Soft -> Maya : 23.98 to 24 FPS Problem

[Alok]

We have tracked and animated objects in Softimage at 23.98 fps. We bring the animation in Maya, but in Maya there is no custom FPS setting available. The closest is 24 FPS, so obviously the animation does not match. The only solution I can think is to quickly script to scale the FCurves.

Does that seems to be the approach or is there anything else I can do differently.

Any help much appreciated.

Thanks.

--

[Ben Houston]

Pick "other" as the Playback speed and then you can set the frame rate explicitly in the number box to the right of that in Maya.  Or at least that is how I thought it worked.

-ben

--
Best regards,
Ben Houston
Voice: 613-762-4113 Skype: ben.exocortex Twitter: @exocortexcom
http://Exocortex.com - Passionate CG Software Professionals.

[Greg Punchatz]

"We bring the animation in Maya, but in Maya there is no custom FPS setting available"

Wow is that true??? and this is the next generation app AD thinks is the strongest of the lot....LOL next thing you  will tell me is that in maya you cant edit PPGs in multi mode ;)

---

Greg Punchatz

Sr. Creative Director
Janimation
214.823.7760
www.janimation.com

[Eric Turman]

Greg, you should realize that it takes a particle system to work at 23.976 ;)

--




-=T=-

[Alok]

Thanks Ben but that only changes the playback speed so the captures can be done at custom speeds, but it does not change the fcurves so the transform of the object in Maya is exactly the same as the transform of object in Softimage at the same frame.

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[Xavier Lapointe]

I think you can edit this section:
optionMenuGrp -label (uiRes("m_createPrefWndUI.kTime"))
                                -cc ("prefWndUnitsChanged \"time\"")
                                timeOpts;

                            string $fps = (uiRes("m_createPrefWndUI.kFps"));
                            string $unitFPS = (uiRes("m_createPrefWndUI.kUnitFps"));
                            menuItem -label `format -s "15" $fps`;
                            menuItem -label `format -s "Film" -s "24" $unitFPS`;
                            menuItem -label `format -s "PAL" -s "25" $unitFPS`;
                            menuItem -label `format -s "NTSC" -s "30" $unitFPS`;
                            menuItem -label `format -s "Show" -s "48" $unitFPS`;
                            menuItem -label `format -s "PAL Field" -s "50" $unitFPS`;
                            menuItem -label `format -s "NTSC Field" -s "60" $unitFPS`;
                            menuItem -label (uiRes("m_createPrefWndUI.kMilliSeconds"));
                            menuItem -label (uiRes("m_createPrefWndUI.kSecondsItem"));
                            menuItem -label (uiRes("m_createPrefWndUI.kMinutes"));
                            menuItem -label (uiRes("m_createPrefWndUI.kHours"));
                                menuItem -label `format -s "2" $fps`;;
                                menuItem -label `format -s "3" $fps`;;
                                menuItem -label `format -s "4" $fps`;;
                                menuItem -label `format -s "5" $fps`;;
                                menuItem -label `format -s "6" $fps`;;
                                menuItem -label `format -s "8" $fps`;;
                                menuItem -label `format -s "10" $fps`;;
                                menuItem -label `format -s "12" $fps`;;
                                menuItem -label `format -s "16" $fps`;;
                                menuItem -label `format -s "20" $fps`;;
                                menuItem -label `format -s "40" $fps`;;
                                menuItem -label `format -s "75" $fps`;;
                                menuItem -label `format -s "80" $fps`;;
                                menuItem -label `format -s "100" $fps`;;
                                menuItem -label `format -s "120" $fps`;;
                                menuItem -label `format -s "125" $fps`;;
                                menuItem -label `format -s "150" $fps`;;
                                menuItem -label `format -s "200" $fps`;;
                                menuItem -label `format -s "240" $fps`;;
                                menuItem -label `format -s "250" $fps`;;
                                menuItem -label `format -s "300" $fps`;;
                                menuItem -label `format -s "375" $fps`;;
                                menuItem -label `format -s "400" $fps`;;
                                menuItem -label `format -s "500" $fps`;;
                                menuItem -label `format -s "600" $fps`;;
                                menuItem -label `format -s "750" $fps`;;
                                menuItem -label `format -s "1200" $fps`;;
                                menuItem -label `format -s "1500" $fps`;;
                                menuItem -label `format -s "2000" $fps`;;
                                menuItem -label `format -s "3000" $fps`;;
                                menuItem -label `format -s "6000" $fps`;;


in /usr/autodesk/maya2012-x64/scripts/startup/createPrefWndUI.mel (or something similar). Sound a little convoluted though.

Might want to ask Sylvain or Eric, he's been a long time on Maya as far as I can remember.


Cheers

--
Xavier

[Alok]

Well thanks Mr. X, that is really helpful if it works. I will test it.

Sylvain also has no idea about it, there are a few experienced Maya users too here now in Sfx team but they all are of the opinion it is not possible to set a custom FPS.

Cheers !

Version: 2012.0.2221 / Virus Database: 2441/5293 - Release Date: 09/26/12

[Alok]

Finally solved it. Instead of changing in Maya, I just changed the FPS in Softimage from 23.98 to 24.0,  keeping the option of scaling the curves and then send animation to Maya. Everything works ! And to imagine a "" ***particle plugin***"" like Softimage could save the day in one second while the "****uber big full fledged DCC App***" like Maya cannot.

Ahem ! I think you get my point guys ;)

[Xavier Lapointe]

Shawweet.

--
Xavier

[Luc-Eric Rousseau]

I think it has to do with animation being in seconds in xsi while it's in frames in maya

[Alok]

Ok so if I understand correctly that means you cannot have fractional fps in Maya because it has to be integral number of frames ?

[Chris Gardner]

i think that, from some murky memory, it's internally calculated as some multiple of 24fps (have a look at an nCache header). suffice to say, it's all messed up. and you can only set the frame rate to one of the predefined settings.

if you open up a .ma file in a text editor, the units are stored there as "pal" or "film" or whatever - no numbers. sad.

good thing the particle plugin can do arbitrary frame rates...

cheers,
chrisg

[Raffaele Fragapane]

If only it could do subframes as well we'd have it all :)

[Brent McPherson]

Yes and no. Internally Maya breaks time into ticks where each tick is 1/6000 of a second. (so 23.98fps would be treated as 24fps)

FCurves in Maya can save their keys as either floats or ticks but I'm not sure what the default is.
--
Brent

From: softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com [mailto:softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com] On Behalf Of Alok
Sent: 27 September 2012 00:04
To: soft...@listproc.autodesk.com
Subject: Re: Soft -> Maya : 23.98 to 24 FPS Problem

Ok so if I understand correctly that means you cannot have fractional fps in Maya because it has to be integral number of frames ?

[cid:image0...@01CD9CA5.782F6000]

On 26/09/2012 6:57 PM, Luc-Eric Rousseau wrote:

I think it has to do with animation being in seconds in xsi while it's in frames in maya

On Sep 26, 2012 6:52 PM, "Alok" <alok....@modusfx.com<mailto:alok....@modusfx.com>> wrote:
Finally solved it. Instead of changing in Maya, I just changed the FPS in Softimage from 23.98 to 24.0, keeping the option of scaling the curves and then send animation to Maya. Everything works ! And to imagine a "" ***particle plugin***"" like Softimage could save the day in one second while the "****uber big full fledged DCC App***" like Maya cannot.

Ahem ! I think you get my point guys ;)

[cid:image0...@01CD9CA5.782F6000]

On 26/09/2012 5:03 PM, Alok wrote:
We have tracked and animated objects in Softimage at 23.98 fps. We bring the animation in Maya, but in Maya there is no custom FPS setting available. The closest is 24 FPS, so obviously the animation does not match. The only solution I can think is to quickly script to scale the FCurves.

Does that seems to be the approach or is there anything else I can do differently.

Any help much appreciated.

Thanks.
--

[cid:image0...@01CD9CA5.782F6000]

No virus found in this message.

Checked by AVG - www.avg.com<http://www.avg.com>

[Marc-Andre Carbonneau]

Ahaha same for 3DSMAX.

Oh and sot rue about the multi-ppg…grrrrrr! The comfort Softimage gives makes it so hard to switch to other DCC.

 

Now is it possible to do all this in Modo? ;)

 

 

From: softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com [mailto:softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com] On Behalf Of Greg Punchatz
Sent: 26 septembre 2012 17:12
To: soft...@listproc.autodesk.com
Subject: Re: Soft -> Maya : 23.98 to 24 FPS Problem

 

"We bring the animation in Maya, but in Maya there is no custom FPS setting available"

[Christian Keller]

I'd stay with 24 fps. 23.98 could give you all sort of headaches with im and export . Also motionblur in 3d and rendered motion vectors could behave strangely.

We had this in a recent project with nuke and si/Arnold .

But there was no time to investigate where the origin of the problems had been ...

-- 

christian keller

visual effects|direction

m +49 179 69 36 248

f +49 40 386 835 33

chri...@me.com

gesendet von meinem iDing

--
<image001.gif>

 

[Alok Gandhi]

I agree, personally I would stay with 24.00. But in this case it was clients requirement. We received the plates at 23.98 and delivery will be at 23.98.

--

[Ben Beckett]

While we are on this subject, does am one know how to force maya to open and have the scene prefs  all ready set at lets say 25fps not 24fps. its caused us some problems in the past. 

Ben

[Alok]

Just click Save Preferences in File Menu. All current prefs values will be used as default.

On 27/09/2012 9:47 AM, Ben Beckett wrote:

While we are on this subject, does am one know how to force maya to open and have the scene prefs �all ready set at lets say 25fps not 24fps. its caused us some problems in the past.�

Ben

On 27 September 2012 14:35, Alok Gandhi <alok.ga...@gmail.com> wrote:

I agree, personally I would stay with 24.00. But in this case it was clients requirement. We received the plates at 23.98 and delivery will be at 23.98.

On Thu, Sep 27, 2012 at 9:27 AM, Christian Keller <chri...@me.com> wrote:

I'd stay with 24 fps. 23.98 could give you all sort of headaches with im and export . Also motionblur in 3d and rendered motion vectors could behave strangely.

We had this in a recent project with nuke and si/Arnold .

But there was no time to investigate where the origin of the problems had been ...

--�

christian keller

visual effects|direction

m +49 179 69 36 248

f +49 40 386 835 33

chri...@me.com

gesendet von meinem iDing

Am 27.09.2012 um 14:39 schrieb Marc-Andre Carbonneau <marc-andre...@ubisoft.com>:

Ahaha same for 3DSMAX.

Oh and sot rue about the multi-ppg�grrrrrr! The comfort Softimage gives makes it so hard to switch to other DCC.

�

Now is it possible to do all this in Modo? ;)

�

�

From: softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com [mailto:softimag...@listproc.autodesk.com] On Behalf Of Greg Punchatz
Sent: 26 septembre 2012 17:12
To: soft...@listproc.autodesk.com
Subject: Re: Soft -> Maya : 23.98 to 24 FPS Problem

�

"We bring the animation in Maya, but in Maya there is no custom FPS setting available"

Wow is that true??? and this is the next generation app AD thinks is the strongest of the lot....LOL next thing you� will tell me is that in maya you cant edit PPGs in multi mode ;)

---

Greg Punchatz

Sr. Creative Director
Janimation
214.823.7760
www.janimation.com

On 9/26/2012 4:03 PM, Alok wrote:

We have tracked and animated objects in Softimage at 23.98 fps. We bring the animation in Maya, but in Maya there is no custom FPS setting available. The closest is 24 FPS, so obviously the animation does not match. The only solution I can think is to quickly script to scale the FCurves.

Does that seems to be the approach or is there anything else I can do differently.

Any help much appreciated.

Thanks.

--
<image001.gif>

�

--

No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com

[Alan Fregtman]

But isn't Maya supposed to have over-reaching circles in all "areas of excellence"? :p

[Alan Fregtman]

"Maya.... It'll give you ticks."

I joke, I joke.. :p

[Luc-Eric Rousseau]

On Thu, Sep 27, 2012 at 9:47 AM, Ben Beckett <nebbe...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> While we are on this subject, does am one know how to force maya to open and have the scene prefs all ready set at lets say 25fps not 24fps. its caused us some problems in the past.

there is a magic trick to set your scene defaults.. In File menu,
click the [ ] option button next to "New Scene" and that will change
your default for all new scene.

[Ben Beckett]

You Star! Luc

[Luc-Eric Rousseau]

Maya does support custom framerates..

It's baffling to not have multi-edit property pages when you're used to it. It's implemented in the channel box in Maya,

and you can type numeric expressions like XSI, but it's a different notation http://tinyurl.com/9evc9ga

Also there is an "Attribute Spreadsheet" that just works out-of-the-box. The one in XSI is baffling.

[Alok]

Hi Luc Eric, can you tell me exactly how to set custom frame rate in Maya. I am missing the point here

On 27/09/2012 11:38 AM, Luc-Eric Rousseau wrote:

[Ben Beckett]

When you open a Maya Scene (a fresh scene) you set your preferences.

To open the preferences click the square icon at the bottom Left corner of the interface ( it a square button with a red running man in it, below the shuttle controls)

In there you will find a tab call "settings"

In the setting tab you can specify with frame rate your require, per fresh scene.

Now my problem was the frame rate keep changing back to its default every time I started maya each time.

So Luc Eric said,

In File menu,
click the [ ] option box button next to "New Scene" and that will change

your default for all new scene.

Which works, hope this helps

Ben

[Luc-Eric Rousseau]

My apologies, I confused things.

Maya supports a number of frame rates (about 40), but they're all multiple of 1/6000 and does not support 23.983. Neither does Max, afaik, We support support that stuff in XSI because we based on DS and we defaulted to 29.97 which in fact causes a lot of trouble when moving data between apps.

Maya's UI for framework is confusing coming from XSI.. the current scene's frame rate is under Preference->Settings/Working units. That one is per scene.  You have the same option to rescale the keys that you do in XSI.

There is another playback setting under Preference->Settings->Time Slider which is only a playback control, and you can type in any custom rate there. That's not a per scene setting.  When you render, the frame sampling will be done with the working units under Settings, not this one.

On Thu, Sep 27, 2012 at 11:41 AM, Alok <alok....@modusfx.com> wrote:

Hi Luc Eric, can you tell me exactly how to set custom frame rate in Maya. I am missing the point here

On 27/09/2012 11:38 AM, Luc-Eric Rousseau wrote:

[Alok]

Thanks for clearing up !

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