SoundSync

Introduction 179

Definitions 180

System Requirements 181

Starting SoundSync 181

Building Data Sets for Use in SoundSync 183

Common Errors in Constructing Keysets 183

Overview 187

File Formats 191

SoundSync Layout 196

Menu Bar 197

Linking Targets to Keyshapes 211

Linking Targets to Keyshapes 214

Keyshape Display Area 216

Soundtrack Edit Controls 216

Soundtrack Display Area 221

Preview Display Windows 224

Creating Plug-in Recognizers 228

Troubleshooting SoundSync 229

The Recognizer menu is empty. 229

My track file (or keyset file) contains configuration information for the recognizers but they don't appear in the menu. 229.

I don't hear any sound when I use playback or when I scratch across the soundtrack. 229

There does not appear to be any animation in the wire files I applied animation to. 230

Parts of my geometry appear to be missing in the geometry window. 230

The SoundSync window is incorrectly configured and there are a number of X complaints when the program is started. 230

The Play button is missing its triangle shape. 230

All of the playback buttons are missing their images. 230

Example: Getting Started with SoundSync 231

Purpose 231

: Preparation 231
: Starting SoundSync 231
: Loading a Keyset 233
: Loading a Soundtrack 235
: Viewing KeySets 236
: Listening to Soundtracks 237
: Zooming the Soundtrack 239
: Editing Keyframes 240
: Editing the Keyframe Track 240
: Smoothing Keyframe Transitions 241
: Using Preview Display Windows 243
: Repositioning Characters 245
: Display Modes 246
: Loading Reference Footage 248
: Using the Volume Recognizer 250
: Applying Animation to Wire Files 255
: Exiting SoundSync 261

Introduction

SoundSync is used to animate object keyshapes to synchronize them with a soundtrack.

Animation techniques in SoundSync are based entirely on animation of dag nodes within Alias. SoundSync, however, provides a way of aligning and manipulating complex groups of animation (with real-time playback) that is not easy within Alias PowerAnimator.

Animators work with keyshapes and not the underlying data when using SoundSync. Therefore, animation plays back in real time allowing animators to concentrate on the effect of their keyshape choices over time. Animators do not need to focus on the individual clusters or control vertices needed to affect a particular object.

In a sense, keyshape animation can be described as a process naming complex deformations and assigning these names to a timeline.

Definitions

Keyset is a collection of keyshapes that are linked by a common theme and that use a common set of dag nodes for their transformations. Lip positions for a character's speech would be a keyset. Several different moods such as smiling and frowning would be a keyset. It is inappropriate to combine in one keyset both a smile and a lip position for speech as it limits the creation of layered effects which evaluate multiclusters in a hierarchy to combine a facial expressions with speech patterns. The active keyset is the one currently displayed.

Keyshape is an Alias model with transformations on certain dag nodes that deform or position the model for a desired effect. All keyshapes are based on a neutral keyshape which is the model's initial position. For a character's face, the neutral position may be expressionless, while a keyshape may be the position of the mouth when making an "ooo" sound.

Keytrack is a collection of keyshapes from a keyset linked to a soundtrack. For a simple keyset, there may be only a few values for example the mood changing from happy to sad. For complicated keytracks such as a lip sync track, the keyshape changes every few frames and the keytrack data is quite dense. Transitions between keyframes in a keytrack can be one of three types: Flat, Linear, or Smooth. These transitions refer to the types of curves used to animate the changes from keyframe to keyframe. Flat, Linear, and Smooth refer to these curve types in Alias. When SoundSync places the animation onto a wire file, it creates the cluster and dag node channels with the transition types you have specified for each key frame.

Marktrack is a convenient way to annotate the soundtrack with text to help you remember key positions or times. For a given soundtrack, characters, including upper or lower case and some punctuation, can be aligned and saved with the soundtrack as markers for reference.

Meter is a black vertical bar that indicates the current time position and that can be dragged back and forth across the soundtrack to examine specific key frames. During playback, the meter moves to indicate the current time. The active region is a highlighted region that can be click-dragged across the soundtrack with the left mouse button. The active region is used to zoom in on a specific area, or to mark a region of the soundtrack for some operations.

Soundtrack is a sound file that can be loaded into SoundSync and used as the basis for animation. Soundtracks are digitized audio files from a DAT tape or digitized directly into the computer. They are typically in AIFF or AIFC format. Soundtracks have a built-in concept of time based on their sampling frequency and sample count. Soundtracks can be monophonic or stereophonic. There are no sound editing capabilities within SoundSync; the soundtrack is viewed as a constant data set with a fixed length.

Keyset	is a collection of keyshapes that are linked by a common theme and that use a common set of dag nodes for their transformations. Lip positions for a character's speech would be a keyset. Several different moods such as smiling and frowning would be a keyset. It is inappropriate to combine in one keyset both a smile and a lip position for speech as it limits the creation of *layered effects* which evaluate multiclusters in a hierarchy to combine a facial expressions with speech patterns. The *active keyset* is the one currently displayed.
Keyshape	is an Alias model with transformations on certain dag nodes that deform or position the model for a desired effect. All keyshapes are based on a *neutral keyshape* which is the model's initial position. For a character's face, the neutral position may be expressionless, while a keyshape may be the position of the mouth when making an "ooo" sound.
Keytrack	is a collection of keyshapes from a keyset linked to a soundtrack. For a simple keyset, there may be only a few values for example the mood changing from happy to sad. For complicated keytracks such as a lip sync track, the keyshape changes every few frames and the keytrack data is quite dense. Transitions between keyframes in a keytrack can be one of three types: *Flat, Linear, or Smooth*. These transitions refer to the types of curves used to animate the changes from keyframe to keyframe. Flat, Linear, and Smooth refer to these curve types in Alias. When SoundSync places the animation onto a wire file, it creates the cluster and dag node channels with the transition types you have specified for each key frame.
Marktrack	is a convenient way to annotate the soundtrack with text to help you remember key positions or times. For a given soundtrack, characters, including upper or lower case and some punctuation, can be aligned and saved with the soundtrack as markers for reference.
Meter	is a black vertical bar that indicates the current time position and that can be dragged back and forth across the soundtrack to examine specific key frames. During playback, the meter moves to indicate the current time. The *active region* is a highlighted region that can be click-dragged across the soundtrack with the left mouse button. The active region is used to zoom in on a specific area, or to mark a region of the soundtrack for some operations.
Soundtrack	is a sound file that can be loaded into SoundSync and used as the basis for animation. Soundtracks are digitized audio files from a DAT tape or digitized directly into the computer. They are typically in AIFF or AIFC format. Soundtracks have a built-in concept of time based on their sampling frequency and sample count. Soundtracks can be monophonic or stereophonic. There are no sound editing capabilities within SoundSync; the soundtrack is viewed as a constant data set with a fixed length.

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