[Bf-committers] Shapes / Shape Keys - confusing terminology

[Erwin Coumans]

Many voted for using 'morph target', and there is a wikipedia entry  
for that:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morph_target_animation

"Morph target animation (or per-vertex animation) is a method of 3D  
computer animationthat is sometimes used as an alternative to skeletal  
animation. Morph target animation is stored as a series of vertex  
positions. In each keyframe of the animation, the vertices are moved  
to a different position."

What is the issue of making this name more clear Ton, why hinder this  
discussion?

Thanks,
Erwin

On Nov 2, 2009, at 6:49, Ton Roosendaal <ton at blender.org> wrote:

> Hi,
>
> -1 voting for names. Please!
>
> Here's at least a short history:
> In CG animation tools, a "key" is mostly used as a term to denote a
> designated data sample on a specific time frame (the 'key frame').  
> This
> sample can be anything, like locations, rotations, matrices,  
> materials,
> and even an entire mesh. So you can speak of a location-key, a
> rotation-key or a shape-key. It's just a frozen sample of data on a
> given time.
>
> The early 3D animation systems just interpolated between such data
> sets, with some kind of smoothing or easing formula.
>
> Here's the full history if you want to read on it:
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_frame
>
> Later on, many of these keys got replaced with "channels" and  
> animation
> curves. And Shape keyframing became more efficient using them as
> relative positions.
>
> Currently the term 'key' in the UI is only used for inserting...  
> (which
> works still for meshes to make Shapes btw). In 2.49b you can still see
> the original "keys" in full glory within in the IpoWindow, with
> animation curves displaying as editable "keys".
>
> -Ton-
>
> --- 
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> Ton Roosendaal  Blender Foundation   ton at blender.org     
> www.blender.org
> Blender Institute   Entrepotdok 57A  1018AD Amsterdam   The  
> Netherlands
>
> On 2 Nov, 2009, at 13:41, Erwin Coumans wrote:
>
>> +1 morph target
>>
>> (with the hope we settle to this descriptive term)
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> On Nov 2, 2009, at 1:52, Campbell Barton <ideasman42 at gmail.com>  
>> wrote:
>>
>>> "Blend Shape" and "Morph Target" are better then "Shape Key"... some
>>> points...
>>>
>>> * "Blend" is a general term, color blending & blend modes for eg and
>>> possible confusion with blend files/blender!
>>> * Shape is also a very general term.
>>> * Morph is something *normal* people understand and gives a fairly
>>> clear idea that its used to morph between different shapes.
>>>
>>> +1 for "Morph Target", or a similar name which includes "Morph"
>>>
>>> On Mon, Nov 2, 2009 at 10:16 AM, Knapp <magick.crow at gmail.com>  
>>> wrote:
>>>> On Mon, Nov 2, 2009 at 7:28 AM, Mike Belanger
>>>> <mikejamesbelanger at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> Oops I'm sorry I even uttered 'Blend Shapes' at all.  I think  
>>>>> 'Shape
>>>>> Keys' works just fine.  Or 'Morph Target', or 'Mold State',
>>>>> whatever.
>>>>> So long as none of those names has 'Key' in it!
>>>>>
>>>>> Mike Belanger ( Mikahl )
>>>>> www.watchmike.ca
>>>>>
>>>>> On 2009-11-01, at 10:15 PM, Damir Prebeg wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> +1 for Morph Target - I think that "Morph Target" is more general
>>>>>> 3D
>>>>>> term than "Blend Shape".
>>>>
>>>> As a native English speaker and a user of only Blender, I have to  
>>>> say
>>>> that Shape or Shape Key mean nothing to me. A shape is something  
>>>> you
>>>> make with verts, like a triangle. A key is something you stick in a
>>>> door to unlock it. Key frame, I can live with but what the heck  
>>>> does
>>>> key shape mean?? Morph Target makes a lot of sense and before  
>>>> that I
>>>> was thinking of transformation target but almost everyone has seen
>>>> computer graphics morphing and understands what it is.
>>>>
>>>> As far as KISS=Shapes, that is like programming with simple  
>>>> variable
>>>> names like a, b, c, d. Simple but they have no meaning and soon  
>>>> make
>>>> things much more confusing.
>>>>
>>>> We should use names that the man off the street will understand or
>>>> else industry standards and as a last resort make up new and
>>>> descriptive names that most normal people with understand with have
>>>> to
>>>> explain them.
>>>>
>>>> +1 Morph Targets. Perhaps Targets for short.
>>>> --
>>>> Douglas E Knapp
>>>>
>>>> Why do we live?
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>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> -- 
>>> - Campbell
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