How to make your humanoid into a PROTOtype

When using STEP on the example humanoids, such YT and Raven, there is a problem in the case that you want to use multiple instances. This problem is due to the fact that the names of the joints and limbs as defined by H-Anim 1.1 are declared by using DEF. Only the use of PROTOs may help here. So what do you need to do? Simply, you must (1) incorporate the names used by STEP in the interface of a PROTO for this particular humanoid, (2) make sure that these names are 'activated' (as explained below), and (3) announce to the STEP library that you use the humanoid interface instead of the hardwired names. However, first we will look at the original file.

the original file

The file containing the definition of your humanoid will look more or less as follows. See for example the raven file.

the original


  WorldInfo { }
  PROTO Humanoid [ ... ]{ ... }
  PROTO Joint    [ ... ]{ ... }
  PROTO Segment  [ ... ]{ ... }
  PROTO Site     [ ... ]{ ... }
  
  DEF Humanoid Humanoid { ... }

The first part contains (apart from the WorldInfo) the PROTOs needed to construct the actual humanoid. The humanoid is created in the last line of this fragment by declaring an instance of the Humanoid PROTO, which represents the rest of the file. Within this part the H-Anim names are defined by using DEF, such as for example hanim_HumanoidRoot. As a remark, in STEP the prefix hanim is automatically prefixed by the STEP ontology component.

(1) create and modify the interface

The PROTO for your humanoid is easily created. Let's say you make a PROTO for raven. Then it suffices to do something like:

the modified version


  WorldInfo { }
  PROTO Humanoid [ ... ]{ ... }
  PROTO Joint    [ ... ]{ ... }
  PROTO Segment  [ ... ]{ ... }
  PROTO Site     [ ... ]{ ... }
  
  PROTO Humanoid-raven [
   (a)interface of Humanoid
   (b)interface for STEP
  ]{ ## body
  DEF Humanoid Humanoid {
  ...
   (c)script to export H-Anim names
  } ## end Humanoid
  } ## end PROTO

Let me explain. As indicated in (a), you just copy the interface from the original Humanoid PROTO. After all your PROTO, which has as a name say Humanoid-raven, must offer the same capabilities as the original Humanoid PROTO.

Then, to make the PROTO STEP-compatible, you must include the interface declarations introducing the H-Anim definitions. And finally, you must include a script to connect the original H-Anim DEFs to the STEP part of the PROTO interface.

The STEP part of the PROTO interface looks as follows:

interface for STEP


  
  eventOut SFNode l_shoulder 
  eventOut SFNode r_shoulder 
  eventOut SFNode l_elbow 
  eventOut SFNode r_elbow 
  eventOut SFNode l_hip 
  eventOut SFNode r_hip 
  eventOut SFNode l_ankle 
  eventOut SFNode r_ankle 
  eventOut SFNode l_knee 
  eventOut SFNode r_knee 
  eventOut SFNode l_wrist 
  eventOut SFNode r_wrist 
  eventOut SFNode vl5 
  eventOut SFNode skullbase 
  eventOut SFNode humanoidroot 
  eventOut SFNode sacroiliac

In the online version, you follow links to templates file containing the fragments needed, so that you can adapt your own humanoid simply by copy & paste.

(2) activate the STEP names

To activate the STEP names, you must include the script given below.

script to export STEP names


  Script {
  mustEvaluate TRUE
  directOutput TRUE
  
  
  eventOut SFNode l_shoulder IS l_shoulder
  eventOut SFNode r_shoulder IS r_shoulder
  eventOut SFNode l_elbow IS l_elbow
  eventOut SFNode r_elbow IS r_elbow
  eventOut SFNode l_hip IS l_hip
  eventOut SFNode r_hip IS r_hip
  eventOut SFNode l_ankle IS l_ankle
  eventOut SFNode r_ankle IS r_ankle
  eventOut SFNode l_knee IS l_knee
  eventOut SFNode r_knee IS r_knee
  eventOut SFNode l_wrist IS l_wrist
  eventOut SFNode r_wrist IS r_wrist
  eventOut SFNode vl5 IS vl5
  eventOut SFNode skullbase IS skullbase
  eventOut SFNode humanoidroot IS humanoidroot
  eventOut SFNode sacroiliac IS sacroiliac
  
  field SFNode hanim_l_shoulder USE hanim_l_shoulder
  field SFNode hanim_r_shoulder USE hanim_r_shoulder
  field SFNode hanim_l_elbow USE hanim_l_elbow
  field SFNode hanim_r_elbow USE hanim_r_elbow
  field SFNode hanim_l_hip USE hanim_l_hip
  field SFNode hanim_r_hip USE hanim_r_hip
  field SFNode hanim_l_ankle USE hanim_l_ankle
  field SFNode hanim_r_ankle USE hanim_r_ankle
  field SFNode hanim_l_knee USE hanim_l_knee
  field SFNode hanim_r_knee USE hanim_r_knee
  field SFNode hanim_l_wrist USE hanim_l_wrist
  field SFNode hanim_r_wrist USE hanim_r_wrist
  field SFNode hanim_vl5 USE hanim_vl5
  field SFNode hanim_skullbase USE hanim_skullbase
  field SFNode hanim_humanoidroot USE hanim_HumanoidRoot
  field SFNode hanim_sacroiliac USE hanim_sacroiliac
  
  url "javascript:
  function initialize() {
  l_shoulder = hanim_l_shoulder;
  r_shoulder = hanim_r_shoulder;
  l_elbow = hanim_l_elbow;
  r_elbow = hanim_r_elbow;
  l_hip = hanim_l_hip;
  r_hip = hanim_r_hip;
  l_ankle = hanim_l_ankle;
  r_ankle = hanim_r_ankle;
  l_knee = hanim_l_knee;
  r_knee = hanim_r_knee;
  l_wrist = hanim_l_wrist;
  r_wrist = hanim_r_wrist;
  vl5 = hanim_vl5;
  skullbase = hanim_skullbase;
  humanoidroot = hanim_humanoidroot;
  sacroiliac = hanim_sacroiliac;
  }
  "
  } ## end script

The idea is simple, although the code is lengthy. First declare the STEP names as fields for the script and connect them to the interface using IS. Then declare the H-Anim names, and conncet them to the appropriate DEFs using USE. And finally, export the STEP names by assigning the H-Anim component to the STEP-related field of the script. As a note, it appeared to be necessary to use eventOuts for the STEP names. Don't change this!

(3) usage of STEP

Now, finally, you must modify the stepsetting.pl file (in the older version the step_kernel object), by including the line:

step_kernel


  humanoid_objects(true).

If there is already another fact with theis name, but value false, then simply replace this line.

example

As an example, look at the modified raven file. Actually, you will see there the inclusion of respectively an extended interface and an extended script. These extensions concern the inclusion of limbs and joint declararions for the hand, to allow for manual gestures.

You might even go further and wrap the new Humanoid into another PROTO, as illustrated in the template I use for my virtual presenters. But for the moment, you are strongly discouraged to do that!

A. Eliëns

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How to make your humanoid into a PROTOtype

the original file

document.write(' <a href=');if (!slidemode) { document.write('@slide-'); } else { document.write('vr-howto-humanoid.html#slide-'); } document.write('h-orig'); if (!slidemode) document.write('.html');document.write('>');

(1) create and modify the interface

document.write(' <a href=');if (!slidemode) { document.write('@slide-'); } else { document.write('vr-howto-humanoid.html#slide-'); } document.write('h-modified'); if (!slidemode) document.write('.html');document.write('>');

document.write(' <a href=');if (!slidemode) { document.write('@slide-'); } else { document.write('vr-howto-humanoid.html#slide-'); } document.write('ht-step-interface'); if (!slidemode) document.write('.html');document.write('>');

(2) activate the STEP names

document.write(' <a href=');if (!slidemode) { document.write('@slide-'); } else { document.write('vr-howto-humanoid.html#slide-'); } document.write('ht-step-activate'); if (!slidemode) document.write('.html');document.write('>');

(3) usage of STEP

example