Arma 2 Sample Skeleton Custom Animations

[SammVarnish 1]

Are you able to import the skeleton into something like Maya or 3DS and animate it? This would create a much better workflow than using Oxygen2 for me. Or is it impossible, and I just gotta suck it up?

[PuFu 4591]

Yes, it is possible to import the skeleton provided in the sample and create a rig based on that. You can import maya animation file back in o2, as long as the animation curves are set to linear (and not the default, for both max and maya - ease in/out).

[SammVarnish 1]

Yes, it is possible to import the skeleton provided in the sample and create a rig based on that. You can import maya animation file back in o2, as long as the animation curves are set to linear (and not the default, for both max and maya - ease in/out).

Oh that is very interesting. Do you know of any tutorials to get that import/export set up?

[PuFu 4591]

there is no such thing

[SammVarnish 1]

there is no such thing

Okay well, would you accept money through some form like Paypal and help me get a workflow set up?

[welcome to hell 23]

Yes, it is possible to import the skeleton provided in the sample and create a rig based on that. You can import maya animation file back in o2, as long as the animation curves are set to linear (and not the default, for both max and maya - ease in/out).

Will try to do that. Is there any reference on bone structure grouping hierarchy? I assume it is berried in some header file.

[Sealife 22]

Will try to do that. Is there any reference on bone structure grouping hierarchy? I assume it is berried in some header file.

In the Model.cfg there is the Bone Structure. of the sample models and in the Edit lod is the skeleton . guess good thing to make armature from is the edit 1.0 LOD.

[welcome to hell 23]

Thanks that was too obvious. Will give rigging this a shot!

[PuFu 4591]

things are as follows:

The options:

1. importing the BVH file.

2. importing ASF file.

Neither max or maya export those files natively (or via any sort of plug-ins). That said, MotioBuilder does export both. So some sort of workflow between any of those is recommended. (i haven't tested it).

3. using teacup A1 rtm plug for Maya - the rig is decent, but needs an upgrade towards A2 bones, the export used to work for A1. There are no tuts for it, but there is a description for the OFP version. It is available on the wiki and armaholics.

4. figuring out what the hell is with bianm file. I have tried using it several times myself without results. It is NOT maya native .anim file, nor any other stuff. My guess it is a format written by BIS (Bohemia Interactive AN i M file).

5. Waiting for "someone" to have the time and mood to finish the CAT and BIP rig for Max and then bug his mate to finish the rtm exporter that would fit with a certain max toolset - last resort, especially considering A3 timeframe.

6. There are rumors concerning some sort of plug for modo in the works. Don't quote me on it though.

AFAIK, Smookie was using a modified version of teacups scripts. Again, not confirmed, he sort of kept his workflow to himself. He might be willing to share it nowadays though.

Edited August 11, 2012 by PuFu

[Sealife 22]

Hi i am not qualified to really add at this point but i think maybe its possible also to in addition

1. importing the BVH file.

2. importing ASF file.

3. export .3ds and import to o2 All frames button to be clicked.

[PuFu 4591]

although i haven't tried it, and 3ds should save basic animations and keyframes (linear ones, rotation, movement and scale), i doubt it really does. 3ds is a legacy format, so i actually never used in the last 6-7 years. Might be worth giving it a try.

EDIT:

i just gave it a try, and amazingly, it does work. I wasn't expecting that at all. Good catch Thromp

[SammVarnish 1]

although i haven't tried it, and 3ds should save basic animations and keyframes (linear ones, rotation, movement and scale), i doubt it really does. 3ds is a legacy format, so i actually never used in the last 6-7 years. Might be worth giving it a try.

EDIT:

i just gave it a try, and amazingly, it does work. I wasn't expecting that at all. Good catch Thromp

So the edit lod does work? I am getting confused by this conversation you two had.

[PuFu 4591]

edit lod? please rephrase

[SammVarnish 1]

edit lod? please rephrase

I don't know, all I wanted to know was to import the arma 2 sample into Maya so I could rig and then animate. Getting confused by what you guys are talking about.

[PuFu 4591]

you don't know what you meant in previous post? way to go.

and i've told you before, yes that is possible to get the samples in Maya, then rig it based on the bones structure available, following the inheritance, and animate it. You can get the animation back in O2 using any of the methods described above.

where is the confusion?

[welcome to hell 23]

I am now rigging the 1.0 lod of the male.p3d in max. It is painfully time consuming renaming all of the objects converting them to bones, eyeballing the pivots, linking the hierarchy of model.cfg.

Another way of going about it would be to creating from scratch max bone's that follow the hierarchy and scale. Because setting pivots manually might offset the animation after it is exported.

[SammVarnish 1]

you don't know what you meant in previous post? way to go.

and i've told you before, yes that is possible to get the samples in Maya, then rig it based on the bones structure available, following the inheritance, and animate it. You can get the animation back in O2 using any of the methods described above.

where is the confusion?

Thanks for piecing it, it was all just sort of jumbled. Thanks for the information. :)

[PuFu 4591]

Another way of going about it would be to creating from scratch max bone's that follow the hierarchy and scale. Because setting pivots manually might offset the animation after it is exported.

This exactly what you should be doing. You can do that using bones (like BI did), bipeds as well as CAT. I know it worked for me. That said, i for one would wait for A3 before i finish my own rigs.

Thanks for piecing it, it was all just sort of jumbled. Thanks for the information. :)

you're welcome. Hope it helps

[SammVarnish 1]

This exactly what you should be doing. You can do that using bones (like BI did), bipeds as well as CAT. I know it worked for me. That said, i for one would wait for A3 before i finish my own rigs.

you're welcome. Hope it helps

So what Hell is saying is that he creates his own bone structure? Like:

Import BI sample > form bone family from 3DS > Copy each coordinate and rotation for bones as the sample > Finished?

[welcome to hell 23]

Unfortunately it is not as simple as that. Coordinates are off by a factor of about 100 in terms of scale. I have done that, changed editable mesh to bone objects and set pivot/grouping manually, imported test vertex animation in 02 via 3ds. Amazingly it worked except for named selections being messed up which prevented it to being saved as .rtm correctly and therefore not usable ingame. If anyone had better luck with this method let me know!

The optimal way to do it is as pufu said. Create a skeleton from scratch in max (so that it follows model.cfg hierarchy and O2 scale) rig it with IK/controls, send it to motion builder. Configure it / create your animation in motionbuilder than export that to 02, than save it as .rtm.

Which is not really worth the hassle with the A3 timeframe unless you have a ton of spare time on your hands.

[Sealife 22]

Amazingly it worked except for named selections being messed up which prevented it to being saved as .rtm correctly and therefore not usable ingame

Interested in the above , could you explain a little more detail please.

[mondkalb 1087]

The ideal way to go involves .fbx files and Motionbuilder. At least it's the established workflow I am using. If I'm not completely mistaken, 3dsmax does export .fbx. After that it is just down to motionbuilder work to either apply motion capture source data or keyframe the motion by hand. (Bezier Clamp will be your personal favourite, I guarantee)

After the motion has been completed and matched to in/out keyframes, the animation is exported as .fbx file and then converted to .rtm in a different tools.

However there are no released Arma2 .fbx example files, so you will have to rig the sample character on your own. You can use the Arma1 skeleton if you have to, it will work as it only differs in unimportant bones from the Arma2 skeleton.

First-step problems with the rigging usually involve missing hips selection (at least when characterizing the Soldier model), as our skeleton only has a "pelvis" selection.

So, if you can go with Motionbuilder, do it. Creating animations in MoBu is so much easier and faster.

This one for example only took me 5 mins in total. :cool:

[Sealife 22]

This one for example only took me 5 mins in total

Hmm not convinced $ vs Output there , Please show better example than static Animation that can be replicate in one single tool Like O2 or Ofp anim lol :)

do you have any complex Animations using the MOBU pls ?

[PuFu 4591]

@Mondkalb:

I guess the point of this thread is importing animation from whatever software (it doesn't matter all that much witch one, especially within autodesk branded ones in this case), WITHOUT using unreleased tools (or released only for VBS2), and other software where normal users don't have access to. If i had the time i would try to move my current max rig to motionbuilder and try the BVH approach.

as a side note, do you know what that .bianm file is suppose to be

Edited August 16, 2012 by PuFu

[welcome to hell 23]

Sending a rig to motionbuilder is pretty simple, just use send to function while both applications are open. It preserves bone hierarchy and controls as long as bones are actual bone objects created in max instead of editable_meshes with bone on flag.

Hope to see a sample max rig for max with ArmA 3!