FaceFX Support

FaceFX Documentation and support

Template Files

FaceFX Template files store all the information you are likely to want to share across multiple actors. The idea is that you get one character set up the way you want and you can easily copy the setup to your other characters. Importing a template allows you to sync the following components:

1. Face Graph
2. Mapping
3. Node Groups
4. Force Node Positions
5. Cameras
6. Workspaces
7. Color Map

Force Node Positions - By default, only nodes at the origin will assume the node positions in the template. Selecting this options forces node positions to the ones in the template even if they contain a valid position in the current face graph. 

You can export a template with the Actor->Export Template option. All of the above components are exported. You can import a template with the Actor->Sync To Template option. When syncing to a template you have the option of selecting one or more of the above components to sync to.

When using the Template system, keep the following in mind:

• Conflicting Data - It is possible for a template to have data that conflicts with the currently loaded actor file. For example, both could have a workspace called “Speech Targets” or a camera named “Eye Left” etc. When conflicts exist, preference is given to the data in the Template. The only exception is when performing a sync to the face graph which is described in detail below.
• Face Graph Sync - There is some complex logic that goes on behind the scenes when you sync to a template’s face graph. The resulting face graph will contain only the links present in the template, but it will contain all nodes in both the template and the original face graph. If a node exists in both the template and the original face graph, the resulting node type will be the same as the one in the original face graph, but it will get min, max, and other user property values from the template. Bone pose information is not stored in the template so this will be preserved from the original face graph.
• Cameras are Actor Specific – FXT files by definition store data that can be used across multiple actors. FXT files can store cameras to support workspaces, but cameras created for one actor will not necessarily work for another actor. This is due to the fact that cameras can be linked to bones and bones can be different across different actors.