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Cookie Mobster 19 Feb, 2021 @ 5:34pm
Two tiny little issues with simple animations
Hello! I have recently become familiar with animating custom models using the blender source tools. Here are two issues I would like a little help with:

1. I have a custom prop of a log floating around. In HLMV and Blender the loop is seamless: it spins around back to its starting position. However in-game there's a noticeable lag when it hits the last frame and starts again. Is there any way to mitigate this?
2. I'm making another prop with 3 bones. One is still, the two are the top and bottom jaw, respectively. The animation looks great in Blender, but when I export it to Hammer it's like the bones have zero ability to move or shrink/grow like they did in Blender. Is this an engine limitation or is there a way to make the resizing and repositioning of bones work in source engine?

Thanks!
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Showing 1-10 of 10 comments
Pte Jack 19 Feb, 2021 @ 10:02pm 
These are suggestions only, you'll have to try them to see if they work for you.

It sounds like you have spline (or Bezier) interpolation curves, especially in the ending and the beginning of the animation. This will start the animation of slow, speed up then start to slow again at the end of the animation. You might want linear. Check these out in the Graph Editor for the animation.

Also, I usually chop the last frame of the animation if the animation is a loop because the last frame is usually in the same location as the first frame, which causes a one frame stutter or a glitch as there is no movement at the loop. With that last frame chopped out, the animation flows from the second last frame into the first frame of the loop and makes the loop look complete.
#1
Zappy 20 Feb, 2021 @ 1:32am 
Originally posted by Cookie Mobster:
- it's like the bones have zero ability to move or shrink/grow like they did in Blender. -
Bones can move and rotate in compiled Source animations, but not scale.

If scaling is very important, though, you could either add more bones (e.g. the left, right, and front of both jaws) to move apart from each other, or you could add a shape key/flex for scaling, and use $BoneFlexDriver to add a bone that you can animate to control the flex value throughout the animation.
#2
Cookie Mobster 20 Feb, 2021 @ 10:52am 
I'm making the prop for Team Fortress 2, which isn't listed on the Hammer website as compatible with vertex animation (which $boneflexdriver depends on). But it is compatible with SFM, so is it? Also, is there a way to automatically create a collision mesh based on the bones? I saw an option like that in the HLMV but am unsure how to implement it.
Last edited by Cookie Mobster; 20 Feb, 2021 @ 10:58am
#3
Zappy 20 Feb, 2021 @ 12:27pm 
Originally posted by Cookie Mobster:
- vertex animation (which $boneflexdriver depends on). -
I don't think that $BoneFlexDriver needs multi-frame vertex animation; that's just the main case where it's usually useful to have, so hence the Valve Developer Community wiki mentioning it.

While I don't know for sure, I assume that you could just input the name of any flex controller that you want it to control.

Originally posted by Cookie Mobster:
- Also, is there a way to automatically create a collision mesh based on the bones? -
Not that I know of.
#4
Cookie Mobster 21 Feb, 2021 @ 1:58am 
Thanks for the answers, I'll skip the vertex messing about for now. Do you know if there's a way to make collision boxes that follow the skeleton, like the characters?
Here's the file, if you want to dissect it and figure out why the jaw bone won't move back and forth in Source like it does in Blender: http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?file_id=97027959961836362411
Last edited by Cookie Mobster; 21 Feb, 2021 @ 1:59am
#5
Zappy 21 Feb, 2021 @ 3:16am 
Originally posted by Cookie Mobster:
- Do you know if there's a way to make collision boxes that follow the skeleton, like the characters? -
No, I don't. I usually deal with Source Filmmaker where collision doesn't really matter/exist in the first place, but from what I know/think/assume, you can't have moving physics on a single model if it's not in a ragdoll state.
I could be wrong, of course, but I don't think that it really works the way that you want, I'm afraid.
#6
Cookie Mobster 21 Feb, 2021 @ 10:19am 
I noticed there were some options in hlmv for assigning sounds to frames of animation, anyone figure out how to do that?
#7
Zappy 21 Feb, 2021 @ 10:34am 
Originally posted by Cookie Mobster:
I noticed there were some options in hlmv for assigning sounds to frames of animation, anyone figure out how to do that?
You can use animation events on given frames of a sequence/animation. Some of the events can play sounds, which you can then place on whichever frame(s) you want.
#8
Cookie Mobster 22 Feb, 2021 @ 3:54pm 
Thanks. i have here a simple example of my issue with the bones:
http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?file_id=00855921170216637805

There's only one animation in this file, it's the jaw opening. when the jaw opening the bone controlling the jaw moves forward for visual's sake. note how the bone can move as a whole (not just rotate) in the blender file (in the dope sheet's action editor) but when exported as a prop it doesn't move forward when the jaw is open. you don't even need the materials, it's apparent that the bone can't move independent of its parent. Is there a workaround or something I can use?

Also when it comes to the looping animation lagging on the last frame, it doesn't appear that way in the hlmv, any ideas why it would lag in hammer?
#9
Cookie Mobster 22 Feb, 2021 @ 4:04pm 
Hey! I found the solution! if I export it with a DMX format instead of SMD, I can drift the bones!
#10
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Date Posted: 19 Feb, 2021 @ 5:34pm
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