You want the cape? You want the cape? You can't handle the cape!
ghastlycomic
Posts: 2,531
What's the best way to handle a cape?
Should I rig it for pose control or create multiple morphs for pose control?
Comments
As a modeller I've only done props, so haven't had any experience in rigging of clothing.
As an end user, however, I like when a product has morphs I can play with to get the clothing (or hair or whatever) to fit the way I want after I've posed the character.
I'm not sure if that helps you or not, but thought it would at least give you something to think about.
Also, is there a way to cheat thickness on a cape so I don't actually have to double the polygon count?
I'd say rig it...and morph it.
For some things, morphing works best and others rigging does. So a combination of both is probably going to be needed to get the most into it with the fewest headaches.
That I know of, there's no way to cheat thickness. What you could do is edge loop a border so it simulates a seam. Too, I'd make it as low poly as possible and take advantage of DS subdivs... Too, I'd rig it with three bones from the neck or chest, then child bones for each of those. You could probably get away with forty eight polygons for one surface area, and forty eight more on the backside if you use that method.
This is a simple shader that makes a surface black if its normal points towards the camera, and white if away. I think it will come a cropper if it's reflected - I couldn't find the information I needed to be sure, but possibly using I instead of the little nest that subtracts the surface position P from the eye position E and normalises the result would work better (that is, replace bricks 4, 9 and 10 with a single Variable brick set to I). In practice, you'd probably set up two distinct materials and use the If brick to control which went to the output bricks.