Some questions on animating with MS3D Created 15 years ago2009-05-20 09:41:52 UTC by Berntsen

Hello.

I just started fiddling around with animating HL models using Milkshape 3D, and have a few questions.

First, how would I go about adding a custom animation to an existing HL model? I decompiled the Barney model and used the mesh and skeleton as a base for the animation, but I haven?t made any changes to the model itself. I want to add my animation (which I already exported as a sequence smd) to the Barney model, so that I can use the sequence in-game.

Also, are there any limits on how many frames a single animation can be in HL? Currently, my animation is on 400 frames, but I?m thinking of making it even longer.

Lastly, if I were to make a skeleton for a model from scratch, how can I make it so I am able to move different parts of the mesh in animation mode? When I made my Barney animation, I could only rotate joints, if I tried to use the "move" tool on them, the mesh would be completely messed up - however, there was a joint (seemingly not connected to any part of the mesh) that I could move that would move the entire model without strange results.

Thanks.

First: You can just import the animation's SMD into Milkshape. Just so you know, when you import an SMD for animation, every keyframe for every bone of every frame is set, so you will have to do a lot of keyframe deleting. That's just how smds are, though, and there's no way around it.
Edit: And don't alter the skeleton outside of animation mode. This will cause a plethora of problems, as you've seen.

Second: No clue. Best way to find out is to keep going and if you crash, you have your answer. And if you do hit the ceiling, you can always cut down on frames with Milkshape's handy "scale animation" plugin.

Third: Click a bone in the joints/bones tab to the right. Then select the vertices of the mesh that you want to move with that bone, and click "assign to joint". When you move the joint in animation mode, it's assigned vertices will move with it.

Also, don't forget to add the sequence to the .qc file and compile it.

Thanks - those instructions looked simple enough to follow, but I still managed to run into trouble.

I compiled the Barney model with my animation as a sequence .smd, and although the old animations looks OK when viewed in Half-Life model viewer, my animation turned out like this:I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. I made my custom animation like this: decompiled the Barney model and used the Barney skeleton and mesh as a base, made the animation in MS3D, then I exported my animation as a sequence .smd, edited barney.qc to include my animation (the line I added is: $sequence benchlift "benchlift" loop fps 30), compiled barney.qc - and what is shown in the image is the result. The animation itself seems to be working fine, it's just the mesh that is utterly messed up.

Eeww... What fell on him?
I'm no expert on animations, but I'll bump it for you so others know you have more trouble.

You did ONLY edit the skeleton in "animation" mode, right?

And you did exit animation mode BEFORE exporting, right...

And finally, you did export as animation smd, not reference smd, correct?

Yes to all accounts. If I edited it outside animation mode I would have noticed in MS3D as well when trying to play the animation, but it appears fine there.