DSQ Tweaker
BrokeAss Games
DSQTweaker is a tool that allows you to view and edit Torque animation files. For the first time ever, developers can directly edit the final Torque animation output, the .DSQ file. The original animation source files are not required. No longer must you learn a new pipeline, to simply edit (or tweak) animation files in your project.
DSQTweaker is a tool that allows you to view and edit Torque animation files. For the first time ever, developers can directly edit the final Torque animation output, the .DSQ file. The original animation source files are not required. No longer must you learn a new pipeline, to simply edit (or tweak) animation files in your project.
DSQTweaker was designed to streamline your Torque animation production pipeline by allowing for easy troubleshooting and editing when assets “just don’t work right”. Purchasing animated 3rd-party art assets be a timesaver, but can often lead to frustration, as each pack's content library is generated differently. Now, you can spend your precious development hours on more important matters, not wasting time tracking down “which build” of “which application” assets were created in - and then learning the pipeline, simply to make a minor adjustment to the animation sequence.
In the past, a developer’s only options were to use animated content “as-is”, or learn the pipeline of choice of the original artist. It can be extremely difficult to incorporate someone else’s animated assets into your production pipeline, especially at a later date. Keeping things 'on track' becomes nearly impossible. Further complications arise when an original content creator no longer supports a product...what is the indie developer to do?
DSQTweaker to the rescue!
Not only does it parse and report all pertinent data from a DTS or DSQ, DSQTweaker also comes with some handy editing tools that can fine tune your DSQ files. No source required, DSQTweaker takes care of the basic editing needed to finish the Production run.
Using DSQTweaker is quick and easy. Often, it can answer your questions simply by opening a .DTS shape file and comparing it to your DSQ library. It will automatically report conflicts in the node structure of a sequence versus the hierarchy contained in the shape file. This problem-solving functionality alone is worth the cost in the amount of time it will save you creating your own animated assets.
DSQTweaker utilizes a standard Windows container with a simple “Menu Bar, Tabs, and Entry Fields” interface to Load, Play and Edit your Torque animations. There are customizable Preferences/Options for file management and bone rendering in 3D space. Modify the visualization for your Hierarchy nodes with user-created graphic files.
Start using DSQTweaker today and get your animation pipeline back on track!
DSQTweaker was designed to streamline your Torque animation production pipeline by allowing for easy troubleshooting and editing when assets “just don’t work right”. Purchasing animated 3rd-party art assets be a timesaver, but can often lead to frustration, as each pack's content library is generated differently. Now, you can spend your precious development hours on more important matters, not wasting time tracking down “which build” of “which application” assets were created in - and then learning the pipeline, simply to make a minor adjustment to the animation sequence.
In the past, a developer’s only options were to use animated content “as-is”, or learn the pipeline of choice of the original artist. It can be extremely difficult to incorporate someone else’s animated assets into your production pipeline, especially at a later date. Keeping things 'on track' becomes nearly impossible. Further complications arise when an original content creator no longer supports a product...what is the indie developer to do?
DSQTweaker to the rescue!
Not only does it parse and report all pertinent data from a DTS or DSQ, DSQTweaker also comes with some handy editing tools that can fine tune your DSQ files. No source required, DSQTweaker takes care of the basic editing needed to finish the Production run.
Using DSQTweaker is quick and easy. Often, it can answer your questions simply by opening a .DTS shape file and comparing it to your DSQ library. It will automatically report conflicts in the node structure of a sequence versus the hierarchy contained in the shape file. This problem-solving functionality alone is worth the cost in the amount of time it will save you creating your own animated assets.
DSQTweaker utilizes a standard Windows container with a simple “Menu Bar, Tabs, and Entry Fields” interface to Load, Play and Edit your Torque animations. There are customizable Preferences/Options for file management and bone rendering in 3D space. Modify the visualization for your Hierarchy nodes with user-created graphic files.
Start using DSQTweaker today and get your animation pipeline back on track!
Hierarchy Data Viewing:
Being able to view an entire DTS shape's hierarchy and all the data in a node is an indispensable part of the Animation Asset creation process. DSQTweaker lists a node's index#, parent, number of children, and default transforms.
Full Error Reporting:
DSQTweaker runs a full check through the entire DSQ node list, not stopping on the first Error; rather collecting all the Errors and then adding the findings to the Report, viewable from a convenient drop down Menu.
Hierarchal Cross-checking:
DSQTweaker knows that DSQ files need a hierarchy to load into (and vice versa) and will open the browse dialog in the root folder for the appropriate file type (DTS or DSQ), if the types are stored together.
Sequence Data Dump to external file:
Obtain a text based report of the DSQ file's transform data. Data on both the node's keyframes and the Sequence flags is recorded in the human readable .TXT or .HTML formats, externally.
Supports Blend and Non-Blend Sequences:
When you open a blend .DSQ, like “look”, “head”, or “headside”, DSQTweaker will prompt you to select a reference frame first. This allows you to see the blend animation as intended and then edit the sequence using all of the program’s functionality.
Keyframe Editing:
Each node's keyframe data is listed in a hierarchy treeview. With v1.0 release, existing keyframe Rotation data is editable on a per node/per frame basis. Either the node treeview or the 3D viewport can be used to make edits.
Ground Transform Editing:
Getting triggers to function properly, as well as other default engine code, require working ground transforms. DSQTweaker can add, delete, and edit ground transforms directly in the DSQ file.
Trigger Editing:
Triggers activate certain special effects in the engine. Footstep, footpuff, and footprint effects need triggers embedded within the sequence to work properly at runtime and DSQTweaker can add, delete, and edit all the trigger parameters.
Frame Count Editing:
Use the crop dialog to remove entire sets of frames from either end, or the middle, of the sequence timeline.
Multiple Time Formats Readouts:
The timeline is configurable to toggle between frames, time (seconds), and 0/1.0.
Duration/FPS Editing:
DSQTweaker edits the overall length of a sequence (in seconds) by one of two methods; either changing the duration or the FPS.
Priority Editing:
When nodes conflict in two running sequences, Priority takes precedence and DSQTweaker allows for editing this parameter.
Cycle Editing:
Make a sequence run continuously, or not, with this editable checkbox parameter.
Help Tip Popups:
It's frustrating not knowing the purpose of all the buttons and fields in a new program. DSQTweaker includes a complete popup Help system. Simply click on the (?) icon and then click the item in question to receive a brief explanation.
Scalable Intuitiveness:
DSQTweaker can be very helpful to new Torque animators, with contextual messages integrated into the program’s operation. When a user becomes more familiar with the system, they can scale back the amount of messages with a simple dropdown interface.
Being able to view an entire DTS shape's hierarchy and all the data in a node is an indispensable part of the Animation Asset creation process. DSQTweaker lists a node's index#, parent, number of children, and default transforms.
Full Error Reporting:
DSQTweaker runs a full check through the entire DSQ node list, not stopping on the first Error; rather collecting all the Errors and then adding the findings to the Report, viewable from a convenient drop down Menu.
Hierarchal Cross-checking:
DSQTweaker knows that DSQ files need a hierarchy to load into (and vice versa) and will open the browse dialog in the root folder for the appropriate file type (DTS or DSQ), if the types are stored together.
Sequence Data Dump to external file:
Obtain a text based report of the DSQ file's transform data. Data on both the node's keyframes and the Sequence flags is recorded in the human readable .TXT or .HTML formats, externally.
Supports Blend and Non-Blend Sequences:
When you open a blend .DSQ, like “look”, “head”, or “headside”, DSQTweaker will prompt you to select a reference frame first. This allows you to see the blend animation as intended and then edit the sequence using all of the program’s functionality.
Keyframe Editing:
Each node's keyframe data is listed in a hierarchy treeview. With v1.0 release, existing keyframe Rotation data is editable on a per node/per frame basis. Either the node treeview or the 3D viewport can be used to make edits.
Ground Transform Editing:
Getting triggers to function properly, as well as other default engine code, require working ground transforms. DSQTweaker can add, delete, and edit ground transforms directly in the DSQ file.
Trigger Editing:
Triggers activate certain special effects in the engine. Footstep, footpuff, and footprint effects need triggers embedded within the sequence to work properly at runtime and DSQTweaker can add, delete, and edit all the trigger parameters.
Frame Count Editing:
Use the crop dialog to remove entire sets of frames from either end, or the middle, of the sequence timeline.
Multiple Time Formats Readouts:
The timeline is configurable to toggle between frames, time (seconds), and 0/1.0.
Duration/FPS Editing:
DSQTweaker edits the overall length of a sequence (in seconds) by one of two methods; either changing the duration or the FPS.
Priority Editing:
When nodes conflict in two running sequences, Priority takes precedence and DSQTweaker allows for editing this parameter.
Cycle Editing:
Make a sequence run continuously, or not, with this editable checkbox parameter.
Help Tip Popups:
It's frustrating not knowing the purpose of all the buttons and fields in a new program. DSQTweaker includes a complete popup Help system. Simply click on the (?) icon and then click the item in question to receive a brief explanation.
Scalable Intuitiveness:
DSQTweaker can be very helpful to new Torque animators, with contextual messages integrated into the program’s operation. When a user becomes more familiar with the system, they can scale back the amount of messages with a simple dropdown interface.
Windows2k, Windows XP or Windows Vista
DirectX 9
512mb RAM
Nvidia geForce 6xxx+ (or compatible graphics card)
DirectX 9
512mb RAM
Nvidia geForce 6xxx+ (or compatible graphics card)
