Dmitrii Kolpakov Posts a New Script for Creating Overlapping Action in Maya.

Richard Lico must have started a bit of a trend when he showed how to create overlapping action in Autodesk Maya. Since his tutorial, many have come forward offering scripts and tools to automate the process. The latest is one from 3D Artist Dmitrii Kolpakov, and it is called Overlapper. The Maya script is one that allows users to create the easily the prized delayed action based on individual transforms (like the kind you would see in a joint chain) that already have keyframes applied.

Kolpakov’s Overlapper script has a few compelling features and controls including the ability to add a wind force to the resulting action. Other features include:

• Non-dynamic engine (no bugs on fast moving objects)
• Automatically find controls hierarchy (work perfect with simple FK system, adapted for Advanced Skeleton rigs)
• Can add wind
• Work on selected timeline range
• Adaptive scale. Automatically detect the best size for your animation (don’t need spent time to find parameters)
• Work with already animated objects
• Can bake animation from Overlapper immediately on animation layer
• Create overlapping action for translation too
• Create a selection set for affected controls or objects

Techniques to Build your Own

Have any interest as to how auto-overlap is created? You can watch Richar Lico’s original spark for all these scripts here. Also of note, Luismi Herrera offers a free script, LMspring that is based on Richard’s techniques.