Need name of hardcoded vehicle animation.

Vyse · Post by **Vyse** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 12:09 pm

I am making a animation for when a vehicle is going forward, esential it's a walker. But since I am not doing it with bones, I am using nulls, could I make animations for the

walk_leftfoot_rightfoot & walk_rightfoot_leftfoot

Or does a animation for that animation call out have to be made with bones.

I don't see any animation names for when a vehicle is going forward except for walker types.

Any help?

minilogoguy18 · Post by **minilogoguy18** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 12:44 pm

you can use nulls, i use nulls all the time but for something like a biped nulls is the slow way to animate since its FK. the 2 animations you named are exactly what they sound like, walking pretty much. what actually makes them move forward is hard coded in the game, it just tells the game to make the dummyroot traverse along the ground whenever you press W.

Vyse · Post by **Vyse** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 5:06 pm

So your saying if I make 2 animations. Named walk_leftfoot_rightfoot & walk_rightfoot_leftfoot, when you press W in game (Move forward) It will play one and then the other and repeat etc?

Also, would I need to add something like this to the LUA?

ClearWalkers()
AddWalkerType(0, 0) -- 0 droidekas
AddWalkerType(1, 5) -- 6 atsts with 1 leg pairs each
AddWalkerType(2, 2) -- 2 atats with 2 leg pairs each

Thanks Mini!

Post by **Teancum** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 5:49 pm

There's also idle_to_leftfoot/rightfoot and right/leftfoot_to_idle, then turnL and turnR.

minilogoguy18 · Post by **minilogoguy18** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 6:25 pm

yeah i use bones for things that need IK like characters or anything that has a moving limb but for simple things like s-foils and landing gear i just use nulls.

Vyse · Post by **Vyse** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 6:37 pm

psych0fred wrote:Bones need to be used when you are weighting vertices to the bones, if you are just rotating joints nulls work fine assuming the null is the parent of everything that you want to move/rotate with the null.

To set it up I was just going to do what Mini's flyer take off animation guide did. Make my nulls, name them as bone_whatever, but them under bone_root null. Envelope them to my 1 merged mesh . Export, delete mesh,then export again to get base_pose. Animate and export with animations.

Or what the tutorial actually said. What do you mean by the null is the parent of everything that you want to move/rotate? Is this because it's actually a walker and not a take off animation?

minilogoguy18 · Post by **minilogoguy18** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 6:56 pm

if your doing a walker i suggest making an IK skeleton with 2d chains, WAAAAAAAAAAAAY easier to animate, just dont draw the bones in a straight row, all bones need to be angled slightly in the direction you want them to bend and dont make a long chain like for legs the root should start with the thigh and run to the ankle and for the feet and toes make a new chain.

minilogoguy18 · Post by **minilogoguy18** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 8:42 pm

yeah ive done it like that before its just easier to use a chain that has IK since all you gotta do is move the end effector to animate the entire limb in a pretty lifelike motion as long a you have up vectors and such to control where the joint faces like an elbow for instance.

Vyse · Post by **Vyse** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 12:23 am

Ok, got the walker in game and the animations work, however (it doesn't move and) there is like a billion things you have to add to make it like the shipped walkers, I just had 3 null bones but you have to call out a ton more in the ODF, like all the leg bones, turrent bones, all your aimers, and collisions!

It would take me 3 months to make this thing! 0_o Plus, I don't know how to rig it with bones, and I seriously don't think anyone should attempt this with nulls!

However in better news! Using Mini's take off animation tut, I was able to get a animated prop in-game!

My mind is spinning with all the things I can do with it. XSI is supirior to ZE's prop animation!

Thanks Mini and psych0fred!

minilogoguy18 · Post by **minilogoguy18** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 12:29 am

well of course it is, XSI is most known as having the best animation toolset available.

Post by **Qdin** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 8:31 am

yep

unfortunately XSI is a TOTALLY foreign program to everyone at my school... Ó.Ò especially the teachers

This reminds me that I wanna talk to you about this case, Vyse

Try something TOTALLY new... Get on MSN or Xfire! xD Even US people haven't seen you in Months... O.o

Post by **Teancum** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 9:41 am

Vyse wrote:Ok, got the walker in game and the animations work, however (it doesn't move and) there is like a billion things you have to add to make it like the shipped walkers, I just had 3 null bones but you have to call out a ton more in the ODF, like all the leg bones, turrent bones, all your aimers, and collisions!

It would take me 3 months to make this thing! 0_o Plus, I don't know how to rig it with bones, and I seriously don't think anyone should attempt this with nulls!

However in better news! Using Mini's take off animation tut, I was able to get a animated prop in-game! My mind is spinning with all the things I can do with it. XSI is supirior to ZE's prop animation!

Thanks Mini and psych0fred!

Fred said once that walkers have to have a certain heirarchy in order to work correctly. I could be wrong, I learn so much from him that a lot of stuff I don't use right away goes in one ear and out the other.

Vyse · Post by **Vyse** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 1:14 pm

@Teancum

That's probably why the walker wouldn't move in-game. I really don't think a heirarchy of nulls works.

@Qdin
That's what work and school will do to you.

but I'll try to get on today after I get home, your case sounds interesting!

You can always try to PM me.

minilogoguy18 · Post by **minilogoguy18** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 2:45 pm

you can use a hierarchy of nulls and itll work the same, its just not so easy to animate in my opinion.

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