Hi!
i need to convert my animated models to MD2. (I made them with softimage XSI - but if you know a way for another 3d app, please tell it to me anyway!)
there's no MD2 exporter for XSI so i think i need to go over Milkshape3D or so... however - since MD2 does not support bone animation but vertex animation, the bone animations must be converted to vertex animations! Does Milkshape3d do this for me? (i couldn't test it yet because i didn't find a way to get an animated model into milkshape3d yet!)
Can anyone tell me a way how to create an animated MD2 character? (which is animated with bones inside the 3D suite but - of course - must be converted somehow to vertex animation...)
Everey hint is appreciated!!
thx!
creating animated MD2 models!
I have a bunch of ways.
But now no time.
I will tell you later.
Oh, and I have xsi too. So may I tell you even some way to still be animating with it and have your md2.
But now no time.
I will tell you later.
Oh, and I have xsi too. So may I tell you even some way to still be animating with it and have your md2.
Finally making games again!
http://www.konekogames.com
http://www.konekogames.com
really?? I'm waiting with impatience I don't put links, as I think what u need to do is my last advice, way bellow, my last recommendatin of these bellow listed :
-XSI .
There's an exporter of x format. use that one, and then use an x to md2 converter. Deep Exploration comes to mind, but is comercial.
Export as *.3ds frames (i think is possible in xsi, but unsure) . Then use Quake modeler (in my signature) to go importing the frames and then save as md2. hard way, as that freebie is uber hard to learn .
-Blender. Best way to go. Just import the obj or wings3d model, and the export using Bob Holcomb md2 exporter, you can find it surely through Elysiun forums, at python&plugins section.Where all plugins for Blender can be found. To run them, you load in its internal text editor, and hit ALT+P.
This would require you to know how to animate in blender, and how to at least apply a material with texture. As you could have imported your OBj modelled and uv mapped in XSI.
-Export as dot xsi from XSI, and import with certain free plugin into Max. There a floating somewhere non limited version for Max 4 that surely works innewer ones, of a plugin called Qtip, that exports an md2 from max. harder to find there's another one free somewhere.
This would need having Max purchased
-Don't use md2. use thebetter md3, but just exporting as if it were an md2: full piece model. Then you could export as explained as 3ds frames, or probably othe rformat like LWO, from XSI, and import into Md3 compiler, available (like many md2 and md3 tools, and many other tools, in my signature) those frames, then compile as md3, that thing is easy.The cuts seen in several parts are where uv seams are, as md2/3 can't have 2 uv vertices per 3d vertes, so it breaks there.Solution: re -uv map so to hide the seams before animating, of after animating if u can do it non linearly in XSI (i could do in max...) There's an irrlicht 0.14 md3 patch somewhere, dig these forums.
-Simply don't make your life so highly complex!!!!!!
Man, you have XSI. The best animation tool out there. You have a free x exporter (easily reached in my signature, also, if I remember well...) for XSI !! Export that as it does a great work in exporting the bones, weights, mesh, textures and UVs, just perfectly. then import into irrlicht . If problems, import first in Microsoft Mview, in my signature too, and then resave there again as x, then import in irrlicht. Is way the most powerful solution, by far. Imho the ebst way to animate for irrlicht. Use it that u can. Is what I'd do if I were to make an irrlicht project
[btw, if u use milkshape for organic characters, having such a horse power like xsi...man!! what a crime ! .Milkshape does not support weights, so it will kill em if u find the way to import there ur animation... Also, I think ur a bit messed...One thing is bones animation...a bone affects vertices and move them..if any vertice can be affected by mor ethan one bone, then is partial weights allowed... that is not allowed in old halflife 1 game, neither in Milkshape, where it only allows full afected, or no affected at all. Terrible for organic animations. Ok, then there those formats and tools allowing several bones afect same vertice: like one with 0.4 weight, other with 0.2, and for example a third bone with 0.6. this ensure smooht organic "bendings". And a very different thing is vertex animation(MD2 and MD3 ). That is just vertex coords changing their positions during time line (with bone formats, is all bout joints positions AND rotations, changing in timeline) ...you could use a tool that simply move the vertices with no bone help, but is a pain. Usually you will animate just like allways, with smooth partial weights and all. Once exported, is BAKED like vertex animations. An md2 doesn't have any bone or weights .Is just a bake of the deformed mesh during time, a bunch of vertices position changes, not much more. In the case of md3, it uses an smoother spline like interpolation. Md2 uses a lineal uglier interpolation. md2 wrecks many stuff , anyway. It'd be too long to tell u why. ]
Go for x if you can.
Only reason why i'd choose md3 -not md2- would be lower performance machines as the target users. And even so, it depends on how is implemented the whole thing.
-XSI .
There's an exporter of x format. use that one, and then use an x to md2 converter. Deep Exploration comes to mind, but is comercial.
Export as *.3ds frames (i think is possible in xsi, but unsure) . Then use Quake modeler (in my signature) to go importing the frames and then save as md2. hard way, as that freebie is uber hard to learn .
-Blender. Best way to go. Just import the obj or wings3d model, and the export using Bob Holcomb md2 exporter, you can find it surely through Elysiun forums, at python&plugins section.Where all plugins for Blender can be found. To run them, you load in its internal text editor, and hit ALT+P.
This would require you to know how to animate in blender, and how to at least apply a material with texture. As you could have imported your OBj modelled and uv mapped in XSI.
-Export as dot xsi from XSI, and import with certain free plugin into Max. There a floating somewhere non limited version for Max 4 that surely works innewer ones, of a plugin called Qtip, that exports an md2 from max. harder to find there's another one free somewhere.
This would need having Max purchased
-Don't use md2. use thebetter md3, but just exporting as if it were an md2: full piece model. Then you could export as explained as 3ds frames, or probably othe rformat like LWO, from XSI, and import into Md3 compiler, available (like many md2 and md3 tools, and many other tools, in my signature) those frames, then compile as md3, that thing is easy.The cuts seen in several parts are where uv seams are, as md2/3 can't have 2 uv vertices per 3d vertes, so it breaks there.Solution: re -uv map so to hide the seams before animating, of after animating if u can do it non linearly in XSI (i could do in max...) There's an irrlicht 0.14 md3 patch somewhere, dig these forums.
-Simply don't make your life so highly complex!!!!!!
Man, you have XSI. The best animation tool out there. You have a free x exporter (easily reached in my signature, also, if I remember well...) for XSI !! Export that as it does a great work in exporting the bones, weights, mesh, textures and UVs, just perfectly. then import into irrlicht . If problems, import first in Microsoft Mview, in my signature too, and then resave there again as x, then import in irrlicht. Is way the most powerful solution, by far. Imho the ebst way to animate for irrlicht. Use it that u can. Is what I'd do if I were to make an irrlicht project
[btw, if u use milkshape for organic characters, having such a horse power like xsi...man!! what a crime !
.Milkshape does not support weights, so it will kill em if u find the way to import there ur animation... Also, I think ur a bit messed...One thing is bones animation...a bone affects vertices and move them..if any vertice can be affected by mor ethan one bone, then is partial weights allowed... that is not allowed in old halflife 1 game, neither in Milkshape, where it only allows full afected, or no affected at all. Terrible for organic animations. Ok, then there those formats and tools allowing several bones afect same vertice: like one with 0.4 weight, other with 0.2, and for example a third bone with 0.6. this ensure smooht organic "bendings". And a very different thing is vertex animation(MD2 and MD3 ). That is just vertex coords changing their positions during time line (with bone formats, is all bout joints positions AND rotations, changing in timeline) ...you could use a tool that simply move the vertices with no bone help, but is a pain. Usually you will animate just like allways, with smooth partial weights and all. Once exported, is BAKED like vertex animations. An md2 doesn't have any bone or weights .Is just a bake of the deformed mesh during time, a bunch of vertices position changes, not much more. In the case of md3, it uses an smoother spline like interpolation. Md2 uses a lineal uglier interpolation. md2 wrecks many stuff , anyway. It'd be too long to tell u why. ]Go for x if you can.
Only reason why i'd choose md3 -not md2- would be lower performance machines as the target users. And even so, it depends on how is implemented the whole thing.
Finally making games again!
http://www.konekogames.com
http://www.konekogames.com
i know about boneanimations, vertex animations and so on that's what i menat with converting from bone animation to vertex animation . . .
why i'm using MD2 is because i wrote another app as hometask with Eiffel - and i don't think that it's possible to use irrlicht in eiffel - however... I want to use it to display my models of a irrlicht game i'm working on.
i wrote an MD2 importer for that app because MD2 is easy to understand (because of the vertex animations -calculating bone animations is quite difficult i think...)
i will try your suggestions! thank you very much
that's what i menat with converting from bone animation to vertex animation . . .why i'm using MD2 is because i wrote another app as hometask with Eiffel - and i don't think that it's possible to use irrlicht in eiffel - however... I want to use it to display my models of a irrlicht game i'm working on.
i wrote an MD2 importer for that app because MD2 is easy to understand (because of the vertex animations -calculating bone animations is quite difficult i think...)
i will try your suggestions! thank you very much
it's still not working 
i downloaded the deep exploration demo, but it doesn't seem to support MD2 files (at least it can't export to it...)
I downloaded the dotXSI import plugin for max, but it doesn't import the skinweights and so on . . . there are some animated nulls after import, but the mesh is in defaultposition and not constrained nor skinned to the animated parts . . .
i'd go over .X, but i can't find a .x importer for 3dsmax!
the solution with blender... obj does not support animations and i don't know how to export to wings3d!
so - still no solution :/
i downloaded the deep exploration demo, but it doesn't seem to support MD2 files (at least it can't export to it...)
I downloaded the dotXSI import plugin for max, but it doesn't import the skinweights and so on . . . there are some animated nulls after import, but the mesh is in defaultposition and not constrained nor skinned to the animated parts . . .
i'd go over .X, but i can't find a .x importer for 3dsmax!
the solution with blender... obj does not support animations and i don't know how to export to wings3d!
so - still no solution :/
I could have written a book for you here to explain in detai every method, if I don't do is as I am busy. I have done loads of rare stuff in tools conversions, and I know what you want to do is possible.
I have heard of people porting with dot xsi to max with bones and weights, so iguess is maybe the version yo got.
Also, I forgot to mention, for characters animations exchange, the FBX format tends to totally rock. Try that one if you can, but try to ensure you use compatible plugins of max and xsi of this format. Max 6 or superior are the fbx plugins that worked well for me, while max 5 one didn't work so good.
So, you have that fbx option. And don't worry if you have to deal with these things: you'r learning.
About the x route. Is one I know well. But yup, I have not used the only available x IMPORTER I know, but it may work. Is in hjapanesse the site and doc, but seems UI and plugin are in english and run in any Max. Go grab it here, is a bundle of an exporter and an importer, and free as usual :
http://mofo.pns.to/snsp/?cmd=&mid=5
check which max version plugin u need.
But if you totally depend on md2 as final export, you better ensure first you have the md2 exporter from Max....
Blender. Yeah, I know blender has no anim import ... The deal would be import the obj and rig and animate in Blender. Yup, way long hard way if u don't know blender animation, and also if u have xsi animation done, u'd be more interested in using that work.
...hmmm...OK. I am loosing some minutes for you now...You better pay me
here, dunno if u already been here, dotxsi max import :
http://www.softimage.com/xsinet/L04_bod ... s/general/
It is the very last of that list, Max 6 one, and usually max 6 plugins work probaly in max 7 and 8.There's also there a max 5 one, but I'd allways go for the newest.
I have heard of people porting with dot xsi to max with bones and weights, so iguess is maybe the version yo got.
Also, I forgot to mention, for characters animations exchange, the FBX format tends to totally rock. Try that one if you can, but try to ensure you use compatible plugins of max and xsi of this format. Max 6 or superior are the fbx plugins that worked well for me, while max 5 one didn't work so good.
So, you have that fbx option. And don't worry if you have to deal with these things: you'r learning.
About the x route. Is one I know well. But yup, I have not used the only available x IMPORTER I know, but it may work. Is in hjapanesse the site and doc, but seems UI and plugin are in english and run in any Max. Go grab it here, is a bundle of an exporter and an importer, and free as usual :
http://mofo.pns.to/snsp/?cmd=&mid=5
check which max version plugin u need.
But if you totally depend on md2 as final export, you better ensure first you have the md2 exporter from Max....
Blender. Yeah, I know blender has no anim import ... The deal would be import the obj and rig and animate in Blender. Yup, way long hard way if u don't know blender animation, and also if u have xsi animation done, u'd be more interested in using that work.
...hmmm...OK. I am loosing some minutes for you now...You better pay me
here, dunno if u already been here, dotxsi max import :
http://www.softimage.com/xsinet/L04_bod ... s/general/
It is the very last of that list, Max 6 one, and usually max 6 plugins work probaly in max 7 and 8.There's also there a max 5 one, but I'd allways go for the newest.
Finally making games again!
http://www.konekogames.com
http://www.konekogames.com
dont forget that if you are *very* brave, you can allways grab Blender (dunno if these plugins works with the sweetest one, 2.40, or the latests CVS builds of 2.41...but If not, I know they worked with Blender 2.35 and 2.36, probaly 2.37a(a great stable release) and the md2 importer and exporter. Rememeber you need to install python in most cases for many plugins to work, so you'd better inform your self of this. Ie, I think it is python 2.3.x (I used 2.3.4, I think) for all till Blender 2.37, and python 2.4 for latest 2.4 builds... Python.org and Blender.org )
The md2 plugins here :
http://67.22.114.230:8082/programming/blender/#MD2
while it says 0.14, don't trust it. He just does not edit that htm anymore. It goes now by 0.15 in importer and 0.16 exporter, download and u'll see.
though is 0.x , they work perfect for me.
The md2 plugins here :
http://67.22.114.230:8082/programming/blender/#MD2
while it says 0.14, don't trust it. He just does not edit that htm anymore. It goes now by 0.15 in importer and 0.16 exporter, download and u'll see.
though is 0.x , they work perfect for me.
Finally making games again!
http://www.konekogames.com
http://www.konekogames.com
about max md2 export, this is the unlimited md2 qtip exporter. Newer are limited in 20 frames export. Thi sold one is yet found in some depots in the net like this one :
http://www.maxuser.com/plugins/q/qtip/
who knows...it may even work on max 6,7,8...
I think in max 4.x and 5 worked.
http://www.maxuser.com/plugins/q/qtip/
who knows...it may even work on max 6,7,8...
I think in max 4.x and 5 worked.
Finally making games again!
http://www.konekogames.com
http://www.konekogames.com
summarizing :
- dot xsi route -the newest version out there.
- FBX route.
- x import with that japanese max plugin.
- All above require you get the qtip max 4.x version working in whatever the max you use....
- find your way exporting as OBJ or 3ds frames sequence(only 3ds is supported by old md2 and md3 compilers! You need to know how to uv map in certain way well for an md2 and md3, whatever the tool, I hope u know) and then find something like qdata of the original Id Software to compile into an md2. Beware, if u use any of ID tools, you are not allowed to use in comercial projects the output. The formats by themseleves are totally free for comercial.Their tools, arent. This route you could use with md3, for which i used a freec ompiler in my signature, npherno md3 compiler. But yup, you application only reads md2, from what I did read.
redoing animation options(importing only thestatic character , and rigging and animating anew. ) :
-Blender route. Safe bet, but hardest if u don't know blender. It works perfect as I have tested.
-Quake modeler. Even harder. Very poor in features.
- dot xsi route -the newest version out there.
- FBX route.
- x import with that japanese max plugin.
- All above require you get the qtip max 4.x version working in whatever the max you use....
- find your way exporting as OBJ or 3ds frames sequence(only 3ds is supported by old md2 and md3 compilers! You need to know how to uv map in certain way well for an md2 and md3, whatever the tool, I hope u know) and then find something like qdata of the original Id Software to compile into an md2. Beware, if u use any of ID tools, you are not allowed to use in comercial projects the output. The formats by themseleves are totally free for comercial.Their tools, arent. This route you could use with md3, for which i used a freec ompiler in my signature, npherno md3 compiler. But yup, you application only reads md2, from what I did read.
redoing animation options(importing only thestatic character , and rigging and animating anew. ) :
-Blender route. Safe bet, but hardest if u don't know blender. It works perfect as I have tested.
-Quake modeler. Even harder. Very poor in features.
Finally making games again!
http://www.konekogames.com
http://www.konekogames.com
Finally making games again!
http://www.konekogames.com
http://www.konekogames.com
Does md2 files support meshes deformations in the animation, I really NEED to load an animation but the .x file only supports bones, position and rotation, but I need to load an animation that must have no bones, but mesh deformation, its a page moving and being twisted.
the .x file does not work, can md2 do the job!
the .x file does not work, can md2 do the job!
@Genesys, real pleasure when the other part gets its way through my long explanations sometimes a bit messy
very glad it helped you
@Mel
Md2 or md3 can do the trick for you. Still, often cloth animation is done by bones with smooth weights aplied cleverly to the mesh cloth. There are more or less sofisticated ways.
A really easy way (no bones) would be just to apply a bend modifier with increasing values in certain axes and go keyframing as needed along the timeline.
In Blender, you could do this several ways. You could even do in Wings3d and export as 3ds frames. So you then just "append" frames in Quake Modeler, and from there save as md2, or do same thing and import the *.3ds files in order also in Npherno md3 compiler. Also free. Then export the md3.
There's an irrlicht 0.14 recent patch for md3, and is a way nicer format than md2.
Also, consider that if you are able (heck, I have 'em, ask me) to find the needed md2 (well, that's still temp uploaded in some of the links in this thread) and md3 blender plugins, executing them from Blender will export the animation in md2 or md3.
BTW, by all means, I'd use bones and weights in your case. Not rigid weights, but partial weights, probably weight painting in blender. As imho for a curling book page animation is faster/gives more control.
The curtains-bones method is been used often...some advanced ways are applying phisics to those bones so the effect is total. I have even done a full set of animations of 3d character with flowing cloth and hair with no physics engine or phisic plugin, just bones, weights and keyframing...
For a page curl, is rather easier.
A bend modifier would be very direct, but depends on the 3d package used...
sometimes a bit messy very glad it helped you
@Mel
Md2 or md3 can do the trick for you. Still, often cloth animation is done by bones with smooth weights aplied cleverly to the mesh cloth. There are more or less sofisticated ways.
A really easy way (no bones) would be just to apply a bend modifier with increasing values in certain axes and go keyframing as needed along the timeline.
In Blender, you could do this several ways. You could even do in Wings3d and export as 3ds frames. So you then just "append" frames in Quake Modeler, and from there save as md2, or do same thing and import the *.3ds files in order also in Npherno md3 compiler. Also free. Then export the md3.
There's an irrlicht 0.14 recent patch for md3, and is a way nicer format than md2.
Also, consider that if you are able (heck, I have 'em, ask me
) to find the needed md2 (well, that's still temp uploaded in some of the links in this thread) and md3 blender plugins, executing them from Blender will export the animation in md2 or md3. BTW, by all means, I'd use bones and weights in your case. Not rigid weights, but partial weights, probably weight painting in blender. As imho for a curling book page animation is faster/gives more control.
The curtains-bones method is been used often...some advanced ways are applying phisics to those bones so the effect is total. I have even done a full set of animations of 3d character with flowing cloth and hair with no physics engine or phisic plugin, just bones, weights and keyframing...
For a page curl, is rather easier.
A bend modifier would be very direct, but depends on the 3d package used...
Finally making games again!
http://www.konekogames.com
http://www.konekogames.com
-
dhenton9000
- Posts: 395
- Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2005 8:46 pm
I would be interested to hear opinions on how to do keyframing animations in Blender. I've got bones animations down with the .X exporter, but I haven't a clue how to get a keyframe animation out of blender and into irrlicht, are we talking a md3 here, and if so, where would that md3 irrlicht patch be?
TIA
TIA