Investigation Notes: Body-size friendly Animations (Patreon)

(IT WORKS! Her hands are repositioning! 😍)

-finally after the 100+th time... 

If there's one thing I've always wanted, it is for custom animations to be compatible with body types. 

January proved to be the culmination of this obsession. I couldn't concentrate on anything else and dove deep into the heart of blender, forgetting to eat and sleep as I usually do when an idea strikes me. I have only scratched the surface, but I'd like to share the journey and what I've discovered, and the impact it'll have on future animations. 

First, credits. None of this is possible without the godfather of modders: @thepancake1. You might know him for his bed cuddling mod. Look a little deeper and you'll find that this modern-day wizard is credited in almost every major mod in sims 4. No exception here. For the past two years, pancake has been quietly developing a bridge between sims 4, python / coding and blender / 3D modelling and animations. These findings are built on the backbone of his hardwork and sweat and he deserves all the credit here. 

1. Making Animations fit Body Size - How it Works

Pancake first shared this slice of wisdom: Targets are created where the actor places his hand on the lady, noted by the black spheres on the her waist and calf. (In development)

These targets are hidden bones. Inspecting them show where body compatibility is possible. I.e., the ring around the model's ribs and waist.  Scaling these in blender does nothing, but I suspect that these bones expand as we move the muscle and weight CAS sliders up and down and conversely, expand the sim's body size. 

So in theory, the male's hand should follow the body size so long as these bones are targeted. 🤔

(Collage of creepy blooper pics during investigation. xD)

2. Application and Result

This process is really challenging. In my simplest couple dance (Fly Me to the Moon), there are already 14 unique transitions as the lead's hands move from point A to point M: waist, lower back, shoulder blade, the list goes on. Each position has to be done manually and keyframes calculated with precision. (All this after pancake has modded all the big brain stuff too!)

The results vary according to animation.

Simple Sitting animation *Chef's Kiss*

Complex Dance Animation: Mixed results.

The game disregards everything else so long as his hands are on her waist. It doesn't care if it clips through her arm or overstretch his limbs. (Or travel through her gut to get there x_x) This suggests that there are limits and rules, to which I'll have to take time to explore to implement properly. 

In the meantime, it looks great in simple animations and still photos. And I am a bundle of excitement!

What does this mean for future animations / How does it affect you

Like everything else, there's a learning curve here and I'll tackle it one step at a time, keep practicing and experimenting as I go. It's likely that you'll see this implemented in simpler animations (sitting, solo dances) and poses than any duet dances just yet, but I will definitely scale my way there.

I would also like to apologise that between animating, modding, testing and 3D modelling studies, it is not possible to keep to my previous output of many animation packs per month. I will still create animations; I can't get enough of dances! But I will split my time evenly between animating and projects that do not produce immediate results, like body diversity, testing and mod building. I'm sorry if this is not your expectation.

Thank you for supporting me. And on behalf of everyone who would like more body diversity and representation in animations, thank you for supporting these tests and making this possible for others.   

Again, this is really all @thepancake1's magic. I take no credit for all the amazing things in this post. Pancake is working on making this more user-friendly for public so if you are or know a posemaker, animator, animator-modder, it will be a good idea to follow his twitter / patreon. 

 Have a wonderful week ahead!

ps. - We're halfway there with Salsa. Move 14 is the most adorablest thing ever! Shoutout to @gregli for this super cute routine. 😍😭 #wheredoifindadancepartnerlikethis