Animations and Custom Playertypes--I Am An Idiot.

[JD]

Well, I know how to animate. I have a playertype with a working walking animation, except..
I Do Not Know How To:
-Save my animation
-Export my animation
-Use the exported animation
-Use more than one animation with one model

I searched for probably a half hour and couldn't find anything. Please help me. :c

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[heedicalking]

In milkshape you cannot have 2 animations to my knowledge. All your animations have to be put on that one animation track. For playertypes, I use Blender due to the ability to have multiple animations.

[Dalek]

In milkshape you cannot have 2 animations to my knowledge. All your animations have to be put on that one animation track. For playertypes, I use Blender due to the ability to have multiple animations.

It is possible to have multiple animations on ms3d, milkshape allows you to select the frames you want for a specific animation and name them. Allowing you to have a shoot and reload animation or a root and a walk Animation.

[heedicalking]

It is possible to have multiple animations on ms3d, milkshape allows you to select the frames you want for a specific animation and name them. Allowing you to have a shoot and reload animation or a root and a walk Animation.

I know that but I find it quite annoying.

[Dalek]

I know that but I find it quite annoying.

How are blender animations made, it sounds easier than ms3d

[Muffinmix]

To save an animation, just get out of Animation mode and save. Remember never export or save when you're in animation mode, click the big "Animation" button down there to leave animation mode first, your animations are kept don't worry.

For exporting, just DTS Plus and a export each individual animation under .dsq format instead of .dts, those basically store skeleton animation info and nothing else. Then you can call them up via script sequences. That's what all the blockland playertypes do. You'll still need a base mesh with bones and stuff, which you'll export as .dts, only you won't need to store any animation info on it.

Thirdly is done via script, try to find the Blockland standardarmor or whatever it's called

.dsq files can do that easily, and blend, and prioritize over others, and numerous other things. Look up the Torque DTS Plus exporter documentation for more details, there's a thread in Modification Discussion somewhere that has the exporter download with document, or you can google it.

Edit

In milkshape you cannot have 2 animations to my knowledge. All your animations have to be put on that one animation track. For playertypes, I use Blender due to the ability to have multiple animations.

Wait is he even using MS3D? Also you on crack again?

[heedicalking]

No, I am saying how there is no add animation button. You can have multiple animations via what Muffinmix said but there is no Add animation button. Like, the track at the bottom holds all your animations. What they should do is make an add animation button so you don't have to put all your keyframes for multiple animations on that one track.

[Muffinmix]

No, I am saying how there is no add animation button. You can have multiple animations via what Muffinmix said but there is no Add animation button. Like, the track at the bottom holds all your animations. What they should do is make an add animation button so you don't have to put all your keyframes for multiple animations on that one track.

Well that would makes things a tiny bit easier, albeit the .dsq system kind of throws that out the window since you can simply remove all the keyframes and start from frame 1 whenever you move to the next dsq animation. For weapons and items and such it creates a little more hassle since you need to plan ahead, but even then the keyframe setting only needs to be done at each end destination for transform animations and things, since everything is interpolated nicely.

I dunno, so far whenever I needed an extra animation I just expanded the Max Frames on the bar and added whatever. Exporter-specific animations like Visibility and IFLs don't even require you to do that.


Speaking of which, to save exporter settings with ms3d remember to actually export it. If you hit cancel or close the window the settings won't save, you need to export the model first. If there's some iffy issues with the settings and you'd like to come back to them, just eport it as a dummy or something.

[JD]

Okay, so, that clears up a lot of stuff.
I turned off Animation mode and then exported the .DSQ, and got this:

Code: [Select]

         Pants   Torso    Rshoulder   Rarm1   RHand   Rhand0    Lshoulder   Larm1   LHand   Lhand0   Head    Headskin0   Chest0   Rhip   Rfoot   Rshoe0   LHip   LFoot   LShoe0   Pants0   Root                                           Should I have exported the DSQ while in animation mode?

Just to clear something up, when I am making a seperate animation for a different function, do I clear all of the old animation's frames and make a new animation, but with the same model/joints?

[Cboeree]

No, I am saying how there is no add animation button. You can have multiple animations via what Muffinmix said but there is no Add animation button. Like, the track at the bottom holds all your animations. What they should do is make an add animation button so you don't have to put all your keyframes for multiple animations on that one track.

It really doesn't make any difference whatsoever...

[Muffinmix]

Okay, so, that clears up a lot of stuff.
I turned off Animation mode and then exported the .DSQ, and got this:

Should I have exported the DSQ while in animation mode?

No, always lleave animation mode when exporting/saving.

Just to clear something up, when I am making a seperate animation for a different function, do I clear all of the old animation's frames and make a new animation, but with the same model/joints?

I don't think you need to, however I believe you have to remove all the extra animation sequences when you go to export them individually. I don't think you need to remove all your keyframes and start back from scratch if you already have all your animations done, you just need to export each sequence individually.

[JD]

Ohhh, okay. That totally clears it up ;D
I'll start working on it again tomorrow, and if it comes out well enough, you'll all be seeing a new release.