Relitivly simple idea for increasing control of IPO channles
http://www.antihc3.dyndns.org/gameblender/ftp/FormulaIPO.jpg

note: User IPO datablock(s) are unused in blender, channels are purely for use in formula IPOs or scripts

this sort of thing can already be done with python, but... the thing thats missing is the user IPO's ... to make a curve for a script to use you currently have to put it on a dummy object or channel, or build the curve yourself in the script. far simpler IMO would be this sort of control where the user simply needs to enter the maths to generate the script with no need to even learn (or apply) basic python

idea came from a simple example, a stage light that needed to flash every 10 frames, but not for the first 100
of corse, it can be done with a lot of duplicating of the one flash, but.. thats not ideal and is not so easy when working with more complex examples

origionally i was thinking some sort of parenting on the curves. but... thats.... not all that clever when ya think about it
very hard to make workable (visually).. would need some way to show relationship, and some way to diferentiate between active and selected curves. also... would become tricky to manage the upper and lower limits
hence the forumla idea

this didnt exactly get a glowing responce in #blendercoders... but, hopefully this will get ya'll thinking, maybe inspire something or someone

Last edited by MNME on Tue Jan 03, 2006 12:25 am; edited 1 time in total

I somewhat like the idea.
The thing I don't like about it is the typing of the formula.
If I'm going to type formula's I can do it all in python.

Now if the formula was done with a graphical interface then that would be a different coockie.
Then it might even become an electrical circuit simulator.

aye... the whole input part of the idea is flakey to say the least... but... would be nice to not have to make a script for it (of'c.. you could if you wnated too)
not all of us even know python.. and it can be a real b!$#h for ppl starting out

The new user datablock is the important bit tho, i consider it rather bad practice to be putting curves on a prop that im not actually going to be using so i can get too the data in scripts

maybe the easiest way to implement this would be a python script...

As stated above.... not everyone knows how to (or wants to) write scripts for every little thing.... but more importantly, that really doesnt solve the 'nowhere to put the data' problem, adding 'invisible' objects/IPO datablocks is 'A' solution.. but its messy...
say the user needs 100 curves, they will end up having to make, and reference about 5 different IPO datablocks as even the biggest blocks only have spaces for about 20 curves..
also i really dont like the idea of assigning the curves to LocX, RotY, SizeZ when i am, infact using them for something totally unconected to the the objects position...

Iv reciently been poking about in the IPO API... noticed that the curves are referenced by index only (no supprise.. as the source probably doenst know what there called eithor (functionally))... It would be nice to be able to reference a user IPO datablock by name, but could be a lot more tricky than i origionally thaught.. I.E.... first off the datablock would have to be able to accept names.

I like the idea. The option of adding IPO-curve-values reminds me a little bit of the way how RVK's work! Therefore some fundamental procedures and functions should already be present in the sources

As I understand: the re-writting of the IPO system is a good idea, but a hard thing todo.
I was thinking it would be nice to have something like an audio slider window, where each slider would represent a (or any) curve position in time.
This would need an IPO re-write to.