Faster/better way to create units

[Dragon Warrior]

Does anyone know a way of making unit animations thats faster or easier than using flcster and paint shop pro? I've been trying to make a unit for a while now but i still only have default with no movement andand the 1st few framesof attacka done. I'd like to know if there is a faster way because i'd like to finnish my 1st unit in this lifetime.

 

[Cazovi]

hmm..you could probably rig something up with a 3d modeler, 'course a decent 3d modeler costs money ($2500 I think it was last for Lightwave, which incidentally I believe Firaxis used to create thier units, at least that's what a pic in an interview with Sid's head as science advisor was in). You could check around the starcraft mod community and see if they have any software reccomended (same principles for developing units, though different format), actually, any game that uses sprite animations, way back when I had a macintosh, I messed around with plugins and modding for EV:Override (the only reason to own a macintosh in my opinion) and they had some info, 'course I don't think any of their programs were ported over to pc...but yeah, I don't know much about unit creation, I just mess around with diff proggies until I get bored with them...master of nothing if you will

Anyway, I hope this doesn't confuse (if it doesn't, you must be a schizo like me (disorganized thought patterns) ;p )

So yeah, I've got writing homework, just warming up my fingers

 

[King of Camelot]

Heres a radical idea! Try putting more time into it and work harder! Good things don't just appear! Give it some effort. I am managing to work on my unit, work on making a game, and do GOTM at once (plus school . Well, thats just my 2 cents.

 

[Jesse Coombe]

Dragon Warrior, I feel your pain cos I'm working on my first unit at the moment but you should take King Of Camelot's advice. Just work at it and you'll get it done! Work on my unit is going pretty slowly cos I'm still trying to figure out Flicster and all the related stuff but I'm getting there gradually!

 

[Kryten]

......if you ever find an easier way, PLEASE let me know!

It does get better though. If you keep going you will find ways of short-cutting the process (like using the 'mirror' tool, at least on horses/vehicles/aircraft/ships; like making the default/fidget/fortify .fic files minor variations of each other; like using cut & paste to copy anything you can from the existing civ3 units rather than drawing things by hand; like using the PaintShop Pro rotate & blur tools to create an 'instant shading' effect).

Mind you, I'm no expert. It's taken me 2 months just to make one unit! But I'm getting better. I know what I'm doing now, so the next unit will be twice as quick.

BTW, I like to start with the attack.flc first. That gives me more of an incentive to to complete the rest. Then I can use the first attack frame to make the default/fidget/fortify .flcs.

Just don't give up! It IS worth it!

 

[nonnog6]

I can feel your pain, but it takes time to have a better result in the end!
To complete the Death animation on the Stormtrooper it took me almost two weeks!

But in the end I cannot believe myself what Great job I have done.
When you have to change color details and graphic, it is time consuming! But like Kryten says, Pro shop has lots of handy shortcuts that speeds up the process. If you don't have it, well then save some money and buy it! It's a well good investment.
And FLICster is the ultimate tool of the World!......

(I had to work on my unit with my wife saying everyday:" Are you on that damn computer again! " .......)

 

[Dragon Warrior]

thanks for all the advice. Yeah i no i should put more time into it but with school and hockey i really dont have that much time right anyway yes learning the shortcuts would help a lot but it was worth a shot asking.

 

[Dark Sheer]

I guess thats about it. Of course once you do enough units you will realise some method are better at a certain time.

But all involve using Flicster. What I am trying to say is multiple flc might be good if you are doing a unit from scratch (say my Modern Frigate for example as I uses the transition frames feature of Animation Shop) but if you just want to change something for a current flc, storyboard might be easier (like my bandit unit where I changes the hat and head and remove the sword).

 

[Dragon Warrior]

well i did manage to get a version of lightwave 3d.... if only i could figure out how to use it
about the multipe flcs... how do you do that... all i no how to do is the storyboard...

 

[Cazovi]

heheh, good luck figuring out lightwave ;p
Took me about a year, and I had access to a Lightwave master, 'course I had 5.6, you prolly have 7 or 6.5, which is much more....****ed up