Author Topic: custom animations for creature models?  (Read 387 times)

Legacy_ZugothNDeadly

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 174
  • Karma: +0/-0
custom animations for creature models?
« on: June 08, 2014, 06:22:27 am »


               

are you able to create entirely new animations instead of using the old animations, or do you have to use the old animations?


 


i use 3ds max for animation & modeling



               
               

               
            

Legacy_Killmonger

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 349
  • Karma: +0/-0
custom animations for creature models?
« Reply #1 on: June 08, 2014, 07:40:23 am »


               

New animations can be created upon new phenotypes. It can be quite a process.


See the work by NinjaweaselMan, Ragnarok and Vaei <more> Also Barrel/carpet phenotypes, climbing and horses too.


Creature animations (Large and small) are much more limited. There are "F" model types but they too are limited by inheritance, like a PC. Some animations are looping and some are "fire and forget", both can be initiated through scripted events...


 


Because of the "Great and Benign Creators", <pause> ....


 


the game was expanded to allow for 20 additional custom animations (per phenotype) but they follow a strict nomenclature which splits the animation into a "start" "middle" and "end". All of them can be triggered by varying scripted functions but at present there remains a "stutter" when switching phenotypes. There is an upper limit of 100 (?) phenotypes available to the engine.


 


Nwn presents many user modifiable attributes that few games since have dared allow.


 


Does that pique your appetite? 



               
               

               
            

Legacy_ZugothNDeadly

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 174
  • Karma: +0/-0
custom animations for creature models?
« Reply #2 on: June 08, 2014, 08:57:42 am »


               


New animations can be created upon new phenotypes. It can be quite a process.


See the work by NinjaweaselMan, Ragnarok and Vaei <more> Also Barrel/carpet phenotypes, climbing and horses too.


Creature animations (Large and small) are much more limited. There are "F" model types but they too are limited by inheritance, like a PC. Some animations are looping and some are "fire and forget", both can be initiated through scripted events...


 


Because of the "Great and Benign Creators", <pause> ....


 


the game was expanded to allow for 20 additional custom animations (per phenotype) but they follow a strict nomenclature which splits the animation into a "start" "middle" and "end". All of them can be triggered by varying scripted functions but at present there remains a "stutter" when switching phenotypes. There is an upper limit of 100 (?) phenotypes available to the engine.


 


Nwn presents many user modifiable attributes that few games since have dared allow.


 


Does that pique your appetite? 




what about replacing the existing animations with new ones


ex. replacing the existing animation of ccwalkf- (Combat Walk Forward) with an entirely new animation


               
               

               
            

Legacy_Proleric

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1750
  • Karma: +0/-0
custom animations for creature models?
« Reply #3 on: June 08, 2014, 10:16:58 am »


               That's easy, once you have the new animation. Using a text editor, you replace the entire section for ccwalkf with your new code, ensuring that the new animation is called ccwalkf throughout. That's how I did the limping animation at the start of this video:



You don't have to replace the animation for all creatures, just for one phenotype if you like.

The hard part is making the animation. I just renamed an existing Bioware animation that isn't normally accessible, but making new animations from scratch requires considerable expertise, as already mentioned.
               
               

               
            

Legacy_OldMansBeard

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 245
  • Karma: +0/-0
custom animations for creature models?
« Reply #4 on: June 08, 2014, 10:24:32 am »


               


...

 but at present there remains a "stutter" when switching phenotypes.


...




 


That stutter can be fixed. In the phenotype models, set the orientations of the bones to be the same as their orientationkeys at the start of the pause1 animation.



               
               

               
            

Legacy_NWN_baba yaga

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1944
  • Karma: +0/-0
custom animations for creature models?
« Reply #5 on: June 08, 2014, 12:29:43 pm »


               

the name ccwalk implies you want to replace some "creature" animation and not a phenotype so just import the creature with no animations, animate your model and attach your animation just by adding the frame count and numbers with the name ccwalkf in the animation bar in the model menu and export your creature with the single animation under a different name. That is important to name it different! To see if the complete animation is correctly attached to your model just click on the name ccwalkf when finished and play it!


 


Now import the original creature with animations and delete the ccwalkf animation completely (you can rename it too but that is just an unneeded animation then...) and export! Import the creature again with animations and use the animation mapper to import only the new ccwalkf animation. That should do it! Not sure if you need to export it again when you deleted the anim. but i did it always to make sure nothing unwanted is still somewhere in the scene. Some things seems to be stored and gets buggy when you mess around to much with models and dont export them with the changes you made. Thats just a hint for the future '<img'>


 


The animation tools are very cool and if you seriously want to start modding this stuff it´s a thing you will need a lot for creature animations.


 


There is maybe a faster way but that here will work without any bug '<img'> if it doesnt makes sense, dont ask me why... it just works!


 


And you can do EVERYTHING with Nwn if you know how to. I think the own imagination is the only boundary one can have when it comes to mod this game '<img'>