HOW TO: Create .bik files for simple movies

Shiggs713

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This is my first tutorial so bear with me. I have found other tutorials in the forums very useful, and would like to give some back :). I didn't see any relavent threads so I started a new one. I acknowledge that this is no "end all" fix to making movies for civ4, but it is a great start.

I have produced several neat little movies for various wonders that I have added on to mods using this method. You can use this method for almost any in-game movie; intro, wonder, victory, era, or even just for a python event. Although finding good content or creating your own from scratch will be the hardest part.

Here is a few quick in-game screen shots to get you interested. They are from the Gateway Arch movie and the CN Tower 2 movie, I simply made a mod, only created directories leading to wonder movies folder, and just placed Gateway Arch movie and then CN Tower movie there named as stonehenge.bik, to make sure it worked.

Spoiler :

Spoiler :

Spoiler :

Sorry about the crappy jpg images, that was easiest to upload.

PROGRAMS YOU WILL PROBABLY NEED TO GET:

First you will need Muvee Autoproducer 4.5 (or similar program), My PC came with it, you can download a free trial version here. This trial only last 21 days so use carefully. Im sure if you look hard enough you can find similar freeware applications.

Second, you will need RAD Video Tools with bink capabilities(or similar program, MUST have bink capabilities). I got my free version here. This is one of the best freeware applications I have ever found. Very useful.

Third (Optional), you will need a program to convert sound files. I only use this for converting .cda to .mp3 (taking a song from a cd and converting to a version that is playable by windows without the cd). The program I have settled with for now is Audio MP3 Maker, although it has some restrictions. You can only use the first 5 songs of any CD you are attempting to rip from. You can get a free version of this application here. I recently found another great program, CDEX, much more useful than Audio MP3 Maker, you can get free version here

4th (Optional) I also use a freeware version of the AVS Video Converter 5.5 which you can get here. Its nice for editing video frame by frame, and can convert video files to many usable formats. Does not include .bik converter though, so you will still need RAD.

NOTE
Keep in mind that most of the programs are limited freeware versions, If you want to have all the power, you may want to upgrade 1 or more of them, or try to find better freeware programs.

STEPS TO MAKING THE MOVIE AND CONVERTING TO A USABLE FORMAT FOR CIV

First you will probably need to find some good content to use. Pictures, movies and sounds.

A good place to find pictures is flickr.com.

I would recommend getting all the files you want to use completely prepared before starting the Muvee Autoproducer. This includes organizing the files and making sure they all in a usable format (example; get pictures in jpeg, get movies in .mpg, and get audio in .mp3). You may not have to convert some files though, Muvee AutoProducer reads many filetypes.

You won't need to crop or resize any images or video's, Muvee AutoProducer can do this very well.

I keep all my working files in the appropriate folders on my computer (pictures in MY Pictures folder, sounds in MY Music folder, ect.)
This is the easiest way when using Muvee Autoproducer.

Its fairly simple to "compose" a simple muvee using Muvee Autoproducer. Just load up the files you need in the appropriate spots, and click make muvee! I would recommend messing with the "hotspots" so the pictures come to life more, and adjusting the settings and intro/credits to your needs.

After you have what you want, save it and close.

Start RAD Video tools. Find the file you just saved as a movie. Should be in .mpg, mpeg, or .avi format. Simply select it and Bink it! It will make an exact copy of the movie that is readable by civ4.

You can also use RAD Video to convert .bik to .mpg and a few other filetypes.

PUTTING IT INTO YOUR MOD

(I have found a few other threads for this, so I just provided some links to help out :).)

Now all you have to do is either rename it and place it in the appropriate folder in your mod, or just place it in the appropriate place in your mod, then modify the xml to use the video you just created.

Note if you are making video's for things that previously did not exist, you will need to add code in a couple xmls for everything to work correctly.

I found a useful thread by Dale on how to do this for the intro video here, the wonder videos are kinda similar but different.

Here is a link to useful thread by SailorLazarus on how to integrate movies into your mod.

Any feedback, questions or any other useful information would be greatly appreciated ;)
 
Here is a viewable link to a simple sample for CN Tower I created. It was my first creation. Actual file is much smaller, Google just blows it up so quality is actually much better in game. :) Here is the CN Tower wonder muvee. It is still in the .mpg format incase you would like to edit it at all. RAD Video can easily and quickly convert this to .bik if you would like to use it for a mod. :goodjob:

Also note that this is just a simple sample. You can actually make it without the intro/credits, and have many more pictures, sounds, and movies.

Other Samples:

Here is CN Tower wonder movie 2, with music. It is better and in .bik format.

Here is Olympia Stadium movie, no music. In mpg format due to size being over 10 mb as a .bik, simply bink it in RAD Video to convert to .bik ;)

Here is Gateway Arch movie, with music. In .bik format.
 
Good job :)
I hope more movies will appear in mods now :)
I'll try it - making movies could be great fun :)
 
Help! How Can I Add This To My Religions?

I have a .bik file that works, but when i found a religion a bunch of error pop ups appear
 
Help! How Can I Add This To My Religions?

I have a .bik file that works, but when i found a religion a bunch of error pop ups appear

you may want to look into the 3rd post in a thread started by SailorLazerous. It goes into detail how to integrate religion movies into mods. You will need to add some new xml and define it something like ART_DEF_MOVIE_YOUR_RELIGION. If you read sailorlazerous's thread and still need help, just ask. :)

EDIT: here you go :) You probably using path #2

Now for the section on the Religion movies. This one is a little tricky because there are two ways of doing, both have their upsides and downsides.

Path #1: For those of you who are able to make new animation packs.

Step 1: You will need to copy the following files. In the "Assets\XML\audio\" path, you will need the "Audio2DScripts.xml" file and the "AudioDefines.xml" file. In the "Assets\XML\GameInfo" path, you will need the "CIV4ReligionInfo.xml" file.

Copy those files and then make a new folder ala Step 2 of the top post.
Now within the above folder, make a new folder for your religion. It should look something like this

C:\Program Files\Firaxis Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 4\Assets\Art\Movies\KenjiMiyazawa\GoodEatsReligion\

Step 2: Do whatever magic you do to make your animation files. Sorry, I know nothing about making animation files with 3Dmax.

Step 3: Make an mp3 file of the sound you want to play to accompany your movie. Dump that mp3 file into the "Assets\Sounds\Buildings\" folder of your mod.

Step 4: Open the "Audio2DScripts.xml" file. Copy one of the tags used for building religions and modify it to reflect your new tastes.

Original:
Code:
	<Script2DSound>
		<ScriptID>AS2D_BUILD_JEWISH_MOVIE</ScriptID>
		<SoundID>SND_BUILD_JEWISH_MOVIE</SoundID>
		<SoundType>GAME_SFX</SoundType>
		<iMinVolume>90</iMinVolume>
		<iMaxVolume>90</iMaxVolume>
		<iPitchChangeDown>0</iPitchChangeDown>
		<iPitchChangeUp>0</iPitchChangeUp>
		<iMinLeftPan>-1</iMinLeftPan>
		<iMaxLeftPan>-1</iMaxLeftPan>
		<iMinRightPan>-1</iMinRightPan>
		<iMaxRightPan>-1</iMaxRightPan>
		<bLooping>0</bLooping>
		<iMinTimeDelay>0</iMinTimeDelay>
		<iMaxTimeDelay>0</iMaxTimeDelay>
		<bTaperForSoundtracks>0</bTaperForSoundtracks>
		<iLengthOfSound>0</iLengthOfSound>
		<fMinDryLevel>1.0</fMinDryLevel>
		<fMaxDryLevel>1.0</fMaxDryLevel>
		<fMinWetLevel>0.0</fMinWetLevel>
		<fMaxWetLevel>0.0</fMaxWetLevel>
	</Script2DSound>

Modified:
Code:
	<Script2DSound>
		<ScriptID>AS2D_BUILD_GOODEATS_MOVIE</ScriptID>
		<SoundID>SND_BUILD_GOODEATS_MOVIE</SoundID>
		<SoundType>GAME_SFX</SoundType>
		<iMinVolume>90</iMinVolume>
		<iMaxVolume>90</iMaxVolume>
		<iPitchChangeDown>0</iPitchChangeDown>
		<iPitchChangeUp>0</iPitchChangeUp>
		<iMinLeftPan>-1</iMinLeftPan>
		<iMaxLeftPan>-1</iMaxLeftPan>
		<iMinRightPan>-1</iMinRightPan>
		<iMaxRightPan>-1</iMaxRightPan>
		<bLooping>0</bLooping>
		<iMinTimeDelay>0</iMinTimeDelay>
		<iMaxTimeDelay>0</iMaxTimeDelay>
		<bTaperForSoundtracks>0</bTaperForSoundtracks>
		<iLengthOfSound>0</iLengthOfSound>
		<fMinDryLevel>1.0</fMinDryLevel>
		<fMaxDryLevel>1.0</fMaxDryLevel>
		<fMinWetLevel>0.0</fMinWetLevel>
		<fMaxWetLevel>0.0</fMaxWetLevel>
	</Script2DSound>

Don't write over the original tag, just copy and make a new one.

Save.

Step 5: Open the "AudioDefines.xml" file. Once again, copy and modify to your tastes.

Original:
Code:
		<SoundData>
			<SoundID>SND_BUILD_JEWISH_MOVIE</SoundID>
			<Filename>Sounds/Buildings/Solism</Filename>
			<LoadType>DYNAMIC_RES</LoadType>
			<bIsCompressed>1</bIsCompressed>
			<bInGeneric>1</bInGeneric>
		</SoundData>

Modified:
Code:
		<SoundData>
			<SoundID>SND_BUILD_GOODEATS_MOVIE</SoundID>
			<Filename>Sounds/Buildings/Goodeats</Filename>
			<LoadType>DYNAMIC_RES</LoadType>
			<bIsCompressed>1</bIsCompressed>
			<bInGeneric>1</bInGeneric>
		</SoundData>

And again, don't write over the original, just copy and make a new tag.

Save.

Step 6: Open the "CIV4ReligionInfo.xml" file. Look for the tags in the religion you created (see another tutorial) and modify them to reflect your new files.

Code:
			<MovieFile>Art/Movies/Religion/KenjiMiyazawa/GoodEatsReligion/GoodEats.nif</MovieFile>
			<MovieSound>AS2D_BUILD_GOODEATS_MOVIE</MovieSound>

Save. Load. Research. View. Love.

NOW THEN

Path #2: For the rest of us, for whom animation is voodoo, but who can make video files and put up with a little python.

Step 1: The audio file no longer concern us because our audio will be imbedded in our movie. So we need the "CIV4ReligionInfo.xml" file from the "Assets/XML/GameInfo/" folder. We also need the "CvWonderMovieScreen.py" file from the "Assets/Python/Screens/" folder. I know what your thinking. "#&#37;@# Python." It is not hard python though. Think of it as, python light. Kind-of like light beer or diet Anthrax.

You will also need the same folder as talked about in Path #1:
C:\Program Files\Firaxis Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 4\Assets\Art\Movies\KenjiMiyazawa\GoodEatsReligion\

Step 2: Make the movie and turn it into a .bik folder. See Steps 3 & 4 of the top post in this thread for referance. Place the newly created movie in the religion folder you made in step 1.

Step 3: Now open the "CIV4ReligionInfo.xml" file. Find the religion you are working on and modify the tags to referance the new movie you created. Also you will need to disable the sound, since you have sound in your movie.

Code:
			<MovieFile>Assets/Art/Movies/KenjiMiyazawa/GoodEatsReligion/Discovery.bik</MovieFile>
			<MovieSound>NONE</MovieSound>

Thats it....right? Wrong. Unfortunatly the game is programmed to think of religion movies as animation files, not as movie files. We need to convince it otherwise. That is where we come to... (I would Imagine this is your problem - Shiggs)

Step 4: Open the "CVWonderMovieScreen.py" file and look for the following section.

Code:
		# Play the movie
		[B]if self.iMovieType == MOVIE_SCREEN_RELIGION:
			screen.addReligionMovieWidgetGFC( "ReligionMovie", gc.getReligionInfo(self.iWonderId).getMovieFile(), self.X_SCREEN + self.X_MOVIE, self.Y_SCREEN + self.Y_MOVIE, self.W_MOVIE, self.H_MOVIE, WidgetTypes.WIDGET_GENERAL, -1, -1)
			CyInterface().playGeneralSound(gc.getReligionInfo(self.iWonderId).getMovieSound())	[/B]	
		elif self.iMovieType == MOVIE_SCREEN_WONDER:		
			screen.playMovie(gc.getBuildingInfo(self.iWonderId).getMovie(), self.X_SCREEN + self.X_MOVIE, self.Y_SCREEN + self.Y_MOVIE, self.W_MOVIE, self.H_MOVIE, -2.3 )
		elif self.iMovieType == MOVIE_SCREEN_PROJECT:
			szArtDef = gc.getProjectInfo(self.iWonderId).getMovieArtDef()
			screen.playMovie(CyArtFileMgr().getMovieArtInfo(szArtDef).getPath(), self.X_SCREEN + self.X_MOVIE, self.Y_SCREEN + self.Y_MOVIE, self.W_MOVIE, self.H_MOVIE, -2.3 )
			
		screen.setButtonGFC("WonderExit" + str(self.iWonderId), localText.getText("TXT_KEY_MAIN_MENU_OK", ()), "", self.X_EXIT, self.Y_EXIT, self.W_EXIT, self.H_EXIT, WidgetTypes.WIDGET_CLOSE_SCREEN, -1, -1, ButtonStyles.BUTTON_STYLE_STANDARD )

This is the part of the code that tells it how to think about the religion movies.

WARNING: MAKING THE FOLLOWING MODIFICATION TO THE CODE WILL CAUSE THE GAME TO VIEW ALL OF YOUR RELIGION MOVIES AS .BIK or .DDS FILES. THIS MEANS THAT IF YOU HAVE SOME OF YOUR RELIGION MOVIES AS .NIF FILES STILL, THEY WILL NOT PLAY. Unfortunatly I have not yet worked out a way for the game to check to see what kind of movie it is playing before it decides how it is going to play it.

Modify the code as follows:
Code:
		# Play the movie
		[B]if self.iMovieType == MOVIE_SCREEN_RELIGION:
			screen.playMovie(gc.getReligionInfo(self.iWonderId).getMovieFile(), self.X_SCREEN + self.X_MOVIE, self.Y_SCREEN + self.Y_MOVIE, self.W_MOVIE, self.H_MOVIE, -2.3 )[/B]
		elif self.iMovieType == MOVIE_SCREEN_WONDER:		
			screen.playMovie(gc.getBuildingInfo(self.iWonderId).getMovie(), self.X_SCREEN + self.X_MOVIE, self.Y_SCREEN + self.Y_MOVIE, self.W_MOVIE, self.H_MOVIE, -2.3 )
		elif self.iMovieType == MOVIE_SCREEN_PROJECT:
			szArtDef = gc.getProjectInfo(self.iWonderId).getMovieArtDef()
			screen.playMovie(CyArtFileMgr().getMovieArtInfo(szArtDef).getPath(), self.X_SCREEN + self.X_MOVIE, self.Y_SCREEN + self.Y_MOVIE, self.W_MOVIE, self.H_MOVIE, -2.3 )
			
		screen.setButtonGFC("WonderExit" + str(self.iWonderId), localText.getText("TXT_KEY_MAIN_MENU_OK", ()), "", self.X_EXIT, self.Y_EXIT, self.W_EXIT, self.H_EXIT, WidgetTypes.WIDGET_CLOSE_SCREEN, -1, -1, ButtonStyles.BUTTON_STYLE_STANDARD )

Save. Load. Research. Watch. Love.
 
Here is another fine example... more to follow.... This is the "founded buddism" movie, with the original music, and it ends in a similar fashion as it did in normal version. You will need to follow the steps above to use this, untill I find a method for choosing multiple types of video's for the same class. :) enjoy
 
I'd like to start modding a little, and the first step is knowing how to convert .wve files (from the SMAC secret project videos) to Bink video (or a format Bink supports). A converter for .flv can work as well. Anyone?

I tried with some online converters, but .wve files seem unbeatable.
 
maybe try some desktop capture software
capture what you see on desktop and cut the fragments from large .avi file
Now the small movies export to .bik
 
sorry event horizon, I have never heard of .wve files and do not know how to convert them, if the standard converters do not work. Hope you figure out a way.
 
Finally found a solution, but not as I expected... In Youtube someone has uploaded all secret project videos from SMAC. A little program called Youtube FLV to AVI does the job, and with Bink Video is easy to make the .bik from .avi...

Just tested the Theory of Everything video and works fine :goodjob:
 
A question:

Are the stats, for example here, about the benefits of the wonder/object part of the actual movie, or are they superimposed on top of it after its played? If it's the latter, how do we ad them to the end of the "movie" after its played? :cool:
 
The game puts it - you don't have to make this in movie
 
hey i just used rad tools to convert bik video to avi... But when i try to convert avi to bik . A bik file is formed but only sound can be heard no video .can you help me to sort out my problem
 
is it possible to make a video that triggers when you have researched a specific tehnology?
 
i know a powerful bik converter called idealshare videogo which can convert BIK to AVI, WMV, MP4, MOV, MPG, MKV, VOB, ASF, DV, RM, TS and more video format
 
Have you tried Faasoft's great Video Converter? With it, you can easily convert BIK to MP4, AVI, WMV, MOV, WebM, MXF, SWF, MPG, MKV, MP3, WAV, M4A, etc.
 
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