Quick Start
Downloading & Installating samples
1. You can download the samples from the tutorial page. Just double-click to launch installation, and while installating, DO NOT close the command window which pops up.
CHECKING THE MAYA SETTINGS
2. Click on "Check Maya Settings" in the Crowd menu. Everything should be reported OK, otherwise, check the First Launch Recommendations & Known Issues.
CREATING THE ENTITYTYPE 
3. Create an EntityType and browse to find the skeleton and mapping files in the /crowd/skeleton directory of the sample files.
CREATING A DEFAULT TERRAIN 
4. Click on the terrain locator icon to create a default terrain (infinite plane located at (0,0,0)).
PLACING PARTICLES 
5. Click on the Population Tool icon and then somewhere in the viewport to place a Population Tool locator
6. Adjust the Population Tool parameters in the attribute editor, and finally click on Emit Particles (at the bottom of the attribute editor panel)
CREATING A CROWDFIELD 
7. Without deselecting the created particle system, click on the CrowdField icon so that the particle system is assigned to the CrowdField and characters can be created on top of particles.
8. Click the play button to visualize the create characters. They are not moving yet
ASSIGNING A RENDERING TYPE 
9. Click on the Asset Manager icon and load the appropriate .cam file (from the /crowd/cam/ directory)
10. Click on the rendering tab, and select the CrowdMan rendering type
11. Click on assign and select the CrowdEntityType1 to affect this visual representation to the simulated type
12. Close the Asset Manager Window and save
EXPORTING THE SIMULATION 
13. Click on the simulation tool icon, customize the export directory, and run the simulation export
When rendering with 3Delight or Renderman, it is needed to export renderer specific files. Check the according tabs in the simulation export tool and refer to the Rendering From Maya documentation or the Basic Rendering Tutorials if needed.
IMPORTING SHADERS
14. Import the appropriate source shader file (e.g. /crowd/source/CMO-man_golaemMR.ma for Mental Ray)
14. Do not hide the source model. You can move it outside the camera view, or change its rendering stats, but it must stay visible in the viewport for the linked shaders to be activated
15. Open the Namespace Editor (Window/General Editor/Namespace Editor)
15. Select the created namespace, delete it and merge it with its parent. The imported character should be directly at the root of the scene under the MAN_foule_main name, as seen in the outliner capture below
RENDERING
16. Select your renderer (e.g. for Mental Ray: go to the Render/Render Using/Mental Ray menu)
17. Check that the CrowdRender plugin is loaded and create a render proxy for your renderer (in the Crowd Render Menu)
18. Check the render settings (CrowdRender/Check Render Settings)
19. Render
MAKING YOUR CHARACTERS MOVE 
20. Open the Behavior Editor and double-click on the entityTypeShape1
21. Drag and drop a MotionBehavior in the behavior flow 
22. Selected the created MotionBehavior and click + in the motion attribute
23. Select a motion from the /crowd/motions directory
24. Click the play button to see the moving characters
REEXPORTING TO RENDER AGAIN
25. Open the simulation tool again and click run to re-export the simulation and update the simulation cache with the characters moving. Please note that re-exporting is needed only when simulation changes. It is not needed if camera, lights, or even props/shaders repartition changes in the Golaem Crowd Asset Manager.
26. Hit render to render a picture of the characters playing a motion
