[Resource/Beta 0.4] Custom Player Animations

[EpicFrySauce]

someone needs to record this in action and post a link.

Sure I can do a demo of how to use this... it's just in its mid stages so I was going to wait until I just about finish up the project.

[Ad Bot]

[EpicFrySauce]

one of the few DTS importers

Just out of curiosity, do you know of any other alternatives?

[Demian]

Just out of curiosity, do you know of any other alternatives?

No. Google isn't all that helpful either since I think one DTS format was a video/image file.

[-Jetz-]

I recommend using a duplicate blender file for different actions if you're making multiple animations.

I didn't notice this until after making several in one file. After the automatic sequence creation failed because of this, I used the NLA editor to create the strips manually. They seemed to load fine in the exporter when I hit "Create from Action Strips," and they played fine in Shaper. However, when I test them ingame, I get this:

Sequence import failed: sequence node "LeftArm" duplicated more in sequence than in shape.
Add-Ons/Player_Animated/Player_Animated.cs (0): preload failed for DSDts: Load sequence Add-Ons/Player_Animated/constructorContent/player/m_run.dsq run failed for Add-Ons/Player_Animated/constructorContent/player/m.dts.

Run is the first edited animation in the constructor, and LeftArm is the first bone on the list in the editor, so I don't think that's much of a clue where to look.

Earlier, when I only tested one animation in the file, it worked fine. I then tried deleting all the action strips, then loading one, exporting it, deleting it, and repeating. No luck. I then tried duplicating my blend file once for each animation, then cutting out the others in each one. Did not work.

Is there something else I might be doing wrong that could cause this? Alternately, is there a way I can copy the animation data out of my blend files into fresh files?

[Wedge]

Shaper trial version can still be downloaded from archive.org:

http://web.archive.org/web/20091013032445/http://inversesoftware.com.au/Shaper/Download.php

I remember using it to remove the scope from the sniper rifle so I know that the trial version definitely works. I don't know what kind of limitation it has, I think it's a 30 day trial though that you can just keep installing.

[-Jetz-]

-problem-

Still looking for some assistance with this.

I copied the original model a few times, appended an animation to each, and that fixed m_run, but now m_back is broken and the same method is not working for it. I tried comparing run and back in every way I could find but they appear pretty much the same. Only strange thing I noticed is that in the Shaper Track View of the back animation, key frames are indicated alongside the Rski100 bone(?), if I'm interpreting it right, though whatever this actually indicates is not present on the run animation. What am I missing here?

[EpicFrySauce]

Still looking for some assistance with this.

Sorry for the long wait, I've been taking a long break from this whole project. Well, I'm back. To be honest, I have no idea what the problem is, but the way I've figured it out seems to be working. I'm putting together a very informative instruction video that should help anyone add animations without a problem. Again, I apologize for the long wait and I apologize that I really don't know how to help you

[EpicFrySauce]

Edit: dell2's original post removed.

[dell2]

I just wanted to brag that is my first milkshape model

[-Jetz-]

Sorry for the long wait, I've been taking a long break from this whole project. Well, I'm back. To be honest, I have no idea what the problem is, but the way I've figured it out seems to be working. I'm putting together a very informative instruction video that should help anyone add animations without a problem. Again, I apologize for the long wait and I apologize that I really don't know how to help you

That's alright, I guess. I figured it out since then. Or so I had thought. I added a second keyframe to each channel in my animation that only had one, and that seemed to work, but the same solution didn't work for animation 3, which had the same problem.

I was on the verge of pounding my head through a concrete wall when I stumbled upon the solution by accident, probably the actual solution to all my problems all along - because I was using Shaper to import several animations without closing it once, I noticed every time I imported one, the number of keyframes it counted was going up, which was more odd because I had been deleting them out of Shaper whenever they turned out wrong. I was also led to suspect this was an issue when I noticed the file sizes for the exported animations seemed to be expanding regardless of what I was actually doing. I closed Shaper and restarted it, imported the animation to find it counted much fewer keyframes in the import window than before, and the animation exported at a much smaller filesize and ran perfectly.

So yeah, I don't understand if I was doing something wrong or if Shaper is just weird like that, but closing it between exports seemed to work.

While the fact that the lack of support for this animation process (I don't mean from you, just in general due to this being a relatively new thing) has left me completely confused for weeks as I left the animating on hold, I'm really looking forward to seeing how much this impacts the modding community. Perhaps one day we'll get some better official support for custom animations if this goes well.

[EpicFrySauce]

That's alright, I guess. I figured it out since then. Or so I had thought. I added a second keyframe to each channel in my animation that only had one, and that seemed to work, but the same solution didn't work for animation 3, which had the same problem.

I was on the verge of pounding my head through a concrete wall when I stumbled upon the solution by accident, probably the actual solution to all my problems all along - because I was using Shaper to import several animations without closing it once, I noticed every time I imported one, the number of keyframes it counted was going up, which was more odd because I had been deleting them out of Shaper whenever they turned out wrong. I was also led to suspect this was an issue when I noticed the file sizes for the exported animations seemed to be expanding regardless of what I was actually doing. I closed Shaper and restarted it, imported the animation to find it counted much fewer keyframes in the import window than before, and the animation exported at a much smaller filesize and ran perfectly.

So yeah, I don't understand if I was doing something wrong or if Shaper is just weird like that, but closing it between exports seemed to work.

While the fact that the lack of support for this animation process (I don't mean from you, just in general due to this being a relatively new thing) has left me completely confused for weeks as I left the animating on hold, I'm really looking forward to seeing how much this impacts the modding community. Perhaps one day we'll get some better official support for custom animations if this goes well.

Oh, there's your problem. Yes, Shaper stockpiles animations up... and even though you deleted them, remember that's just one of those issues with that problematic program. I'm sorry it caused you all those problems, and I really do hate having to use it, but as stated it's really the only way I've found to make this work.

Thank you, that's really encouraging to hear; I like how you say "impact." I too, am excited to see what will result from this project... I hope to see some add-ons using this resource within the next few months.

[-Jetz-]

We've been trying these animations on Pecon's Boss Battles for a few days. We've seen 2 errors so far:

Is it just me or does the boss look like it has no face?

I get this error while loading datablocks:



Which is odd because I had no problems joining you server a day or two ago.
(Unless you updated again)

EDIT: Actually, I only get the error when download textures is  enabled.

The missing face is constant across everyone. Anything I might have screwed up to cause that? The second error happens randomly during connection, and reconnecting several times until it decides to work is the only known solution.

[computermix]

I accually, instead of messing with players, tried to do this with weapons.

To see what I could do, I imported the Old School Rifle into Shaper to find out Shaper is the most half-assed program out there.

The model imported with no problems. I looked through the animation list, and all of them were there. One animation was named "scope", I assumed it was a fail at creating an animation for using the scope. When I clicked it, shaper crashed. I tried modifying properties, etc. Still crashed. I think it had 0 keyframes, and I guess shaper is too badly made to handle it, so it just crashes. What I did after that is try to export it as a ASCII milkshape file, and shaper cannot do that because I get a lua error (because of scope animation probably). After that I tried the .x format, and I guess directX cannot handle exporting animations because when I loaded it into blender there were no animations (but a model still).

So, using this technique with items/weapons is literally the most painful stuff your going to go through in your life. The only way of customizing it reanimating the whole model.

Oh yeah, blender's directX importer cannot handle textures either, so good luck re-texturing the whole goddam thing.

EDIT: I tried this with the default gun, exported with milkshape ASCII and it looks super weird in blender, along with no animations. Same with directX.

[heedicalking]

this whole method is a hack. shaper is buggy, the custom model faces are buggy, loading is buggy.

[computermix]

I found out there is another way to import DTS's for weapon customization. The tool I used was ultimate unwrap 3d. I tried the demo version, importing the model with 0 problems, and it seems all the animations were there. I couldn't export (demo version) so I have no idea if it exports to a blender-compatible file with all the animations/materials/etc.