Meshcacher

Introduction

Meshcacher is for use with Linked groups and proxies, replacing them with pc2 caches and local meshes with the mesh cache modifier. It can also optionally remove (actually just hides objects and remove group duplis) the original linked group/proxy. The reasons for doing this are:

1. Simplify away rigging details and just use simple caches (can be faster)
2. Allows local modifications of the meshes (bypassing the limitation of linked groups that does not allow local modifications)
3. Easy retiming of animation by automatically driving all meshcache modifiers by a single empty
4. Allow duplication of animated characters or objects with different animations (also bypassing a blender limitation with linked groups)

What it does

1. This script replaces each visible mesh in the original group with an identical local mesh, squashing most of the modifier stack and adding a meshcache modifier to each mesh.
2. It caches the original meshes' animation frame by frame and saves into a directory of the users choice
3. Optional non mesh members of the groups (curves, empties, rigs) can be made local by adding a custom property called "CASHIFY" onto their objects.
4. "CASHIFY" armatures must also have "CASHIFY" custom property on every bone (in edit mode) that will be copied over; all other bones will not be made local.
5. Localized armatures will be driven, frame by frame, with the same driver that affects the mesh caches
6. Any modifiers in localized "CASHIFY"ed objects will attempt to be replaced by their "CASHIFY"ed counterparts.
7. Hair systems will be preserved.
8. Materials driven by the proxy rig will retain their driven animations using drivers.

The "CASHIFY" workaround is intended to keep hair systems that use curve guides functioning in the cache, since pc2 only supports vertex positions. care must be taken to localize the curve guides, and all objects that modify them (hooks, parents, armatures, armature bones)

Installation

If you are a general user, download the script and install it normally. Tube Artists can also refer to the How to install Addons page that has some specific SVN/ Sparkleshare instructions on getting tube addons

Usage