Chest of The Swarm

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Samples Download

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/15sKE1z06FzzJQAxcNRbbYnK5poLhYtYd

Step 1 or 8: Rigging

_{Spider rig contains animation}

File Location

• <Project>/ChestOfTheSwarm/scenes/OA/Swarm_Rig_01.ma

Details

• Spider character contains animation
• One-bone-chain without broken amid bone tree
• No scale on each bone
• Walking in Z+ direction

Step 2 or 8: OA

OA

File Location

• <Project>/ChestOfTheSwarm/scenes/OA/Swarm_OAT_Bones_01.ma

Details

• Set to the 1st frame (default pose) and resume the rig to default pose, then generate OA
• Refine each bone shape

Step 3 or 8: Actions

test action and randomize speed

File Location

• <Project>/ChestOfTheSwarm/scenes/OA/Swarm_OAT_Actions_01.ma

Details

• Create action from rig
• Create place node and test action play
• Create at least 1 default node 
• Randomize speed by output language: <Direct Engine> - random all action playback speed (1, 3)

Step 4 or 8: Placement

placement Generating Meshes

placement Generating Meshes Normals

File Location

• <Project>/ChestOfTheSwarm/scenes/Sim_Placement.ma

Details

• Create some meshes and make them look like gateways of each holes in the cave
• Make their normals point toward inside
• Create place nodes from maya meshes for each hole

Step 5 - 8 Logic

Logic General

• Our main purpose is make our agents to crawl out from the small holes(1 in above image) of cave and walk in the celling of the cave.
• Then all agents should walk toward the nearest spot(2 in the above image) and pile there.
• After piling, they should form some bridges and crawling toward the chest(3 in above image) in the center of cave.
• And after reach the chest, they should pile there and protect it.

Step 5 or 8: Logic 1: crawl out from cave

File Location

• <Project>/ChestOfTheSwarm/scenes/Sim_Swarm_Simple.ma

Details

• Place agents in the cave holes gateways.
• Turn on UV Pin of agents which allow agents pin on the cave surface (1 in above picture)
  • Please notice we only make agent pin on the cave when their HP is 20 (default)
  • And later we'll pin our agent on  the curve, and make its HP different from 20, then they won't pin onto the cave surface
• Turn on CCT of agents which allow agents walk on each other (2 in above picture)
• Make them avoid each other by sphere logic (3 in above picture)
• Make them stop if there is no agents behind, this makes all agents walk together without leaving swarm (4 in above picture)
• Make them talk towards the nearest spot (5 in above picture)

Step 6 or 8: Logic 2: bridging

File Location

• <Project>/ChestOfTheSwarm/scenes/Sim_Swarm_Simple.ma

Details

• By default, agents are being pinned on to the cave surface when its HP is 20
• And they will walk towards the nearest spots
• But when they meet the spot (in bound) they will change its HP to different value
• The value can determin which curve they need to attach.
  • When the HP is not 20, they will unpin from any object (1 in above picture)
  • Each group stands for a curve logic, different HP value attach to different curve shape node(2 in above picture)
• The "speedDown" logic in above picture will speed all agents down when they're crawling on the curve

Step 7 or 8: Logic 3: dynamics

File Location

• <Project>/ChestOfTheSwarm/scenes/Sim_Swarm_Simple.ma

Details

• Some about 10% of agents (random id from 0.9 to 1) will die from time to time
• But they should die at different time based on the seeded ping pong timer logic
• They only work for the agents on the bridge

Step 7 or 8: Render

File Location

• <Project>/ChestOfTheSwarm/scenes/Sim_Swarm_Full.ma

Details

• Make agent cache first
• Setup and render it

_{Credit: Bi Huang (Crowd TD of Basefount)}