How can I animate a model

christianclavet · Post by **christianclavet** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 9:11 pm

Hi, I can model about anything I want from Lightwave.

But all my model from now are static. I would like to build some animated characters...

Is there tools and/or methods to get my model and create poses to be used in IRRLICHT in animation cycles?

Thanks!

GameDude · Post by **GameDude** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 11:12 pm

The modeler you are using should allow you to animate your model in lightwave. If lightwave can't animate then you could try and export it into a format blender accepts and then animate it in there. Or are you talking about using animation in the irrlicht engine? If so then there is a tutorial that shows you animation included in the irrlicht SDK.

vermeer · Post by **vermeer** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 2:09 pm

lightwave can animate.
he should export to x, dunno if the b3d plugin for lw supported animation export, or, perhaps, collada.

christianclavet · Post by **christianclavet** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 5:15 pm

Ok. So I can export from Layout in X format. Great!

I noted somewhere that we have to define "actions" (I'm refering to the MD2 format)

If I export from X, a sequence of a move. How can I select the "actions" in Irrlicht? Do I have to define another mesh for each actions? (Walk, run, etc..). Do I have to animate the model the save the animation as .X for "move", the redefine the animation the save it as another mesh for example "run"? This part is getting me confused. (Defining the actions in the .X file)

Anybody have seen a tutorial on how to animate a .X object in IRRLICHT?

There is a .B3D exporter for Lightwave?!

vermeer · Post by **vermeer** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 6:58 pm

here's a converter for b3d...dunno if will work well, but seem if u triangulate the model, and use only weightmaps for rigging the character, should work...also, it does linear interpolation, so if you want motion interpolation be as in your lightwave, you need to bake to all frames.

http://www.terabit-software.co.uk/lwconvert.zip

and seems there's a working x export for Layout, but probably if LW already did one better, just use the native then...
http://www.dstorm.co.jp/products/plugin_j/object.htm

if you don't get it to work, you may wish to load in mview.exe from MS DX 8.1 SDK , and there, re-save as x file again.

christianclavet · Post by **christianclavet** » Fri Aug 24, 2007 4:08 am

Thanks.

There is some information about it, on how to use.

This will help me a lot.

christianclavet · Post by **christianclavet** » Fri Aug 24, 2007 5:29 pm

Can a directx .X file support multiple animations or do I have to make multiple .X animated mesh to support some moves like "walk, run, die..."?

From what I see at the moment, I can only save a sequence and have no option to define the part that have a move... Can this be defined in IRRLICHT?

vermeer · Post by **vermeer** » Sat Aug 25, 2007 11:00 am

if I had an idea of coding, I'd answer...for me is usually more handy as an artist to make a single export and tell the coder which frames start -end are for each anim....didnt do so for b3d anims...but not for irrlicht engine...while with x, I often did one single whole anim having em all.Some programmer may answer.