Adding a weapon?

[bmarks]

I noticed on the main page you have a picture saying support for add in objects and such.
i just got the program today so im still figuring stuf fout. and the help file isnt much of a help :/
so would i just have to draw a new object somewhere on the screen and move it later?

and also can someone give me a better guide for texture mapping.  im using blacksmith 3d to make my texture map but i cant figure out how to implement it in Frag.  any help would be appreciated. love the program so far. way better then the other 30 i downloaded.

[fragmo]

To attach a weapon you would create an attachment object on a bone in the skeleton tree.  Right click a bone -> New -> Attachment.   Then in the properties pane set the CharacterFile to your weapon.  However,  this assumes that the attachment point for the weapon is that model's origin.  This type of attachment is for reference during animation only and cannot be modified.  The attachment character also does not get saved or exported.   Many game engines use a different method to attach weapons which requires you to merge the weapon model with your character,  this also means you have to delete it from the character before exporting.  Here's some info on merging  http://www.fragmosoft.com/fragMOTION/Help/Tutorials/Merge.html

If you're using version 0.8.6 there is some info on uv mapping here  http://www.fragmosoft.com/fragMOTION/v0.8.6/UVMapper/index.html

[bmarks]

Thanks alot big help! now my dude can kick some ass

[Rex]

fragMO, the attachement feature is really nice to have.  I see the newly added parameters in the Properties Tab and in the Tree listing in the Schema Tab.  Is there anyway to add a 'attach Node to specified Node' parameter[script?/schema?]??  I build TGE content and the attachments work on a nodeSpecific basis.  This namingConvention Node to this namingConvention Node.  I think this would extend this attachment feature to be more intuitive; I really like the feature...aligning Nodes to Node by hand is definitely hit/miss.  fragMOTION seems very capable of this, only my scripting LUA skills can't, .  My weapon/object files are already constructed with Nodes rigged, realigning to create an attachable file is a bit extra work involved...

This modelling tool is very well thought out, implimented, and functions as expected...

Thanks!  I like the IK and MultiNode-anchoring of paceMaker[mesh still jumps around a bit, though], but fragMOTION does quite a bit more with this last version!!! and since Local Coordinates actually work in this program; unlike the Milkfarm, I use fragMOTION as my primary animation tool.  paceMaker is close second...does some great Impact Ragdoll throws[and that's about it.../no Keyframe editor; yet, totally needed for animation though....]

Rex
 

[fragmo]

Thanks for the comments.  I don't fully understand how attachments work in torque so I can't answer your question with any confidence.  Does the attachment have a skeletal structure that matches the characters skeleton?  If that were the case you could create the attachment on the root bone.  It would help if you could send me sample files for the character and attachment so I could study how they work make the appropriate fixes.

dave

[Rex]

You are correct, fragMO, about the attachable objects.  In Torque, the 'nodes' are a skeletal rig either in a hierarchy[chained] or loose[unchained]; and any objects needing "attaching", in TGE, this is called 'mounting' the objects.  The skeletal rigs in a player and attaching objects do NOT need to be the same structure, they're working off of a namingConvention in code.   mountN[0,1,2,etc in player] --> mountPoint[no appendages- in mounting objects].  Player mountN's are located on the player avatar where something needs attaching, and each class has some specific objects that can mount.  Player's get weapons, items attached, vehicles get wheels attached, etc...

So, in essence; when you 'attach/mount' two objects the engine places the 'attachable' object's mountPoint[a node, Bone, whatever the current modelling programs uses] where the player's mountN node is located; sort of using this mountPoint as Origin instead of it's attachable's true Origin.  Not sure how TGE code deals with it, but this is the conceptualization.  Very much like the fragMOTION attachement feature, except the attachment arrives with it's skeleton[bound to mesh], using mountPoint as the attachment point.  So, I guess a combination of Merge & Attachement may be needed?!

As an example: the Nodes needed for a weapon are it's mountPoint, muzzlePoint, ejectPoint.  These correspond to the locations[in the attachment] where the weapon is mounted to the player avatar, where the projectle spawns, and where the debris casing spawns.  These nodes do NOT need to be in a chain, they can be independently in the Scene.

So to help the TGE content bullder/animators out there using fragMOTION; it would be great to be able to specifiy which Node/fragMO Bone the attachement is mounted at, not just it's Origin; which is a good default and where TGE default's the attachment if no 'properlly' named Nodes are located in both objects...

I hope this made sense of it for TGE...and fragMOTION.

PS: great work on the KeyFrame Sliders...!  I 'thought' I suggested that earlier.  You're doing a super job with the program, Dave.

Rex

...frag on.  The ShowToolPro DTSmodel/DSQsequence viewer from GarageGames functions in this manner, in fact; the interface allows mounting from ANY node to ANY node....very nice.
I'll see what I can provide as examples....

[Rex]

fragMO, I like your style...

The new attachment scripting worked perfectly[as far as I can tell]!  I can now mount my attachments on any node I define with the new property.  This will probably put some smiles on some Torque developers...Is it alright for me to Post and inform the General Public about this great tweek to a very good feature.

This has made fragMOTION my new favorite 3D program....

Perhaps a 'final' tweek to the schema:  I was expecting to see a Open dialog like the Character File field, or more appropriately, a listing filled with the included nodes to be able to choose instead of forcing a syntax error due to spelling mistroke.  No biggie to me, I know the names by heart, but I don't see any viewable data on the attachement's nodes.  I know it's suppose to be a 'lightweight' object. 

Also, and am I right in thinking that I can specifiy an Animation to play for the Attachment with that field?  I'm trying to figure out how the Ms3d file 'names' the sequence[I don't think it does]??  The weapon I sent as an example, has Spin as the sequence in the Ms3d file.  The DTSPlus! exporter, uses the Comment memory space in Ms3d's Material schema to hold the parametric data.  For example:  Each sequence is created as a Material, and has it's Keyframe start/end, Cyclic, Visibility, etc data... defined as comment lines of a  'special' Material in that Tab[a 'dummy' texture/material if you will], and the dialog of the exporter reads this as separate sequences, it's a very nice exporter; as it does all the Material creation and setup in the dialog.  You can define as many Keyframe 'segments'/sequences as you need, they simply appear as additional Materials in the Scene.  I might suggest for any DTS/DSQ help, to contact Chris Robertson; the exporter's author.  He has done very good work getting it to cover most of the format's feature list.  I think with Vertex Weighting via a standard Ms3d SIMS2 plugin, just about every needed feature is now included.  AutoDetails is missing, maybe one more.

Thanks again, so much, fragMO!

[fragmo]

I'll see if I can add a drop down to select the bone name.  The animation can be set the same as the bone but ms3d files only contain one animation sequence and no names that I know of.  I suppose I could make it so you could enter a start and stop frame in the animation field to allow this to work with files that contain only one sequence.

[Rex]

Thanks again, fragMO!  Having the attachment animating is no biggie for me; just giving some feedback[kinda nice feature, though].  I thought I'd hacked around Ms3d's not naming the sequence by saving the weapon file out as a .ugh file after having named the animation sequence to Spin and then trying the input field edit, which didn't seem to animate the attachment, more feedback?  I'll be looking at this more this morning and report back my findings.

...got it working now!  I just deleted my first attachment and started over.  Did my setup first and then choose the CharacterFile...worked.  Now I get animation controls active and can use the buttons, which I wasn't getting earlier.  I do need to activate the start arrow to get it working, and indeed the weapon is active during any Animation sequence in the Tree. 

Seeing I could texture the weapon[attachment] while keeping the Character simply shaded, what a surprise!  Wow, this program is toooo much fun!!!