PSA (animation) files. - by massimilianogoi
massimilianogoi on 9/2/2009 at 21:28
So, it seems that these files contains also the information of the footsteps/walking noises sounds.
I've extracted from the original PSAs->selected the walk animations->imported in MilkShape->exported in SMD format->imported in 3dsmax 5.1 with the Chris Cookson script->exported in PSA format with ActorX->imported and added tags with the Skeleton Browser->tested in the game: Gamall didn't any sounds when it (or she??) walks.
Now, the next challenge is to understand how to add that sounds to the animations...
Judith on 9/2/2009 at 23:25
Quote Posted by massimilianogoi
So, it seems that these files contains also the information of the footsteps/walking noises sounds.
Actually, (
http://ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=124289) this and (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYb0LGcU2IA&feature=channel_page) this would suggest otherwise. Footstep sound is a set of schemas related to the material category. Gamall might be a different story though, she's larger than regular AI and she makes this thumping sound when she walks. Anyone other than her don't need the footstep sounds assigned to the animation.
massimilianogoi on 9/2/2009 at 23:52
:sweat: The sound that I mean is the bond to the animation; in facts that video take its place on an original animation (guard animations I guess). That operation just changed the original sound with new ones.
I mean of a new animation, instead, so let's start from a new walk_forward animation born exclusively from 3dsmax. That's the point.
Just for educational purpose, I leave the PSA imported file for getting a test: (
http://digilander.libero.it/maxath/thief/gamal3.psa) http://digilander.libero.it/maxath/thief/gamal3.psa.
If anyone would like to test this animation, apply it to Gamall or a Tree Beast, then add the animation tags "+walk_forward" and "+stance:standing|claw_ready|walk_ready", and in the game, when the AI moves forward, there will be no walking sounds as well.
Judith on 10/2/2009 at 08:49
Quote Posted by massimilianogoi
That operation just changed the original sound with new ones.
No, I created a completely new material category (plus a new tag) and assigned a set of sounds to it. I didn't have to change anything in animations. Like I said, all the basic footstep sounds, both player and AI-related are in the sound schemas and other files, it's all explained in the tutorial. At least all the human AI rely on it.
Maybe other AIs have some additional footstep sounds assigned, I don't know. As far as I remember, Tiens created a fully working combot AI, with all proper sounds, animations and behavior. And they had this loud footstep sounds as well, so maybe it's worth asking her about that.
massimilianogoi on 10/2/2009 at 16:15
Already done.
She created a "fake" combot, using an invisible Gamall.
But that were not my stuff. I'm talking about a NEW AI, as it could be a seagull, a bat, a vampyre, a horse.. Something that requires new animations, not pouncing the old ones..
Ziemanskye on 11/2/2009 at 18:48
I think Ascottk had something on this a while back actually, that in order to get sounds to play out of animations you need to create the animation with some kind of flag/property thing in the animation package so that it signals that a sound should be played at that point in the animatiom: try googling up on Unreal2 character design, that should point you in pretty close to the correct direction on what might be needed.
massimilianogoi on 11/2/2009 at 20:41
Ok, I'll do it! :thumb: Ziemanksye, welcome back!
We all missed you.
----------------------------------------
Update:
So, I have two news, one good and one bad:
The good one is that I found the tag is embedded in the PSA file:
Inline Image:
http://i44.tinypic.com/2a0pq9.jpgInline Image:
http://i39.tinypic.com/sb606g.jpgThe bad one, is that the Unreal editor has (as usual) something more. This tutorial is exhaustive: (
http://www.moddb.com/mods/ghostwriter/tutorials/custom-animations-with-unreal) http://www.moddb.com/mods/ghostwriter/tutorials/custom-animations-with-unreal
Here they talk about importing the skeletal mesh and the consequent animations via editor, which is impossible to do with the T3Ed (the import under file imports only Unreal Text .t3d files).
Maybe I have to download the Unreal Editor and try there to import the animations to link the sounds?? At this point, it seems to me the only solution :)
Ziemanskye on 12/2/2009 at 19:25
As far as I remember, there was a TDS version of, er, UActor or whatever the exporter from max is, so if you have the right version of max and the editor plugins, you should have the thing for exporting charaters to the TDS format. Beyond that, I think all the tutorials for Unreal assume you're doing it in UnrealEd, but you should be able to set most of it up in the modelling program, then it's just finding the buttons in T3Ed to finish the thing off.
Hopefully.
You just need to work out how to use it, which I'm afraid I can't help you with, since I keep meaning to move onto trying character modelling then I get sidetracked making levels again!
massimilianogoi on 12/2/2009 at 22:25
Quote Posted by Ziemanskye
As far as I remember, there was a TDS version of, er, UActor or whatever the exporter from max is, so if you have the right version of max and the editor plugins, you should have the thing for exporting charaters to the TDS format.
Already done :) There was another thread talking about this, I was already able to create some skeletal mesh and some animation right in the game, you can see it (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQ-6c4gw6XI) here.
The problem is BINDING the sounds to a proper animation period, i.e. at the beginning, at the middle, at the end. More: I gues that using the unreal editor would be the only way to make starting the emitters FX, as the gamall spell, or also a combot's bomb, or something other like this... Well, let's see when I will have the game, since the editor unfortunately are embedded in the Unreal 2 game.
Quote Posted by Ziemanskye
Beyond that, I think all the tutorials for Unreal assume you're doing it in UnrealEd, but you should be able to set most of it up in the modelling program, then it's just finding the buttons in T3Ed to finish the thing off.
Hopefully.
:tsktsk: No, dear friend. Those jackass that created the T3Ed disabled a lot of thing, such as importing these kind of things. I've carefully browser all the options of the Skeleton Browser, and the ones of the Editor in general, and I found no importing options, or procedure, to import PSA or PSK; the editor just imported them automatically when you put them in the appropriate folders (SkeletalMeshes and SkeletalAnimations), without the possibility to bind sounds and/or emitters FX.
Judith on 12/2/2009 at 23:44
Quote:
No, dear friend. Those jackass that created the T3Ed disabled a lot of thing, such as importing these kind of things.
Whoa, hold your horses before you get accused of ignorance, again. The core of T3ed is Unreal Engine 2.x, created by folks from Epic. Their engines and editors are the best apps in the world, when it comes to accessibility and ease of use. Problem is, there was a lot of new technologies brutally hacked into this. Basically, the whole Flesh Engine is a set of hacks: T3Editor wasn't meant to see the light of day in the first place. But it did, thanks to the dedication of fans and kindness of developers/publisher. Still, a lot of things had to be hardcoded due to some copyright/NDA/thirdparty issues. Next time do your homework in history, before thundering out curses, at least you'll know who to blame.
