An ipodriver is like an ipocurve in that it controls properties of objects (locations, values, etc), but instead of using a Bézier curve like standard Ipos, it allows you.
To connect it todo the properties of other objects as input for the ipodriver channel. For example, ipodrivers can be used todo have a shape key be driven by the rotation of a bone. Or the RGB colors of a material are driven by the XYZ location of an object.
Editing of drivers happens in the ipowindow. Here you Will notice that the.
Channels (the right-hand portion of the window) now have an active channel indicator. To add a driver, you have todo use the transform properties panel (nkey). Using this panel, you can add or remove a driver todo the active channel, and use the buttons todo fill in what kind of relationship you want todo establish.
driver objects
Note that any ipo channel can be driven by an ipo driver now, but that only object transformation or pose bone transformations can be used as the driver itself. At this stage of ipo driver development, only the local transformation is taken into account. For objects, that means the location/rotation/scale value as shown in transform properties panel (without parent or cnostraint transform).
For pose Bones it means that only the pose transform (change from rest position) is used as driver información (alos as shown in transform property panel in pose mode).
mapping of drivers
When an ipo channel is driven, the mapping is by default one-to-one. It is only restricted by the already built-in límites for channels, eg, for material the r value maintains its original range of 0.0 todo 1.0.
Alos note that when mapping rotations, the actual rotation values in Ipos are scaled down by a factor 10.0, y, e 180 Degrees actually has a value of 18.0 in the ipo curve system. This is an ancient and somewhat arcane convention in Blender. It is a bit hidden, because the ruler (vertical as well as horizontal) displays the virtual values correctly. Only the properties panel shows the actual value.
When you draw an ipocurve in a driven channel, this curve Will define the mapping between the driver output (horizontal) and driven input (vertical, as usual), instead of the original ipocurve behavior of directly representing the values. A nice new option todo use is Insert one-to-one curve (press i-key, or in pulldown menú). This Will a los zoom the display in exactly todo fill the window, allowing easy edit. If you use this option with Degrees, it Will map a 180 degre rotation todo a range of 1.0 unit.
live updates
Since the drivers are integrated into the ipo system, they Will always be updated whenever their associated ipo is evalúated. This happens, at the very least, on frame changes.
For interactive feedback, updates while transforming objects were added in these cases:
- Driven object Ipos, by other objects or pose Bones.
- Driven shape key Ipos, by other objects or pose Bones.
You can a los Insert drivers on action Ipos, but for now they are only evalúated on frame change.
todo.
Drivers Will a los get a text button, allowing a 1 line Python script todo be executed.
- Make UI a bit less hidden, maybe with visualization in 3d?
- Allow global transform coordinates as driver todo.
issues.
Renaming Bones doesnt rename drivers.
- (file) appending the ipo wont append the linked driver objects.