[Tut] Animate with Blender and Nifscope

[bernie14]

i attached a not in game tested version of your kf with fixed length (means 22 frames) and informtation for the Rifle_Springfield node to fit to your soldiers position (to work the weapons should be like in the vanilla infantry nif a child of the Rifle_Springfield and not of the hand bone)

the kf that u modified worked perfectly in game with the vanilla infantry nif and changing the names of the files like u said, thanks

i apologize for my ignorance, but how did u do it?....i have studied/compared the changes u made in the kf file, i have studied your animation tuts in both blender and nifskope and i cannot figure out somethings.....i notice an extra NiTransformInterpolator, but i cant seem to add one as a child to the NiControllerSequence, also, i noticed the extra Controlled Block for the Rifle_Springfield node, but i tried to increase the Num Controlled Blocks to 22, as u instruct in one of your tuts, but i dont get an empty block

do i have hope or should i just stick to skinning

 

[bernie14]

I'm just happy to see bernie back.

thank you my friend, u have become the master!

i dont know if i am going to be doing much more for civ4 but i am hoping that civ5 has similar mod mechanics and i want to brush up on some skills, although i really hope to be able to work with the MAJOR CIV4 MOD TALENTS to put out superior art for civ5.....i would be happy then to stick to sculpting and skinning!

ps sorry for going off topic

 

[The_Coyote]

i apologize for my ignorance, but how did u do it?....i have studied/compared the changes u made in the kf file, i have studied your animation tuts in both blender and nifskope and i cannot figure out somethings.....i notice an extra NiTransformInterpolator, but i cant seem to add one as a child to the NiControllerSequence, also, i noticed the extra Controlled Block for the Rifle_Springfield node, but i tried to increase the Num Controlled Blocks to 22, as u instruct in one of your tuts, but i dont get an empty block

what i did (almost step by step):

• first i used your blend and reexported the kf with 22 frames and 30 fps (removed all animation keys after your end frame and afterwards set as new end frame frame 22 and added a key at frame 22 - having exactly the same position like your old endframe). After the export i edited the text keys of the kf, so that the end is frame 22 and made the basic checks in the "NiControllerSequence": end time correct, correct Cycle Type, (i missed to set the Target Name to MD - after the export it´s Scene Root, but vanilla kfs refer to the MD as target) - blend is attached
• open the infantry.nif with nifskope
• fattached the exported kf to infantry.nif in nifskope
• opened the kf itself in nifskope
• raised the number of of controlled blocks to 22 ("Num Controlled Blocks") in the kf
• updated the "Controlled Blocks" array (without your change is not visible) - can be done via RMB on Controlled Blocks -> array -> update or LMB (or double click) or the red double arrow circle
• created a copy of one NiTransformInterpolator and removed all keys from the NiTransformData (Quaternion Keys, Translations, Scales - Number of keys = 0, afterwards update array) [i think you could also create a new one, but i´m used to copy one and alter them]
• again to the controlled blocks and added this copied NiTransform to the new controlled blocks - (Interpolator = NiTransformInterpolator, String Palette = Node name of the NiStringPalette [here: 3], RMB on "Node Name Offset" and Edit String Offset and enter the node name "Rifle_Springfield", RMB on Controller Type Offset and enter or select NiTransformController, be careful the text keys are iirc case sensitive)
• now back to the nif and changed the position of the "Rifle_Springfield" bone to fit your frame 1 position of the soldier
• in the kf added 5 Quaternion and Translations keys (frame 1, start firing, backstroke position, end firing position, end frame) - beside the backstroke position all other keys have the same value like frame 1
• entered frame 1, start firing, end firing and end position ("copied" the values from the nif)
• back in the nif looked at the time when a certain action starts - added this time values in the kf (frame 1 = 0, start firing = 0.1, backstroke = 0.2, end firing = 0.3667, end = 0.7)
• in the nif tried to find a good looking backstroke position for "Rifle_Springfield" - added this values to the kf
• as last step, changed the time of the gun fire in the text keys of the kf to 0.1 to fit your animation
• saved kf

(i choosed this way, because recreating the animation in Blender with the "Rifle_Springfield" imported would be more time consuming than adding one node to the kf in nifskope, and of course, afterwards i added the changed kf to the nif and controlled if the animation looks ok)

do i have hope or should i just stick to skinning

don´t even think about it and don´t ask how much trouble i had at the beginning with this stuff

 

[bernie14]

THANKYOU, THANKYOU.... your explination was right on and cleared up much understanding for me!!

 

[Triver]

I have a problem,that I can't fix. Can anybody help me?
PS But in Blender ther are no problems with animation.

 

[The_Coyote]

used the animation as greetings for vanilla cyrus and the error was not visible - only both forearms aren´t visible (have you set the all end keys in Blender)

 

[Triver]

Thanks. I had mistakes in old version and then fixed them. I have create new animation without mistakes and their fixes.