PREVIEW: Heavy Armored Mech Infantry - HAMI

[cracker]

Here is a preview of the run animation for the Heavy Armored Mech Infantry unit in for the combined arms mechanized warfare units pack.

There are actually 32 moving parts in each animation frame (track belt counted as only one part). I wanted to make sure we had some turret movement as the unit scans the horizons searching for potential targets while it moves across the terrain.

 

[Blasphemous]

*Jaws drop in amazmement*
That's beatiful!
I haven't been keeping track of the camo poll. Is this the chosen pattern?
Keep up the good work!
Just one comment: The turret mooves too fast and too methodically to look good. It seems odd...

 

[cracker]

I sort of agree with you on the turret movement and will definitely fix that in all subsequent animations.

There is a fairly steep learning curve here.

To produce real animations like this, we have to:

1) create wire frame models that have semi realistic movement pivots.
2) develop textures and material coatings that react with lighting to look good.
3) learn to position the models in lighting and camera stages to project realistic shading and shadows.
4) develop animation frame timing scripts that move elements in each subsequent frame (the "Ray Harryhausen Technique")
5) render each frame of the animation to create a picture.
6) align and assemble the animation frames.
7) align the center point focus of the animation to register with all other animations for the unit.
7) convert the color pallet of the animation to match the CIV3 required pallets.
8) scale the animation to fit with CIV3 isometric terrain grid.


Another limitation with many of the animations is that they must begin and end at a common base animation frame to facilitate linking the animations in the preset way CIV3 uses the animations.

In the HAMI example shown above, the turret had to rotate left and then rotate back across the middle and to the right and then end up centered back at the starting point all in 15 frames at 83 milliseconds per frame.

What I really want the unit to do is a sequence of slower turret pans, but that will require an animation sequence that is 45 to 60 frames in length (remember frames X 8 for directions).

Still playing with all the variables to get the best possible animation sequences and I have lots of experimenting yet to do.

 

[cracker]

Here is the same animation shown at 167ms and 123 ms frame speed compared to the standard CIV3 frame speed of 83ms in the {third} view.

{editted to add the third and slowest speed for comparison}

 

[Stormbringer]

I still think it needs to be slower....

 

[Smoking mirror]

Looks great! I have had some problems with animation sequences of more than ten frames in certain functions. For example the run animation.
When you say the civ III "standard frame speed of 83ms" what exactly do you mean? I used to think you could set the animation speed with flickster for any animation, but my experiments with running human models has suggested that some animations do indeed have a standard animation time.

at the moment for run animations I try not to exeed ten frames, and for saftey have most of the animation take place at the begining. With tanks its easy cos you either have them vibrate, or move their turret from side to side, to suggest movement. Iv'e also found that the biggest rotational movement you can get away with in one frane is about 10 degrees for turret movement, or 2.5 degrees in body movement, here is a preview of my new IS2 heavy tank (yours has much better animation (what program do you use?);

 

[Blasphemous]

Cracker, the slower one is much better. It looks really realistic now...

 

[cracker]

I added a third animation speed at 167ms for comparison in the message above.

All posts inbetween this message and the original were posted before the slowest speed sample was added.

 

[TheDS]

It's a really cool anim, but the turret is moving way too much for the amount of time you're allowed. Move it just a little, like 10-20 degrees at most. You don't want this to look like some toy.

 

[Blasphemous]

The slowest one is the best, but I tend to agree with TheDS. Maybe make it move a little biut less, and slow it down still more. I think that would be even better.
OH, and the slowest one seems to move jerkily... Maybe add some more frames if you use the slower speeds, to fill in the time, instead of setting slow frame rate...

 

[W.i.n.t.e.r]

I think the animation should even be a bit slower !!!