Swapping Heads

[Springheel]

@Modeling Team:

Btw, we should probably decide for sure if we're going to cut the noblewoman's head off to allow for interchangable heads. If we don't do it now and decide to do it later, that could mean all the animations would have to be redone, right? Just trying to think of things we should settle early on so our animators don't have to redo their work.

[Springheel]

Ok, good question about the heads. Ideally we do want the variety this would allow. Key question: How much work is it to do? And how much learning will our animators/modelers need to do it?

 

For the ai that are already modified, I think the elite watch and builders can be left as is--their headgear would be the same anyway, and skins can be used to create different faces.

 

The proguard definitely needs that versatility, so perhaps that can be done during the shrinking/rerigging process?

[ascottk]

Ok, good question about the heads. Ideally we do want the variety this would allow. Key question: How much work is it to do? And how much learning will our animators/modelers need to do it?

 

For the ai that are already modified, I think the elite watch and builders can be left as is--their headgear would be the same anyway, and skins can be used to create different faces.

 

The proguard definitely needs that versatility, so perhaps that can be done during the shrinking/rerigging process?

 

With 3ds max, I can save the skin modifier's envelopes (for rigging) then load it to another model. It's possible it won't take a lot of work. As for the def, material, and whatever else, those'll be a lot of work (at least for me). Yikes, I already learned quite a bit the last three days

 

Also, it there a chance to use the skeletons and animations from vanilla d3? That would save a lot of work. With 3ds max md5 import/export plugins, they can import everything. Skeletons, skins, etc. Rigging would be easier with the saved skin envelopes.

 

And yet another question: Does d3 share animations between models? I kind of like the system used in unreal-based games. T3, for example, has the same skeletons and animations for most of the human AI.

 

Good grief, just another thought, I remember a post on some forum that the Dark Mod team has a dvd full of textures. Whatever happened to that? The 0.003 alpha seems to have very little in the way of textures.

 

OK, I think that's all the questions/ideas for the moment

[sparhawk]

The texture DVD is there, unfortunately it is not ready to use. They have to be processed and at least most of them require normal maps. NH has a copy and I think I also have one, depending on where you want to get it from.

[Ishtvan]

Putting heads in the def files is not that hard at all, I think it's just one line like "def_head" and it attaches to a joint name you specify in the def file as well. Then the head is linked to the attachment joint, so however you move that joint, the head will follow. The head would obviously have to be a separate model with its own texture, etc. Basically we chop off the AI's head, save it as a separate model and make variations if we want. As Spring pointed out, if we don't want to vary the 3d structure of the head we can just use skins and don't need a separate head model.

 

I don't know how the animation stuff works though. You might have to create an md5 mesh and animations specifically for the head if you want it to move independent of the neck. Are any animations even planning to move things independently from the neck up anyway? (Note this doesn't count turning the head side to side, again that could be done by turning the attach joint side to side and the head would follow). Would that be things like facial expressions and lip synch that we don't really have so far?

[Springheel]

Ok...so AscottK is saying the animation is fairly simple, and you're saying the defs are simple...dare I assume that the whole process is therefore...simple?

[ascottk]

I don't know how the animation stuff works though. You might have to create an md5 mesh and animations specifically for the head if you want it to move independent of the neck. Are any animations even planning to move things independently from the neck up anyway? (Note this doesn't count turning the head side to side, again that could be done by turning the attach joint side to side and the head would follow). Would that be things like facial expressions and lip synch that we don't really have so far?

 

I was thinking it might be possible to have several meshes linked to a single animation. I'm not sure how d3 handles it (i.e. if one AI smiles, then all AI in that level smile too. Hopefully that's not the case). In order for them to share animations, though, they need the same bones names, etc.

[Springheel]

to share animations, though, they need the same bones names, etc.

 

Yes, we're trying to design our characters to share animations whenever possible. They are all being created using the same model as a base, though only Oddity and Domarius can comment on whether the skeletons and rigging are the same.

 

You might find this thread useful: http://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?showtopic=3841

[New Horizon]

Yes, we're trying to design our characters to share animations whenever possible. They are all being created using the same model as a base, though only Oddity and Domarius can comment on whether the skeletons and rigging are the same.

 

Ahhh, good. I've been a proponent of this all along. It just makes sense to share animations whenever possible. There can be some more 'individual' animations of course, but basic things like walk cycles...ect...could be the same. You could do one walk cycle and have animated all your characters.

 

Is it possible to create a 'base' rig and then tailor each model so that it can be used properly with it? I think I remember oddity saying that the rigging could be scaled for the larger ai.

[oDDity]

Using motionbulder they certainly can, it was the main reason for using it, and perhaps character studio in Max, though I'm not so familiar wiht that. IN any event, the max animaitons can be converted to FBX as well, and they can all be shared between chars using motionbuilder.

The skeleton rig doesn't even have to be the same for two charcaters to share an animation, though the more they differ the more tweaking will be required.