Character LOD issues

#1 When the model is rigged and ready ,take a snapshot of the model.
call the snapshot multires::modelname.
Apply multiresmodifer to the snapshot model.
don't forget generate-
add some detail dummy's apply lod information on the snapshot model.
link the snapshot model to the basemodel
export.

Fast explanation

#2 Thanks Billy....I'll give it a try and let you know how it works.....
k

#3 I've successfully exported a rigged and skinned character model that supports level of detail BUT the model will not support my .dsq files.

I've merged the root animation into the new, LOD mesh and exported the sequence in as many different ways as I can think to try but the animation still will not play (or appear in the thread slider) in the show tool or engine.

Does the snapshot of the mesh....the one I apply the multires modifier to....need to be a copy, reference, mesh, or instance or is one as good as another?

The only other time I've experienced an issue like this was when the mesh I used to export the sequence did not have the same vertex count as the mesh I used to export the base .dts file.

Is there a check box somewhere I need to set to allow sequence files to play on multires objects?

Thanks! :)
k

#4 You only need the multires mesh in the dts file not in the animation files !
delete the multires mesh when you do animations you don't need it then .
snapshot should be mesh.
The snapshot should you take when your model are in the root pose.
You should not animate the multires mesh !!!

#5 Actually what going on is a bug in the exporter. The docs say somthing to the affect of what BILLY said. about snapshots and stuff. The problem is the exporter will move you LOD mesh before it exports it. So the skin data doesn't transfer. I'm still not sure why it happens or how to fix the code but I just do the following.

The solution:
Do all your snapshots before you apply the skin modifier. Basically make copies of your mesh then multires (Or do it bt hand for real good detail) them down and collapse the stacks.
Then select all the copies and apply a 1 skin modifier to all of them. Then do your enveloping.
Next just right click in your Modifier stack Panel and while all the meshes are selected and click "Make Unique". Then say yes to the question it asks.

Basically you'll end up with How many levels of LOD each with a skin modifier on top. But it will animate. And its just as quik as Skinning your original mesh. And you could have up to 20 levels of LOD without any extra time spent.

Also one thing about exporting DSQ files. For original mesh make sure "Collapse Transform" is turned OFF. But when you export the Animation make sure z"Collapse Transform" is turned ON. Thats the only special thing with animation files I can think of.

Hope that helps.
Matthew Jones

Oh ya you may wanna postmodelling related questions in the 3dmodel forum, If you can.

#6 Thx Matthew didnt know about a bug :)

#7 Thanks for everyone's help...I have now successfully exported a level of detail character model that properly displays it's animation.

The only extra step I would like to add is to let everyone know that when I made the snapshot (Tools>Snapshot) I made sure that both 'mesh' AND 'sequence' were checked in the Snapshot options window. I then made sure that the sequence range in snapshot matched the range of the animation I wanted to export.

Thanks again for everyone's help.
k out.

#8 Thats funny cause it doesn't seem to make a bit of difference on anything I make.

Can you maybe post an example so we can see how got it setup. That step pf your is totally backwards from what is supposed to happen. So I am real curious.

Matt

#9 @Katrina,

You only need to take the snapshot of the mesh at frame 0. The only remote reason why you would want to take a sequence snapshot is if you were exporting with the "morph" option.

#10 Thanks everyone...everything is working perfectly.

@L Foster

You are 100% correct....I made the snapshot a mesh instead of a sequence and it behaved just like it was supposed to.
K