Skinning
Marvin,
<<(I hope that I have the right Batchelor)>>
My CIS address is 71532,1214.
What problems are you having with joints ? Note that the techniques I mentioned
in the text for the Branch & Female meshes can be very difficult or impossible
to implement with success….and every circumstance is different. Start by
experimenting with making simple "inner loops" of Skin, similar to the Branch
example. Note that this can make certain texture mapping difficult too. Just
visualize that you're stretching a flexible closed-loop of "Skin" suface,
draped around the Slices' perimeters from the starting CS to the
end….following along the "path" implied by the sequence of Slices. If the
vertices' ordering rotates from one CS to the next, then the Skinned surface
will twist. If they rotate a lot, you can pinch (wreck) the surface. By Moving,
Scaling, & Rotating CS's, you can "hide" folding-back sections of Skin inside
the visible outer surface. This lets you (in some cases) trace back a path from
a branch, back to the main "trunk" of the Skinned object. Just as attempting to
Skin non-lofted objects, this technique really isn't supposed to work. But in
both cases, there are exceptions. Your entire scene/animation will have to be
very contrived to use this. You'll need to compose your scenes & frame your
shots to avoid seeing surface discontinuities, or provide some "misdirection"
to lead the eyes away from problem areas. Use lighting & material definitions
to help hide objectionable seams. For example, using an Ambient (material)
value lower than the Diffuse value will just accentuate the seam….avoid this.
BILL