Zabaware Support Forums
Zabaware Forums => General Discussion => Topic started by: wgb14 on April 18, 2007, 10:45:57 am
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Hi all,
I wonder what happened to this company! Does anyone knows if they will release any updates for their player or peopleputty? Or perhaps should we consider the technology dead? Please let me know if you know anything!
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wgb14,
I've been trying to stay up to date with Haptek, I haven't seen any new releases or products in ages. AI Dreams has additional characters that can be downloaded and there is also Gamer Thom's website for Haptek creations. Clint Brewer had a Haptek forum at least 6 months ago, not very good as far as providing answers, I believe Clint has moved into gaming with another company.
Carl2
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quote:
Originally posted by Carl2
wgb14,
I've been trying to stay up to date with Haptek, I haven't seen any new releases or products in ages. AI Dreams has additional characters that can be downloaded and there is also Gamer Thom's website for Haptek creations. Clint Brewer had a Haptek forum at least 6 months ago, not very good as far as providing answers, I believe Clint has moved into gaming with another company.
Carl2
You forgot to mention my site also. Haptek may not want to give us anything but we can still make things for ourselves. No haptek isn't dead it just cost too much for the good stuff. They didn't think that they were getting enough money for their smaller products apparently. That sucks but it is the hard reality.
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I can confirm Clint Brewer left Haptek a long time ago, I emailed him over a year ago to find out if he was still working on Haptek, but alas he had long gone and told me the news about his new job in the gaming industry.
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jackgephart
Sorry to leave you out, I think I am a little familiar with you from virtual humans.
Carl2
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Hi all,
thanks for your replies! If haptek is not dead then I guess that all we have to do is to wait! I must say however, no matter what their technology still remains the best in the particular area. I have been searchign the web or almost 4 years now for something alternative but without sucess. Too bad that the company refuses to see that and instist on keeping their tools in-house!
Many thanks
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Oh! I forgot to ask!
There was a rumor that AI dream would develop an editor for the Haptek characters. Any idea what happened with that?
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The rumour was right about some new software for Haptek, but it wasn't going to be a character editor - you can edit characters already in a modelling program.
What I was actually working on was a graphical interface for controlling the Haptek characters and making things like animations and have it automatically produce Hap Files. The idea was to reduce the amount of hand scripting or coding needed..
So far it is on hold though as I have hit a wall due to the limitations of the Haptek player in controlling timed events. I may just tidy up what I have and release a version of it though, so check AiDreams out over the next month or so.
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Fredy888 thank for letting me know! The idea of the tool is good, however i must ask! How do you plan to solve the problem of creating new animations (animations that are not build-in the characteritself). Don't you need the figuremaker for that? I can't wait to test your tool! Will it be uner a commercial licence or free for everyone?
Thanks
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Well, i think that there is a way to bypass the tools needed to create new animations for Haptek characters. According to the SDK
Haptek provides the skeleton files for each of its characters in a variety of formats. As of this writing, they're supplied in these formats:
Animation Master 8.5 .prj project file
Maya 4.0 .ma project file (beta)
The above means that if someone will get access to these source files, he will be able to use the various different bvh aniamation files available on the web to create haptek animations easily. Does anyone knows where these files are located or how can we download them?
Thanks
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Firstly I am unsure if I will be able to make this tool very useful because the main aim was to be able to animate things like character movements and make things like gestures. As it is the Haptek player does not currently support a timed method to directly and individually move a character's limbs. So you are correct that I can only trigger animations that are part of the model already.
I hope that Haptek will improve the player so that it can cope with timed use of the /SetReg command which allows you to move the limbs etc. The problem is that although that command exists the player cannot currently do this as a timed event - that's something you need to do animation. If this command was supported to do timed events then we could all be animating the characters freely.
Sooo, basically I am currently at a brick wall.
On those project files you mention - it may be worth asking Haptek for them but they may come as part of a commercial package. They will probably be stock characters and animations, for which you will still need to purchase the appropriate software to modify. And you would still need to buy some of the Haptek tools to complete a project.
To answer your question concerning figure maker, yes you need that to make new animations. But as I talked about above there is also the /SetReg command, that alas, is not fully supported as I have found.
I am going to see if Haptek have any answers I think, because I would like to get this application finished if possible.
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Hi Freddy,
If i am wrong please correct me.
But i am led to believe that you or Ai dreams has a commercial licence for use of a lot of Haptek products in conjunction with Ai Dealer.
I think Marius said when he announced one of your new sites that there would be great things comming from it because of the Haptek tools they had.
As of now we have seen nothing.
Could it be that Ai Dealer has you guys tied down to his products alone so you can't do anything for yourselves.
BTW,
I hope that his characters that he doesn't show work better than the ones he does show.
Again correct me if i am wrong.
Neil.
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Freddy888,
Nice to hear from you again, you'd mentioned this a few months ago and I've been waiting to hear more about it. I can't even get a simple head up and down movement to indicate a yes.
I'd really like to see Hals world closer to ours, gravity, hands that can't go into bodys ect, possibly this will happen in the next interface. Best of luck.
Carl2
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Nige, you are right there is a contract with AiDreams/Haptek and AI-Dealer. Marius did announce a lot of things but he then disappeared and I was left to do it all myself including running AiDreams. Arakus said he wanted to do some more Haptek things but has seemed to lose interest again.
Also I was in hospital for a while at the end of last year (still signed off work by doctor) and I already have had a lot of work in my spare time these past months updating and including more content at AiDreams.
Unfortuantely the whole project has gone a bit sour for me as for one reason or another people have not been available or just disappeared. So if anything gets released it all depends on what free time I have available. So at this stage only time will tell as to what gets released.
Carl,
I'd like to see things like gravity as well but that all depends on Haptek developing their system more. It's not something I have the skills for, and would take a lot longer to achieve than one person tapping away in his free time like me.
So sorry for any disappointment, but at least i can go back to a less stressed life...
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Fredy888 i would love to help if i can! I have been working with haptek and various 3d engines for some time now. If there is anything that i can do email me at idoumanis@yahoo.gr
Thanks
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Thanks Freddy for your honest reply.
I knew that you had access to the Haptek stuff because the fella at AiDealer contacted me last year to sign a contract with him for doing heads.
It was then that he told me that you guys were in with him also.
I declined on the fact that i would not be able to give my heads & stuff away freely for anyone as i do now, & also would his company keep going or just fade away like a lot of them.
Neil.
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Thanks both... If anything new happens I will let you know. At the moment though things are still on 'pause'.
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quote:
Originally posted by freddy888
Thanks both... If anything new happens I will let you know. At the moment though things are still on 'pause'.
Freddy you asked about my services as well and I am just sitting here waiting for your reply. This has been some time ago. If I can manipulate the putty program like I do I know I could make some fullbody haptars for you. I am waiting my friend, I don't have any money to add to the investment but I do bring what I have with me.
Please don't let haptek die another death.
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Jack, I will definately email you when the possibility occurs or to let you know what is happening. Like I said already though, a lot is on hold at the moment, partly due as well to my ill-health last year things are delayed (around 4 months later than I had planned). If anything happens I will of course let you know.
Everyone...I don't really want to fill up Rob's forum with all of this, so please use my forum or email me if you have something you need to know. Many thanks.
I do have one bit of good news I'd like to share with you though - after emailing Haptek I was told they are working on further development of the Haptek system and that the timing issue I had with the Haptek Player would be forwarded to the team.
As the old saying goes "These things take Time..."
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That's great Freddy and yes I will email you later. I will patiently wait on this good news and hope that you are serious. Thanks.
For further posts on this I will use your forum.[:D]
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quote:
Originally posted by freddy888
Firstly I am unsure if I will be able to make this tool very useful because the main aim was to be able to animate things like character movements and make things like gestures. As it is the Haptek player does not currently support a timed method to directly and individually move a character's limbs. So you are correct that I can only trigger animations that are part of the model already.
I hope that Haptek will improve the player so that it can cope with timed use of the /SetReg command which allows you to move the limbs etc. The problem is that although that command exists the player cannot currently do this as a timed event - that's something you need to do animation. If this command was supported to do timed events then we could all be animating the characters freely.
Sooo, basically I am currently at a brick wall.
On those project files you mention - it may be worth asking Haptek for them but they may come as part of a commercial package. They will probably be stock characters and animations, for which you will still need to purchase the appropriate software to modify. And you would still need to buy some of the Haptek tools to complete a project.
To answer your question concerning figure maker, yes you need that to make new animations. But as I talked about above there is also the /SetReg command, that alas, is not fully supported as I have found.
I am going to see if Haptek have any answers I think, because I would like to get this application finished if possible.
Freddy, is the /clock switch not able to support the timing for you? I had used it to set parameters and then call an external hap which contained the individual movements using
clock [t=17] [load [file=walk.hap i0=1]
then I suppose you could continue in that series to load another timed hap with the setreg's etc. and continue ad infinitum...
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Well my problem was SetReg doesn't work as a timed event. IE you can't do this kind of thing:
\clock [t=1] \SetReg [figure=fullbod name=somebodypart f0=0.555555]
\clock [t=2] \SetReg [figure=fullbod name=somebodypart f0=1.432322]
\clock [t=3] \SetReg [figure=fullbod name=somebodypart f0=0.234442]
All the player will do with something like that is run the first setting but ignore all subsequent changes. Only the basic commands like \ translate, \ rotate and \load etc seem to work with the clock command.
But having said that your idea sounds like a good one - I will give it a go in a day or two. The only drawback I see is there would have to be a hapfile for every single limb movement. But whatever it's worth a try. Good idea Dan :) thanks.
I must admit I am starting to get lured away by the Ogre engine though as it seems more flexible and probably just as capable as Haptek.