Zombie pack animations

#1 I will check this out when I get to the office in an couple of hours

#2

Quote:but doesn't create the correct animation in the .cs file

I don't understand what this means exactly, Shakey? Can you walk through the steps you took in 'constructing' this animation to help show where things broke down? What does 'correct' animation mean?

Are you rearranging the existing embedded sequences? Or, are you trying to 'add' a new sequence to the DTS shape, or create one from others?? There is no 'save DSQ' function within TSShapeConstructor.

ScriptingWithTSShapeConstructor is a part of the Documentation every T3D Artist should read and use.

...there is a small 'curve' to getting T3D assets exported and working; Shape Editor is great help. Once you get a shape or two working...easy-peasy. The first 'million' is the toughest, they say!

#3 Hi Rex

So let me explain, I was looking at the Torque Scene Construction series from Deborah Marshall, In the last part she explains how to get a an animated model in the scene, using the shape editor.

What she did was load a villager model from dexsoft adjusted the in and out frames, for the animation she wanted, closed the shape editor and waa laa the same character she animated was standing in the scene with the animation she had just created.

Now when I did the same thing, the zombie still showed with the root pose (static), although I had picked a root3 idle animation.

So after doing that I looked it the shapes folder and noticed a zombie_04.cs files was created, but it did not have any animation information, do I need to code this manually.

She also made reference to an ambient, but I think the zombie models are not ambient, at least, should be separate animations if I am saying this right

#4 No, you can do this 'automagically', Shakey.

That seems to be an 'older' video series.

I got Shape Editor to 'save' my animation just now by doing this:

1. Zombie4.dts is in the Scene and selected.
2. Enter World Editor, then open the Shape Editor.
3. Go to Seq Tab of Properties of the zombie4.dts.
4. NB: probably something 'new' Select the sequence you want to work with in the dropdown listing
5. Click on the 'Add a sequence' button, a new sequence should appear at bottom of list; using the sequence you selected as a base.
5A. Run your 'new' sequence to check it is the 'base' you want to work with.
6. Here I just immediately 'Saved' the shape, with the new sequence added, using attack1 as my 'base'.
7. Open zombie4.cs in text editor.
8. The script should now have some lines of commands.

Try that and see if that gets you something meaningful in your script now!!


Here's my scripting from my testing just now:

function Zombie_04Dts::onLoad(%this)
{
   %this.removeNode("Null");
   %this.removeNode("nullB");
   %this.removeNode("nullC");
   %this.addSequence("art/shapes/actors/Soldier/rexSoldier_ambient.dsq", "mySequence1", "0", "-1"); //attempt at loading a 'different' rig's DSQ file, worked, but no data appears
   %this.addSequence("Attack1", "mySequence2", "0", "60");
}

What I noticed is this: the 270 frame original embedded sequence was truncated to 60 frames; but this was just 'out of box' with some quick button pushing and no indepth evaluation of keyframes/FPS/timeline, etc....

#5 Hey Thanks Rex,

This is what is generated

singleton TSShapeConstructor(Zombie_04Dts)
{
   baseShape = "./Zombie_04.dts";
};

function Zombie_04Dts::onLoad(%this)
{
   %this.setSequenceCyclic("Attack1", "1");
}

Question is if I picked the root2 animation why is it calling it attack1, and do I have to do this for all the animation within the the model.

#6 Hey Rex

Went back over it, missed a step. But this is what I get now

singleton TSShapeConstructor(Zombie_04Dts)
{
   baseShape = "./Zombie_04.dts";
};

function Zombie_04Dts::onLoad(%this)
{
   %this.setSequenceCyclic("Attack1", "1");
   %this.addSequence("root2", "mySequence1", "0", "120");
}

So again I kind of understand what is going on, but why is "Attack1" used as the base.

#7 It appears as though you didn't add a sequence to the shape, but rather edited the existing sequence 'attack1'.

Try this:
First delete the existing .cs file.

Run through the steps above, and choose the root3 animation as a 'base'. The results I got:

function Zombie_04Dts::onLoad(%this)
{
   %this.addSequence("root3", "mySequence1", "0", "120");
}

I usually just script by 'hand' and not use the GUI to do the dirty work....with things loaded to memory and active in the UI....things can get messy quickly.

If things go wonky...restart with a new scripting, rename or trash the existing one. I was getting unpredictable results and started fresh; worked.


Not sure about the using 'attack1' as a base...?? Edit the script by hand if necessary!

#8 Yeah I got the same thing

This time

singleton TSShapeConstructor(Zombie_04Dts)
{
   baseShape = "./Zombie_04.dts";
};

function Zombie_04Dts::onLoad(%this)
{
   %this.setSequenceCyclic("Attack1", "1");
   %this.addSequence("root3", "mySequence1", "0", "120");
}

I think I will just stick to scripting by hand. IDK where the

%this.setSequenceCyclic("Attack1", "1");

is coming from and it purpose, but thanks for your help this morning.

#9 that script code got generated, when you selected the attack1 animation and clicked on the cyclic radio button.

I go the animation working by first opening t3d, going into the model editor, selecting a zombie ... then the tab for its animations.

And I went in and renamed one to "run", another to "walk" and root3 to "root" ... saved it and the zombies started walking in game.

No idea how to get them to run vs walk though ... and I also had to add in the (script only) "melee hack" that Steve posted as resource, so the zombies could "melee". That allowed me to call their new attack animations ... from the server side.