Animation editor is out!

[USMC Sniper 0]

YESSS! Finally we will be able to make things to hunt, drive by shootings, snipers in helos, doorgunners with M60's that don't have the M2 handle, and others!

[soul_assassin 1750]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (SFG @ Dec. 24 2002,17:29)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Soul_Assassin @ Dec. 24 2002,17:12)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (SFG @ Dec. 24 2002,16:48)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Someone tell us how to use it <span id='postcolor'>

look two pages back  <span id='postcolor'>

I tried that you confused me  <span id='postcolor'>

mission accomplished

@gren

hard since the new tool does not allow "bones and joints" it woul be tedious to make it look good.

[pzvg 0]

USMC, Helicopter mounted M60's are the M60D configuration,

which is a butterfly grip like the M2's, takes about 3 minutes to convert a regular M60 to a D.

Just FYI

<former UH-1 crewchief>

[PiNs_Da_Smoka 0]

This tool is super tedious. This whole slider axis movement thing is.....different....to say the least. If anyone understands Forward Kinematics, which is what it uses, you will understand the tool. I don't have maya, so i guess i will have to try this. But for all you people looking for the next great set of animations, it will take time even for the best animators. Like i said, the tool is quite tedious.. So be patient people, i'm sure plenty will come.

[buggs 0]

Will it be possible to make new movements for troops i.e lean left & right?

[Guest BratZ]

Horses!!! I can't believe horses haven't been mentioned....

We need horses for any pre-ww2 and just to have horses for livestock etc...

Of course they need to be ridable

And we can make new animations for like swordfighting for instance and even fighting maybe even a Bruce Lee character LOL

[mr. Duck 0]

Is it possible to replace the way that the infantry is running in ofp? And instead of being prone and go to left/right, rolling. Plus some more running animations for when you're crouching.

[Sigma-6 29]

You ever tried to roll over wearing full webgear? (haw. . .) And for the guy who says not to fire the M72 prone, maybe you should try it, never had any problem here, just lie 90 degrees to the axis you're firing at, it's a far sight better than getting killed kneeling.

[Guest]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (PiNs_Da_Smoka @ Dec. 24 2002,20:02)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">This tool is super tedious. This whole slider axis movement thing is.....different....to say the least. If anyone understands Forward Kinematics, which is what it uses, you will understand the tool. I don't have maya, so i guess i will have to try this. But for all you people looking for the next great set of animations, it will take time even for the best animators. Like i said, the tool is quite tedious.. So be patient people, i'm sure plenty will come. <span id='postcolor'>

It depends on what type of animation you want to do. For simple rigid body animaion keyframing works just fine. For that this editor is excellent. For body animation you want to use inverse kinematics (IK). There you set one joint in a position and the IK processor calculates the positions of the other joints. I find it unlikely that any fan made program would implement IK since the problem is not trivial - its mostly solving higher order differential equations.

So, as a rule of thumb - for organic skeleton based animations (people, animals etc) use teaCup's Maya plugin. For mechanical rigid body animation use the animation editor.

[miles teg 1]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Sigma-6 @ Dec. 25 2002,09:46)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">You ever tried to roll over wearing full webgear? (haw. . .) And for the guy who says not to fire the M72 prone, maybe you should try it, never had any problem here, just lie 90 degrees to the axis you're firing at, it's a far sight better than getting killed kneeling.<span id='postcolor'>

Yeah, on the AT-4, which I think has a more powerful backblast, the only problem is that the rocket launcher flips forward suddenly (from the gas hitting the ground) and you also get a lot of dust and dirt off the ground which is bad because then the enemy can more easily detect where you launched the rocket from and will quickly concentrate fire on your position even before you have a chance to get up.   But other then that it is do-able.  The kneeling or standing positions however are usually the best positions for most situations. I also agree about the webgear. You don't exactly move like the wind carrying all that gear. Even without a rucksack you are still loaded down with a lot of crap like canteens, grenades, ammo, first-aid kit, weapon, helmet, PASGT flack vest (sometimes), and other gear needed for the mission. That is one reason why soldiers have to be in extremely good physical condition. Overall I think OFP is fairly realistic in the way soldiers move although I wish you could turn faster and also reload a weapon while running.

At any rate, I think most people are getting WAY too excited over nothing. All these things like animals and stuff... I just don't see that happening without a new animal class made by BIS unless for a specific model, the soldier animations can be replaced with new animations designed for animals.

Until someone proves this is possible I don't everyone should get their hopes up too high. What I think is more realistic is to expect animations for soldiers like a smoking animation, a bayonet thrusting animation (that could go with bayonet addons), ect... Hand to hand combat animations I don't think will happen unless someone figures out how to modify the crude hand to hand combat system that BIS has in the game but never fully developed.

Also BIS used a real animation studio to do their soldier animations where real people had sensors attached to them in order to model the human body realistically. I don't think someone with Maya or this new animation program is going to be able to beat that unless they can rent an animation studio.

Sorry to be such a downer on Christmas... bah humbug! LOL!

(I hope someone proves me wrong by the way).

Chris G.

aka-Miles Teg<GD>

[soul_assassin 1750]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Miles Teg @ Dec. 25 2002,15:30)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Sigma-6 @ Dec. 25 2002,09:46)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">You ever tried to roll over wearing full webgear? (haw. . .) And for the guy who says not to fire the M72 prone, maybe you should try it, never had any problem here, just lie 90 degrees to the axis you're firing at, it's a far sight better than getting killed kneeling.<span id='postcolor'>

Yeah, on the AT-4, which I think has a more powerful backblast, the only problem is that the rocket launcher flips forward suddenly (from the gas hitting the ground) and you also get a lot of dust and dirt off the ground which is bad because then the enemy can more easily detect where you launched the rocket from and will quickly concentrate fire on your position even before you have a chance to get up.   But other then that it is do-able.  The kneeling or standing positions however are usually the best positions for most situations.   I also agree about the webgear.  You don't exactly move like the wind carrying all that gear.  Even without a rucksack you are still loaded down with a lot of crap like canteens, grenades, ammo, first-aid kit, weapon, helmet, PASGT flack vest (sometimes), and other gear needed for the mission.   That is one reason why soldiers have to be in extremely good physical condition.  Overall I think OFP is fairly realistic in the way soldiers move although I wish you could turn faster and also reload a weapon while running.  

At any rate, I think most people are getting WAY too excited over nothing.  All these things like animals and stuff... I just don't see that happening without a new animal class made by BIS unless for a specific model, the soldier animations can be replaced with new animations designed for animals.  

Until someone proves this is possible I don't everyone should get their hopes up too high.  What I think is more realistic is to expect animations for soldiers like a smoking animation, a bayonet thrusting animation (that could go with bayonet addons), ect...   Hand to hand combat animations I don't think will happen unless someone figures out how to modify the crude hand to hand combat system that BIS has in the game but never fully developed.

Also BIS used a real animation studio to do their soldier animations where real people had sensors attached to them in order to model the human body realistically.  I don't think someone with Maya or this new animation program is going to be able to beat that unless they can rent an animation studio.    

Sorry to be such a downer on Christmas... bah humbug!  LOL!

(I hope someone proves me wrong by the way).

Chris G.

aka-Miles Teg<GD><span id='postcolor'>

hehe, why do u always write essays? lol

MERRY XMAS TO EVERY OFP FAN HERE

[pzvg 0]

Hmm, so far using a human figure,

Bent 90 at waist, shortened fingers <full extant of model changes in O2 at this point>

tagged all limbs and animated legs as a left leg, arms as a right leg,

result was very crude and very ugly, but inspiring, horses are

doable, maybe never perfect, but doable.

As far as M72 and prone, well you got more practice I suppose, we tended not to get adventurous, getting from breakfast to lunch was enough of a challenge in our situation.

Y'all get lotsa presents Ah hope,

<My wife gave me another 10 reference books, including Janes Small Arms of the world>

[PiNs_Da_Smoka 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (denoir @ Dec. 26 2002,05:13)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">So, as a rule of thumb - for organic skeleton based animations (people, animals etc) use teaCup's Maya plugin. For mechanical rigid body animation use the animation editor.<span id='postcolor'>

Agreed Although, i'm still trying to find a .lwo 2 .ma converter for Lightwave. If anyone has any idea of someone who made one, or location of one, i would be VERY much in your debt.

[PiNs_Da_Smoka 0]

Ok, so i just sat down with this for a little bit, and it turns out this thing isn't as bad as i thought. Not that i thought it was bad in the firstplace, just not perfect, but nothing ever is. I'd say talented animators would be able to sit down with this and make nice fluid animations. I just took the CustomRTMs whoever made with the guy breakdancing, and changed the jeep guy and made him sit down and wave at ya. For those of you who are just learning, don't give up, its really not that difficult. For fellow animators, come on fellas! Lets get the ball rolling!

[kegetys 2]

Nice tool it seems...

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Is it truly possible to make an animated animal that actually walks and runs by itself? The most imagine that could be done is to have a looping script to animate them unless there is a way to remove the standard BIS animations and replace them with custom animations. <span id='postcolor'>

There is a simple way to do this, same way as BIS did it with the women in Resistance, there is a moves="CfgMovesMCWoman"; property in the config, and then a CfgMovesMCWoman class which defines all the animations it uses.

[soul_assassin 1750]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (PiNs_Da_Smoka @ Dec. 26 2002,04:27)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Ok, so i just sat down with this for a little bit, and it turns out this thing isn't as bad as i thought. Not that i thought it was bad in the firstplace, just not perfect, but nothing ever is. I'd say talented animators would be able to sit down with this and make nice fluid animations. I just took the CustomRTMs whoever made with the guy breakdancing, and changed the jeep guy and made him sit down and wave at ya. For those of you who are just learning, don't give up, its really not that difficult. For fellow animators, come on fellas! Lets get the ball rolling! <span id='postcolor'>

teaCup made those animations in Maya when he was working on the converter with ofpinternals.

[miles teg 1]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (pzvg @ Dec. 25 2002,22:27)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Hmm, so far using a human figure,

Bent 90 at waist, shortened fingers <full extant of model changes in O2 at this point>

tagged all limbs and animated legs as a left leg, arms as a right leg,

result was very crude and very ugly, but inspiring, horses are

doable, maybe never perfect, but doable.

As far as M72 and prone, well you got more practice I suppose, we tended not to get adventurous, getting from breakfast to lunch was enough of a challenge in our situation.

Y'all get lotsa presents Ah hope,

<My wife gave me another 10 reference books, including Janes Small Arms of the world> <span id='postcolor'>

Wow! So this "horse" walks around by itself? If so are you planning on finishing up the horse and releasing it? I hope so!!! Even if the horse doesn't move as graceful as the real thing, I would be very impressed if it walked around at all.... ah but the next challenge...can you ride on it! LOL!

Unless someone figures out how to make a vehicle class horse that runs when the rider "drives" the horse around.

But still perhaps your horse, you can modify into a deer, a cow, or a dog or something. Any working animal would be a major breakthrough in the game I think.

Keep up the great work!

Chris G.

aka-Miles Teg<GD>

[GAMEER_77 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Miles Teg @ Dec. 24 2002,14:49)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Ok question...  

I know you can add new animations to soldiers if they get some kind of command to do the animation...but...

Is it truly possible to make an animated animal that actually walks and runs by itself?  The most imagine that could be done is to have a looping script to animate them unless there is a way to remove the standard BIS animations and replace them with custom animations.   The same goes for big MECH robots and stuff.  

I've seen alot of people say this is possible, but personally I don't think so.  

I'll see it when I believe it.  

Chris G.

aka-Miles Teg<GD><span id='postcolor'>

If you go into the 'BIN' directory in OFP, then open up config.bin with wordpad or the like, then it's got a load of stuff on the game. Included is animations for the existing models.

If you were to replace an animation with a self-made one (Perhaps put into an addon? ) then you could change the existing soldiers animations.

No promises though.

Gameer

[soul_assassin 1750]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (GAMEER_77 @ Dec. 26 2002,18:18)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Miles Teg @ Dec. 24 2002,14:49)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Ok question...  

I know you can add new animations to soldiers if they get some kind of command to do the animation...but...

Is it truly possible to make an animated animal that actually walks and runs by itself?  The most imagine that could be done is to have a looping script to animate them unless there is a way to remove the standard BIS animations and replace them with custom animations.   The same goes for big MECH robots and stuff.  

I've seen alot of people say this is possible, but personally I don't think so.  

I'll see it when I believe it.  

Chris G.

aka-Miles Teg<GD><span id='postcolor'>

If you go into the 'BIN' directory in OFP, then open up config.bin with wordpad or the like, then it's got a load of stuff on the game. Included is animations for the existing models.

If you were to replace an animation with a self-made one (Perhaps put into an addon? ) then you could change the existing soldiers animations.

No promises though.

Gameer<span id='postcolor'>

You cannot just open a bin file. you have to decode it. You can get decoded config and resource .bin files at our site (see sig. but it is down for the moment) or a-lone-wolf's site.

[pzvg 0]

Well it sorta walks, <in a night-of-the-living-dead,lurching sorta way>

As for riding it, I used the soldier class for the prelim anims, so no riders

Only way I see riders happening is using a vehicle class, but that would require making the walking anims into .rtms, messy

[teacup 2]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"> Also BIS used a real animation studio to do their soldier animations where real people had sensors attached to them in order to model the human body realistically.  I don't think someone with Maya or this new animation program is going to be able to beat that unless they can rent an animation studio. <span id='postcolor'>

I would like to pick up that challenge. But at the moment i'm working 12 h/day. Anyway, i believe it can be done: "Hand-made" animation can compete and even beat motion-capture in realism/naturalism. Provided the mocap is sloppy . It is (was?) common practice to employ animators for refining/smoothing/adjusting mocap. And if you ask me, i think what i did for the jeep codriver matches in quality anything the game has to offer.  But enough bragging..

The new tool: there's pros and cons. It's good, because it sticks so close to the format; you can import animation and modify it, which is great. On the downside: it lacks the versatility and sophistication of any serious 3d package like Maya or 3DSM or Lightwave (hey, Smoka ). It's a tradeoff.

I won't be using it extensively for a simple reason: frame-by-frame animation is too painstaking and makes it very hard to concentrate on the timing.

Horses'n'stuff: definitely possible. One of the most ambitious projects i've seen on OFPInfo, is "Napoleonic Flashpoint":

You gotta love it..  

@PiNs_Da_Smoka: i know it's common knowledge, but it seems to me that righthemisphere's "Deep Exploration" can read and export .LWOs. Maybe it can do the trick..

[Major Fubar 0]

Can we finally have a Lara Croft model with jiggling bits?

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Seriously, though, maybe it could be used to animate that static guard dog addon, or more likely, make a whole new dog from scratch. I think that would be fantastic.

Maybe also sliding naimations on auto pistols, pump action on shotguns...the mind boggles.

[der bastler 0]

Guys, just take a look at one of a-lone-wolf's decoded config.cpp...

hint1:

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">

class MyMan: Land

{

    [...]

    moves="MyDefaultMoves";

    [...]

};

<span id='postcolor'>

hint2:

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">

class MyDefaultMoves

{

    access=1;

    class Actions

    {

         class MyActions

         {

              access=3;

              Stop="MyStop";

              StopRelaxed="MyStopRelaxed";

              [...]

         }

    }

    [...]

}

<span id='postcolor'>

[TaNK_Em 0]

Hehe Fubar if we get bouncing jugs we will have to make a smile animation and maybe a "Grab" feature  or maybe a tongue hang out one hehehe. But Lara Croft aint that hot anyway back on topic.

Yea what I would like to see out of all is snipeing out of helos. Like in black hawk down they snipe out of the Blackhawks.

Also I would like to see people able to fire off the seats on BAS littlebirds. Also I would like the get out of helo fixed there spose to smoothly jump off not just appear in the air and drop to the ground.

[Dschulle 0]

Hi 2 all,

my post comes late, since I'm still on vacation and will return on Saturday.

OFP-Anim is a Beta and was originaly only released for the german community and I planned to do the complete release after my vacation and after I remove the first bugs. (That's the reason for the german ReadMe) But as the community has no borders it spreaded fast.

So let me say a few words about OFP-Anim:

It all started when I wandered why nobody aproaches the *.RTM files in OFP. So I started to have a look at them. 1 day after I figured about about 90% of the format (which is in fact not complicated at all), OfpInternals released the information about RTM's . Since I didn't know when P3dEdit would come out, I continued with my own program, at this time called XAnim. At this point I want to thank OFPInternals for the help and support about the way animations are used in OFP.

When I had about 50% of my program working OFPinternals (TeaCup?! released the Maya2RTM converter. Since I don't have Maya I couldn't try it. When I found out that a lot of other editors encountered the same problem (no Maya), I decided to continue working on OFP-Anim (and I had fun, programming it ). But it's still a beta version and was never been thought to replace a professional tool like Maya.

I'll continue my work, but don't exspect extreme speed in progress, as I only programm on spare time.

One important bug: When working on a animation set the 'total Move' field to 0, otherwise the Pivot Position changes, when the frame number increases!

After the animation is finished you can enter a Total Move Value, so the animation doesn't run on one location.

OK, Cheers 2 all, I'll be back on Saturday