Instance Time offset

[dreamagrery2]

If someone would help me with this I would greatly appreciate it:

1. I have a SOP with animation on it. 

2. It is instanced via the point instance technique

Question: 

How would I offset and randomize the animation timing on each instance? Copy sop is too memory intensive and the geometry is heavy as it is.  

[Sepu]

Take a look at this thread

 

[jmquintela]

string model_1 = "$HIP/geo/StrandModel.1."; // here you load the path to your sequence
string model_2 = "$HIP/geo/StrandModel.2."; //they can be as many as you need

int Fr = @Frame - @frmn - @randFrame; // with this you create the frame number
// @frmn and @randFrame are attributes created previously. @Frame is the current frame
string frames = itoa(Fr); //transform the frame number variable into a string
string suffix = ".bgeo.sc"; //this is the extension of the sequence

//the following is to build the instance path string  attribute  wich will be load by the Instancer
//the @split is an integer attribute to make "clustering" of this instances
//so you can vary the models sequences, this 
if (@split==0) { 
s@instancepath = model_1 + frames + suffix;
} 
if (@split==1){ 
s@instancepath = mode_2 + frames + suffix;
} 

I had this same question not so long ago , 
I realize the trick is to create an instancepath variable wich loads the model sequence with a frame offset,
that code is exactly what you need to do this string variable,
you then play with the @frmn and @randframe to offset them (it could be just one att, I used 2 just because) 

..by the way, the guys here say that packed geometry is as fast as instancing , check that on the docs.
follow the Sepu link... this code I took it from those places , it's not mine, but I wrote the comments..hope they help.

Edited February 15, 2017 by jmquintela

[Atom]

Tom recently commented on a related question I had on this topic. He suggested don't use sequences. Instead write out your animated sequence as a single animated Alembic file then you can just do time stamp offsets on a single object. Or instead of stamping simply write out a random attribute time offset, in a wrangle, and then have the time node use that attribute value instead of @Time. or $F.

Edited February 15, 2017 by Atom

[zysnow]

On 2017/2/15 at 10:49 PM, Atom said:

Tom recently commented on a related question I had on this topic. He suggested don't use sequences. Instead write out your animated sequence as a single animated Alembic file then you can just do time stamp offsets on a single object. Or instead of stamping simply write out a random attribute time offset, in a wrangle, and then have the time node use that attribute value instead of @Time. or $F.

How to do time stamp on instances(not copy)