Arma 3 Animation Tutorial: From Blender to Arma 3

[HJohnson 16]

Hello, here is my first contribution to the Arma community.

This tutorial will help you create animations that can properly configured to play in Arma with Blender. This tutorial is an expansion of the tutorial and files written by user DeanosBeano.

This video will explain : how to export the animations properly from blender into a file format (.bvh) than Oxygen can read, how to adjust those animations in oxygen so that they are centered, a brief look at a script to set up the animations and a look at the animation in game.

Now in 720p!

The file I am providing contains the config file with extra descriptions of the defined classes, an Arma 3 Skeleton.p3d with that is ready for .rtm import along with one with the animation featured already loaded in, the animation .rtm file, and the blend file that I used with an animation already there.

'>Files**

A couple things you need to know.

• The first frame must always be 0 and the default "Jesus" pose.
  
• The weapon bone must be seperate from the character body rig, otherwise it will improperly animate itself. I haven't done any launcher animations yet, but it is the same for that bone as well.
  
• You can use this method to make custom hand anims. This requires you to set the maximum frames to 2. 0 being the T-Pose, 1 being the handanim, and 2 being the handanim. In O2 you must change the keyframe names to -.5000, 0.000 and 1.000 respectively.
  
• In order to make the right hand move in this example, you need to use the IKfunctions. I am still documenting those and what they do and will post and update in the future.
  

Any questions or suggestions you can pm me here, or preferably on Google+!

**Now with appropriate licensing!

Edited December 12, 2013 by HJohnson

[odyseus 19]

Oww great stuff! Good job!

[[aps]gnat 28]

Awesome contribution!!

Thanks

[autica 10]

Great tutorial man. Learned a lot.

[shinkicker 5]

Looks like a great contribution.

One suggestion though. Upload at least a 720p version as you cannot see the text (its blurred as the video is low res). Even better add some spoken audio, although if English is not your first language that's understandable.

[mikie boy 18]

havent done modelling in a while and seeing this i may get back into it - nice one - keep it up. Alot of people out there will appreciate it.

[PuFu 4600]

nice one. wish 3ds max could export directly to .bhv, without the need to get it through maya or motionbuilder

:(

[scarecrow398 43]

nice one. wish 3ds max could export directly to .bhv, without the need to get it through maya or motionbuilder

:(

But how else would Autodesk leech money out of companies?

They really need different licences for different applications... freelancers having to pay $3600 for Max is a bit ridiculous.

[PuFu 4600]

But how else would Autodesk leech money out of companies?

They really need different licences for different applications... freelancers having to pay $3600 for Max is a bit ridiculous.

1. while i agree with you to a certain degree, especially considering the fact that adak choose to push the prices even higher on their subscription package (thus i am not willing to upgrade license from 2012), as well as the fact that adobe choose to set a 50$/month subscription for their entire software package, all the similar products by thei competitors (maxin, housini ans lightwave), practice similar prices.

2. opposed to what you think, a proper freelance artist that has projects, can afford the peice of the said software.

3. there are always cheaper alternatives (modo or maya lt) comes to mind.

4. also, adsk has all the software available for non commercial products.

5. they also have a pretty high slice of the market, hence some sense of monopoly

[HJohnson 16]

nice one. wish 3ds max could export directly to .bhv, without the need to get it through maya or motionbuilder

:(

Try Kiory's example.

[PuFu 4600]

Try Kiory's example.

i have seen it. was trying to get a parallel system working, maybe to integrate into SA 3dsmax toolbox.

[kiory 405]

I'll be updating that at some point with FBX in mind, it'll strip out any unnecessary bullshit with the 3DS method.

[LODU 19]

Very helpful !

thanks.

[branzik 109]

Great work is it possible to make yust custom weapon holding anim? Becouse blender is more user friendly then O2.

[RacerX 55]

How does this tutorial apply though to say a airplane if I want to animate say the landing gear? or Rudder? The airplane does not use bones does it? How would I go about doing this?

[x3kj 1247]

animations for non-character vehicles (creatures and humans are class vehicle in arma ^^) are not done by .rtm. The animations for (real) vehicles are defined in their model.cfg - which is simpler to set up and tweak, imo.

In model.cfg you first define a CfgSkeletons class as in, which selection is dependant on another selection.

Then you define a class CfgModels where all the animations are defined. Check out the model.cfg's of the sample models in A3 Tools folder.

[TomNedry 0]

Very helpful, Thx!

[Mattaustt 10]

Can someone please do a tutorial on something that is not already in arma 3. I.E a new animal of which the skeleton isn't already defined for ARMA. I'll provide the relevent Animations and model if required.

I've tried this but for my whale, Imported the skeleton from blender, works a treat in oxygen itself from From keyframe time 0 to 1. Whale is already weight defined and named for the whole body. I have tried a separation skeleton pivot model for it to reference in the model.cfg Each skeleton is defined correctly for parent groups in the model.cfg.

Get all that done and open up buldozer to load the RTM I created in oxygen, and it's all out of whack. It goes inside each other when the whale tries to move, it's half doing it but it's all over the shot (the animation).

I'l be really greatful for a reply. Cheers.

[SAMstudios-3Dartist 45]

Is it possible to import a own custom weapon to the weapon bone so the animation can fit that weapon more.

[Macser 776]

Before I go any further,I have to say I don't have A3.But I do have plenty

of experience with Blender and RTMs.Albeit for the venerable old OFP/CWA.

Is this for using as a reference in Blender?In place of the default example mesh?

If so,it's possible.Just bring it into the scene.And place it relative to the default.

I'm not slamming the methods used in this thread.But if you take the time to

create even a basic rig with some Ik and a few controllers,it'll make the animation

process more accurate and user friendly. :)

Edited October 29, 2014 by Maczer

[warlord554 2065]

Is it possible to import a own custom weapon to the weapon bone so the animation can fit that weapon more.

this is great! I am wondering this same thing. Thx for this tutorial

[Macser 776]

You can export to RTM from Blender in two ways.Either by using Blender's built-in BVH exporter.

Or using Alwarren's Arma toolbox addon.

[SAMstudios-3Dartist 45]

Import of the model works fine but i got distortion (the thing) when the animation is in arma 3. I only trying out a basic " static holding weapon animation"

So can this be the problem. I think I may have used some move on the rollbones in blender. Or is it becuse when you import the animation to O2 from blender the animation is under the "groundlevel".

[Macser 776]

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?170910-ArmaRig-for-Blender

Try out those rigs.One is set up for BVH export.And the other is a simplified version.

They might make the process a bit easier to deal with. :)

[warlord554 2065]

hmmm I added the needed config info into my config, custom reload does not play, just vanilla reload. When I try to write separate config based of your sample it crashes game upon load. Am I missing something? rtm reload anim file is in same location as rtm model.cfg