New Here - Mesh Animaton Question.

Creating animations
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JCat Ziva
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New Here - Mesh Animaton Question.

Post by JCat Ziva »

Hi all. Fairly new to SL, and almost purchased land a few days ago until I discovered OS, and shortly after, Kitely. I'm closing in on my six hour free period and will be jumping on a premium account by the seventh. ;)
Here's my question: I know my way around 3D Max as well as building with prims in-world, but I know zero about scripting. I have some low-poly, theme park-related attractions which I built in Max. The meshes import flawlessly to OS, but now I'm stumped when it comes to animation. I can animate in max, but my guess is, I need to know scripting to get anything moving in OS. For example: Say I'd like a wheel to rotate, while having suspended cars swing out using physics. Is that type of thing possible? Are there pre-configured scripts that I can assigned to parts of my a ride? Or even better, some type of in-world animation program someone can point me to?

The same questions would apply to any way to build track-based moving attractions using vehicles?

Thank you!!
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Re: New Here - Mesh Animaton Question.

Post by Constance Peregrine »

There are people here who should have these answers, but I am not one of those...

I just wanted to Welcome you-))
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Re: New Here - Mesh Animaton Question.

Post by Dundridge Dreadlow »

it all depends on the animation type.

Movement animation is programmed via script (rotate, move, scale) - If there is a standard import script, I'd be interested in finding that too ! I guess a .3ds file can easily be scanned for animation keys..

Shape animation (swapping out one model for another) gets slightly harder, but can be achieved.
Bone deformation animation currently works for avatars/NPC only AFAIK.

Theme park rides - wheel to rotate, while having suspended cars swing out using physics - I've actually tried this and a few other techniques in SL, the physics engine has immense problems handling BOTH parts simultaneously, although there are new script commands/techniques since I last tried. Might have better luck with script simulated physics. A lot of people have experimented with different types of rides with varying degrees of success :D

You picked a tough one to start with :D Don't give up easy :)
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Re: New Here - Mesh Animaton Question.

Post by JCat Ziva »

Minethere Always wrote:There are people here who should have these answers, but I am not one of those...

I just wanted to Welcome you-))
Thanks, Minethere! That was just as good! :D
Dundridge Dreadlow wrote:it all depends on the animation type.....
Dundridge,

Thank you for your explanation. Yes it will be an uphill battle. I've animated rides for a program called Theme Park Studio, but that used its own animation joint editor and it loved 3D Max. I just love amazing depth and freedom of the OS environment, and with Oculus Rift, it's going to be off the charts. I spent a week in SL hitting all theme parks, just to study the ride mechanics. Some things were pretty well done, but too many parks had way too much going on so the lag killed it. I found some amazing coasters in OSGrid, which are leaps and bounds beyond anything I've seen. I think those are using the new bullet physics. I was able to rotate objects with a simple script found on one of Linda Kellie's basic tea cup ride, and was happy to see actual smooth rotation.

I'm also trying to find out how to move a vehicle on a track - like one of those ride-through attractions at DisneyUniversal. In SL, there;s someone who sells a kit which lets you move objects on a plotted course. I was going to grab that until I decided to start up on OS instead. Thanks, again!
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Re: New Here - Mesh Animaton Question.

Post by Constance Peregrine »

My pleasure, it is kinda a thing of mine in the few places I roam now, to welcome people. I have observed, in my opinion, it is often a small thing that is neglected too often. If it is just me doing, that is fine also, I don't have any problem with that-))

The small things, to me, mean much more that many other larger ones-)) Which is why I always loved the sentiment expressed in receiving one rose, rather than a dozen.

As to your other comments, in part. I think you might have seen this park in osg;



And I think in SL you may have seen the Hobo Amusement Park? Judy is someone I still call a friend, tho it seems now she does not return this anymore, which is fine, ppl change, and better to change than to stagnate...lol...regardless, I usually do not stop calling someone a friend, simply because they do, or they need space, or whatever they need.

Judy has an account here but only, as I recall, had parts of her stuff here, which I think she removed. However, that does not mean she will be gone from here forever.

I think with how well Kitely is growing, and for a commercial grid, she could do well in sales here, but that would be for others to convince her of that, I leave people alone when they seem to need it.

Have fun, Kitely is on current core OS, which means much of what you see in osg, or other similar grids [but not inwz] if you see something there it can be done here also, with the right know-how.

I read Ilan say someplace that they will be implementing some way in the near future, for world renters to have the choice of either using bullet physics or the current one here, ode.

Best he comment more properly on that, if he wishes, I am just a mere sometime player-))
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Re: New Here - Mesh Animaton Question.

Post by Ilan Tochner »

Hi Minethere,

Our next update will be to an augmented version of OpenSim 0.8.0 that includes hundreds of Kitely-only optimizations. We'll also be making the physics engine a per-world choice, enabling world managers to select between using ODE and Bullet for their world.
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Re: New Here - Mesh Animaton Question.

Post by Carlos Loff »

Hi, welcome

You will surely be very happy here and when you have it all figured out I promise to buy from you a huge Ferris Wheel because I need one just like London Eye
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Re: New Here - Mesh Animaton Question.

Post by JCat Ziva »

@Minethere Always - thanks for the detailed reply. Yes, indeed I've been to Cuteulala park. I would love to know how those coasters were done. They look like reproductions of coasters from a well known sim called "No Limits". I haven't seen anything on SL that smooth or detailed as far as coasters go.

@Carlos Loff Thank you! The model and rotation would be no problem, it's the cars themselves that would be the challenge. I've only seen one Ferris Wheel that actually runs with smooth cars that rotate correctly in relation their position on the wheel.
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