This section contains a tutorial about Atoms Katana workflow
Downlaod atomsGaffer from here: https://github.com/Toolchefs/atomsGaffer
In order to render an Atoms cache in Gaffer, you should use the atoms proxy node. First, create an atoms cache in Maya or Houdini.
The AtomsCrowdReader node generates a point cloud from the input cache. It also loads some of the agent metadata as vertex attributes on the point cloud. You can modify this attributes with gaffer nodes in order to change the agent metadata.
To filter agents using their ids:
You can use multiple "AtomsMetadata" node to modify/create agent metadata
Atoms Gaffer can import the atoms mesh from an atoms variation table and translate it to gaffer mesh.
The variation reader load all the mesh from the variation table using /agentTypeName/VariationName/MeshName as herarchy.
The AtomsCrowdGenerator uses the agent's pose data stored inside the point cloud to deform the meshes loaded from the variation reader. To improve the performance try to turn on the "Use Instances" parameter to use instances for the agents with the same pose.
You can assign material or your lookdev after the AtomsVariationReader node and before the AtomsCrowdGenerator. Use the normal gaffer material assignment workflow.
You can use agent metadata to drive material attribuites
The "user_data_rgb" node need a "user:atoms:flagColor" attribute on the mesh. The "AtomsCrowdGenerator" transfer the agent's metadata to the skinned mesh as gaffer attribute on the skinned mesh. So we need to create this metadata on the agents.