Hey guys, I noticed there wasn't a whole lot of discussion on the new Cutscene Editor, so I thought I'd take some time to learn how to use it and share what I've figured out since I'm a long-time lurker.
To start the Cutscene Editor, click Modules->Cutscenes. You'll notice the window starts a little funny, so resize it larger.
To add a new cutscene to your map, go to File->New Scene and select Yes to add it to your map. This will add a new Untitled Scene under Document Files. All scenes that live inside your map are listed under Document Files. The (Previewer) cutscene appears to be just an empty workspace for previewing animations like we used to in the old previewer window. It doesn't save with your map, so make sure you don't work in the (Previewer) scene!
Also, it looks like selecting things in that scene list will show them in the timeline below. For now, expand Document Files and select UntitledScene1.
Once you've added a new scene to your map, you can rename it if you'd like to something more meaningful. Next, we can add models to the cutscene. In the top left is an asset library - search for the model you want (Marine) and double-click it to add (just like the old Previewer). You'll see the marine has been added to the center of your screen. If you can't see him, hit C a bunch of times until the camera says "Game".
For fun, let's make him dance. Right-click the blue animation bar and choose Change Animation->Stand Dance. You can scrub the timeline ruler to see how it looks and use spacebar to play/pause.
You probably want a camera to make your scene more interesting. Click Object->Add Node->Game Camera to add a camera looking out your current view. As a refresher, all camera movement on the mouse is with the Middle Mouse button - use Shift, Ctrl, Alt, etc. to change the direction you move. Now rename the camera to "Start" so we don't get confused.
The camera won't do anything by itself, though. You need a Director to tell the cutscene which camera should be active. Click Object->Add Node->Director. This will add a Director node to your scene, which doesn't do anything by itself. Now right-click the Director node in the tree on the bottom left and choose "Add Active Camera Node". This will add a child node to the Director called Active Camera. Next right-click the Active Camera node and from "Add Camera Cut" choose the newly created camera (Start).
You'll notice a new yellow bar was added on the timeline. That tells the cutscene when you should cut to the new camera. Move it to the start if it's not there by dragging it left. When you're in normal editing mode, though, you won't actually see when the camera changes. For that, you need to look through the Director. Go to Window->Director Window to see exactly what the cutscene sees. You can also change any of the three viewports to a Director view by clicking it so it has a yellow border and choosing View->Camera->Director.
We can cut to a different camera by adding another. This time move the camera close and add another Game Camera (Object->Add Node->Game Camera). Rename that to Closeup. Click on the ruler around the 3 second mark to move the cursor there, then right-click the Active Camera Node and add a camera cut to Closeup. Playback the cutscene to watch your amazing dancing marine!
One final thing I want to touch on is keyframing. By turning on AutoKey, it looks like you can animate almost any property on the timeline. Click the grey circle just under the main viewport to turn on AutoKey. The viewport will go red, and now any changes you make to any property will record on the timeline. Click on the Marine node on the bottom left, then change to the Translation Gizmo (W). You'll see some axes pop up that let you move your model around. Move him around at different points in time to add some position keys. (There appears to be a bug where you can't use the gizmo if you have a viewport set to the Director, so hit C on that viewport to change it). You can also change properties in the Properties Window by right-clicking a node and choosing Properties. Try keyframing Tint Color, too, by keeping autokey on and changing the color values in the properties window.
Finally, you probably want to use your cutscene in your map. First, save your map (Ctrl-S)! Be careful, don't choose "Save Scene", that appears to make a .SC2Scene file instead of saving the cutscene in your map. Just hit Ctrl-S to be safe.
Next, open the Trigger Editor and add an action under the Cutscene (not Cinematic!!) category called Create Cutscene. For the File Path field, click Value and you'll see your Cutscene listed there.
Next is the tricky part, and this took me a while to figure out. Play your cutscene with an XYZ point at position 64, 64, (Height at 64,64). The position 64,64 will make sure it lines up with your map (if necessary) and the height will make sure it plays above the terrain. You can play it at other positions if you want, but that position will make sure it lines up if you care about your cutscene running around hills or whatever. Also, leave Auto Play on if you want it to play automatically when you create it.
Now launch your map, run your trigger, and watch your cutscene! Don't forget to reveal the map otherwise Fog of War will dim it.
It looks like there's a lot more in this thing that I haven't played around with much - lots of triggers, paths, lights, fog, bookmarks, and about a billion properties on each node. Play around and post some cool tips here if you've found them!
Hey man, awesome first post! Thanks a ton for putting all of the work for figuring it out for us. After going through it, it deff makes it easier to start using, that's for sure. I'll have to spend some more time with it after work, but hopefully I'll be able to get something on the internets for everyone to see in the near future.
You can import your terrain data and all of the units set on it into the cutscene editor and use them as references, they do not appear in the the cut scene its self but can make creating more complex scenes much easier.
Hi created a very basic scene where a Thor walks along a path. (This works)
The problem is that i have a camera that should follow the Thor but with no success.
It follows when I check in the Cutscene Editor, I have a director. And all other properties.
In game the camera pan to the location where i have the camera, but it totally refuse to follow my Thor.
Any Ideas what can cause the issue. I guess it is some property. But I don't know.
Camera is attached to the Thor's Origin.
This new Cutscene Editor is frustrating me because it doesn't want to preview every model. Often times right-clicking a unit, actor, or model and selecting Preview just opens the Cutscene Editor with a blank slate. You can load the model by file directly, but sometimes that doesn't do anything either; nothing shows up. For example, right now I'm trying to compare the Dark Stalker missile with the regular Stalker missile, and neither shows up. Any suggestions?
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Hey guys, I noticed there wasn't a whole lot of discussion on the new Cutscene Editor, so I thought I'd take some time to learn how to use it and share what I've figured out since I'm a long-time lurker.
To start the Cutscene Editor, click Modules->Cutscenes. You'll notice the window starts a little funny, so resize it larger.
To add a new cutscene to your map, go to File->New Scene and select Yes to add it to your map. This will add a new Untitled Scene under Document Files. All scenes that live inside your map are listed under Document Files. The (Previewer) cutscene appears to be just an empty workspace for previewing animations like we used to in the old previewer window. It doesn't save with your map, so make sure you don't work in the (Previewer) scene!
Also, it looks like selecting things in that scene list will show them in the timeline below. For now, expand Document Files and select UntitledScene1.
Once you've added a new scene to your map, you can rename it if you'd like to something more meaningful. Next, we can add models to the cutscene. In the top left is an asset library - search for the model you want (Marine) and double-click it to add (just like the old Previewer). You'll see the marine has been added to the center of your screen. If you can't see him, hit C a bunch of times until the camera says "Game".
For fun, let's make him dance. Right-click the blue animation bar and choose Change Animation->Stand Dance. You can scrub the timeline ruler to see how it looks and use spacebar to play/pause.
You probably want a camera to make your scene more interesting. Click Object->Add Node->Game Camera to add a camera looking out your current view. As a refresher, all camera movement on the mouse is with the Middle Mouse button - use Shift, Ctrl, Alt, etc. to change the direction you move. Now rename the camera to "Start" so we don't get confused.
The camera won't do anything by itself, though. You need a Director to tell the cutscene which camera should be active. Click Object->Add Node->Director. This will add a Director node to your scene, which doesn't do anything by itself. Now right-click the Director node in the tree on the bottom left and choose "Add Active Camera Node". This will add a child node to the Director called Active Camera. Next right-click the Active Camera node and from "Add Camera Cut" choose the newly created camera (Start).
You'll notice a new yellow bar was added on the timeline. That tells the cutscene when you should cut to the new camera. Move it to the start if it's not there by dragging it left. When you're in normal editing mode, though, you won't actually see when the camera changes. For that, you need to look through the Director. Go to Window->Director Window to see exactly what the cutscene sees. You can also change any of the three viewports to a Director view by clicking it so it has a yellow border and choosing View->Camera->Director.
We can cut to a different camera by adding another. This time move the camera close and add another Game Camera (Object->Add Node->Game Camera). Rename that to Closeup. Click on the ruler around the 3 second mark to move the cursor there, then right-click the Active Camera Node and add a camera cut to Closeup. Playback the cutscene to watch your amazing dancing marine!
One final thing I want to touch on is keyframing. By turning on AutoKey, it looks like you can animate almost any property on the timeline. Click the grey circle just under the main viewport to turn on AutoKey. The viewport will go red, and now any changes you make to any property will record on the timeline. Click on the Marine node on the bottom left, then change to the Translation Gizmo (W). You'll see some axes pop up that let you move your model around. Move him around at different points in time to add some position keys. (There appears to be a bug where you can't use the gizmo if you have a viewport set to the Director, so hit C on that viewport to change it). You can also change properties in the Properties Window by right-clicking a node and choosing Properties. Try keyframing Tint Color, too, by keeping autokey on and changing the color values in the properties window.
Finally, you probably want to use your cutscene in your map. First, save your map (Ctrl-S)! Be careful, don't choose "Save Scene", that appears to make a .SC2Scene file instead of saving the cutscene in your map. Just hit Ctrl-S to be safe.
Next, open the Trigger Editor and add an action under the Cutscene (not Cinematic!!) category called Create Cutscene. For the File Path field, click Value and you'll see your Cutscene listed there.
Next is the tricky part, and this took me a while to figure out. Play your cutscene with an XYZ point at position 64, 64, (Height at 64,64). The position 64,64 will make sure it lines up with your map (if necessary) and the height will make sure it plays above the terrain. You can play it at other positions if you want, but that position will make sure it lines up if you care about your cutscene running around hills or whatever. Also, leave Auto Play on if you want it to play automatically when you create it.
Now launch your map, run your trigger, and watch your cutscene! Don't forget to reveal the map otherwise Fog of War will dim it.
It looks like there's a lot more in this thing that I haven't played around with much - lots of triggers, paths, lights, fog, bookmarks, and about a billion properties on each node. Play around and post some cool tips here if you've found them!
Hey man, awesome first post! Thanks a ton for putting all of the work for figuring it out for us. After going through it, it deff makes it easier to start using, that's for sure. I'll have to spend some more time with it after work, but hopefully I'll be able to get something on the internets for everyone to see in the near future.
You can import your terrain data and all of the units set on it into the cutscene editor and use them as references, they do not appear in the the cut scene its self but can make creating more complex scenes much easier.
Hi created a very basic scene where a Thor walks along a path. (This works)
The problem is that i have a camera that should follow the Thor but with no success.
It follows when I check in the Cutscene Editor, I have a director. And all other properties.
In game the camera pan to the location where i have the camera, but it totally refuse to follow my Thor. Any Ideas what can cause the issue. I guess it is some property. But I don't know.
Camera is attached to the Thor's Origin.
Any help would be appreciated.
This new Cutscene Editor is frustrating me because it doesn't want to preview every model. Often times right-clicking a unit, actor, or model and selecting Preview just opens the Cutscene Editor with a blank slate. You can load the model by file directly, but sometimes that doesn't do anything either; nothing shows up. For example, right now I'm trying to compare the Dark Stalker missile with the regular Stalker missile, and neither shows up. Any suggestions?