20 replies to this topic

[Gamemacik]

Hello,
 
I cant find why there are no animations after import red dragon model from neverwinter nights 1, but when i use same steps for different model eg. rat, animation bar is full of frames with animations. I am total newbie in 3D modeling.
 
I exported resources with nwnexplorer tool, for import i used gmax v1.2 , 3dsmax5, and nwmax script
Dragon files: c_drgred.mdl, c_drgred_bod.tga, c_drgred_hed.tga, c_drgred_wing.tga
Rat files: c_wererat.mdl, c_wererat.tga

What i tried:
 
import model as txt file = ascii
import model as mdl
no luck.

Edited by Gamemacik, 31 October 2017 - 02:33 AM.

[Creepin]

Actually, it would be cool to have NWN1-to-BG2 conversion tutorial. Closest thing to it that I've found (here) is not exactly detailed and all links to plugins therein are dead. Seifer was going to expand that tutorial, but I was unable to find his version, may be someone knows of it?

[The Imp]

How large the dragon would be ? Cause the Engine uses limited sized picture(256*256)composites that are combined into the full avatar. The dragons are example of this.

For example, if you open the games files with Near Infinity, go and open the BAM folder, and within it, look for the files MDR3****.bam files... most of them are actually plank because the animations are replay'es of the previous files, and they are still bound to the 256*256 picture size, as they were imported to the game in that size.

Edited by The Imp, 31 October 2017 - 06:19 AM.

[Sam.]

Actually, it would be cool to have NWN1-to-BG2 conversion tutorial. Closest thing to it that I've found (here) is not exactly detailed and all links to plugins therein are dead. Seifer was going to expand that tutorial, but I was unable to find his version, may be someone knows of it?

There are also tutorials here and here.

[Miloch]

It sounds like you're doing it right. You've got the .mdl file and the associated .tga files. I could take a look at it if I still have all the tools, but it has been a looong time since I've done this. Last I checked, I was still working on importing the NWN dryad.

[Gamemacik]

Thanks Sam i already read the tutorials, i think problem may be with nwmax, some models are more complicated like the dragon, 3 parts... head, body + wings. Actually i see only solution to create custom animations, then render them as avi with 3ds max and import to bamworkshop.
I didn't want to make big models, it could be a baby dragon , eg. Giant from BG2TOB size is around 180x180 px
A little chance could be ... to use an updated nwmax for 3ds max 2015, i dint tested yet, because i don't have it.

Here are some useful links:
Tools collection: https://neverwinterv...lity-collection
NWmax (i use with 3ds max 5): https://neverwinterv...ion?qt-recent=0

Updated NWmax for 3dsmax2015 (dosnt work well with old 3ds Max 5)
https://neverwinterv...er/tool/nwmax-8
https://neverwinterv...ated-3dsmax2015

Tutorials and tools:
http://www.neverwint...hts.info/cc.htm
http://www.neverwint...reanimation.htm
http://www.neverwint...fo/cc_howto.htm
http://www.neverwint...lorerreborn.htm
http://www.neverwint...ndanimation.htm
http://www.neverwint...info/cc_ccc.htm
http://www.neverwint...toolsettips.htm

Edited by Gamemacik, 31 October 2017 - 11:43 AM.

[Creepin]

Sam., Gamemacik, thanks for the links! I'm hoping to bring kenku to BG one day, and when that day come your links will be invaluable

Edited by Creepin, 31 October 2017 - 12:21 PM.

[Gwendolyne]

As the Imp said, the only way to import animations larger than 512 x 512 is the MDR format (frames split into 9 parts, which means 768 x 768 frames). That's what I did with my tarasques (640 x 640). The bad point is... You can only add them to the vanilla games (with IA). The EE seems to be buggy when it comes with adding dragon like animation format. I noticed it to Avenger. Maybe this bug will be fixed when the next patch is released.

[Gamemacik]

Original animations NWN1 Red Dragon

 

Dragon 250px size 1st test animation

Spoiler

 

update, new dragon is same or bigger than original red dragon BG 2 model

 

Edited by Gamemacik, 08 November 2017 - 01:36 AM.

[Gamemacik]

So long time passed and dragon nowhere .... i found him archived on hdd, unfortunately enhanced edition has so many annoying animation bugs.. the nwn dragon uses same animation scheme as demon prince Demogorgon quadrants=4  [multi_new] type monster the official Demogorgon animation is also bugged so problem will be somewhere in the engine. When spell protection from evil is casted 4 quadrant multi_new animations are divided into flashing squres ...


 

I changed dragon into square if bug is caused by animation size or number of frames, this is 1 framed multi-new type red squared dragon splitted into 4 quadrants. if my memory serves me right wyvern and cacofiend are 4 quadrant monsters also and this flashing squares does not appear, it is probably because they are monster_quadrant type animations, unfortunately this type of animation does not have some animation sequences. Beside that there are visible gaps between squares this is also bug of EE edition only...


 
Note: This bug does not exist in original BG2: TOB game:

Another problem is mirror image which cause massive lags if it is casted on large monster like dragons
 
I tested lags when on screen is more large animations. I tested also full 512x512 red square 1 framed only and caused massive lags with mirror image
small 1 framed red square with transparent borders of size 512x512 cause same or almost same lags as full red 512x512 red square.
 
Here is lag test for official dragons and nwn ported dragon animation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdVvnL5iKW4
 
 
So i do not see any other solution beside let nwn dragon in one piece, i completely reworked him from scratch.
I do not have much time to make complex mod so i will release animation itself only, i hope some moders bring him into live form into game.

Edited by Gamemacik, 10 July 2021 - 07:09 AM.

[Goran]

Interesting animation. I understand that from other games you can also convert a 3D model for BG? For example Titan Quest and and the same games.

[Gamemacik]

yes it could be possible

https://titanquestfa...php?topic=667.0

[Sam.]

EE engine will let you play animation frames of almost any size (limit might be < 1024x1024). Doing this for 4-part and 9-part split animations eliminates the lines between the parts and doesn't produce any lag when playing the normal animations on my machine. Haven't tested how lag might be affected by mirror image or protection from evil by doing this.

[Andrea C.]

Something Ive always wondered with regards to porting animations from other non-IE games is, how do their sound sets work? Can they be extrapolated and ported as well? If not, and sounds from the IE games are recycled, they wouldnt match their animation frame-by-frame.

[Goran]

That's why I asked about the rest of the games. There is a game D&D Dragonshard in which almost all monsters D&D are created in 3D.

https://www.gog.com/...ons_dragonshard

[Gamemacik]

EE engine will let you play animation frames of almost any size (limit might be < 1024x1024). Doing this for 4-part and 9-part split animations eliminates the lines between the parts and doesn't produce any lag when playing the normal animations on my machine. Haven't tested how lag might be affected by mirror image or protection from evil by doing this.

 

But when dragon is as single animation his casting glow appears somewhere between his legs, also dragon breath animation  (SPRDRABU.BAM) starts somewhere from his legs, i do not see any option to adjust position for casting glows along y / z axis. It looks like multi_new type animations does not support one-piece animation, animation will not display in the game, it looks like minimum are 4 or 9 quadrants.

Ini setting like quadrants= is completely ignored by game, it looks like 1200+ animations automatically set quadrants to 9, and 1300+ are 4 quadrants animations.

Edited by Gamemacik, 12 July 2021 - 06:51 AM.

[Sam.]

 

EE engine will let you play animation frames of almost any size (limit might be < 1024x1024). Doing this for 4-part and 9-part split animations eliminates the lines between the parts and doesn't produce any lag when playing the normal animations on my machine. Haven't tested how lag might be affected by mirror image or protection from evil by doing this.

 

But when dragon is as single animation his casting glow appears somewhere between his legs, also dragon breath animation  (SPRDRABU.BAM) starts somewhere from his legs, i do not see any option to adjust position for casting glows along y / z axis. It looks like multi_new type animations does not support one-piece animation, animation will not display in the game, it looks like minimum are 4 or 9 quadrants.

Ini setting like quadrants= is completely ignored by game, it looks like 1200+ animations automatically set quadrants to 9, and 1300+ are 4 quadrants animations.

Then you are doing it wrong.

Try these.  No change of slot type necessary.  I'm interested to know how the lag tests go.

 mdr1.rar   17.56MB   134 downloads

[Gamemacik]

About lag test, i checked same game copy on other pc same lags or even worse, the lags occurred after some spells also like Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting, so i checked lua settings, this line caused serious lags: SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Backend','1')

Just for comparison when i had spawned 2 dragons MDR1 with mirror image effect it was like 16 dragons with mirror images

 

Interesting idea to combine 9 frames into one and rest are 1px size animations, but still it does not solve problem, unless NWN dragon would overwrite existing slot animation, game does not read correctly 12XX.ini files, [multi_new] is not valid [section], no success with [monster_multi]

I did test one more with 13XX.ini files so quadrants from ini file were loaded, 1-9 splitted frame animation also worked, so instead of 4 flashing squares i had 9 flashing squares.

So problem remains:

13XX.ini files casting glow is located too low, somewhere between dragon legs, 13XX slots are G1 G2 type animations cover almost all sequences except awake (it uses reversed die/sleep)

12XX.ini casting glow is ok, but dragon does not display at all, unless i overwrite already existing dragon slot (this mean overwrite bams, because ini editing is not possible), disadvantage of 12XX slots is, some sequences are missing, eg: slash / backslash / jab is same animation, pause/ready same, conjure is same as pause anim

1100 walk

 

 

ANIM1100 walk
ANIM2100 pause/ready/conjure (same)
ANIM3100 slash/backlash/jab (same)
ANIM4100 damage
ANIM4110 die/sleep/awake (same)
ANIM4120 death-twitch
ANIM5110 shot/cast (same)

Edited by Gamemacik, 13 July 2021 - 03:41 AM.

[Argent77]

So problem remains:
...
12XX.ini casting glow is ok, but dragon does not display at all, unless i overwrite already existing dragon slot (this mean overwrite bams, because ini editing is not possible), disadvantage of 12XX slots is, some sequences are missing, eg: slash / backslash / jab is same animation, pause/ready same, conjure is same as pause anim
1100 walk

Regarding dragon type animation slots, this topic might be helpful: https://www.gibberli...tion-sequences/

In short, because of a bug in the EE engine you can't use the usual dragon animation format for new slots. The vanilla game animations are working correctly only because they are hardcoded in the engine. However, it is possible to add new dragon animations using the unsplit variant of the dragon animation type (split_bams=0).

[Gamemacik]

Yes i have seen already the topic about dragon animations. So i looked deeper on the problem, there are two problems wrong section name as you said, [multi_new] is ignored if slot is 12XX.ini , [monster_multi] works but it changes file naming structure from MDR11100 to G type animations, which are different from G animations from slots 13XX.ini

eg.

ANIM1100 --> ANIMG11.BAM  walk [0..8] cycles
ANIM2100 --> ANIMG21.BAM pause/ready/conjure (shares same anim) [0..8] cycles
ANIM3100 --> ANIMG31.BAM slash/backlash/jab (shares same anim) [0..8] cycles
ANIM4100 damage
ANIM4110 die/sleep/awake (shares same anim)
ANIM4120 death-twitch

  --> ANIMG41.BAM combines all 3 anim types (4100, 4110, 4120) to one

      [0..8] SEQ_DAMAGE

    [9..17] SEQ_DIE/SEQ_SLEEP/SEQ_AWAKE

  [18..26] SEQ_TWITCH (Death)

ANIM5110 --> ANIMG51.BAM shot/cast (shares same anim) [0..8] cycles

 

so instead of 567 MDR1 files we could have 5

 

The only disadvantage is it misses many animation sequences.

Edited by Gamemacik, 13 July 2021 - 10:02 AM.