Introduction

mcjPlotter lets you create XY graphs of data.

The data can come from simple text files

or

it can be acquired from the position of a node in the daz studio scene.

Example, mcjPlotter helped me view and study the hip trajectory in the dance move shown below

Installation

download the zip file in the attachments at the bottom of this page

unzip it in Daz Studio's content folder

typically C:\Program Files\DAZ\Studio\content

the script and the corresponding icon will be placed

in the scripts/mcasual folder

so you can find it in the Daz Studio content tab

in the Studio / Scripts / mcasual folder

there's also a zip file containing the manual

which is simply a copy of the page you are reading

1 - Data from a text file

The data can come from simple text file

example : here is a file named toto.txt

Each line must begin with the letter v ( as in Vertex ),

followed by the x and y coordinates

The values must be between -1.0 and 1.0

Here is the graph displayed

after using the [Load Data] button

and loading toto.txt

2 - Customizing the graph

You turn off the green and red markers and change the size

of the graph using the appropriate checkboxes and radio buttons

3 - Saving the graph as an image

Use the [Save Image] to save the graph as a picture file. The PNG file format is probably the better choice.

important note: mcjPlotter for Daz Studio 1.8 and 2.3 seems to save Jpegs as PNGs ... some programs wont be able to open those bizarre jpegs

so ... stick with pngs. mcjPlotter for Daz Studio 3.0 seems to save jpegs correctly

4 - Data from the positions of a node

mcjPlotter was created for this purpose.

First you must select the node you want to study.

example, i select Aiko's hip node.

Set the animation playrange ( in the timeline tab ) to the range of frames you want to study.

example, i set the playrange to frames 30 to 60

Let's say i want to see the trajectory of the hip as seen from the Right Side View

I click on the [plot node pos z,y] button

Here is the resulting curve ( the dance animation shown previously)

5 - Bringing the curve back into the scene

We can save this curve image using the [Save image] button, and we

can save the data points as a text file using the [Save data points] buttton

Let's save the curve image as toto.png

But mcjPlotter also includes facilities to display the saved curve image right into the scene.

if you intend to do this, create 3 primitive-planes,

using the Daz studio menu "Create / Primitives / Plane"

the size must be 1meter by 1 meter

1 division by 1 division

rename them to exactly these names:

• ZYPlane
• XZPlane
• XYPlane"

Now we return to our example. We select aiko's hip, we press the [plot node pos z,y] button.

If all went well, the plane named ZYPlane will jump near the location of Aiko's hip,

mcjPlotter also took care of resizing and rotating ZYPlane.

Now lets pull it to the side until it's outside of Aiko's hip ( using the X Translate slider )

Then we go in the Materials tab, and apply the Curve image we saved earlier under the name toto.png

we apply it to the "Diffuse Color" channel, we set glossiness strength to 0 and we set ambient Color to white.

and we get this

You could parent a small half inch Plane to the hip, and playing with transparencies,

you'd see this marker moving along the curve as the animation progresses. Then you could

tweak the positions and timings to get the smooth dance moves you've been aiming for.