3D studio max r3...

[Warfreak]

strange............... tried to make a quickie "orbiter" animation with a sphere rotating around a sphere (jsut moves the sphere around the other sphere, not real rotation)

It came out wrong..............

}

AnimationSet {
   Animation anim-child {
      {frm-child}
      SI_AnimationKey {
         1;
         3;
         0; 3; 1.000000, 1.000000, 1.000000;;,
         1; 3; 1.000000, 1.000000, 1.000000;;,
         2; 3; 1.000000, 1.000000, 1.000000;;;

      }

      }
}

{edit} added scale animation, got this:


AnimationSet {
   Animation anim-child {
      {frm-child}
      SI_AnimationKey {
         1;
         3;
         0; 3; 0.613921, 0.613921, 0.613921;;,
         1; 3; 1.503100, 1.503100, 1.503100;;,
         2; 3; 3.428425, 3.428425, 3.428425;;;

Not exactly what i wanted, but its a start..............

[Avatar]

Last i checked, 2 objects wont export animations, i had to use 3.
Dummyroot..
  parant...
    child....

The dummyroot seems to act as a controler but any top level object can be the controler.

Um... better check again.  Two is all you need for BZ2... at least if you're using R3 and the original Pandemic exporter.   This is about as simple as you can get, just two cubes.  No matter what you name the top level object (cube, hp_dummyroot) the child object animates:

xsi 0101txt 0032

SI_CoordinateSystem coord {
   1;
   0;
   1;
   0;
   2;
   5;
}

SI_Angle {
   0;
}

SI_Camera  Camera1 {
   -4.681479; 4.736986; 8.858665;;
   -0.145911; 0.062833; 0.049857;;
   0.000000;
   44.024410;
   0.100000;
   32768.000000;
}

SI_Ambience {
   0.043137; 0.043137; 0.043137;;
}

SI_Fog {
   0;
   0;
   0.157895; 0.225564; 0.270677;;
   20.000000;
   100.000000;
}

Frame frm-HP_DUMMYROOT {

   FrameTransformMatrix {

       1.000000,0.000000,0.000000,0.000000,
       0.000000,1.000000,0.000000,0.000000,
       0.000000,0.000000,1.000000,0.000000,
       0.000000,0.000000,0.000000,1.000000;;
   }
   Mesh HP_DUMMYROOT {
      8;
      -9.638555;0.000000;10.120481;,
      9.638555;0.000000;10.120481;,
      -9.638555;0.000000;-10.120481;,
      9.638555;0.000000;-10.120481;,
      -9.638555;15.421687;10.120481;,
      9.638555;15.421687;10.120481;,
      -9.638555;15.421687;-10.120481;,
      9.638555;15.421687;-10.120481;;

      12;
      3;0,2,3;,
      3;3,1,0;,
      3;4,5,7;,
      3;7,6,4;,
      3;0,1,5;,
      3;5,4,0;,
      3;1,3,7;,
      3;7,5,1;,
      3;3,2,6;,
      3;6,7,3;,
      3;2,0,4;,
      3;4,6,2;;

      MeshMaterialList {
         1;
         12;
         0,
         0,
         0,
         0,
         0,
         0,
         0,
         0,
         0,
         0,
         0,
         0;

         SI_Material {
            0.023529;0.525490;0.443137;1.000000;;
            0.000000;
            0.000000;0.000000;0.000000;;
            0.000000;0.000000;0.000000;;
            0.000000;
            0.000000;0.000000;0.000000;;
         }
      }

      SI_MeshNormals {
         36;
         0.000000;-1.000000;0.000000;,
         0.000000;-1.000000;0.000000;,
         0.000000;-1.000000;0.000000;,
         0.000000;-1.000000;0.000000;,
         0.000000;-1.000000;0.000000;,
         0.000000;-1.000000;0.000000;,
         0.000000;1.000000;0.000000;,
         0.000000;1.000000;0.000000;,
         0.000000;1.000000;0.000000;,
         0.000000;1.000000;0.000000;,
         0.000000;1.000000;0.000000;,
         0.000000;1.000000;0.000000;,
         0.000000;0.000000;1.000000;,
         0.000000;0.000000;1.000000;,
         0.000000;0.000000;1.000000;,
         0.000000;0.000000;1.000000;,
         0.000000;0.000000;1.000000;,
         0.000000;0.000000;1.000000;,
         1.000000;0.000000;0.000000;,
         1.000000;0.000000;0.000000;,
         1.000000;0.000000;0.000000;,
         1.000000;0.000000;0.000000;,
         1.000000;0.000000;0.000000;,
         1.000000;0.000000;0.000000;,
         0.000000;0.000000;-1.000000;,
         0.000000;0.000000;-1.000000;,
         0.000000;0.000000;-1.000000;,
         0.000000;0.000000;-1.000000;,
         0.000000;0.000000;-1.000000;,
         0.000000;0.000000;-1.000000;,
         -1.000000;0.000000;0.000000;,
         -1.000000;0.000000;0.000000;,
         -1.000000;0.000000;0.000000;,
         -1.000000;0.000000;0.000000;,
         -1.000000;0.000000;0.000000;,
         -1.000000;0.000000;0.000000;;

         12;
         0;3;0,1,2;,
         1;3;3,4,5;,
         2;3;6,7,8;,
         3;3;9,10,11;,
         4;3;12,13,14;,
         5;3;15,16,17;,
         6;3;18,19,20;,
         7;3;21,22,23;,
         8;3;24,25,26;,
         9;3;27,28,29;,
         10;3;30,31,32;,
         11;3;33,34,35;;

      }

   }
   Frame frm-Box02 {

      FrameTransformMatrix {

          0.999391,0.000000,0.034899,0.000000,
          0.000000,1.000000,0.000000,0.000000,
          -0.034899,0.000000,0.999391,0.000000,
          0.000000,37.896446,0.000000,1.000000;;
      }
      Mesh Box02 {
         8;
         -9.638555;0.000000;10.120481;,
         9.638555;0.000000;10.120481;,
         -9.638555;0.000000;-10.120481;,
         9.638555;0.000000;-10.120481;,
         -9.638555;15.421687;10.120481;,
         9.638555;15.421687;10.120481;,
         -9.638555;15.421687;-10.120481;,
         9.638555;15.421687;-10.120481;;

         12;
         3;0,2,3;,
         3;3,1,0;,
         3;4,5,7;,
         3;7,6,4;,
         3;0,1,5;,
         3;5,4,0;,
         3;1,3,7;,
         3;7,5,1;,
         3;3,2,6;,
         3;6,7,3;,
         3;2,0,4;,
         3;4,6,2;;

         MeshMaterialList {
            1;
            12;
            0,
            0,
            0,
            0,
            0,
            0,
            0,
            0,
            0,
            0,
            0,
            0;

            SI_Material {
               0.023529;0.525490;0.443137;1.000000;;
               0.000000;
               0.000000;0.000000;0.000000;;
               0.000000;0.000000;0.000000;;
               0.000000;
               0.000000;0.000000;0.000000;;
            }
         }

         SI_MeshNormals {
            36;
            0.000000;-1.000000;0.000000;,
            0.000000;-1.000000;0.000000;,
            0.000000;-1.000000;0.000000;,
            0.000000;-1.000000;0.000000;,
            0.000000;-1.000000;0.000000;,
            0.000000;-1.000000;0.000000;,
            0.000000;1.000000;0.000000;,
            0.000000;1.000000;0.000000;,
            0.000000;1.000000;0.000000;,
            0.000000;1.000000;0.000000;,
            0.000000;1.000000;0.000000;,
            0.000000;1.000000;0.000000;,
            0.000000;0.000000;1.000000;,
            0.000000;0.000000;1.000000;,
            0.000000;0.000000;1.000000;,
            0.000000;0.000000;1.000000;,
            0.000000;0.000000;1.000000;,
            0.000000;0.000000;1.000000;,
            1.000000;0.000000;0.000000;,
            1.000000;0.000000;0.000000;,
            1.000000;0.000000;0.000000;,
            1.000000;0.000000;0.000000;,
            1.000000;0.000000;0.000000;,
            1.000000;0.000000;0.000000;,
            0.000000;0.000000;-1.000000;,
            0.000000;0.000000;-1.000000;,
            0.000000;0.000000;-1.000000;,
            0.000000;0.000000;-1.000000;,
            0.000000;0.000000;-1.000000;,
            0.000000;0.000000;-1.000000;,
            -1.000000;0.000000;0.000000;,
            -1.000000;0.000000;0.000000;,
            -1.000000;0.000000;0.000000;,
            -1.000000;0.000000;0.000000;,
            -1.000000;0.000000;0.000000;,
            -1.000000;0.000000;0.000000;;

            12;
            0;3;0,1,2;,
            1;3;3,4,5;,
            2;3;6,7,8;,
            3;3;9,10,11;,
            4;3;12,13,14;,
            5;3;15,16,17;,
            6;3;18,19,20;,
            7;3;21,22,23;,
            8;3;24,25,26;,
            9;3;27,28,29;,
            10;3;30,31,32;,
            11;3;33,34,35;;

         }

      }
   }

}

AnimationSet {
   Animation anim-Box02 {
      {frm-Box02}
      SI_AnimationKey {
         0;
         4;
         0; 4; 0.999848, 0.000000, 0.017452, 0.000000;;,
         20; 4; 0.500000, 0.000000, -0.866025, 0.000000;;,
         40; 4; 0.500000, 0.000000, 0.866025, 0.000000;;,
         60; 4; 1.000000, 0.000000, 0.000000, 0.000000;;;

      }

      SI_AnimationKey {
         2;
         4;
         0; 3; 0.000000, 37.896446, 0.000000;;,
         20; 3; 0.000000, 30.249336, -0.000000;;,
         40; 3; 0.000000, 38.548248, 0.000000;;,
         60; 3; 0.000000, 37.896446, 0.000000;;;

      }

   }

}

[Warfreak]

Don't think i do........... yeah, i dont, only the Service pack 1 for 3DS MAX 7

[General BlackDragon]

explain to him how to get to that higharchy menu where you have rectangles with all the names of all the pieces, and u can drag lines inbetween them to order them to be off of one another. i cant remember how exactly cause i dont have 3ds max infront of me.

[Warfreak]

Thing is, I used the 3-layer link (child-parent-dummy) put all 3 types of animation, and the scale is the only one that exported...............

[Warfreak]

Write down your process................ I dont care hwo complicated it gets, WRITE IT DOWN......................

[Avatar]

If the exporter is the Pandemic one recompiled why are is there a 'process'?  The Pandy exporter is dumb simple, the only options are with or without animations and with or without vertex coloring.

What I'm asking is, is this a problem with the exporter for 7 or are you asking about how to set up the objects beforehand in Max?

-Av-

[Warfreak]

The before factor is what the 7 users want............. for some reason, conventional model making and animation doesnt seem to export......

I've used every bit of advice i got trying to get animations to work and the only ones that do are scaling sofar..........

[Warfreak]

0_o strange............ how did you get the motion tab to do that?.............(that may be the reason mine dont export...... you are using diffrent animation teqnique from way im doing mine)

[Warfreak]

no.......... look at diffrence between my model and yours.........in this .zip

Click Please

[Warfreak]

yep, must be in the animation tecnique......... I tried animation again and it didnt export while yours did.................

[Avatar]

Does Max 7 have the same 'rollout' groups that 3 does?  On the right hand side, in 3 at least, there's a 'wheel' that allows you to manually set a key.  Seems like the only way to know for sure that you're actually creating animation keys...

-Av-

[Warfreak]

I finally looked closely at Dx's model layout....... he uses TCB animation (whatever that means)

I use the 7 default (Bezier)

Well, im gonna see if im on to something, if not, Av you may want to llok at the screenshots i posted

Click Please

{edit} your fast Dx, i was posting when you did........... btw, remind me to make a tutorial after all this

[Warfreak]

Theres gotta be something im missing here.............. I tried TCB animation and still got nothing to export............... hmmm might be doing SOMETHING wrong though as im basing this off of the .max Dx posted.

............. For some reason 7 doesnt make any TCB animations "pure"......... It makes a list and adds it to the list, so that the layout for my animaiton looks diffrent from DX's still............  If this doesnt go well, then i guess 3DS Max 7 has some diffrent way of doing this cause as of now, the way Dx has his model layed out seems only possible in Max 3

[Avatar]

Listen to me here...

You CAN assign a controller to create animation in Max but that WILL NOT EXPORT through the Pandemic Exporter.  If the exporters for Max versions above 3 are based on the Pandemic exporter then you don't want to do anything but manually move/rotate an object and keyframe it.  None of the fancier animation methods make it through the exporter.

That being said I have no idea what's being done to the Pandemic exporter, since dx says it's just being recompiled.  All I know is that the Pandemic exporter doesn't recognize controllers, vertex animation, or Max's bones system.

Setting a controller is a good way to do smooth, calculated animation.  For instance, you can create a circular 'shape', define it as a controller, and it'll cause an object to rotate IN MAX.  This does not make it through the Pandemic exporter in R3.

So, step by step to animate something:

Make a cube.

Make a second cube above the first.

Link them using the 'two cubes connected by a chain icon' (I see it in your pics, third from the left in the toolbar).  Link one to the other, making it a 'child' of the other.  Place the pointer over the child, hold down the left button, and drag to the parent.

Click on the 'child' cube.

In the 'Motion Rollout', under the 'PRS' section (Position/Rotation/Scale) click on 'Position'.  This makes a keyframe for the child cube for it's position at that point in the timeline.

Move the selector in the bottom timeline to the right, say, 50 ticks.

Move the 'child' cube up a little.

Click on 'Position' again, making another keyframe.  Notice that keyframed spots leave dark circles behind in the timeline.

Move the selector to the far right, last frame.

To make the first and last keyframes match perfectly you can select the dark circle on the timeline in frame 1 and hold shift down to copy/drag it to the last frame.

That should manually create an animation that 'should' export correctly.

-Av-

Just read Dx's info and that's interesting.  Looks like the Pandemic exporter CAN use controller-driven animation but only if all possible states are controlled by the controller.  This limits it a bit, but imho in the end it's far simpler and easier for game objects to just move the pieces yourself...