Animation for Beginners

[Eothese]

What's your question here? If you want to know where the riders will be positioned, I assume it is directly onto the joint of bone_spine1 with the position modified via descr_mount. Unless anyone else knows differently...

[Lifthrasir]

Hi, I'm trying to implement the FabiusBile animations (based on Banzaï ones) for SSHIP. The main problem I have is that my game doesn't rebuilt the pack.dat, pack.idx, skeletons.dat and skeleton.idx files once deleted in both, main game folder and mods/sship folder.
I've followed the instructions (I think):
- I have updated the descr_skeleton.txt file.
- I have set the .cfg file with the [util] stuff
- I have delated the files mentioned aboved in the M2TW main folder and in my submod folder.
But when I launch my submod, the game crashes and the deleted files don't regenerate.
What am I doing wrong?

Many thanks in advance.

Edit: I found out how it works. Forget my post.

[Sirlion]

Hello. I have a problem with Animerge from the GOAT suite, I downgraded to Python 2.6.1 but it doesnt seem to help. This is the error log. Can anybody figure out what the problem is? I cant add animations if I dont fix this thing.

MS3D000000, version number 4
Number of vertices = 2335
Number of triangle = 3445
Number of groups = 11
Number of materials = 2
fAnimationFPS = 10.0
fCurrentTime = 1.0
iTotalFrames = 1
Number of joints = 23
bone_pelvis from
bone_RThigh from bone_pelvis
bone_Rlowerleg from bone_RThigh
bone_Rfoot from bone_Rlowerleg
bone_abs from bone_pelvis
bone_torso from bone_abs
bone_head from bone_torso
bone_jaw from bone_head
bone_eyebrow from bone_head
bone_Rclavical from bone_torso
bone_Rupperarm from bone_Rclavical
bone_Relbow from bone_Rupperarm
bone_Rhand from bone_Relbow
bone_Lclavical from bone_torso
bone_Lupperarm from bone_Lclavical
bone_Lelbow from bone_Lupperarm
bone_Lhand from bone_Lelbow
bone_LThigh from bone_pelvis
bone_Llowerleg from bone_LThigh
bone_Lfoot from bone_Llowerleg
bone_weapon_weapon01 from bone_Rhand
bone_weapon02 from bone_Rhand
bone_weapon03_shield_shield01 from bone_Lhand
First subversion number = 1
Number of group comments = 11
Number of material comments = 0
Number of joint comments = 0
Number of model comments = 1
Second subversion number = 2

Exception in Tkinter callback
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "C:\Python27\lib\lib-tk\Tkinter.py", line 1536, in __call__
return self.func(*args)
File "D:\MODS\Medieval II Modding\knighterrands animation tools\animationutili
ties.py", line 3458, in animmergeButton
animmerge()
File "D:\MODS\Medieval II Modding\knighterrands animation tools\animationutili
ties.py", line 455, in animmerge
casfiledatalist = readcasfile( fullfncas, [], flags )
File "D:\MODS\Medieval II Modding\knighterrands animation tools\animationlibra
ry.py", line 1111, in readcasfile
hierarchydata = readandwritecashierarchytree( fidcas, fidtxt, versi
on_float, flags )
File "D:\MODS\Medieval II Modding\knighterrands animation tools\animationlibra
ry.py", line 435, in readandwritecashierarchytree
hierarchydata.append( getuint( fidcas ) )
File "D:\MODS\Medieval II Modding\knighterrands animation tools\animationlibra
ry.py", line 80, in getuint
(theint,) = struct.unpack( 'I', fidin.read(4) ) # 'I' is unsign
ed int.
error: unpack requires a string argument of length 4

[AnthoniusII]

You need Python 2.5.4 to work or (i think) Python 2.5.1 to work perfectly.

[stevietheconquer]

sorry,just forget about this question.

[leo.civil.uefs]

There is, however, a conflict between the way MS3D handles the frames and the games use of a frame 0 for the basepose that causes a problem for animation in MS3D. Put simply, there is a 'ghost' frame at the start of hte animation loop that you cannot see or edit in MS3D. If you are leaving hte start of the animation unchanged, this is no problem at all. Otherwise, a workaround must be found. Mine was to animate in Max....
I did get a PM from someone ( don't recall who...my bad) explaining a way around this. I really wish I had kept that PM.I know it involved reversing the animation to make hte frame visible, but I can't recall the detail to make it work.

MS3D has a problem displaying hte first frame of the animation. As a result, whenever I have tried to re-do an animation with this tool I have had issues with a frame that 'jumps'. If I do not have to change the first frames it is fine and I get no issues. Where I have had to change ALL the frames, I have had this problem. I was told there was a workaround to it that involved reversing hte animation so you can see the frame, but I can't recall how this went.

Did anyone find a way how to fix this problem with milkshape, or the only way to deal with med2 animations is really working with 3DS Max?

EDIT:

I found this:

This also applies to the zero frame bug in milkshape and it's a tricky one.
If your lucky and milkshape doesn't crash when you try this, you can use the SMD adjust keys to delete frames. The Keyframe option choice has a good range of options that should make animating easy. Delete frames 0 to x. To remove the first frame bug you need to reverse the anim, were by the zero frame which you don't normally see becomes the last, then after making your changes reverse again.

But 90% of the anims I've tried either crash MS or screw up the model, sometimes you can undo the change and flick in and out of anim mode and somehow the model and changed anim are recovered.

Another and by far a more reliable method involves a lot more effort with no margin for error. Convert the anim to text, slerp it to the length you want, eg. you want a 35 frame anim minus the first 10 frames, slerp to 25 then convert to text. You now have two text files, the 2nd with the correct header and footer data for the frames you want, the other with the data of the frames you want.

Just delete the first 10 lines of data for the 'quaternion data and Milkshape euler angles' and the 'animation data and deltas' in your 35 frame anim for each bone, but not the 'skeleton pose data, all bones including Scene_Root' if I remember correctly. Then copy these trimmed sections into the shorter file. Convert back to .cas and animerge to check.

Anyway it would be good to hear any infor about this, informaition about animations are sparse in the forums.