My Milkshape animations are stopping?
by Todd Johnson · in Artist Corner · 12/19/2004 (11:10 am) · 12 replies
When I view my threads in the show model, they play just fine. But when I play an animation in my game it only does it about 10% of the time. It's like it's stuck on the root animation. When I first start out running, it will play the run animation, but if I stop, jump, side step, etc and then run again I don't do any animations. Anyone know why?
#2
It's like 15 bucks or something but it does a cool job with animation in milkshape.
I know that's not really an answer but at least it's an alternative.
12/27/2004 (11:45 am)
You might want to check out CharacterFXIt's like 15 bucks or something but it does a cool job with animation in milkshape.
I know that's not really an answer but at least it's an alternative.
#3
12/27/2004 (3:44 pm)
@Charlie: When you reimport the CFX animated MS3D object, do you lose the vertex weighting of the skeleton, or is it still carried through back to MS3D?
#4
12/27/2004 (4:45 pm)
Thanks but I dont think thats going to help me. Is there some kind of nodes I might not possibly be adding? My animations only play some of the time.
#5
12/27/2004 (4:46 pm)
And I think I should say that all of them start but very few of them finish (animations that is).
#6
12/28/2004 (8:06 pm)
Todd, could you explain wich animations aren't playing? I mean are they animations that run through the script or are they the ones used for the default player? like run, idle, death, etc..
#7
The same goes for my jump. I go in the air but it rarely plays the jump animation. Most of the time it attempts to do the aniamtion but resets. Same goes for my wave animation and all my others. Anyone know why?
12/29/2004 (7:10 pm)
I'd love to explain. I'm having this problem with both script and regular threads. My run animation works like 10% of the time. I'll run one direction and I will do the run animation over and over. If I turn however, it looks like I'm doing the root node and that I'm sliding.The same goes for my jump. I go in the air but it rarely plays the jump animation. Most of the time it attempts to do the aniamtion but resets. Same goes for my wave animation and all my others. Anyone know why?
#8
if im not mistaken the name for the run animation in Torque is 'run' so your animation would need to be the same.
As far as your scripted animations are going, I would need to know how your calling them and how your telling them to stop.
You may want to read through the mikshape exporter docs to make sure that your not missing anything like root node and all that.
Also this thread has the most current exporter with some changes listed at the bottom of the thread
www.garagegames.com/index.php?sec=mg&mod=resource&page=view&qid=5894
12/29/2004 (8:34 pm)
Are you naming your animations exactly the same way the appear in torque? I know at one time that the animations needed to be named the same to be exported and run correctly.if im not mistaken the name for the run animation in Torque is 'run' so your animation would need to be the same.
As far as your scripted animations are going, I would need to know how your calling them and how your telling them to stop.
You may want to read through the mikshape exporter docs to make sure that your not missing anything like root node and all that.
Also this thread has the most current exporter with some changes listed at the bottom of the thread
www.garagegames.com/index.php?sec=mg&mod=resource&page=view&qid=5894
#9
Would you like to see the DTS? You will be able to see the animations in the show tool. And if you bring them in game, you'll see what I'm talking about. Thanks!
12/30/2004 (3:39 am)
My animations are the same as those done in Ken's 3D book. My animations are named correctly. For those specials ones (that aren't run, jump etc) I use %this.setActionThread("pickup") for example. You can tell the code is calling the animations but it only goes for a split seconds and then the animation stops and I slide around.Would you like to see the DTS? You will be able to see the animations in the show tool. And if you bring them in game, you'll see what I'm talking about. Thanks!
#11
To begin:
1. The order of the animations stored within the shape is not in usual order. Seq #1= pickup, this is normally the Root animation and what the engine is expecting to see[I think...]. I'm not sure how you've coded things...
2. The reason perhaps why animations are stopping during typically continous running times, ie. run, back, side, they need to be exported as cyclic; in this shape, both back and side are NOT. This is why they play only once and stop.
3. As to the 'sliding'???: none of the sequences have been exported with a ground transform...none. I think the engine is having a hard time figuring out where to place the player shape??
4. Also; none of the sequences have been exported with the BLEND flags setup...and these would be the look and head types...this will lead to strange behavior in the desired holding of weapons and switching body positions, up/down & side/side.
I hope some of these observations help you with your shape, the player shape is the most difficult to setup for desired results. Keep at it, you're doing pretty well. I wonder which Milkshape3d exporter your're using??? I would recommend the Chris Robertson version[DTSPlus!], it is the best, imho! Good luck.
Rex
PS-I've gone and tried to do some dsq's; but I keep forgetting that singlly assigned objects to only one bone won't validate, at least via ms3d...that might not be coming across correctly. In other words, I got dsq's to export but the sequence didn't animate any mesh that had all it's verts assigned to ONLY one bone. So, you'll either have to embed all sequences in the shape[as you did...] or if you want to cull unneeded bones out, you'll have to produce individual dsq's and make sure to have at least one vert assigned to another bone. That will give 'psuedo' skinning, I think. Whew, now that makes more sense, but a longer route.
I'm noticing also a node named Root twice, is it possible for you to let me see the original source? Some meshes are attached to one, and others to a child of the other Root node?? And the mount nodes aren't attached to the body, which may cause weapons attached to 'hang' in mid air when the player bends forward?? Unless it is intended??
12/30/2004 (5:05 am)
Hello, Todd. I've taken a look at your player.dts file provided [in my new ShowTool Pro, ;)], and it has given me a lot of information about what may be happening to your player shape.To begin:
1. The order of the animations stored within the shape is not in usual order. Seq #1= pickup, this is normally the Root animation and what the engine is expecting to see[I think...]. I'm not sure how you've coded things...
2. The reason perhaps why animations are stopping during typically continous running times, ie. run, back, side, they need to be exported as cyclic; in this shape, both back and side are NOT. This is why they play only once and stop.
3. As to the 'sliding'???: none of the sequences have been exported with a ground transform...none. I think the engine is having a hard time figuring out where to place the player shape??
4. Also; none of the sequences have been exported with the BLEND flags setup...and these would be the look and head types...this will lead to strange behavior in the desired holding of weapons and switching body positions, up/down & side/side.
I hope some of these observations help you with your shape, the player shape is the most difficult to setup for desired results. Keep at it, you're doing pretty well. I wonder which Milkshape3d exporter your're using??? I would recommend the Chris Robertson version[DTSPlus!], it is the best, imho! Good luck.
Rex
PS-I've gone and tried to do some dsq's; but I keep forgetting that singlly assigned objects to only one bone won't validate, at least via ms3d...that might not be coming across correctly. In other words, I got dsq's to export but the sequence didn't animate any mesh that had all it's verts assigned to ONLY one bone. So, you'll either have to embed all sequences in the shape[as you did...] or if you want to cull unneeded bones out, you'll have to produce individual dsq's and make sure to have at least one vert assigned to another bone. That will give 'psuedo' skinning, I think. Whew, now that makes more sense, but a longer route.
I'm noticing also a node named Root twice, is it possible for you to let me see the original source? Some meshes are attached to one, and others to a child of the other Root node?? And the mount nodes aren't attached to the body, which may cause weapons attached to 'hang' in mid air when the player bends forward?? Unless it is intended??
#12
Rex
12/30/2004 (3:24 pm)
I took the liberty and did up a quick character based on the sequences in the dts shape...:) I compiled it into a player shape if you'd like to take a look. The side animation didn't move except up/down, so there was no ground transform applied to it...ie, he may slide, and I don't have a single death sequence scripted into any test bench I have, so I didn't really drop it in as a character[didn't want risk a crash!] and I applied no triggers to the foot puffs...but it should be a better representation of the bot you made. Email me if you'd like a copy, or ask here....! The 2 root nodes threw me, but it's pretty close to what you might have had in milkfarm...I've even moved it into gSpace and am assembling it via Link IK object...which is producing a skeletal rig with each object I click on next! Talk about speedy...just need to jizzle with the DOF's...Rex
Torque Owner Todd Johnson