I'm at a loss as to how you would save an ANIMATED .x format model file.

I've been messing 'round with something lately, and it allows the use of  "animated" .x files.

I know how to save in .x because it's no different to saving in any other format, but I don't understand how to save an "animated" object in that manner.  To be honest, I've never even heard of an object that's saved as an animation - because objects are usually loaded in and then animated.

I realise this isn't really the right forum for this question, but the one it belongs in is lifeless.

Len.

 

Attached Link: http://www.okino.com/default.htm

Which application? Direct X is an output format that makes calculations faster for the video card. It is used differently by a lot of gaming companies. They each have their own little tweaks to keep their own stuff proprietary.

A full version of any software should be able to save and reload it's own format. The problem comes when you try to pull one format into another, like taking halflife walk cycles into poser.

Without knowing what you are doing I'd just have to guess. Polytrans is a good converter and you can try a demo to see if it works at all. It does nasty things like deleting every fifth polygon from meshes until you buy a full version.

It's for use in FPSCreator.

I'll try my best to explain.

Basically there is a downloadable utility which creates "entities" from your OWN models, under the condition that those models are in .x format.

Now, in the demonstration video that comes with this utility, the guy explains how you first have to tell it what TYPE of entity you would like to convert your .x model to.  There are various options (Gun, Enemy, Object, Door) etc.

I sit listening to what the guy is saying, and I understand everything except for the DOOR entity description.

He says that you import the object, choose DOOR as an entity type, and then tell it how many animation frames this object has (he gives it 15 frames).  - THAT is what I don't understand, and this is quite a weird thing to explain here, believe me.

I'm not sure if you're willing, but I've included the download of the video where the guy talks you through everything I've tried to explain.

If you have a fast connection, and have a bit of spare time - it would be great if you could have a listen.  Also, if you do this - please take special note when he comes to the DOOR entity, because that's where all this animation thingie comes into it.  It's easy to follow, because it's narrated quite well, I just don't understand some of it.

Just in case, here is the download (22.3MB) - the video is inside the zip  

http://files2.thegamecreators.com/fpscreator/fpsc_entity_maker.zip

The most important files to watch in the ZIP are Tutorial 3 and Tutorial 4.

If you can't go to that length, obviously, any further input appreciated.

Len.

I've been working on levels for Uru Live if it ever happens again. I have a mommy note from Mr. Fryman at Cyan legal but can't post anything public until his OK.

To your first question, you can't save an animated X format model specifically. The obj file is saved with modifiers. Things like object type: door1, speed: 15, collision: 2, etc is saved with the object and only make sense to the game engine. These may be included in the obj header or packaged into a file the game reads. If FPSCreator packages modifiers with the object then you probably have an option to make user object menus where you can use the same door over without setting modifiers again. These files probably can only be saved into FPSCreator unless you want to use blender and a hex editor and write your own decompiler with python scripts.

The door seems to be an animation on a flat plane. The object doesn't move, the animation does. while the door is "open" the object has no collision so your character passes through. The animation for his red accordion door is 30 frames; 15 to open, 15 to close. You could make your own animation in bryce then convert it to TGA and use it. If it took 40 seconds to open and close then you would set the speed to 20 so the door stopped in the middle of the animation when it is opened.

oh..somehow I was thinking Scully and Mulder were involved..;) (think about it..;)

Hey, The truth is in here! (the forums that is)

Hey, thanks loads for that electroglyph

For starters, I'm glad you said that it's not possible to save animated .x objects - because I was beginning to wonder if it was something lacking from Cinema4D's export ability (thankfully not).

Regarding what you said about animating on a basic plane, you can indeed do that, but that's not what's happening here, because the door is actually a 3D animated object in the game itself - and I'm buggered if I can figure it out.

It's really doing my head in, but I'll keep at it for a while before I risk looking like a twit on a coders forum.

Aaarrrggghhh!!!

Len.

Attached Link: http://opende.sourceforge.net/ode-latest-userguide.html

This program uses the Open Dynamics Engine. It's a freeware program distributed under the GNU public license. The userguide to the engine can be found here.

Attached Link: http://developer.nvidia.com/object/nv_texture_tools.html

DDS textures used in the game were developed as a way to compress and render tga textures using active X. You can find white papers on the technology, a plugin for photoshop and texture editors at the nvidia developers site. DDS textures have layers that can be assigned transparency and bump essentially making them 3D objects. They also have mip maps or the ability to fade to a color at a game distance. This allows the game engine to save processing by not rendering distant objects.

pumeco,

just a stab in the dark:

tiny.x in the dx7 SDK  was an animated directx .x file so it is possable to make one, but I haven't found a utility.that will do it (at least nothing I could afford)  I always assumed that 3dmax or a plugin for it had that capability but frankly I dont know that for sure.

when they talk about frames I can only assume that they are talking about geometry frames where each vertex in an object is calculated such that there is some movement of that object from the last frame. I imagine it is roughly equivalent to the frames on an avi only calculating the relative positions of the vertexes of your object rather than pixels. That's my best guess for now. 

I would be overjoyed to play with software that can make animated .x files. A link to the software would be more than appreciated if it isn't obvious from the link to the video you posted earlier.

electroglyph,

thanks for the link to the open dynamics Engine.

-TJ

Thanks electroglyph, but that sort of stuff is a bit beyond me at the moment.

If you work on games as projects like you do then I can uderstand why you need to know all that stuff.  I'm just a total newbie to this though, that's why I'm using FPSCreator;
its easy but VERY powerful.

Easy...apart from this animated .x I mean.

bikermouse, I'm wondering now if there's any utility that allows you to load in standard "grouped" 3D objects, define how they are to be animated, and then output in an animated .x format.  After all this, I'm starting to think maybe that's gonna be the case here.  I hope it doesn't mean I'm gonna have to shell-out for 3DSMax - because there's no effin' way I'm going to - lol

As for not guessing from my link - here are some that will take you streight to the product and demo.

The LIMITED demo can be downloaded here :
http://files2.thegamecreators.com/fpscreator/FPSCreatorV1_Demo.zip

The main website for this product can be found here :
http://www.fpscreator.com

I can tell you all now, this product is INCREDIBLE and I TOTALLY want to take it to bed with me.

cough

The FPSCreator is TOTALLY customisable, that's what rocks about it, because it has 'hidden' power by using custom scripts on every aspect.  You should download it and check-out it's scripting abilities detailed in the manual.  My guess is, you'll probably need something to wipe away the drool - seriously!

Len. (Major thanks to Erlik, who pointed this thing out to me in the first place).

It's like my '3D Construction Kit' days have been reborn - I LOVE IT!

Microsoft DirectX is an advanced suite of multimedia application programming interfaces (APIs) built into Microsoft Windows Direct X is just a method of bridges to send data directly to the video or audio cards or get data from keyboards and joysticks without tying up processor time.

Is it possible to create an animated Direct X object? Yes.

Check out the developers homepage.

Microsoft DirectX Developer Center

 

Here is a good game development tutorial from microsoft.

Coding4fun

pumico,

At  50 buckazoids it sounds reasonable. I found the dl page since my last post but it was 136 megs so it has to wait- no getting around it I'm gonna need high speed internet soon.

There has to be a utility/plugin for this somewhere that will group the objects and convert them to x if this program won't do it   . I'd ask around 3ds forums and how to convert them to x. Not so sure the 3ds2x converter shipped with the dx SDKs will handle  converting animation ????

Anyrate I thought a while back I could do it all - the programming -the artwork- the story line but there aren't enough hours in a lifetime to do it all; it's goona take me many more years to even get the artwork down so I'm not quitting the ... speaking of which - times short.

Thanks for the links and info.

• TJ