Plugins IOgenesis (BETA)

1. EXPRESSION TOOL (AKA TWEAKER) - modified code from Clockwise Silver

Purpose:
Enhances character expression by automatically playing face expressions and hand movements in slightly randomized patterns.
Set an overall Mood and the Intensity -- the plugin will add some nuanced expressions.

Features/Controls:
Overall Mood: Set the general mood of the character (Happy/Neutral/Pouty)
Expression Intensity: Adjust how intense the facial expressions are
Start/Stop Expressions: Enabled by default, use to start/stop Expressions
Start/Stop Fingers: Disabled by default, use to start/stop Finger Twitches
Finger Intensity: Adjust the intensity of finger movements for both the left and right hands
Active Morphs: Displays which morphs are active


2. MULTICYCLEFORCE (AKA MILKSHAKER) - modified code from MeshedVR

Purpose:
Provides dynamic movement patterns to add life and variability to the character's behavior that may or may not also bring all the boys to the yard.

Features/Controls:
12 Preset Shaker Patterns: Choose from a variety of pre-configured movement patterns.
Auto Mode: Automatically cycles through different patterns for a more dynamic experience
Forceful Mode: Doubles the strength of active forces, useful for larger atoms
Randomize/Noise Intensity: Add more variety to the patterns
Enable/Disable Forces: Toggle the application of forces on specific joints.
Cycle Forces: only used for debugging (it will always show active)



3. FORCE DETECTOR (AKA FORCEDEXPRESSION)

Purpose: Reacts to applied forces and motion in real-time, translating them into emotional expressions.

Features/Controls:
Enable/Disable Specific Responses: Customize which emotional reactions are active
Force Threshold: Adjust the sensitivity to forces, determining when an emotional response is triggered and how strong the response is
Morph Trigger Display: Shows triggered morphs, useful for setting Force Threshold




Usage Tips
Compatibility: These plugins are designed to work together seamlessly, but can also be used individually if desired. They should not interfere with other animation patterns that don’t use the same morphs! For example: If you don't even need the random jiggle patterns, you can disable "MultiCycleForce" and still move or apply other forces to your models, triggering the "ForcedEmotions"

Customizability: Explore each plugin’s settings to fine-tune the experience to your preference. On scene save or plugin preset, the plugin will recall which modules were active, but there are no specific presets yet and it does not save individual parameters with the scene. In future updates, presets or persistence could likely be added.

Recommended Plugins: These plugins synergize with a lot of the other plugins we all use. I tend to apply AcidBubbles Glance, CheesyFX ShakeIt and Everlaster Naturalis. IOgenesis will really get your atom moving so you can see all the magic of these great plugins!

Poses and Rigging: The pose and joint settings you choose will have a dramatic effect on the range of motion with IOgenesis. I find it fun to experiment with different poses that have a mixture of "loose" and "tight" or parented joints. You may find that a lot of popular pose packs have nearly every joint position set to "ON" which will drastically limit the jiggle motions. You can even try running it on top of other animations! Experiment and find exactly what you like!

Installation and Setup
1) Download: Download altered_gf.IOgenesis.var and place the file in your AddonPackages folder
2) Load Plugins: Open a new Plugin instance on an Atom in VaM and Load by navigating to the altered_gf.IOgenesis.var on the left side context menu.
3) Use the ADD ME IOgenesis.cslist file to load all three plugins at once. Allow Plugins. The plugins should be active once loaded. Finger twitches must be activated manually. Make sure "Freeze Motion/Sound" is OFF.
4) Configuration: Access each plugin's settings to adjust parameters like expression intensity, shaker patterns, automation, and force thresholds.
5) Main settings - Auto Mode (in MultiCycleForce), Start/Stop Expressions (in ExpressionTool), Force Threshold (in ForceReactiveExpression)




FAQ and Troubleshooting
Q: Can I use these plugins with other plugins and animations?
A: Yes, the plugins are designed to be self-contained and should not interfere with other plugins or animation patterns. The plugins use only built-in Cycle Forces and default Morphs, along with some code from ClockwiseSilver ExpressionTool.

Q: Aren’t there already some plugins out there for this?
A: Yes! Absolutely! I use SPQR’s Alive, Cheesy’s BodyLanguage and ClockwiseSilver’s plugins routinely but I was looking to make something just a bit different and quicker to apply to my atoms that also provides a framework where I can add more of my own animation patterns as a plugin.

Q: Why are you still calling this a beta test?
A: This has been in development since early September and has been tested by my Discord members quite a bit, but the plugin is not complete yet. I would like at least add presets and parameters that can be animated in AcidBubbles Timeline before I'd consider it a full version. I put it out a bit early so others may benefit.

Credits This project would not be possible without ClockwiseSilver’s ExpressionTool and MeshedVR’s plugins+plugin templates for VaM. I have extensively modified them to save time on routine animation work and also hopefully as a tool to subtly enhance animations where face and finger tracking were not available. If you think you can improve these ideas with an even better free plugin I can still use for my animations, that would be great!

License CC-BY-SA