Exporting Character with objects

#1 The most common reasons I've found when animations don't load is that there are nodes in the DSQ that don't exist in the DTS. In showtool hit the ~ key to bring up the console, it should show you an error message after you load the animation.

To fix it make sure you export your model and your animation files with the same cfg file.

#2 Thanks you for you reply Magnus, but I have only a dts file, this include the animation sequence in the same dts file. I think that if I create keys for the bicycle can fix the problem.
I will try this and I will post the results.

Greetings and thanks you again.

#3 Have you created a sequence object? (just making sure it's not just something simple that's going wrong).

In either case, let me know how it goes.

#4 Hi Magnus.
Yes, I've created a sequence object and in the trackview I've created the start key and end key. the last time what I've trying the animation was exported fine, but I can't view the character and the bicycle in the viewport of the showtool, it is totally inverse to the others tests that I did.

However, the objects is here, in the pop-up objets menu of the showtool both, character and bicycle is in the list.

I don't know how to test anymore, if I export only the character it's exported fine and the animation works, if only the bicycle, it's exported fine too.

Why don't work if I export the character and bicycle together?

Greetings and thanks in advance.

#5 Then I don't quite know what might be wrong I'm afraid.
Maybe you can't mix several (skinned) objects? I have no idea.

#6 The problem might be that you have two separate "bone" structures, and the dts format can only recognize one at once (I don't know if this is true). If you have two different trees, you might try linking one to the other so that there's only one.

#7 Hi again, sorry I hadn't time to reply before. Well, I've only one bones structure and one skinned object in the scene, the character is skinned, and the squeletal is a bip of Character studio, the bicycle is a free object that I exported with theirs necessary helpers for export it to a dts files.
This objects for separated I can export them fine, but when I export both at the same time in a dts file, in the showtool appears the nodes hierarchy and the animation work fine, both, character and bicycle appears in the pop-up menu but in the viewport not.

See the image and take a look to the model:


Greetings and thanks for yours replies.

#8 So you mean the animation loads, but not the actual meshes? (I noted that it says "Detail Polys: 0").
This usually mean you have something wrong with you detail markers, I can't load the max file I'm afraid otherwise I would have taken a look for you. (I'm assuming your use max7? I haven't gotten around to upgrade from 6 yet).

#9 Magnus I've two detail markers, take a look:

#10 Take a look here too, the developer is asking about our problems too (only for owners).

#11 There's several problems I can see here.

1) You have, as Jeff Gran said, two separate "bone structures". EVERYTHING have to be linked to a single "base" node. (just linking your biped to the start01 node should work, I think).

2) The detail markers should have no space in their name. They should be named detail2, detail4, etc.

3) What you've done here will probably work, but not quite as expected. You probably only want ONE detail marker. The way you've done it now will show only the character when you have the lod set to 2 and only the bike when set to 4. Create only one marker for both the character and the bike and then give both the meshes the same number. (detail2, bike2 and character2 for example).

#12

Quote:Take a look here too, the developer is asking about our problems too (only for owners).

Don't own the engine, so I can't look there.

#13 I've tested as you said me, the result is the character can be saw in the viewport, but the bicycle not. The animation sequences work fine.

#14 I didn't quite understand the last post, do you see the bike now but not the character?
Did you make sure there's only one detail marker?
What happen if you click "detail levels" in showtool and drag the slider?

#15 @Magnus: I've tried to explain me better, take a look:

Quote:
I've tested as you said me, the result is the character can be saw in the viewport, but the bicycle not. The animation sequences work fine.

And here you're the answers of @Martin "Founder" Hoover at developer thread.

Quote:
@Martin said:
Well, looking over your models I am assuming the bicycle rider is using the "skin" modifier and is a deformable mesh for the animations, but seperate non-deforming meshes are used for the bicycle.

These two can actually be combined fairly easy. I would recommend merging the bicycle into the rider scene. Now you can seperate the animations out into dsq's but it would probably be easier to include them in the main scene.

The linking will be the main thing that needs attention. all of the bicycle parts can be linked under the main "start" or "base" or whatever your root dummy (node) is named as they normally would for a dts. And the rider mesh will need to be unlinked from any nodes as a "skin" mesh should be. Now I have not been able to mix shapes that use multires and shapes that don't. (Keep in mind that I only have max 5.2 so I can't test it on max7) So I would suggest either having all of your shapes use multires, or none of them (if you don't use multires, be sure and assign a detail number to the riders "skin" mesh.)

On occasion the exporter (for max5) has trouble detecting animated meshes for animations that are only 2 or 3 frames. If some or all of your animations don't actually make anything move, I suggest increasing the frame length of the sequence, then go through and add more key frames for everything that's being moved.

After looking at your screen capture, I see that the bicycle is just one mesh, is it also a "skin" mesh? If it is, you could consider combining it with the riders mesh (which might be hard to do), or breaking it up it into normal non deformed meshes.

#16 Okay, but what happens if you try to change the detail levels slider in showtool? And what were your reply to Martins questions?

The skinned mesh should not be linked to anything, but it's skeleton (that is the Biped) have to be linked to the "base" node somehow. (I'm not sure if it's best to link it to start01 or base01).

I haven't tried to export both skinned and non-skinned meshes together so maybe it's simply not possible.

#17 I linked to the both nodes (start01 and base01) and it's not possible to see any changes.

Here are the questions posted to @Martin:

Quote:
@Martin said:
For you, the best method might be to combine your player model with the bicycle model, then you would only have 1 animation to play. Instead of mounting the player to the bicycle, you would setControl of the client to the vehicle 9Or use an AIVehicle).

@Juan Luis said:
Hi again @Martin, sorry if i'm so clumsy.

So, we take atention of your advice and now we're trying to export player and bicycle together.
Do you know why?

@Martin said:
It should be possible, but the scene probably needs to be setup properly.

If you are using 3DSMax I can help, however I don't have or use other modelers.

Are you using 3ds Max?


@Juan Luis said:
Oh, yes @Martin, we're using 3DSMax 7.


@Martin said:
Well, looking over your models I am assuming the bicycle rider is using the "skin" modifier and is a deformable mesh for the animations, but seperate non-deforming meshes are used for the bicycle.

These two can actually be combined fairly easy. I would recommend merging the bicycle into the rider scene. Now you can seperate the animations out into dsq's but it would probably be easier to include them in the main scene.

The linking will be the main thing that needs attention. all of the bicycle parts can be linked under the main "start" or "base" or whatever your root dummy (node) is named as they normally would for a dts. And the rider mesh will need to be unlinked from any nodes as a "skin" mesh should be. Now I have not been able to mix shapes that use multires and shapes that don't. (Keep in mind that I only have max 5.2 so I can't test it on max7) So I would suggest either having all of your shapes use multires, or none of them (if you don't use multires, be sure and assign a detail number to the riders "skin" mesh.)

On occasion the exporter (for max5) has trouble detecting animated meshes for animations that are only 2 or 3 frames. If some or all of your animations don't actually make anything move, I suggest increasing the frame length of the sequence, then go through and add more key frames for everything that's being moved.

After looking at your screen capture, I see that the bicycle is just one mesh, is it also a "skin" mesh? If it is, you could consider combining it with the riders mesh (which might be hard to do), or breaking it up it into normal non deformed meshes.

#18 Hm. Well, you must be doing something wrong. (My guess is still the detail markers). Can you post a new image of your schematic view?

I just tried to add a static object to one of my files with a skinned mesh and it exported and showed up in showtool just fine.

#19 Hurreeeyyyy Magnus, it works fine, really I was doing something wrong. Following the steps you said me, it's ok.


I was putting wrong the joins of the detail marker, it was linked to bip01, I've linked to start01 and also as you said me, I've linked bip01 to base01 and ready.

Thanks you for your replies and your time, ;)

Very nice !!

#20 Great!
No problem at all. I'm glad you got it working.