How to Use: Multiple Alembic Animations on Single Mesh?

Hi Everyone,

I recently imported an alembic mesh from Blender into Unity and have multiple animations that I would like to use on the same mesh (since its vertex count is the same throughout and nothing really changes). I would like to do this without having to import another mesh for each separate animation.

I created an alembic track in the timeline and then an alembic shot. There should be some way to add shots with the different animation data to the same mesh?

Is there perhaps a way to use multiple alembic animations on the same mesh? I cannot find an answer to this anywhere.

Please help.

 

Hi there,
Same problem. I'm looking for the exact same answer. @Hainfulsparrow, you where quicker than me for creating this entry today .

 

Great minds think alike and all that.
I have a workaround, but it is not a very effective workflow.

 

Hi,

thanks for your awnser.

In my case, the idea is to be able to work like in a standard skeletal workflow using the "Animation track" in Timeline :
- One basic mesh for the referenced character
- One animation for each shot, all in a track, wich would be something like (working with Alembic) only using the animated vertices data extracted (in clips) and applied to my referenced character.

For now I have to use one full character for each shot in an Alembic Track and Activate/Desactivate each "character shot", wich just makes me cry.

 

You explained it a lot better than I could.

I have the exact same problem.

 

Hi Vladala,

I have at least 5 separate animation sequences that I have imported into Unity as alembic files. However, all animations are used by the same character mesh, but because of the alembic, there are 5 separate characters possessing the animation data.


I wanted to know if there is a way to only use one character and then assign the other animations to that same character, without the need of 5 separate meshes. So basically I have the one character in the timeline with the assigned animation as an alembic shot. I would like to add more shots with the other animations to the same mesh without having to create 5 separate alembic tracks for each animation.



When I try to assign the different animations to the same mesh, then the character simply does not move. It only seems to work with the exported animation in the original alembic file.



If that makes sense?

 

I think I understand you, but does that basically mean that my question is a no go?
It wouldn't be possible to have it display these other computed vertices transforms on the same alembic mesh?

 

I am not that advanced just yet.

Could you maybe explain a little more? Or perhaps refer me to a tutorial or documentation?
So far, I have worked with both FBX and OBJ files and the reason for my choice of Alembic was to preserve some of the more heavier simulations of my 3D objects.

But if there is a way to do this with FBX I would be happy to try it out? Could come in handy knowing these things in the future.

Thank you so much for your help.

 

Hi,
Maybe there is a way to have one character occurence (we call it Bob...) in the scene binded in a timeline track and timelines clips that "read/stream" Alembic data (for each shot) directly on Bob ? Bob has the same vertex structure than other shots right ? Does it make sense to think like that ? How did Baymax or Adam team dealed with that problem ?

 

I thought so too, but when I tested it out, the mesh would simply stay static and not perform any animation other than its own.

 

That's alright, thank you so much for your help. I will go have a look at the Adam Models

 

Hello ... its an Old trick ... but maybe u can use it ... put your same Char in On Spot ... and give the game obejct an Animation ... (enable and disable) Mesh renderer based on timing