AnimB3D

Community Forums/Showcase/AnimB3D

Iamhere(Posted 2006) [#1]
I wrote a little Anim Program over Christmas.
Version 025 is ready for testing.

Now with TUTORIAL

You can join to Googlegroup
http://groups.google.com/group/AnimB3D

http://antome.gmxhome.de/AnimB3D.zip




jhocking(Posted 2006) [#2]
Good start. There are plenty of modeling apps, but not enough animation programs.


Ricky Smith(Posted 2006) [#3]
I get an error when trying to load a .b3d file - either memory access violation or "Cannot read File1".
Looks interesting !

EDIT: Got a bit further by changing the graphics mode - can load a model now but get a MAV when I select a vertex.

Seems like a really good little tool perhaps lacking a gui - its quite hard to remember all the different keys.


Iamhere(Posted 2006) [#4]
Thank you for bug reporting.
I upload a bugfixed Version.

When all bugs that was found next days are fixed, I upload
AnimB3D with source, and the people can give them a GUI and make them better when they want.

I dont need a GUI, I wrote it ;)


Ricky Smith(Posted 2006) [#5]
Just noticed that it seems to have problems with multi-surfaced models it either doesn't load the second texture or there is an error "TEXS chunk too large".
Works fine with a single surface mesh.
A way of panning the view would be useful - if the model is very large then currently you have to zoom out to view it. I would also re-position the camera when loading so that the whole model is visible.
Good work and thanks in advance for releasing the code. I'm sure it will be expanded upon.


Iamhere(Posted 2006) [#6]
I found the Problem, I looked before in different B3D Files, but found allways only one Mesh chunk, but now I found a B3D file with more.
But that brings be to an other idea.
Why I should divide the B3D-file into its components
before the ANIM chunk, I rewrite it in this way, that I
save all before ANIM in a block, I do not something with the
mesh, so I dont need such a complicated procedure, and is more compatible with different formats.
Thank you again for bug reporting.

Edit:
I am not sure if each MESH chunk needs it's own ANIM chunk ? But I think yes, so I can only save each chunk in a block, and not all together.

Edit:
b3dFiles with multisurfaces are read with my files, only multiple mesh not. Could it be that your file has multi-meshes or the TEXS chunksize is wrong ?
I do not implement multi-mesh, because when I create a .3ds file in WINGS3D with different meshes and convert it to .b3d
then all is one mesh, only b3d files generated with XWorld
has multiple Meshes.


Ricky Smith(Posted 2006) [#7]
You may find some files have more than one mesh chunk but it is uncommon in models built for animation. You need an ANIM chunk for each MESH chunk.
What you will find very often is files with more than one TRIS chunk. This is a multi-surfaced model - it only has one mesh but uses more than one texture map. Each TRIS chunk will use a different texture. Blitz3d treats each TRIS chunk as a seperate surface.


Iamhere(Posted 2006) [#8]
Yes I know, normaly it handels this.
when you get an Error, can you send me such a B3D file,
that I can see whats going wrong ?

to antome@...


Iamhere(Posted 2006) [#9]
It would be nice, when some people can betatesting the
new Version.



New Version 010:

Build in a menu from East-Power-Soft.
Intern Frame handling rewritten.
Frames now automaticaly saved, no Return needed.
Key J (or Menu), focus on selected bone.
Key N (or Menu), rename Bone
Key W (or Menu), wiredframe mode
Key F (or Menu), toggle BackspaceCulling


Not implemeted but in work:
Resetfunction for activ Frame
Slider for Frames.
Delete Frame
Move plane up and down.
Some speed settings for different functions.
Other Startup / Graphic-mode


jfk EO-11110(Posted 2006) [#10]
Looks very nice. I am currently designing a level, so unfortunately I ain't got time for betatesting. I can only make a few suggestions (I downloaded your file, but didn't test it yet, so maybe some comments are obsolete) : Allow onscreen help (simply text all help info to the screen, with the app running in the background as usual), plus 4 windows would be useful, top, front , left etc., so bones could be moved and rotated more intuitively. A Timeline would be nice, that allows to drag and drop keys and groups of keys (lasso, ctrl-lmb etc. to select) Finally, try to use Buttons and Gadgets that can be used with as few clicks as possible, because when you have to click a menu twice just to click a button on a popup alert, that will stop the workflow.


Iamhere(Posted 2006) [#11]
Thank you for your suggestions and interesting.
I make now some comments to that.

> I am currently designing a level, so .....
I know that, :) I made this Prg, and some other tools
only why I need it for a game. So I know that Leveldesign is a hard job.

>Allow onscreen help
is implemented, by pressing F1 or help from menu, to describe Keysettings. I made it in the new Version with an alphablending Cube between the Object and the text, so that text can be readen better if the mesh is textured bright.

>plus 4 windows would be useful, top, front , left etc.
brrr.. sorry no, I dont like 4 Window Tools, but when I made this tool ready with all features I need and it is nearly bugfree, I give out the source too so other programmers can add this and that.

>A Timeline would be nice, that allows to drag and drop keys and groups of keys
I planned a slider, copy and paste too but more in the easyer way: copy and paste ONE, or with a Input line: "Give in first Frame number and last Frame number to copy: "
To select more vertices on same time I planned to put in a
alphablending Cube you can move and scale and all vertices inside can be selected or deselected then.

A bigger GUI is not planned yet, possibly whe I worked more excessively with it and find that it is absolutely necessarily, then I put in some Buttons.

>because when you have to click a menu twice just to click a button on a popup alert, that will stop the workflow.

This sounds interesting for stopping Animation.


Iamhere(Posted 2006) [#12]
Bugfixed Version 011:

Now loads the Texture when the B3D File resides in an other DIR than AnimB3D.exe

Bugfixed Version 012:

After changing modus with menu, it hangs.


Iamhere(Posted 2006) [#13]
New version 022:
Many changes.
Tutorial in work.

New B3D files can be loaded now at run-time.
Vertexproblem solved, many e.g. files provided in Wings3D have more than one Vertex at same point. Now all are selected and it to develop no more these ugly holes.
Sequences can be added.
copy and paste Frame (CTRL C/CTRL V)
plane can be changed in height CTRL Pgdn/ -Pgup
different speedsettings for Bones or in the Animmodus for rot/scale/move
Buttons and Slider (with the right/left mouse button)
Bug eliminated within INSERT and DELETE Frame


Iamhere(Posted 2006) [#14]
New Version 024
some bugfixes and SpeedConfig.dat added.

Now with Tutorial
download from above or Toolbox section.


Iamhere(Posted 2006) [#15]
Again an Updated Version 025:
Bugfix - by loading a second mesh without anim
Minor correction - child and parent colors are now updated imediately if you add or delete a bone.


jhocking(Posted 2006) [#16]
Coming along nicely.

Should this load b3d files with skeletons, or does it only handle meshes (to add a skeleton to within your program)? I haven't tried in a couple versions so maybe this has been fixed, but when I tried before I got an error on Key chunks when I attempted to load animated b3d files.


Iamhere(Posted 2006) [#17]
Thank you for reporting your questions, at this way I can better fix bugs.

To your problem: Normaly from first version on it loads
animated B3D files.
But in Coders Workshop I found today an intersting tread, possibly anims which was made by MAX3d and pipeline make problems. Possibly other exporter too, but I only have the
one from Psionic, and from the early Version of Pacemaker
and they works all.
Can you send me such a B3D File wich can not be loaded with animation ? I only use them to learn and delete them after, and give them not away.

You can send it to antome@... as attachement


jhocking(Posted 2006) [#18]
Well like I said I'm going to try them again first, but if they still don't work I'll email you the files. At least one I tried isn't actually animated, it just has bones and was exported from Milkshape, while the animated b3d models are exported from CharacterFX.


Psionic(Posted 2006) [#19]
Looks pretty good so far!!


Iamhere(Posted 2006) [#20]
Thank you
and thank you jhocking for sending a file
with this file I found a big error and must rewrite a greater part of the code.
Some of them I have inside in the earlier versions
and I did it wrong in the newer, other things I must consider.


Iamhere(Posted 2006) [#21]
Update Version 041:

Big parts of the code are rewritten.

New Features:
vertex-weight
diff-vertex-mode
Buttons in Edit-mode
anim <> edit-mode keysettings adapted


jhocking(Posted 2006) [#22]
Seems cool. The lack of z-buffering is weird, though. I assume that's due to using EntityOrder; that's fine for the selection spheres, but you probably shouldn't use that command on the main mesh.


Iamhere(Posted 2006) [#23]
I must looking, before I rewrote the code I habe problems by
clicking the cubes and spheres with EntityOrder
and so I give it to the Mesh.
I make some tests now.
And thank you for your suggestions allways,
it would be beautiful if a few more people would make some
suggestions or give bugreports.


Iamhere(Posted 2006) [#24]
Update Version 049:

-Now EntityOrder is dont to Bone-spheres and Vertex-cubes
not anymore to the mesh.
-Plane now automaticly moved to the lowest Vertex in mesh
-Vertex-weights now colored.
-Scrollspeed of the Mousewheel is now Shift + Scroll = slow
normal speed is only scroll, and fastspeed = CTRL+scroll


Iamhere(Posted 2006) [#25]
People who have downloaded this between 15:00 and 15:23 GMT must download again
old version was in download in this time, sorry.


Iamhere(Posted 2006) [#26]
Version 051:

bugfix - critical error by moving bones in anim-mode removed


stayne(Posted 2006) [#27]
when i go into anim mode, the bones are all moved up far. is that a bug?


Iamhere(Posted 2006) [#28]
Can you send me a copy of you file I will look at this.

Send to: antome@...


puki(Posted 2006) [#29]
This looks interesting - is this the thing that had the picture of an ant instead of that picuture above (the duck thing) - or is that another app?


Iamhere(Posted 2006) [#30]
It,s the same App, only an other pic I have done in 5 Min. with Wings3D (with a very bad Texture :( )

But I am working on a new, who looks better :)


puki(Posted 2006) [#31]
How about a giraffe - I'd quite like my own giraffe.