Release 2

Discuss every aspect of HDTP here.

Moderator: HDTP Team

Forum rules
Please do not feed the trolls.
User avatar
Phasmatis
Off Topic Productions
Off Topic Productions
Posts: 2057
Joined: Sun Apr 25, 2004 7:55 am
Location: UK
Contact:

Post by Phasmatis »

chh wrote: You're right, it does sound tedious. However, is it something simple that someone could do if they lacked even rudimentary knowledge of these animation programs?

If the programs are available, and the protocol not too complex, I'm willing to put in some time to help complete these animations.
I would have to say no, we had an animator on the job at one point and there were still problems. For someone who doesn't know how to use Max and is unsure of the work flow when importing a character into DX, it simply wouldn't work.

Mr.Caravaggio:
The process required was always apparent yes but not all the possible errors, you make one mistake and you have to pretty much start over again, which happened with the last animator, he ended up redoing JC about 3 or 4 times. Just to point out, it wasn't his skill or lack of understanding but more to the point that you can't foresee every error or quirk that might occur in the process.

I would love to see updated characters in DX and that's why I uploaded the character models for people to use, just incase someone is willing to give it a try but I'm not expecting anything to come of it.

About the hair bulge;
UnrealEngine1 doesn't use Alphas unfortunately, it uses masking, which is a million times worse heh.
Keeper of the pointy stick of injustice™.
chh
Thug
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Sep 28, 2007 2:01 am

Post by chh »

Phasmatis wrote:
chh wrote: You're right, it does sound tedious. However, is it something simple that someone could do if they lacked even rudimentary knowledge of these animation programs?

If the programs are available, and the protocol not too complex, I'm willing to put in some time to help complete these animations.
I would have to say no, we had an animator on the job at one point and there were still problems. For someone who doesn't know how to use Max and is unsure of the work flow when importing a character into DX, it simply wouldn't work.
Okay, that's fair. Thanks for thinking my idea over. A shame it doesn't work out as I had hoped.

The university library near me has some resources on 3DS Max, as well as 3DS Max itself in the Multimedia Lab. Once I've checked out those resources (one of them is specifically on 3D character modeling), maybe an online tutorial or two, and tried things out in the Multimedia Lab, I'll likely contact you again. I'd like to help, but you're right, I just don't have the knowledge right now.
User avatar
Smike
Platypus
Posts: 246
Joined: Tue Jun 05, 2007 10:33 pm
Location: California, US
Contact:

The Animation Situation

Post by Smike »

From the middle of page three:
I wrote:ANIMATOR!
TIME!
PURPOSE!
Seeing this thread from its inception, I was a little confused as to what all the fuss was about. Now that this discussion has more or less ended, the mass consensus seems to be "The world sucks! Why does the world suck so much?"
](*,)

Well, over the last month or so, while the speculation and insult to confirmed information was raging wildly in this thread, I was busy in a Top Secret lair fifty miles under the Earth, quietly arranging a new era of prosperity with two mysterious cohorts... (OK, a cat and Tom Skerritt)

Over e-mail, the conversation went something like this:
"So, lets get some characters in this thing!"
"Meow..."
"YOU'RE OUTTA CONTROL MAVERICK - I'M TAKING YOU OUT OF THE SKY!! YOU'RE DISMISSED, GENTLEMEN!!!"
"Rrrar?"
* prrr-prrr-prrr *

Somehow, we reached an agreement. Under the supervision and with the approval of Her Majesty, the Gracious and Astute Queen M. Steele, things will move forward thus:
1. IF we finish the cinematic, than JC AND PAUL will have been effectively animated by Ryan, who is one of the two intrepid animators that has any interest in modding Deus Ex, and one of the two longest-standing artists here.
2. Using the unreasonable overkill of Maya 8.5 Unlimited and thousands of dollars of conversion plug-ins that we gleefully have access to, I will PERSONALLY convert those animations to a form that Phasmatis can easily import into the game - Phasmatis being the other of the two intrepid animators and longest-standing artists here, who essentially wrote the book on animating for Deus Ex (currently blushing like mad over there).
3. Once Phasmatis has them working - hopefully without incident (we don't want a repeat of the ending of "Equilibrium") - GUNTHER will then become his next target for triple-bypass animation surgery.

If all goes well, [-o< we should have a joint-effort producing the JC model's animations from Ryan - which means Paul too (and potentially a few others) - and Gunther's finished animations from Phasmatis.

HDTP:
JC.
Paul.
Gunther.


In-game. Ready to roll.

These characters have the added benefit of being EASILY transported to DX: Reborn as well, should Ake wish to beg. The only catch is that if all goes according to plan, we're still talking a mid-2008 release of this triad due to the schedule for our cinematic being pushed by increased external work, and the progression of events involved.

But I'd say that this should at least make many of you folks happy.
- Smike

(Fox is crying tears of joy right now)
EER
Illuminati
Posts: 2486
Joined: Sat Oct 22, 2005 7:52 pm
Location: NL

Post by EER »

I am very happy with your post Smike, however, isn't Gunther already in the game hi-res and everything? However, just JC & Paul would already be incredibly awesome :)
User avatar
fox
X-51
Posts: 928
Joined: Thu Mar 15, 2007 1:57 am

Post by fox »

:shock:... =D>... ... ... [-o<
User avatar
Phasmatis
Off Topic Productions
Off Topic Productions
Posts: 2057
Joined: Sun Apr 25, 2004 7:55 am
Location: UK
Contact:

Post by Phasmatis »

EER wrote:I am very happy with your post Smike, however, isn't Gunther already in the game hi-res and everything? However, just JC & Paul would already be incredibly awesome :)
While Gunther was with the first release he wasn't completely finished. Some of the animations are still work in progress, when/if Smike and Ryan provide me with the import ready .3ds files that will spur me on to actually finish the beast that is Gunther.
Keeper of the pointy stick of injustice™.
User avatar
Akerfeldt
UNATCO
Posts: 253
Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2006 5:00 pm
Location: The Cliffs of Insanity!

Post by Akerfeldt »

sexcellent
User avatar
Jonas
Off Topic Productions
Off Topic Productions
Posts: 14224
Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2004 9:21 pm
Location: Hafnia

Re: The Animation Situation

Post by Jonas »

Smike wrote:Using the unreasonable overkill of Maya 8.5 Unlimited and thousands of dollars of conversion plug-ins that we gleefully have access to, I will PERSONALLY convert those animations to a form that Phasmatis can easily import into the game
You know, I think I have some pretty tedious tasks waiting for me for TNM that nobody else wants to do, but uhm... this takes the cake. Good luck.
Jonas Wæver
Chief Poking Manager of TNM

I've made some videogames:
Expeditions: Rome
Expeditions: Viking
Expeditions: Conquistador
Clandestine
User avatar
Smike
Platypus
Posts: 246
Joined: Tue Jun 05, 2007 10:33 pm
Location: California, US
Contact:

Post by Smike »

Teh Jonas, when will you ever learn? You of all people here should know that I ALWAYS have an ace up my sleeve.

:twisted:
User avatar
Nameless Voice
UNATCO
Posts: 143
Joined: Fri May 11, 2007 12:39 pm
Contact:

Post by Nameless Voice »

I'm curious: While I've never really experimented with it, Max definitely has a very flexible scripting system. Wouldn't it be possible to make a script to do a batch run through every frame and export the model? That would save a a huge amount of the tedium.

If I knew anything about how characters are converted to Deus Ex, I'd look into it myself - but since I don't, I'll just ask those with more knowledge if it would be possible.
Post Reply