22 réponses à ce sujet

[Hellfire_RWS]

I have ran multiple searches on this forum for information and tutorials on custom creatures,and have not been very lucky.

COuld some one please link me to a tutorial or info on making completely custom creatures.

[TimelordDC]

I don't think there are currently any tutorials out there. The best sources of information would be -

- BG Redux Team since they've created new creatures (mephits, golems)

- Eshme's Import/Export Tool. The discussion threads there will potentially have lots of useful information on DA formats and import/export workings between 3dsMax/GMax <-> DA

[mikemike37]

feel free to keep the question here for all to see, rather than hidden away on our project page. New creatures using existing skeletons: not too much trouble. To my knowledge, nobody has really tried to make one using a new skeleton with new animations yet. (our mephit for BGR isnt animated and probably wont make it into our first module)

As for tutorial information, our guy has said that he'll put together a tutorial *at some point*... but i wouldnt hold your breath best thing to do is check eshme's very good documentation, give it a try and come back with any questions you have.

Modifié par mikemike37, 11 septembre 2010 - 10:37 .

[ladydesire]

Hellfire, it's probably not all that different from doing them for Neverwinter Nights or Neverwinter Nights 2. I think most of the potential difficulties will be with the export process, though I think eshme will be able to help there, as mikemike37 said.

[DarthParametric]

If you stick with existing rigs then making custom body models for DA is no different to making them for any other game. The modelling process has nothing to do with the game itself and follows standard low poly modelling norms. See Google for a gazillion tutorials. The only DA-specific process occurs once you get your weighted/skinned mesh into Max/GMax and prepare it for export via Eshme's script. As Mike and Timelord said, this is already documented in Eshme's readme file and in the discussions on the project page.

[Hellfire_RWS]

Not interested in sticking with existing rigs, I wanted to make creatures for NWN2 and DAO at the same time, and in the process convert all the creatures I have already made. A good number of my existing creatures will require me to put new skeletons in DAO. I might still look into this, but I'm really not up for a bunch of trial and error with the rigs.

[-Semper-]

ladydesire wrote...

Hellfire, it's probably not all that different from doing them for Neverwinter Nights or Neverwinter Nights 2. I think most of the potential difficulties will be with the export process, though I think eshme will be able to help there, as mikemike37 said.

no, that ain't true. given that da:o can read custom skeletons (until now no one rellay tried this - but i do believe there won't be any trouble with this. you just have to bear in mind that every bone needs an exclusive id and that you have to build it with the needed crust hooks) the biggest problem is to set up a completely new animation blend tree. there is no heavy documentation of the blend tree editor which ships with the toolset and there are also 2 animation exclusive file types not documented at all but linked within the apr_2da. but the creatures in awakening are also not using these so i think those file types are not really needed.

in nwn2 the animation tracks are determined by their name which was easier to handle.

Modifié par -Semper-, 12 septembre 2010 - 11:43 .

[DarthParametric]

Hellfire_RWS wrote...

Not interested in sticking with existing rigs

Well in that case you'll want to look over the discussions on Eshme's project page and probably ask any questions you have there.

[Eshme]

Cant wait until someone does it. But remember the first one needs to make a tutorial for the rest of us lol

[Hellfire_RWS]

I will need to import a creature an all associated files. Then I will have to check all the properties and naming etc.



Might be a long while before its somehting I can do, When and if, I will most surely write a tutorial.

[Nattfodd]

1. What creature do you want to make? Biped? Quadruped? Other?

2. The mesh is ready or do you have to model it?

3. What 3D graphic softwares do you have?

4. do you want to use exsisting DAO animations? Do you need new ones?

[Hellfire_RWS]

I use 3Ds Max, and Zbrush



Skeleton is undecided. I do not know if I will go from scratch, or convert a creature I have already made.



I'm not interested in reusing anything in DAO I want to see if a full custom creature can be done

[Nattfodd]

I think it can be done. The better way is to start from an existing creature that has a skeleton similar to the creature you want to make. The Eshme's import/export for 3ds Max will be your best friend.

Because of i'm plannig to make horses, if you want we can cooperate, unless you want to make another creature.

[mikemike37]

HORSES!

[ponozsticka]

oh deffinetly, horses, ponnies...whatever, must be

[Eshme]

Import a creature, and remove anything but GOB/GOD/Root, this is the easiest start. Put Root along the center of mass, a central point or something to animate pretty. And attach the rest of the skeleton to Root, branching out in each direction basically if you want.

[ChewyGumball]

I would think the most daunting part of the process is the animations. Creating a new skeleton means all existing animations are pretty much useless to you.

[alschemid]

Nattfodd wrote...
Because of i'm plannig to make horses, if you want we can cooperate, unless you want to make another creature.

How far have you gone into the horse thing? Because I've just started modeling one too.

[Nattfodd]

I have the horse ready. I have to import in max and rig starting from dog or wolf.
I need to make also some idle animations.

Modifié par Nattfodd, 17 septembre 2010 - 07:53 .

[alschemid]

Sorry for the spam... horse development goes here: http://social.bioware.com/group/2907/

Modifié par alschemid, 17 septembre 2010 - 07:27 .

[-Semper-]

alschemid wrote...

Sorry for the spam... horse development goes here: http://social.bioware.com/group/2907/

are you trying to implement mounts or just horse models to place them within the area, like cows and other animals?

[alschemid]

-Semper- wrote...

alschemid wrote...

Sorry for the spam... horse development goes here: http://social.bioware.com/group/2907/

are you trying to implement mounts or just horse models to place them within the area, like cows and other animals?

We would like to have mountable war horses, but for now we are working on getting the models in game with a nice set of animations to go with.

Edit: Let me add some useful thoughts not only spams into this thread

ChewyGumball wrote...
I would think the most daunting part
of the process is the animations. Creating a new skeleton means all
existing animations are pretty much useless to you.

Yes, you are right, but we were making a few tests... and if you move/change a few bones of the skeleton to match the model better it means you will have to tweak all the animations as well, and this process is not an easy task considering that when you import it in max/gmax all the bones have keys in each frame, since most of the animations have 100 frames or more, it will be really time consuming.

When you build the skeleton from scratch you can add animation's helpers, ik, all the stuff to make the animation process easier... so I don't know what is most time consuming... but tweaking the animations from DA frame by frame appears much more boring than building them from scratch using a custom skeleton with helpers.

Well not entirely from scratch since you can import another skeleton with animation in it to use as a reference of bone positions and timing...

Modifié par alschemid, 19 septembre 2010 - 01:55 .

[FastEddieLB]

Interesting read here. I myself am making a project that will need a skeleton for an angel basically. Going to see how that goes, but it's good to know I'm not limited by existing skeletons.