I've made several normally animated units work in the game minus the animation thingy of course. My service truck and a scout lack any animation but seem to perform without problems when placed in the map editor. Someone mentioned that nothing needs animation, so does that mean that a walker though a bit odd looking would also perform as well?
I guess I'm asking because some of us modelers don't really have the minimum modeling tools to get animations into the game otherwise, but have a desire to make what we can with the tools that we have. I use Truespace to model and while it supports doing animations it lacks a suitable XSI exporter to do animations for BZII.
I've figured out how to open 2 instances of Truespace: 1) To load COB converted XSI data pack models and a second instance to actually model my version from the parts list in the first instance. This allows me to get the parts naming thingy correct especially with the hp's and turret thingies. It would seem that extra things like hp_lights can be totally ignored in my version to simplify the overall model without screwing up the resulting model.
Parenting objects is basically just drag and dropping the individual objects in sub groups and then finally doing the same thing to all the groups so that everything that needs to be below another group is positioned where it needs to be in the model hierarchy to conform to the original model. I guess the key to getting things right seems to revolve around resetting the objects orientation to 0-0-0 which transforms rotated objects to the objects center again.
I'm going to attempt some non animated walker models just to see what results, but I was hoping for some feedback on what to try or avoid if possible to get a walker type into the game without crashing the game engine.
Should I delete the animation section in my walker ODF to avoid problems with the game engine trying to read invalid data? Tanks, BNG.
I think a non animated walker will just look bad.
Bite the bullet BNG! using 3dex and notepad to create walking animations is not as difficult as it might look but it is time consuming.
They do not need to be complex.
Just 1 out of six thigh's walking...
Animation anim-thighm_r {
{frm-thighm_r}
SI_AnimationKey {
0;
8;
1; 4; 1, 0, 0.0, 0.3;;,
3; 4; 1, 0, -0.15, 0.15;;,
6; 4; 1, 0, -0.3, 0.0;;,
9; 4; 1, 0, -0.15, 0.0;;,
12; 4; 1, 0, 0.15, 0.0;;,
15; 4; 1, 0, 0.3, 0.0;;,
18; 4; 1, 0, 0.15, 0.15;;,
21; 4; 1, 0, 0.0, 0.3;;;
}
}
I don't think walkers can work at all without animated foot object to cause it to move. Even if these 2 objects are 2 invisible cubes.
Yes. The walker only moves with the foot animation.
Try removing all the animation sections in the ISDF walker odf and see if it still works.
I see a walker is like the one unit that minus any animation in basically a-no-go. Tanks guys for the suggestions and feedback. Guess I'll just focus on making as many other units as possible with my existing modeling tools. I don't really have the time or patience to make a walker the hard way. I may piddle around with the concept at work a bit just to see if I get any where with it, and try something like copying and pasting animation sections from an existing walker XSI using winmerge to my version of a walker. BNG.
When the next MRVP comes out I have a walking unit with super simple feet cubes. You could likely manage to use that for a walker with no legs.
I still don't get why the hell you want a walker with no bloody legs? Just make a hovercraft for gods sake. :-P
Quote from: bigbadbogie on October 31, 2008, 09:23:04 PM
I still don't get why the hell you want a walker with no bloody legs? Just make a hovercraft for gods sake. :-P
Your mod lacked walkers, i would not think he needs them. (not that im saying there is a problem with that)
The QF had a walker, it kicked ass but was a mission only unit.
It was way too powerful.
I could destroy a whole base with one before it ran out of ammo.
Oh, im sorry, i dont remember it.
very last missions, they turn up.
and BBB, you could always make slightly less pwoerful ones for a recycler variant for QF?
True.
There are lots of walkers in QF2 though.
QuoteIt was way too powerful.
I could destroy a whole base with one before it ran out of ammo.
Have you never loaded up an isdf walker with plasma and pummel and levelled an entire base? its my favourite end game move :)
Quoteand try something like copying and pasting animation sections from an existing walker XSI using winmerge to my version of a walker. BNG.
Might work, probably need adjusting, the stock anims also have like 30 keyframe entrys which is actually allot more than you really need, its easier to use less like the 8 I used above.
You can make a good walk using small anims like that for each piece, the tricky bit is keeping the feet flat on the ground, the unit that anim came off has 6 spikey feet so I avoided that problem :)
Yeah. But these are AI controlled when they destroy an entire base.
Cool N1 tanks. Ironically, I can do X animations with Truespace, but then I'd need to ask someone to convert them to XSI for me. Any volunteers? LOL, just kidding as I still struggle when trying to get animation stuff right. BNG.
I would of thought that the actual data in an .x animation would be very similar to that in an xsi, you could probably cutnpaste it across in notepad and adjust any small format differences.
I've tried it with the 2 versions produced by X2XSI and Threed. All I had to do to get them moving in 3DEX was to add SI_ to the XSI AnimationKey headings. BZII, can read the first object of an X file, but nothing after that as I've gotten them into the map editor minus any texture using an ODF file. It's a great big hassle though, and not really worth doing things that way.
I don't really have the time or resources to make animations where they're needed on models like walkers. I have managed to get several normally animated models like a service truck, turret, and scout working in the game, but they all function nicely without any animation; apparent BZII ignores and anim count entries in the ODF as I fully expected the game to crash upon loading my models in the map editor, but it didn't to my total surprise.
I have a good feeling that at least 90 % of the game units can be produced minus any animation that will work adequately in the game. Perhaps even more efficiently as animation must put some extra strain on the game engine to manipulate the moving parts on a typical animated model. Sorry to be so long winded, but this is a forum for modelers to discuss BZII related model making issues. BNG.
You know...
If you name the parts the same in YOUR walker as they are in one of the STOCK walkers...
You can use the stock animation files for YOUR walker.
All an animation version of an XSI does is tell the MSH maker what parts rotate X amount, or move X amount, at each frame. With a little care you can use the same animation file for multiple models and it works fine.
-Av-
Yes, I seem to remember you mentioned that some time back AV. Which of the XSI files should I use for my walker? The skel_file? I'd like to try something relatively simple, but don't really know where to begin. Tanks, BNG.
All except the skel file. Take a look at the walker ODF. The files listed under "Animations" are the ones you use.
VSMIT.