Ifl Question(help)
by Jason Pfaff · in Technical Issues · 12/12/2006 (3:56 pm) · 14 replies
I am trying to get a .ifl to work in TGE. In 3d max I created a plane with a .ifl file as my material and it was working fine. I exported the plane as a .dts into the same folder as the .ifl file and images. When I brought the .dts into TGE the plane did not play my .ifl animation, it just showed the first frame of the sequence. I have been loosely following the only tutorial I could find one designed for Lightwave, and in that tutorial it says to create a ifl.cs in my server folder. I think that this is where I am getting messed up. Or when I am exporting out of 3d max I need to create a separate file for the .ifl animation instead of one .dts?
Below is a script from the tutorial I have been following and I can't figure out what the "shine" is for or what kind of file it would be referencing.
datablock StaticShapeData(IFL_Tutorial_object)
{
// The category variable determines where the item
// shows up in the mission editor's creator tree.
category = "Misc";
shapeFile = "~/data/shapes/Crystals/IFL_Tutorial_object.dts"; //Location of the .DTS
};
function IFL_Tutorial_object::onAdd(%this,%obj)
{
%obj.playThread(0, "shine"); // The animation to play
}
function StaticShapeData::create(%block)
{
%obj = new StaticShape()
{
dataBlock = %block;
};
return(%obj);
}
--------------------------------------------------
Or, if I am making no sense at all maybe someone could point me in the direction of a good .ifl tutorial.
Thanks!!!!
Below is a script from the tutorial I have been following and I can't figure out what the "shine" is for or what kind of file it would be referencing.
datablock StaticShapeData(IFL_Tutorial_object)
{
// The category variable determines where the item
// shows up in the mission editor's creator tree.
category = "Misc";
shapeFile = "~/data/shapes/Crystals/IFL_Tutorial_object.dts"; //Location of the .DTS
};
function IFL_Tutorial_object::onAdd(%this,%obj)
{
%obj.playThread(0, "shine"); // The animation to play
}
function StaticShapeData::create(%block)
{
%obj = new StaticShape()
{
dataBlock = %block;
};
return(%obj);
}
--------------------------------------------------
Or, if I am making no sense at all maybe someone could point me in the direction of a good .ifl tutorial.
Thanks!!!!
About the author
#2
12/12/2006 (4:06 pm)
No, it's not.
#4
12/13/2006 (7:40 am)
The checkbox you are talking about is it in the exporter? Maybe I am not using the right exporter, I am using the max2dtsexporterplus exporter. I guess I just get lost in the sequence area of the exporter, so any help with that would be awesome. Thanks
#5
But I can tell you that "Shine" is the name of the Sequence INSIDE the DTS. Simply, its the name of the animation to play.
If it was a bird, and you made an animation names flap, then you would need to put "Flap" there.
The IFL.cs, is basically a Script file, than when the object in question is added, Its added to a category, and the animation is played.
Hope that helps.
Truce.
12/13/2006 (7:43 am)
I created that tutorial, but it is for Lightwave, so any check boxes somewhere you may have missed I wouldn't know of.But I can tell you that "Shine" is the name of the Sequence INSIDE the DTS. Simply, its the name of the animation to play.
If it was a bird, and you made an animation names flap, then you would need to put "Flap" there.
The IFL.cs, is basically a Script file, than when the object in question is added, Its added to a category, and the animation is played.
Hope that helps.
Truce.
datablock StaticShapeData(IFL_Tutorial_object)
{
// [b]The category variable determines where the item[/b]
// [b]shows up in the mission editor's creator tree.[/b]
category = "Misc"; // [b]The Category in the Creator window[/b]
shapeFile = "~/data/shapes/Crystals/IFL_Tutorial_object.dts"; //[b]Location of the .DTS[/b]
};
function IFL_Tutorial_object::onAdd(%this,%obj) // [b]When %this %obj is added to a mission...[/b]
{
// [b]ObjectID Or Name.playThread(Slot, "Name of animation as a string");[/b]
%obj.playThread(0, "shine"); // [b]The animation to play[/b]
}
[b]// Below is the Default function to create a StaticShape...
// I included it in the CS to keep things together..i
// Believe it has something to do with the editor.[/b]
function StaticShapeData::create(%block)
{
%obj = new StaticShape()
{
dataBlock = %block;
};
return(%obj);
}
#6
12/13/2006 (7:54 am)
Hey Allyn, Thank you for making that tutorial on ifl's. I have a couple questions, on the part in your tutorial where you say to save out the sequence as "shine" and make it a .dts So do you end up with two .dts files one for the sequence and one for the shape? Thanks for the help.
#7
Shine is the name of the Sequence given to the animation in your exporter.
From my limited Knowledge of the Max pipeline, this should be he name of your Dummy mode, the one that names the animation. (I think)
12/13/2006 (7:57 am)
No, DTS Objects of this nature just have the animation inside the DTS.Shine is the name of the Sequence given to the animation in your exporter.
From my limited Knowledge of the Max pipeline, this should be he name of your Dummy mode, the one that names the animation. (I think)
#8
12/13/2006 (8:02 am)
OK, Thank you I will run with that and see if I can get this to work, thanks again.
#9
Can you get me a screenshot of the interface of the exporter you are using so I can see which one it is?
12/13/2006 (9:01 am)
I am not sure which exporter you are using. In the usual exporters, there is a flag in the sequence helper that has to be enabled in order to turn on IFLs to export. Can you get me a screenshot of the interface of the exporter you are using so I can see which one it is?
#10
12/13/2006 (9:23 am)
Here are a couple of shots of my exporter interface, let me know if anything does not look right. Thanks!!
#11
12/13/2006 (10:10 am)
Ahh, that is the pro exporter, and I have not used it much. Looks like the IFL checkbox is checked. You might want to contact the dark industries guys and ask them about this.
#12
12/13/2006 (10:27 am)
Well which exporter do you use ,and where could I find it? Thanks
#13
IE: red_001.jpg
The ENGINE requires the red_001.IFL as a list.
You currently have the .IFL set as the materials "Image"... thus there is nothing to export, as thats not an image.
Not sure if this is 100% true for the MAX setup, but i thought i would bring it up.
12/13/2006 (11:57 am)
Setting up in lightwave requires that you set the material for the IFL surface to the first image in the set.IE: red_001.jpg
The ENGINE requires the red_001.IFL as a list.
You currently have the .IFL set as the materials "Image"... thus there is nothing to export, as thats not an image.
Not sure if this is 100% true for the MAX setup, but i thought i would bring it up.
#14
12/13/2006 (12:12 pm)
My material shows up in both Showtool and TGE, but it won't play the .ifl animation and for some reason it says no for animation seq. Any ideas? Thanks 
Torque Owner Joe Maruschak