Match Position is selected, click on Drop Action and then drag'n'drop into each eye.
    • You can reduce the size of these Effector locators under  > Display > 3D Items > Size 
    • Select both locators and duplicate them, and then move them to out in front of the face.
    • Duplicate one of those locators and move it hoizontally so that it's in between the two.
    • Parent the locators to the central one which is now effectively the main controller
    • Now we need to create a directional constraint by selecting the left eye transform locator, and then shift-clicking on the left locator out the front.
    • Under the Modifiers tab, select Direction. Repeat with the right eye.
    • To test that it works, turn off Setup mode.
Source  You can watch a video that details the process here
Author  Daniel Ripley - cgdreams.co.uk
9.3/104votes
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Tags: constraint, deformers, effector, eyes, locator, parent, transform
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January 20, 2013 Posted by Debi in All Articles, Cameras, Lights, Step-by-Step

Constraining Cameras and Lights using Locators

Description When setting up a scene you may need to move the camera and lights around quite a bit until you get it just right, but you don't want to have to continually re-focus them. So by creating a locator that is parented to the subject object, you can keep manually adjusting the camera and it will always stay in focus.
Step-by-Step

    Create Cameras

    • In the Item List, select the Camera, right-click and duplicate
    • Rename the duplicate camera - Hero Camera
    • Rename the other camera - Free Camera
    • Under the Shader Tree, select Render at the top of the list, and then under > Properties > Frame, set the Hero camera as the one you'll be rendering
    • Place the Hero camera roughly in the position where you want your final shot to be.

    Create Locator

    • Create a Locator and rename it Focus
    • Place it where you want to focus the camera and lights
    • Select the Hero camera and then Ctrl-select the Focus Locator - under the Camera View tab under Properties, select Set Target
    • Select each Light, and Ctrl-select the Focus Locator - under the Light's property side-tab, select Set Target
    • Set the camera Projection and Effects properties the way you want
    • The Hero camera and lights will always stay pointed at the Locator no matter where you move them within the scene
    • You can then use the Free camera to move about the scene without messing things up
  Beluga Whale
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Tags: camera, constraint, free, hero, lights, locator