Proposal for Cal3d development

[Marco]

Hi,

here is an initial proposal for future developments we could make to
Cal3d. Can you please comment and suggest any changes

I will try to have a final document to post on the cal3d forums next
week

Marco

* Core Functionality *
- Add the ability to carry over the root position and orientation of
one motion played to the start of the next motion (as far as I know
this is not currently possible, but I could be wrong).
- add functionality to queue motions up, playing one after another
- Inverse Kinematics: a basic analytic method for arms and legs
- I have had a request for motion filters like those in Piavca

* Importers/exporters *
- updated importers/exporters
- add support for .cfg files in the core
- include support for morph targets in file format
- include morph target animations file format
- blender exporters

* System of extensions *
- have a system of extension modules that can be used to add extra
functionality beyond the core. These will include the following

* Renderer *
- include a standard render module that comes with cal3d and which can
be plugged into existing graphics systems (as opposed to the current
example viewers where you have to manually rip out code)
- update this to have better shader support and loading shaders from
file

* Motion Graphs *
- a module to support higher level animation structures, particularly
motion graphs
- include a path following module in this

* Python Bindings *
- easy and popular thing to do

* A library of procedural motions *
- This could be a later extension
- could features gaze, blinking, control from trackers

[Anthony Steed]

Marco,

I think it needs splitting in to stages:

V12 being bugs fixes, possibly a few of the simple added features (e.g.
recentring motions), updating importers and exporters, modern shader example
V13 IK, good tutorials, better pipeline support
V14 Motion graphs, deformers, etc...

what I also suggest doing, perhaps I will do this for v12, is to
approach aXYZ (possibly some similar companies) and get them to "donate"
an avatar or two to the project, and then we redo that rather awful
"cally" demo. It might be interesting to get some other sources of
content in there, does anyone have suggestions? I think the content for
The Sims is available, for example.

Anthony

--

[Will Steptoe]

Hi all,

thanks Marco for the list of tasks. I think the stages proposed by Anthony are reasonable.

At the end of the last meeting, we had a general idea of what needs to be done, but we weren't very specific. A list of fixes and changes for V12 probably needs to be specified and delegated. I was tasked with updating the exporters, so I can do this. I have updated this on the google document here: https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AfKrhmRePnS9ZGc5azN4czhfMTg0c3p0dDI1Yw&hl=en_GB. Please add the tasks assigned to you, or what you would be willing to contribute to, and then we can generate a specification.

Regarding content, another company to approach is Rocketbox (http://www.rocketbox-libraries.com/index.php?cat=cc). They are just about to release a new line of high quality characters, so they may be interested in a proposition.

Will

[Marco Gillies]

Hi Will, Anthony, 

thanks for the feedback. Sounds like a good plan. 

I will put out another call for bugs on the mailing list and then collate a list of things that need doing

Marco

[Will Steptoe]

Hi Marco,

which mailing list are you referring to? Is it the developer list here: https://gna.org/mail/?group=cal3d ?

Thanks
Will

[Marco Gillies]

On 27 Aug 2010, at 09:42, Will Steptoe wrote:

Hi Marco,

which mailing list are you referring to? Is it the developer list here: https://gna.org/mail/?group=cal3d ?

yes, I think so, will post a message later this week

Marco