Creating Properties
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Creating Properties

I have two questions.
1. I have a projectile going down a barrel, and the projectile has fins that unfold. I create a new property, and then go to Property Hierarchy. In Property Hierarchy I place the bones in Sub-Components, 1st Stage. How can I have the fins unfold once the projectile out of the barrel instead of unfolding immediately?
2. Properties auto following? I have 3 objects that can only be visible at one at time. For instance, I create a property for object two, which makes object 2 visible and the other two invisible? I would have three properties to make each of the objects. If I use the property to make obect 2 visible, then I want the properties for the other two to make them invisible.
Comments
If you're doing this in animation (?)
1. Rig the model/fins and animate the action when you need it?
2. You could just use the "visible" property on each one when you need it (At least, I think that's what the property is named) and animate at the right keyframe?
Not an animation. I have some models from other artist that do this. For instance, an airplane when the gears come down. I will see that all the bones used in the property do not move at the same time. Example, gears come down and then rotate, not drop and rotate at once. Is this done in animation? I can convert that to a morph/property? If, so do you know of a link I can use to learn how?
You could make the translation (the direction going down the barrel) a controller for the fins, with a scalar to have the fins open over the right length, add another, hidden, property with a value of 1, then add that (with a suitable negative offset) to keep the fin rotations zero until they were clear of the barrel (so their lower limit would need to be zero)
Thank you, Richard. Do you happen to have a link to some examples how this is done. I don't quite understand how to do what you suggested. I get the idea but actually setting up, I do not know.
I found a model in my collection that does this and the Components have (keyed).
Keyed is another option, using the Timeline to set it up (frames = percent).
For my method, create a new property, call it Constant, set its values to 100%, set it to Hidden.
Say you want the fins to rotate out to the maximum value of 30 over the next two units of travel - you'd drag the Translation property into the 1st stage too, and you'd set its scalar to 30/2 (that is, 15).
But at that it would deploy moving from zero to two, which you don't want, so you need to delay it.
Say your barrel is ten units long - you'd drag the constant property into the first stage controllers for each fin and set its scalar (in the Attributes that you can reach by expanding from the linked property in the Property Hierarchy) to -10 * 15 (that is the distance you want to keep it zero times the amount the value will increase by for each unit, -150 here).
For each fin click the gear on the slider and select parameter Settings, then set the minimum value to 0, the Maximum to 30, and make use use Limits is on - that will keep the fin's movements within range.
Now as the projectile starts to move its travel distance multiplied byt 15 will be added to the fin rotations and 150 will be subtracted. That means until it has gone 10 units the result will be zero or less, and because you set the minimum rotation to 0 that will mean 0 actual rotation. Once it leaves the barrel the translation - 15 will be greater than 0 and you will start to see movement, until the maximjm value of thirty is reached.
I am doing something wrong.
1. I create a new property called constant. Parameter Settings, set values to 100% (are these the Min, Max, Default, Value?). I make Constant hidden.
2 I have an object called sabot and the 3 fins parented to that. In Property Hierarchy I expand bones, go to Sabot and drag Z Translate to Component First Stage and set the scaler to 15. When this was created the sabot moved to 15 automatically.
3. I created a property for each fin. I dragged Constant to each fin and set the scaler to -150
The first time I tried this, the Sabot moved down the barrel but the fins did not deploy
What I tried next was making a property for all the fins, dragged constant into the first stage as well as the Fins parameters. Nothing happened.
This is a figure, with bones, not a set of parented props (not that it would affect the initial setup, just saving it)?
This in fact uses parented props, since I don't have your model I just used them and controlled the "node cone" X rotation. The actual value for hidden is 1 - it uses valuesrather than percentages.
These values take effect quite quickly, since transaltion is in cm.
In Property Hierarchy under Bones I place Constant to the X rotate for each fin as your image shows? Then does the X rotate go under Parameters to the Controler I made to send the sabot down the barrel? I am so sorry but I am missing something. Do you know of a model that uses this technique?
You want both X rotate (or whaterver you use) and Constant unbder each fin's controllers group. The scalar values may vary if the bones are oriented differently for each fin.
Is it possible to send you files and I can send a basic model of what I am trying to do?
Is this similar to what you are trying to do?
https://www.versluis.com/2022/05/manual-rigging-in-daz-studio-without-the-figure-setup-tool/
and "the other one" I have now found (!): https://www.versluis.com/2021/07/rigging-basics/
(Jay's always worth a watch anyway
)
Thank you for the reply but that is not it. I got that stuff down. It is creating a property that when used objects move in specific time. I cant even explain it properly.
If you are willing to have others see them you could attach them to a post, if you want to keep them private you could upload them (e.g. to one Drive or Google Drive) and send me a link - though I would prefer, if you do that, to able to post at least a screenshot of the links here so others may benefit (always assuming i can sort it out).
I will post but I will just make a simple model that represents
So if you got the bones and the mesh sorted then you have made a post about keys (keyframes) - that's why I asked about animation in my first post. I would do it using an animation, exactly like that. Jay has a video on setting up a "simple" animated train (and a camera animation to go along with it; but the train and its start/end positions and the animation-kit to get you the translation, is what you'd probably want)
What I'm not getting is, I think, the end-product you want to create. Maybe that's why keyframing won't work for you?
Just a simple model but it reflects what I am working on.
Here is a link. DAZ Test
That has the data folder but not the preset or scene/scene subset for loading its asset files.
Check if Test.zip is there. I just uploaded it
Still only the data folder.
I think I will give up on this. Thank you for trying to help me.