Making new animations in Blender.

[Kualan]

Hey folks, hope our Blender brainiacs on the Hub can help me out with this.

 

I've been a long-time user of Blender in JKA modding and can comfortably use it to kitbash models, rig vehicles or make simple MD3s. Even beginning to tinker with creating my first 'from scratch' character model but still at the pigeon-step stage at the moment.

 

What I'm really keen to do though, is start making some custom animations. I know it's possible with @@mrwonko 's plugins, and I've successfully imported and posed a skeleton numerous times. However posing is as far as I can get. Things always seem to fall apart at the export stage and nothing actually gets exported or saves, and other issues.

 

The impression I get is that I'm missing some key steps in my workflow - the software and the plugins are working as intended, I've just got some gaps in my knowledge of how to actually do it. I can't seem to find a tutorial for it either.

 

Would somehow who is familiar with the Blender/Animation process be kind enough to give me a step-by-step breakdown as to what I need to do to import, pose and then export custom animations?

 

Regards,

Kualan

[Circa]

Does @@Langerd use Blender? His animations for his Wall-E looked great.

[Ramikad]

Hey folks, hope our Blender brainiacs on the Hub can help me out with this.

 

I've been a long-time user of Blender in JKA modding and can comfortably use it to kitbash models, rig vehicles or make simple MD3s. Even beginning to tinker with creating my first 'from scratch' character model but still at the pigeon-step stage at the moment.

 

What I'm really keen to do though, is start making some custom animations. I know it's possible with @@mrwonko 's plugins, and I've successfully imported and posed a skeleton numerous times. However posing is as far as I can get. Things always seem to fall apart at the export stage and nothing actually gets exported or saves, and other issues.

 

The impression I get is that I'm missing some key steps in my workflow - the software and the plugins are working as intended, I've just got some gaps in my knowledge of how to actually do it. I can't seem to find a tutorial for it either.

 

Would somehow who is familiar with the Blender/Animation process be kind enough to give me a step-by-step breakdown as to what I need to do to import, pose and then export custom animations?

 

Regards,

Kualan

 

When animating I typically put a plane under the player model, about 2.5 units lower (Z). That's essentially where the floor is in-game - anywhere higher would have the player floating when playing that animation.

Basically, you have to keyframe every single frame of the animation, either manually (keys I + W, as "Insert Keyframe" and "Whole Character") or through Pose -> Animation -> Bake Action, both while in Pose Mode. Also, while exporting, you have to make sure you set the .gla reference in case it's animations for an existing skeleton, in case of the _humanoid it would be models/players/_humanoid/_humanoid.gla (can't remember right now if the .gla extension is also needed, but I think so).

Exporting a .cfg is not necessary, though it sure helps mixing up with the correct number of frames. Adding Markers (M key) in the Timeline View will make them show up at the correct frame numbers in the .cfg file.

[Kualan]

When animating I typically put a plane under the player model, about 2.5 units lower (Z). That's essentially where the floor is in-game - anywhere higher would have the player floating when playing that animation.

Basically, you have to keyframe every single frame of the animation, either manually (keys I + W, as "Insert Keyframe" and "Whole Character") or through Pose -> Animation -> Bake Action, both while in Pose Mode. Also, while exporting, you have to make sure you set the .gla reference in case it's animations for an existing skeleton, in case of the _humanoid it would be models/players/_humanoid/_humanoid.gla (can't remember right now if the .gla extension is also needed, but I think so).

Exporting a .cfg is not necessary, though it sure helps mixing up with the correct number of frames. Adding Markers (M key) in the Timeline View will make them show up at the correct frame numbers in the .cfg file.

 

Very helpful! I was getting stuck with the 'Bake Action' step as it just kept resetting to the base pose whenever I did it but the manual keyframing looks promising. I'll report back with my results. Thanks!

[Ramikad]

Very helpful! I was getting stuck with the 'Bake Action' step as it just kept resetting to the base pose whenever I did it but the manual keyframing looks promising. I'll report back with my results. Thanks!

 

Try unchecking "Only Selected" when baking, seems to work fine without it. Moreover, although sometimes it may not be so precise, it's certainly faster, especially if the animations are thousands of frames long.

[Kualan]

It works! Got some basic poses/stances done, need to do a lot of fine-tuning of my posing skills though. Thanks @@Ramikad .

[minilogoguy18]

Manual key framing?! You guys can't be serious.

 

There are so may way better ways of doing this, surely Blender isn't so shitty that it doesn't support basic interpolation. Manual key framing will take forever on actual animations (poses don't count) and the result will be total shit because making it smooth without interpolation can be difficult and tedious.

 

For my AT-ST the walk cycle has maybe 3-5 keyframes on like 10 objects for 38 frames of animation which those 10 objects drive ALL of the bones in the skeleton.

[Ramikad]

Manual key framing?! You guys can't be serious.

 

There are so may way better ways of doing this, surely Blender isn't so shitty that it doesn't support basic interpolation. Manual key framing will take forever on actual animations (poses don't count) and the result will be total shit because making it smooth without interpolation can be difficult and tedious.

 

For my AT-ST the walk cycle has maybe 3-5 keyframes on like 10 objects for 38 frames of animation which those 10 objects drive ALL of the bones in the skeleton.

 

I probably wasn't clear, I'm not completely familiar with animation naming conventions. Blender automatically interpolates between different keyframes, for example a standing animation from Frame 1 will slowly modify to turn into a sitting animation on Frame 20. But from what I could test the exporter won't recognize the animation correctly (if at all) if there are no keyframes in-between those two keyframes. Moreover, supporting this theory, analyzing the other models' animations (for example the Wampa), their entire animation set seems to be keyframed.

So the options here are to Bake Action or manually insert the missing keyframes where they are absent (a simple matter of going to next frame, press I, press W, rinse and repeat), but the animation is already done and ready there, perfectly morphing from pose to pose. I hope this cleared things up.

[Langerd]

Working with Blender is .. amazing. The method that Ramikad said before.. Yeah i made all of these animations like that. I also use editor called dopesheet. It rly helps to make animations

But yeah... It is time consuming as hell... But i made some animations in it - Check one topic that i will add today ;P

But .. i am completely noobish and make stuff rly rly fast without checking othere quicker or easier solutions.. Because lately i am kinda.. in shitty life style and life problems.. Yeah .. I will stoptalking these stuff...


 

Someone Who understand both things should check blender and find the best methods to do animations.. for me it is effective program and i made some animations very easily... In hands of better animator or Blender user i am sure that animations would be amazing

[Langerd]

The only issue i found its that .. i could import all animations.. i know that there is a lot of them but.. How do i change some animations of the player model when i cant import whole animaions? Or it can be done but my compuer wouldnt load it because it is old?  X)

[Ramikad]

The only issue i found its that .. i could import all animations.. i know that there is a lot of them but.. How do i change some animations of the player model when i cant import whole animaions? Or it can be done but my compuer wouldnt load it because it is old?  X)

 

You can select a range of frames to import. When importing a .glm model, you can select the option to import Animations: Range, All and None. Right under that option you can input the Start frame and the number of subsequent frames from that one to just import a single animation.

[Langerd]

You can select a range of frames to import. When importing a .glm model, you can select the option to import Animations: Range, All and None. Right under that option you can input the Start frame and the number of subsequent frames from that one to just import a single animation.

I know that but if i will export it will have missing frames of animation..

[Ramikad]

I know that but if i will export it will have missing frames of animation..

 

How so? You're supposed to get the exported .gla and merge it with the original one, then modify its animations.cfg. That animation export is supposed to be an addition to the original animations when they already exist.

[minilogoguy18]

The wampa is only like that because the dotXSI exporter has an option to "plot" the animations which is the same as baking them.

 

You'll have to get mrwonko to fix his exporter so that there is an option to plot all animations. My models don't even have a single keyframe in Softimage, only the rig controllers that don't even get exported have animations and it's all stored actions. The bones get plotted on export.

[Boothand]

I never did any of those steps. Imported the animation, put the humanoid frame 0 pose at the start, delete the frames I want, add the keyframes I want, let Blender do interpolation like a healthy animation program (setting frames with I + O), then specifying the end frame, then exporting gla. Then I give it a gla reference etc, and proceed to use GLAmerge.

[mrwonko]

I never did any of those steps. Imported the animation, put the humanoid frame 0 pose at the start, delete the frames I want, add the keyframes I want, let Blender do interpolation like a healthy animation program (setting frames with I + O), then specifying the end frame, then exporting gla. Then I give it a gla reference etc, and proceed to use GLAmerge.

Thank god it works for someone, I was very confused when people talked about having to have a keyframe every single frame. That's how it's stored in the format, but I'm pretty sure the exporter will correctly export interpolated animation by inserting the keyframes automatically.

[Ramikad]

Thank god it works for someone, I was very confused when people talked about having to have a keyframe every single frame. That's how it's stored in the format, but I'm pretty sure the exporter will correctly export interpolated animation by inserting the keyframes automatically.

 

When I'm uncertain, it's usually better safe than sorry

[Langerd]

Thank god it works for someone, I was very confused when people talked about having to have a keyframe every single frame. That's how it's stored in the format, but I'm pretty sure the exporter will correctly export interpolated animation by inserting the keyframes automatically.

Dude ! Thanks Too You I made .. 50% of my stuff lately and animations works nice...

 

http://sendvid.com/rrqd7kla

[minilogoguy18]

Dude ! Thanks Too You I made .. 50% of my stuff lately and animations works nice...

 

http://sendvid.com/rrqd7kla

LOL!

[Circa]

Dude ! Thanks Too You I made .. 50% of my stuff lately and animations works nice...

 

http://sendvid.com/rrqd7kla

Wow. That's intricate modding work right there!

[DT.]

Dude ! Thanks Too You I made .. 50% of my stuff lately and animations works nice...

 

http://sendvid.com/rrqd7kla

 

I don't even know WTF I'm watching! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

Great job though!

[Archangel35757]

Is this a prototype for a Hutt? Looks like a cross between Casper the ghost and a Hutt. But hey, to each his own.

[Langerd]

Well guys this is Worms from Worms Armaggedon or Worms World Party



One of my favourite games of all time OuO

[Noodle]

Well guys this is Worms from Worms Armaggedon or Worms World Party

 

 

One of my favourite games of all time OuO

 

I'm surprised not many knew it was from worms! That game was like half of my childhood.

[IrocJeff]

It works! Got some basic poses/stances done, need to do a lot of fine-tuning of my posing skills though. Thanks @@Ramikad .

 

 

If you want some practice how about making a better "hands in the air" surrender pose. The one in game isn't too swift and it like they are superman ready to fly away.

 

I'd like to see one where the arms are slightly bent a bit and one where there hands are on their heads. I can kinda use this in my project which is why I ask.