It looks like Anim8or 3D software can do animations.

[Col Klink]

I've been playing around with the software a lot lately to evaluate it's potential for use as a BZII modeling tools am quite pleased with it's overall performance. It has the feel of GMAX 3D, but seems much simpler in design. It lacks many of the extra features of GMAX, but excels as a good solid choice for most newbie model makers trying to get a handle on creating models and props for the game. It lacks a decent UV mapping utility, but maps can be done in Lithunwrap on X, 3DS, and LWO exported models. Bone animation can be done by converting Anim8ors native .a8 models with another 3rd party application called Ani2pov to convert the models to other model formats. I haven't tried it yet, but I did my first animation in Anim8or using it's key frame recorder on some simple objects that I made to test how to do simple animations. Cheers, Leroy.

[Zero Angel]

How easy is the conversion path to BZ2 XSI?

[Zax]

Seeing as you need a suite of programs to get it out the door, I'm assuming not so easily.

[MrTwosheds]

I am going to have to say it, and you will all think i'm nuts. But I have just been fooling with 3dsmax's skin Animation gubbins, and it must be said, it is not easier than doing it in notepad. In some ways it is much harder, particularly the weird tool with about 16 selectable squares and hemispherical zones, which I just found impossible to use, the alternative weighting table, might as well be notepad, except that by using it you are now unable to determine which vertex is which and so have trouble deciding what weight to enter into it. No doubt some practice would make it easier and I have chosen a fairly complicated shape to morph.

[Zax]

I am going to have to say it, and you will all think i'm nuts. But I have just been fooling with 3dsmax's skin Animation gubbins, and it must be said, it is not easier than doing it in notepad. In some ways it is much harder, particularly the weird tool with about 16 selectable squares and hemispherical zones, which I just found impossible to use, the alternative weighting table, might as well be notepad, except that by using it you are now unable to determine which vertex is which and so have trouble deciding what weight to enter into it. No doubt some practice would make it easier and I have chosen a fairly complicated shape to morph.

I have not touched skin tools, and would not with a 10 ft pole

[Nielk1]

How the hell are people having issues with Skins. They are easy...

And in max you can still do it in notepad style only in max and get live immediate feedback in the render window.

You are probably thinking in the wrong paradigm. What you need to do is build a skeleton. Then you attach that skeleton to the skin. Then you set the envelope a bit bigger around the bones so that they grab the skin.

It is taking some bones, shoving them in, and then making them pull the skin around.

What you are probably trying to do is closer to direct vertex manipulation.

[Col Klink]

How easy is the conversion path to BZ2 XSI?

I'm still in the process of figuring that one out, but I believe one way would be 3DS out of Anim8or then 3DEX to XSI. The Raxx BZII XSI exporter lacks animation support at this point in it's development. I'l do some testing with the 3DS exporter and post the results when I have time.

[MrTwosheds]

What you are probably trying to do is closer to direct vertex manipulation.

Yes I am trying to morph a Dalek into an extractor, basically I want to scale the top half-turret, drop the head down and somehow do something with its arm attachments. Bz2 cannot do scale animations so I need to sort of drag it outwards with 4 bones (like an isdf upgrade). The spherical nature of the skin modifier gizmo is not well suited to this.

[General BlackDragon]

How would machine stretch? why not make it split into 4 quarters, spread apart, then lower? OR something mechanical. Doesn't make sense for mechanical parts to "morph" using vertex animations unless it's "liquid metal".

[MrTwosheds]

Like the isdf upgrade. I am trying to work with the existing generic design of the model, rather than attempting to rebuild it entirely. It might be easier to stretch the back "shoulder" away from the head and extrude something else out of it. Maybe stretch the arm-mount boxes down into the pool.
Scav-extractor-upgrades have to be one of the most difficult things to model in bz2. That and vrecy-brecy.

The way this races models have evolved, means that they all use the same basic mesh shape and skin, this may be just me being lazy but it does make them all look "Dalek".
"Daleks have no concept of elegance"

[Zax]

Threadjacked

[Col Klink]

How easy is the conversion path to BZ2 XSI?

To my knowledge bone animations are only supported by Ani2pov. The 3DS exporter may be work, but more testing is needed as I am still getting used to using the Anim8or modeling software.

My old method was with Truespace and it's Truex X exporter plugin to 3DEX for conversion to XSI.

Anim8or, is some what similar to TS, but reminds me more of what GMAX is like only simpler with less modeling tools. Anim8or may have some potential using morh targets for doing vertex animations, but I'm just now starting to experiment with how morph targets work in Anim8or. It basically involes creating an object to morph and adding new targets to do the actuall morph animations. Then the problem of getting them converted to XSI. Question: What exactly are morph targets and are they actually just vertex animations by another name? How does MAX do this type of animation?

PS: treadjacking is okay by me but I would appreciate some feedback on the original topic if possible.

[Col Klink]

I am going to have to say it, and you will all think i'm nuts. But I have just been fooling with 3dsmax's skin Animation gubbins, and it must be said, it is not easier than doing it in notepad. In some ways it is much harder, particularly the weird tool with about 16 selectable squares and hemispherical zones, which I just found impossible to use, the alternative weighting table, might as well be notepad, except that by using it you are now unable to determine which vertex is which and so have trouble deciding what weight to enter into it. No doubt some practice would make it easier and I have chosen a fairly complicated shape to morph.

A basic tutorial on how to do notepad animations would be nice 2sheds. I also believe it's possible to modify the Raxx XSI exporter to self write this kind of data in text form. It supports user defined script definitions with a function called, $output.print ("My difinition blah blah blah whatever") It theoredically could write out the SI_Animation Key entries along with the associated animation data, but I don't know at this point. If it were possible then the XSI models created in Anim8or would load directly into BZII like the MAX exporter does. As I've mentioned previously the Raxx exporter will already export directly into the BZII game.

Update: Apparently, Anim8or doesn't currently support exporting animation via ASL scripting. The creator, Steve Glanville may eventually add support for this feature at some point hopefully. Currently, the only format that supports this is the native .a8 format and the use of a model converter called, An2pov. Unfortunately, earlier versions of 3DEX don't support POV or any of the other listed formats as the converter is of newer design. Users of newer versions of 3DEX may fair better...not really sure though.

[Col Klink]

The native Anim8or model format is written out in plain text format, so cut and paste editing is possible in Notepad. I did a simple animation in Anim8or and exported it in .a8s and opened it in Notepad++. Anim8or seems to use Jkey where XSI would use an SI_Animation Key entry. Here's what the animation looks like. I wonder if the animation data could be pasted in the XSI equivelent created by Raxx? Is that were possible then maybe we could use Mr2sheds notepad method to get animations to work in the existing Raxx XSI exporter output....

Code: Select all

header {
  version { "0.97d beta" }
  build { "2008.09.21" }
}
object { "object01"
  mesh {
    name { "mycube" }
    base {
      origin { (-2.7027 14.449 0) }
    }
    material { " -- default --" }
    smoothangle { 45 }
    /* 8 points, 6 faces, 8 uvCoords */
    materiallist {
      materialname { " -- default --" }
    }
    points {
      (-16.216 -12.474 -16.216) (-16.216 -12.474 16.216) 
      (-16.216 12.474 -16.216) (-16.216 12.474 16.216) (16.216 -12.474 -16.216) 
      (16.216 -12.474 16.216) (16.216 12.474 -16.216) (16.216 12.474 16.216)
    }
    texcoords {
      (0 0) (0 0) (0 1) (0 1) (1 0) (1 0) (1 1) (1 1)
    }
    faces {
      4 4 0 -1 ( (0 0) (4 4) (6 6) (2 2) )
      4 4 0 -1 ( (1 1) (3 3) (7 7) (5 5) )
      4 4 0 -1 ( (0 0) (2 2) (3 3) (1 1) )
      4 4 0 -1 ( (4 4) (5 5) (7 7) (6 6) )
      4 4 0 -1 ( (2 2) (6 6) (7 7) (3 3) )
      4 4 0 -1 ( (0 0) (1 1) (5 5) (4 4) )
    }
  }
}
scene { "scene01"
  frames { 72 }
  groundgrid { 1 }
  shadowbias { 0.00100 }
  background { 153 153 153 }
  camera { "camera01"
    loc { (150 100 200) }
    orientation { (-0.04877 0.93733 -0.14632 -0.31244) }
    fov { 60 }
    number { 1 } 
  }
  objectelement { "eobject01" "object01"
    loc { (0 0 0) }
    orientation { (-0.13019 -0.83266 0.49223 0.21780) }
    controller { "orientation"
      track {
        qkey { 0 (-0.00074 0.99001 0.00518 -0.14090) "S" }
        qkey { 71 (-0.13019 -0.83266 0.49223 0.21780) "S" }
      }
    }
  }
}