I'll get right to the point. This hyperdrive ability is divided into 2 parts. The first applies a behavior that modifies speed, acceleration, etc on the caster ship, and the second creates a unit 'exit' at the target point that periodically searches the area and removes the hyperdrive behavior when the caster arrives, which then the effect - final on the hyperdrive behavior will find the exit and destroy it. This map will also have many ships of the same player using the ability at the same time. There is an easier way for just the ability to work properly with movement speed validators on the behavior, but the ability is set up this way for visual FX primarily.
The problem here is that there's no way (that I know of and hence this thread) to distinguish ships from the exits they created, so ships can travel through other ships' exits never reaching their own exit and messing up the other ship path as well. How do I set effects up that only allow a ship to reach and shut down the exit it itself created?
I have no experience with markers but perhaps that's the answer?
Though a month late, I need to thank you guys for your help. I got your PM Mr. Cactus and will explore it when I have time. Using the .m3 you sent me I managed to create a working model with the animation I need without Art tools.
This problem is with this specific model. Testing with 3 other models all proved successful with current exporter config and version of Max. It must have something to do with the wheel bones or objects related to bones. A few hours of looking through animation tutorials led me nowhere on finding a solution to this issue.
As a side note, all WoW models with wheels seem to behave the same way: A walk animation is present, but wheels do not rotate. Having never played WoW, I suspect that the models work with a physics engine in WoW to animate the wheels with respect to objects mesh they come in contact with. Therefore the models have some specific setting that's conflicting with animation keys.
Months ago I requested the art tools beta, but I lost or never received the email with the download link. Attempts to get another one a few weeks ago didn't work out either. Unless there's now a public version of art tools available, I'm likely not going to be able to get it any time soon.
Having created and edited several dozen custom models from WoW for this project, this is the only model that I will really need art tools to do. It's also the only one of its kind I require for this project. I now humbly request if a kind modeler with art tools would add in a simple working wheel rotation animation in the .m3 file I provided above, and upload it here. It doesn't have to be fancy in the least. I would be in your debt.
Firstly, I appreciate very much that you put the effort to create a visual guide as well as a a max file to answer my question. Questions posted on this board are answered with more clarity and efficiency than any other board on this forum.
However, the animation sequence remains unamended. I applied the Euler XYZ controller to rotation for the 4 bones. Again it seems to work in Max, but imported, the animations are not amended. Also, I'm using the 2010 version of Max, not art tools, so I couldn't open the attached .max file in your post. I'm going to look up tutorials on motion and controllers and see if there are additional fields I have to change.
It's also possible that I'm not keying the animations correctly. The procedure I used is as follows:
- Select bone, select Walk animation sequence, drag animation time to start
- Hit "Auto Key" button, hit "Set Keys" button
- Drag animation time to the end of animation sequence
- Rotate the bone with rotate tool
- Repeat for all wheels
The result is that the animation appears to be amended into the sequence when I hit play animation. On video tutorials there do not appear to be additional steps beyond these, but maybe procedures are different for models to be exported?
Probably the simplest animation there is, a wheel-spin animation.
I'm trying to create a catapult-like siege engine, and I'm having trouble with its walk animation. The model is a WoW catapult model with a walk animation that doesn't turn its wheels. Adding the wheel turning animation in 3DsMax with Auto-key + keyframe and turning the bone attached to the 4 wheels seems to work in Max, but imported into the editor, no dice. It might have something to do with bone hierarchy which I know nothing about, or simply I'm doing it incorrectly.
Thus, what is the procedure to add animation sequences to models to import into SC2?
The attached file contains the model in question, which is a modified version of the demolishervehicle.m3 from WoW.
Thanks for reading. I would appreciate any information on resolving this issue.
Gents. I'm trying to create a mounted archer unit imported from WoW that combines a horse and a character model. I plan for this unit to be able to fire on the move and thus turn his body to face the target he's firing at while moving.
I'm still new to Max, but thanks to the sterling and expedient assistance you guys provided on my recent questions, I've been making steady progress. I've figured out how to combine the mesh of the horse and the archer so when the horse is playing its walk animation the archer is fixed on its back, by connecting some bones. I face two problems at this point.
One, is creating the Turret_Z attachment point on a bone at the archer's waist. From reading past threads on the topic of turret_z I understand I have to create an attachment object, name it "ref_TurretZ", and attach it to the bone of the same name. Following this, I renamed the waist bone on the archer accordingly and attached an attachment object with Select n' Link. No dice. There appears in the model data in the cutscene editor (previewer) for the model a new attachment point, but what's there is
: [Unknown], Bone = 5 (Invalid!)
When clearly it should be something like,
Ref_TurretZ: [e_attachRef_TurretZ], Bone = 5
I exported a siegetank model and experimented with its Turret_Z point. What I gathered from that is once I remove the Ref_TurretZ attachment point, it's hard to put it back on, so I figure there are probably other things I have to attach the attachment point to, or have things attached to it.
Two, is mixing the walk/attack, run/attack, and stand/attack animations of the horse/archer models. I have very little experience with animations in Max. First I need to know if this is possible. Since the Goliath and SpartanCompany models are able to walk and attack while retaining both animations, so I figure it should be.
I notice that animations like the goliath "Attack" and infantry "Stand Left" and "Stand Right", animates only the upper body and lower body respectively, so animations that affect the other parts runs without problem. This is what I'll be gunning for. The question then is how do I replicate this in a custom model in Max, and set it up in data to display this correctly?
I understand enough from reading past threads on external magazines to know that the first part of your direction is very difficult to do - linking a magazine holder with its ammo units, unless a recent patch changed this. What if there is more than one parent of the same unit type?
I exported a character model along with a helmet using WoW Model Viewer and imported it into Max. I've been following this thread, bypassing the parts about team colors. The character model is in .m3 and the helmet is .obj.
The attachment part has me troubled. After moving the helmet to a good position ontop of the character model's head, linking the helmet with an attachment point with "select and link" on the character model was good enough for it to appear attached in animation tests in max. However after giving the helmet a skin modifier and attaching a bone, any bone, even newly made ones not attached to the model, the helmet resets to the position when it was imported, which is below the character model. Any attempt to adjust the helmet's position while it has a bone added does nothing, as after its moved it will always reset.
From what I understand a model needs to be attached to a bone to be exportable. What am I doing wrong?
It's simple enough now after a little tinkering to make a buff behavior active when idle, but I still can't figure out how a behavior or effect attached to the behavior is supposed to send a unit back to the correct stop, or even find the correct stop. So what is in behaviors or elsewhere that orders the unit to return to the correct stop?
Well thanks, but that's not enough to go on. Is there something in a buff behavior that can determine this, or would I have to create a validator? After it's validated, what then? What is in the behaviors or elsewhere that orders the unit to return to the correct stop?
External magazines automatically return to their set formation points around the parent unit after they move off of it, but a turnable external magazine unit that uses the ground mover can collide with other units and thus move off of their formation. Is there an effect or behavior that forces the magazine unit to move back into formation around a stationary parent and then face the default direction when called? Or, an effect that determines the unit's formation point?
Right now I have a Create Persistent effect that makes a target offset then an Issue Order effect that moves the magazine unit to the offset in the opposite direction that forces the unit to reset and walk to the formation. This works fine to a degree but it isn't efficient.
Alternatively, a way to change the distance a unit is allowed to move from their original point before automatically returning - without an order, like if it was pushed away by another unit, would work as well. I looked in Gameplay Data but found nothing.
I don't even know if this is possible in triggers, but either way it's probably best sticking with Data. Any guidance is always appreciated.
Blizzard's policy concerning third party content is very far from clean and simple.
The fact that we have maps with names and themes from copyrighted franchises like Halo or Super Smash Brothers that are allowed to exist on the service proves that there is flexibility in the Starcraft II Custom Game Acceptable Use Policy that states "the content you (I) use to create any Custom Games or upload to the Service, nor the compilation, arrangement or display of such content (collectively, the “User Content”), infringes or will infringe any copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret or other intellectual property right of any third party." Clearly the presence of original custom models that resemble content from franchises pushes on the barrier of tolerance a little more.
I'm not concerned in the least whether a questionable map can be featured, as long as it's allowed to exist and be played. I'm also not overly concerned with the implications of the official word, since there is apparently room for leniency. Anyone can easily change the name of their map and units to something original as to avoid the problem, but the similarity between original custom models and the content they're supposed to take after cannot be changed as easily - especially since Blizzard holds the final word on its judgement.
0
Gents.
I'll get right to the point. This hyperdrive ability is divided into 2 parts. The first applies a behavior that modifies speed, acceleration, etc on the caster ship, and the second creates a unit 'exit' at the target point that periodically searches the area and removes the hyperdrive behavior when the caster arrives, which then the effect - final on the hyperdrive behavior will find the exit and destroy it. This map will also have many ships of the same player using the ability at the same time. There is an easier way for just the ability to work properly with movement speed validators on the behavior, but the ability is set up this way for visual FX primarily.
The problem here is that there's no way (that I know of and hence this thread) to distinguish ships from the exits they created, so ships can travel through other ships' exits never reaching their own exit and messing up the other ship path as well. How do I set effects up that only allow a ship to reach and shut down the exit it itself created?
I have no experience with markers but perhaps that's the answer?
0
Though a month late, I need to thank you guys for your help. I got your PM Mr. Cactus and will explore it when I have time. Using the .m3 you sent me I managed to create a working model with the animation I need without Art tools.
Consider this solved. Thanks again gents.
0
@ZombieZasz: Go
This problem is with this specific model. Testing with 3 other models all proved successful with current exporter config and version of Max. It must have something to do with the wheel bones or objects related to bones. A few hours of looking through animation tutorials led me nowhere on finding a solution to this issue.
As a side note, all WoW models with wheels seem to behave the same way: A walk animation is present, but wheels do not rotate. Having never played WoW, I suspect that the models work with a physics engine in WoW to animate the wheels with respect to objects mesh they come in contact with. Therefore the models have some specific setting that's conflicting with animation keys.
Months ago I requested the art tools beta, but I lost or never received the email with the download link. Attempts to get another one a few weeks ago didn't work out either. Unless there's now a public version of art tools available, I'm likely not going to be able to get it any time soon.
Having created and edited several dozen custom models from WoW for this project, this is the only model that I will really need art tools to do. It's also the only one of its kind I require for this project. I now humbly request if a kind modeler with art tools would add in a simple working wheel rotation animation in the .m3 file I provided above, and upload it here. It doesn't have to be fancy in the least. I would be in your debt.
0
Firstly, I appreciate very much that you put the effort to create a visual guide as well as a a max file to answer my question. Questions posted on this board are answered with more clarity and efficiency than any other board on this forum.
However, the animation sequence remains unamended. I applied the Euler XYZ controller to rotation for the 4 bones. Again it seems to work in Max, but imported, the animations are not amended. Also, I'm using the 2010 version of Max, not art tools, so I couldn't open the attached .max file in your post. I'm going to look up tutorials on motion and controllers and see if there are additional fields I have to change.
It's also possible that I'm not keying the animations correctly. The procedure I used is as follows:
- Select bone, select Walk animation sequence, drag animation time to start
- Hit "Auto Key" button, hit "Set Keys" button
- Drag animation time to the end of animation sequence
- Rotate the bone with rotate tool
- Repeat for all wheels
The result is that the animation appears to be amended into the sequence when I hit play animation. On video tutorials there do not appear to be additional steps beyond these, but maybe procedures are different for models to be exported?
0
Probably the simplest animation there is, a wheel-spin animation.
I'm trying to create a catapult-like siege engine, and I'm having trouble with its walk animation. The model is a WoW catapult model with a walk animation that doesn't turn its wheels. Adding the wheel turning animation in 3DsMax with Auto-key + keyframe and turning the bone attached to the 4 wheels seems to work in Max, but imported into the editor, no dice. It might have something to do with bone hierarchy which I know nothing about, or simply I'm doing it incorrectly.
Thus, what is the procedure to add animation sequences to models to import into SC2?
The attached file contains the model in question, which is a modified version of the demolishervehicle.m3 from WoW.
Thanks for reading. I would appreciate any information on resolving this issue.
0
Noted.
People have worked with adding Turret_Z before art tools was made available. I'd like to explore my options without it first.
0
No. Should I be? Are these easy to do with art tools?
0
Gents. I'm trying to create a mounted archer unit imported from WoW that combines a horse and a character model. I plan for this unit to be able to fire on the move and thus turn his body to face the target he's firing at while moving.
I'm still new to Max, but thanks to the sterling and expedient assistance you guys provided on my recent questions, I've been making steady progress. I've figured out how to combine the mesh of the horse and the archer so when the horse is playing its walk animation the archer is fixed on its back, by connecting some bones. I face two problems at this point.
One, is creating the Turret_Z attachment point on a bone at the archer's waist. From reading past threads on the topic of turret_z I understand I have to create an attachment object, name it "ref_TurretZ", and attach it to the bone of the same name. Following this, I renamed the waist bone on the archer accordingly and attached an attachment object with Select n' Link. No dice. There appears in the model data in the cutscene editor (previewer) for the model a new attachment point, but what's there is
: [Unknown], Bone = 5 (Invalid!)
When clearly it should be something like,
Ref_TurretZ: [e_attachRef_TurretZ], Bone = 5
I exported a siegetank model and experimented with its Turret_Z point. What I gathered from that is once I remove the Ref_TurretZ attachment point, it's hard to put it back on, so I figure there are probably other things I have to attach the attachment point to, or have things attached to it.
Two, is mixing the walk/attack, run/attack, and stand/attack animations of the horse/archer models. I have very little experience with animations in Max. First I need to know if this is possible. Since the Goliath and SpartanCompany models are able to walk and attack while retaining both animations, so I figure it should be.
I notice that animations like the goliath "Attack" and infantry "Stand Left" and "Stand Right", animates only the upper body and lower body respectively, so animations that affect the other parts runs without problem. This is what I'll be gunning for. The question then is how do I replicate this in a custom model in Max, and set it up in data to display this correctly?
As always, I appreciate the help n' input.
0
Perfect. Didn't know a mesh moved with bone. Thanks.
0
Ingenious.
I understand enough from reading past threads on external magazines to know that the first part of your direction is very difficult to do - linking a magazine holder with its ammo units, unless a recent patch changed this. What if there is more than one parent of the same unit type?
0
Gents.
I exported a character model along with a helmet using WoW Model Viewer and imported it into Max. I've been following this thread, bypassing the parts about team colors. The character model is in .m3 and the helmet is .obj.
The attachment part has me troubled. After moving the helmet to a good position ontop of the character model's head, linking the helmet with an attachment point with "select and link" on the character model was good enough for it to appear attached in animation tests in max. However after giving the helmet a skin modifier and attaching a bone, any bone, even newly made ones not attached to the model, the helmet resets to the position when it was imported, which is below the character model. Any attempt to adjust the helmet's position while it has a bone added does nothing, as after its moved it will always reset.
From what I understand a model needs to be attached to a bone to be exportable. What am I doing wrong?
0
Bump.
It's simple enough now after a little tinkering to make a buff behavior active when idle, but I still can't figure out how a behavior or effect attached to the behavior is supposed to send a unit back to the correct stop, or even find the correct stop. So what is in behaviors or elsewhere that orders the unit to return to the correct stop?
0
Well thanks, but that's not enough to go on. Is there something in a buff behavior that can determine this, or would I have to create a validator? After it's validated, what then? What is in the behaviors or elsewhere that orders the unit to return to the correct stop?
0
External magazines automatically return to their set formation points around the parent unit after they move off of it, but a turnable external magazine unit that uses the ground mover can collide with other units and thus move off of their formation. Is there an effect or behavior that forces the magazine unit to move back into formation around a stationary parent and then face the default direction when called? Or, an effect that determines the unit's formation point?
Right now I have a Create Persistent effect that makes a target offset then an Issue Order effect that moves the magazine unit to the offset in the opposite direction that forces the unit to reset and walk to the formation. This works fine to a degree but it isn't efficient.
Alternatively, a way to change the distance a unit is allowed to move from their original point before automatically returning - without an order, like if it was pushed away by another unit, would work as well. I looked in Gameplay Data but found nothing.
I don't even know if this is possible in triggers, but either way it's probably best sticking with Data. Any guidance is always appreciated.
0
@Leruster: Go
Blizzard's policy concerning third party content is very far from clean and simple.
The fact that we have maps with names and themes from copyrighted franchises like Halo or Super Smash Brothers that are allowed to exist on the service proves that there is flexibility in the Starcraft II Custom Game Acceptable Use Policy that states "the content you (I) use to create any Custom Games or upload to the Service, nor the compilation, arrangement or display of such content (collectively, the “User Content”), infringes or will infringe any copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret or other intellectual property right of any third party." Clearly the presence of original custom models that resemble content from franchises pushes on the barrier of tolerance a little more.
I'm not concerned in the least whether a questionable map can be featured, as long as it's allowed to exist and be played. I'm also not overly concerned with the implications of the official word, since there is apparently room for leniency. Anyone can easily change the name of their map and units to something original as to avoid the problem, but the similarity between original custom models and the content they're supposed to take after cannot be changed as easily - especially since Blizzard holds the final word on its judgement.