Once a recoil dynamics simulation has been refined and perfected, it is ready for rendering. You may have noticed however that each time modo is closed and then reopened, any scenes containing recoil dynamics need to be simulated before the dynamic motions show up in the 3D viewport. This is because the actual motion definitions aren't part of the scene, the simulation only exists in the recoil cache which is lost each time a user closes the scene (or clears it manually with the 'Clear Cache' command). There is no way to save or export the contents of the recoil cache, however users can freeze the recoil motions to the scene by 'Baking' the recoil simulation results. What this does is convert the motions calculated by recoil into individual keyframes. Once applied, recoil scenes can be rendered normally using the standard modo rendering commands.
The main benefit to freezing the simulations are that the motions of the dynamic object will now be part of the scene, no longer requiring recoil computations to be visible. Scenes will play back faster as well, as no dynamics are being calculated, especially beneficial for complex simulations. Freezing simulations also makes it possible to render scenes over a network or by command line; with the cache values being a local entity, network slaves would have no knowledge of the recoil motion and would therefore render incorrect results. It also makes it possible for users to exchange recoil scenes with other modo users who do not own recoil. Lastly, due to tiny deviations in recoils physics calculations, slight variations in object motions are possible across subsequent simulations; baking eliminates these variations producing precise repeatable results. User should be aware that for complex simulations containing many objects, the large number of keyframes generated can adversely affect file size as well as viewport performance. Users should also note that is is not currently possible to bake Deformations, such as those created by Soft Bodies.
INFO: Baking a recoil simulation disables the dynamic information from items, therefore it is recommended users save a separate version of their scene with dynamics settings enabled prior to baking. This will make it much easier than trying to remove the keyframes and re-enabling the dynamics should it be necessary to further modify the simulation down the road.
Bake recoil Cache--
There are two commands related to the baking of recoil simulations. Both are found within the menu bar, under the recoil menu as "Recoil > Cache > Bake" and "Recoil > Cache > Bake to Transform". For user's convenience they are also found in the Properties viewport for dynamic objects under the 'Cache' section.
Cache > Bake
The "Cache > Bake" command will convert the dynamic motion into individual item keyframes at each frame for the Position and Rotation channels of the currently selected item(s), recreating every nuance of the recoil simulation result. In order for the command to work, there must be motion information in the cache for the target item. Users must run a recoil simulation prior to baking. To do so, users should run one of the 'Play' or 'Run' simulation buttons. Once it is finished simulating the dynamics, select the target items you wish to convert, and invoke the 'Bake' command.
Cache > Bake to Transform
The "Cache > Bake to Transform" command will convert the current position and rotational result into the objects transform properties. Essentially freezing the items current position and rotation but eliminating any motion associated with the recoil simulation as no animation keyframes are generated. This is extremely useful when using recoil as a stacking mechanism for still renders, such as filling a gumball machine with gumballs. In order for the command to work, there must be motion information in the cache for the target item(s). Users must run a recoil simulation prior to baking to transforms. To do so, run one of the 'Play' or 'Run' simulation. Once it is finished simulating the dynamics, users should navigate to the appropriate frame in the timeline where they wish to freeze the items positions, select the target items to convert, and invoke the 'Bake to Transforms' command.
INFO: Dynamic items must be selected when invoking the 'Bake' commands, otherwise there will be no results.
Clear Recoil Cache
Recoil also offers an option to clear the simulation cache results for individual items. To use, simply select the target items you wish to remove the simulation results for and invoke the command in the menu bar under "recoil > Cache > Clear".
