Need a simple-animated model to start off...

[Zanman777]

Is it possible I can't find a SINGLE model online with an animated soldier? Not even a basic one? All I need is a character who will run and duck aiming a gun. Any format. Any clothes. Anything. But I can't even find a soldier model with a run animation.

I've been looking for one for almost a week now. I'm just about to give up.

First, I couldn0t install Irrlicht. Couldn't integrate it into codeblocks. Then I could but I was using the wrong .dll file versions (I had to find that out by trial and error).

Then I couldn't create the most simple of scenes for Irrlicht with IrrEdit (still can't, the scene shows all f***ed up, nothing like I drew it).

Then I tried to find another scene editor. There isn't any one. Just an ancient one from 3 years ago that's on version 0.2 and is buggy as hell.

Then I couldn't find a single model to start off. My only alternative was to use Sydney to start writing some code. But that was ridiculous... So I searched... I searched... nothing.

I asked for help. I exposed my project on gamedev, over here and a couple other sites, to see if somebody is willing to join the project. Nobody is. Great... Alone in the dark...

Then I tried to learn to create an animated soldier. I googled which was the best free animator; Blender 3D was mentioned a lot. I installed blender, tried to learn to use it with videos that have a completely different interface, but I just can't get the hang of it... It's far too much work for the simple thing I want to do: have a test character! I can't rig a character, there's always something going wrong, heck if I know why... And when I finally rig a model, I realise animating it is a huge trial and error and microenhancement nightmare.

Then I couldn't export the damn thing to a format Irrlicht supports. FINALLY I understood how to do it. But I still don't have acceptable animations...

Then I searched for motion capture files. Yep, there's a library of 2500 free motion captures in .bvh format. On 2500 animations, not ONE is of a person kneeling or crouching the way I need. How lucky am I?

Anyway, I try to import a motion capture to experiment with. Blender hangs up. Amazing...

Irrlicht is supposed to be an easy-for-beginners API. Yet I can't even make a freaking floor with a soldier standing on it...

How is it possible that such a cliché like an animated soldier is unavailable on the WHOLE internet, in ANY format? It's not like I'm asking for an unconventional thing... There are super-complex game engines, 3D graphic engines (like irrlicht), sound engines, network engines, physics engines for FREE and open source; but then you search for a soldier model with some basic animations with it, and no one is willing to provide one for free to the community... How messed up is that?

Anyway, sorry for the whining, it's just simply frustrating to read all over wikipedia and other engine's sites that Irrlicht is so easy, blablabla... To me it's been a nightmare to do anything from day one.

Am I doing something wrong? Is there a solution right in front of me that I haven't noticed yet?

[hendu]

Yes, you have tons of open soldier(y) models, just take a look at OpenArena, Tremulous, or any of the other Q3-based FOSS games. For test char it hardly has to look right, so a cel-shaded uber warrior wouldn't hurt

But complaining how nobody's given the _exact_ model and animation for free sounds really spoiled. Pay an animator if you really want one and can't do it yourself.

[rubenwardy]

http://www.psionic3d.co.uk/ - Some free models

Your problem with coppercube is because it links using relational links.
Put all your textures in the same folder as your program or in a sub folder.
When you export make sure you set the Relational Folder to the programs folder else it won't work
If you have problems with the lightmaps, use dynamic lighting
Make sure you include a light!
I had these problems too.