We'll test some basic movements with the G5 Female character:
1. Load a new blank project. Select the Actor tab and click on the Avatar button.
2. Double-click on the G5 Female character (was located in the G5 characters folder as of the beta version).
3. With the female character selected, click on the Animation tab then click the Motion button. Select the Direct Puppet button from the right side control panel.
4. Unlock the two hands and the upper torso control points by clicking on the lock icon next to each one control point. When unlocked the icon should appear as unlocked.
5. Make sure the Move by Camera View and Screen Based are selected.
6. Select the circle on the upper torso (near the head), press the Preview button at the bottom of the Body Puppet dialog window, then press the Spacebar and move your mouse side to side to see the result.
The following image shows the order of steps:
7. Click on the lower torso lock icon to unlock it and select the lower torso circle to use as the control point.
8. Click on the Preview button then click on the Spacebar and move the character up and down with the Move tool, like doing a deep knee bend exercise:
We used the new Direct Puppet feature in combination with the lock and control points map to lock parts of the character in place and force the body to move in the proper manner, when using a control point such as the upper or lower torso to invoke movement.
After selecting the preview mode, we then used our mouse to move the character in a fashion similar to the athletic deep knee bends one would use for exercising, bending down, or kneeling.
Use different combinations of lock and control points to experiment with the Direct Puppet feature and become familiar with its capabilities. Test the Rotate feature under the Screen Based section and test the Simple Mode movements.
To record your movement you simply select the Record button instead of the Preview button, then once you press the Spacebar you are recording the motion.