Anteworld - Outerra Game > Modding: Importer, Tools & Utilities
Character Animation
jonslynn:
That is all nice but I do not know java scripting very well. Seems like it would take a long time to get anything to work right. I have not had much spare time to play with Outerra but this really caught my attention. I don't use Blender much. I have used 3D Max and the FBX converter way more. I know the software and get what you are saying but my lack of Java script is a crutch. Thanks for the reply.
patmarrnc:
wow! thanks for sharing this! It reinforces my desire to learn more about how to use outerra's power
(is there a tutorial or document that goes into more detail about how to animate imported objects? )
andfly:
It's been a while since I wrote this post and ... something new I've learned!
The most important novelty is that you no longer need to go through Autodesk's FBX converter to get an animated model.
(maybe it was not necessary even before ... but the models I had built, probably because of my inexperience, were not imported correctly by the Outerra FBX importer and the passage through the Autodesk converter was able to fix the errors and produced a file that could be correctly interpreted ...)
However, just export from Blender in FBX format and use the Outerra FBX importer to get a perfectly animated model.
If, then, in the Blender environment, you build an animation, it will be recognized by the importer of Outerra and correctly inserted in the folder of the model files.
(If you use 3DS Max, the result should be even more secure!)
Explaining the mechanisms capable of moving the meches of a model and its bones is beyond my dialectical skills because I'm not a full time programmer, I might use improper or even incorrect terms: all I know by studying it ( and copying) the javascript files of the users who made their models available before me.
However, is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY (and is the best tutorial possible) first of all, read the WIKI information in this forum explaining a great deal of the commands that can be used for land, sea or air vehicles.
Use animations created in Blender and import them into Outerra as "anim" files (work done automatically by the Outerra FBX importer) is even easier!
I learned by browsing in the "hero.js" file, which has long been included in the "scripts" folder of the program.
For simplicity, I recommend downloading the Forgotten Island model (https://forum.outerra.com/index.php?topic=3746.0).
Among the animals present in this environment is a "Baby Brachiosaurus".
The javascript file that controls this model, excluding the sound setting, only contains the commands to execute its animation defined in the "Action.anim" file.
You can copy everything by specifying the name of your ".anim" file and you will get a safe working ...
Good work and, above all, good fun! :)
patmarrnc:
do you (or anyone else) know if FBX animations created in the POSER program would work in the same way? I ask because my interest in Outerra is related more to animation/film making than it is to gaming.
There is a lot of overlap between 3d animation and gaming, and whether the developers realize it or not, the current state of outerra is very close to being a universal set for animators.
If animators can create characters and movements in other software, then import FBX + ANIM it to Outerra and get it to work in this environment (with reasonable ease defined by a comprehensive set of instructions) I think a whole new demographic would become interested. I also think animators would be willing to pay a lot more than you are currently asking for your alpha license. Just sayin'.
With no changes at all, it is already possible to use green screen footage to merge characters with Outerra backgrounds in a video editor... but there is something to be gained by filming everything in the same 3d environment.
In reading andfly's post it seems that what I want is already possible. The remaining task is to discover how to import and use the animations.
Any help or insights that others may have to offer will be greatly appreciated.
andfly:
I do not know the POSER program, but if the animations are plugged into an FBX file, they should work the same way as if they were built with any other program.
In the Autodesk Converter I was talking about before:
(http://www.softpedia.com/get/Multimedia/Graphic/Image-Convertors/Autodesk-FBX-Converter.shtml)
there is a possibility to use an "FBX Viewer".
Upload the FBX file to this Viewer and try to get it started ...
If it works right away it should be OK for import, otherwise try to use the converter: you should get a working file ...
P.S.
I read the last edit of your speech and ... talk about animation films.
I do not think Outerra is naturally prepared for this purpose.
I managed to import animations of a limited number of frames, (150-200), beyond that number import was not successful ...
I do not know if for my fault or if there is a set limit.
I think Outerra's goal is to have short animations of a character that "concatenate" to see its various actions (running, walking, jumping, twisting, etc.).
By commanding the execution of these animations (appropriately and managed by a program), you should be able to highlight all the possible movements of a character ...
It's just my personal opinion ... I have no official news to confirm or deny it! :(
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