FaceFX Support

FaceFX Documentation and support

Event Template vs. Take

The most important (and potentially confusing) aspect of events is the difference between the event template and the event take.  The key distinction is uncertainty. An event take is similar to a traditional animation in that it is certain: it will play exactly the same way every single time.  A template is uncertain: a single template can be used to create a potentially unlimited number of different takes.

Uncertainty in the Template

Not all templates are uncertain, but the following properties can be used to introduce uncertainty if it is desired:

The Take is Played

The most recently generated take is stored in the .facefx (or .animset) file and used to play the animation.  Every time you play the animation in FaceFX Studio or in your game, it will play the same way because the take is unchanged. 

The take is only changed when one of the following occurs:

  1. The “New Take” button is pressed in FaceFX Studio
  2. The take is changed programmatically via the FaceFX SDK.  While most game integrations will not need to generate new takes in game, it is possible to do so.
  3. The current take is outdated.  FaceFX Studio will regenerate the take automatically if the current take is no longer valid because a child animation has been modified.

Takes Cannot be Edited

Because of the uncertainty in the template, any changes made to a specific take would be lost when generating a new take. For this reason, editing the take is not allowed. 

If you  like a particular take and want to keep the animation unchanged, you have a few options:

  1. Select all of the events in the template by hitting Ctrl + A.  Then click on the “Bake to Curves” button.  This will remove all events from the template and store the results as curves in the animation.

  2. Simply stop generating new takes and don’t modify any child animations.  The take will then be preserved.

Template View vs. Take View

The event tab can be displayed in “Template View” or “Take View”.  The primary differences are listed below: