Skeletal animation in new bonus pack

[Super-K]

Anyone have any information on the new model formats?

It looks like it's using something called a .psa file for animation data and .psk for the mesh format (including bones, it looks like).

Sounds cool.

I may have missed some of this if people have been talking about it already... I've been kinda out of everything for a while.

--
SK

[Edited by Super-K on December 23rd, 2000 at 03:19 PM]

[Hetemti]

Easier to make models and animations? K00l. ¡Pleaso informeö!

[TanGenT]

The animations are also better. Hopefully this will allow for more model creation (ala Quake III) rather than a plethora of skins for the Male Soldier model (which is quite old). In games like Quake III, you don't just have a texture, you have a specific model for that texture. It makes the game THAT much better.

[[PuF]HWAS]

Do you guys all use 3d Studio Max for modelling and animation?

Just curious.

[Super-K]

One of the reasons (or maybe THE reason) you don't see many custom models for UT is because of the way they have to be added.

In order to add a new model it requires new code (a new class) that subclasses one of the UT player classes. The problem comes in when you have a mod that needs to change one of the parent classes (like to change some default player stuff)... then everything below the parent needs to inherit from the new parent... this is one of the problems with OO design. You then have to make new sub-classes for all the existing models and recompile.

This could be fixed by having a generic player class that can dynamically (at run time) load the animation and mesh data. Right now you could design the class that would do this, but there is no provision within UT to load 3D meshes at run time... they have to be compiled beforehand. At least that has been my experience. This is the real limitation and, IMHO, why we don't see many custom player models for UT. I hope they fix this at some point. I do not believe it would be terribly difficult to add dynamic mesh loading to the engine core... I'm not sure why they didn't do it a long time ago.

--
SK

[TanGenT]

Has anyone else gotten that problem where the skins on the bots will be offset? Like the face skin will be on the chest, etc? It only happens like once every twenty rounds for me, but the fact that it happens pisses me off.

[Hetemti]

HWAS...I wish. I'm suck in MilkShape Land. :(

[[PuF]HWAS]

Milkshape is OK, I used that until my shareware copy expired.:p

I used 3d Studio Max at a friend's house and it seems a lot less limited than MS, but I doubt it's worth the $3000...

[ChrisToth.hu]

3D Studio is very cool but doesn't worth that much! 4 digit price for the "STUDENT" VERSION????!!!!! Ridiculous.

I have it! That's because I need it for my works.

But one thing cannot be doubted: It's better than that damn Milkshape!

[TanGenT]

I see there are two Magic: TG players here. Well, I used to play. I actually used Purraj of Urborg in my deck at one point. Eh, times of old. Anyone wanna buy about 5000 M:TG cards?

[ChrisToth.hu]

Any Black Lotuses or Moxes? :)

[Hetemti]

How much?

[ChrisToth.hu]

Let's start a new "Want to trade MTG cards?" thread...

:D just jokin'

[Hetemti]

http://www.magic-singles.com/cpa/forums/

...would be the appropriate place.

[ChrisToth.hu]

Thanks. I'll check...

[TaoPaiPai]

Talking about skeletal animation (no MTG) I found these great links on polycount (great site for modelling matters)
http://unreal.epicgames.com/skeletal/UTSkelAnim.htm
http://unreal.epicgames.com/skeletal/UTSkelExamples.htm
http://unreal.epicgames.com/skeletal/Setup.html

Now it seems that milkshape users are left alone.
You have no future if you don't have max :(

I have a bunch of other software I was wondering do you guys know a good conversion software that could let me con vert some 3d from a more standard format (let's say ".obj" or any other one) to max format.

[ChrisToth.hu]

This is a big sheat to the Milkshape users because 3DS costs a lot of money. I didn't like Milkshape anyway... :D

3DS Maxx can convert most of them.

[Super-K]

Thanks TaoPaiPai!

Those links are what I was looking for... kick-ass!

As for conversion software, I have yet to see software that works 100% all the time but my current favorite (and seems to work the best so far) is 3D Exploration. It's commercial but the demo version works good. http://www.xdsoft.com/

Another conversion proggy that does a lot of formats:
3dWin: http://www.stmuc.com/thbaier
It's shareware, and you can't do batch conversion without registering. It hasn't worked as good as 3D-Exploration has for me, but it is pretty good.

Man, oh man, I love watching those new models run around.

http://www.planetquake.com/oz/tremor/trshot1.jpg
http://www.planetquake.com/oz/tremor/trshot2.jpg

--
SK

[Luminuis]

how about Unreal tournament cards?


just athought.

[Lizard Of Oz]

The real problem with UT and custom Models, Skins,and Voices, is the way
it's handled from the server. In order for any of the above to work
all the clients AND the server must have the custom (what have you).

So, if you have a custom (what have you), and the server dose not, nobody
gets to see or hear your custom (what have you). If I attempt to join a
server, and I'm forced to download 27mb worth of custom (what have you),
I disconnect and find another server. So most servers admins are reluctant
to install these custom items.

A better way to handle it would have been to. make these custom (what have you)
mostly client-side. If I'm using a custom (what have you) only the other
clients that have the custom (what have you) installed will see or hear it, otherwise
they see or hear the default Models, Skins, and/or Voices. The server will only
report which Models, Skins, and/or Voice is being used.

[Ren Höek]

what are you guys complaining about??? I don't understand:p

http://nemesis20001.tripod.com/pcfullnew.html
http://kickme.to/okcrew/
http://web.tiscalinet.it/tzone/twi/

[ChrisToth.hu]

That railgun rocks!
8))

[ChrisToth.hu]

Ren:

That rulez but warez! :D

[SuperSeb]

It isnt the same subject,but as you seems to know well
the new models,I dare ask you how modify theirs skins?
I import my skin with unrealed ,i rplace oder by mine,but nothing appear during the game,the original skin is always in place! Strangely when i delete the utx files where are the skins its the same! I you can and want help me! i have some ideas for new skins(i theink a Space Marines,or chaos space marines,the model have similarity with theses characters.)thank SuperSeb

[SuperSeb]

Where can find Direct UT LodMesh???????
I have Ut skin Maker,but i want edit skins of my custom model more easily,with this program.

[Fuzzpilz]

WOTgreal (no, I don't know where to find it right now) is supposed to be able to export models to 3DS/3D formats, but when I try this feature, I get either a Divide By Zero or empty scenes. (files that are nothing but a small header, or perhaps only the beginning of the header)

[ChrisToth.hu]

BTW is there any program that supports the new modeltypes?
Like one that not just takes HD space but even works too.