Animation & unrealscript

[mattf06]

Hi all,

I'm new in UDK and have a newbie question: is it possible to create and play an animation in UnrealScript. I mean, create a key framed animation (move the position as example) and to attach it on an Actor and to play it. Today, I do it by coding and manage myself the animation on Tick event. But, it will be more easy to create an animation and to play it on a specific Actor.

Thanks to all

Matt

[reinrag]

I'm not sure what you are trying to do but one of my tutorial on youtube should help,

[mattf06]

Well... animating characters with UDK seems to be "easy". But, all Actor are not Character with bones; sometime you just want to animate an Actor by moving: move my actor from Z=0 to Z=200 to Z=500, etc... It's easy to do it with Matinee, but the animation in attached to an Actor, and it seems (I'm not sure) it's not possible to reuse a Matinee animation to another Actor. Example: I have one animation, and I want to play it on 10 different Actors !
So, I google it during several days, but I didn't found any kind of example, where you can define an animation by UnrealScript (by setting each key frame values, as Matinee do). In Flash, you can drive your animation by script by using Tween; in other language and framework, as Qt, you create your animation by coding.
UDK have an animation system for Complex animation (character body)... but, what about "simple" animations (move + rotation as example) by coding??

thanks for your help.

Matt

[Derp]

Well... animating characters with UDK seems to be "easy". But, all Actor are not Character with bones; sometime you just want to animate an Actor by moving: move my actor from Z=0 to Z=200 to Z=500, etc... It's easy to do it with Matinee, but the animation in attached to an Actor, and it seems (I'm not sure) it's not possible to reuse a Matinee animation to another Actor. Example: I have one animation, and I want to play it on 10 different Actors !
So, I google it during several days, but I didn't found any kind of example, where you can define an animation by UnrealScript (by setting each key frame values, as Matinee do). In Flash, you can drive your animation by script by using Tween; in other language and framework, as Qt, you create your animation by coding.
UDK have an animation system for Complex animation (character body)... but, what about "simple" animations (move + rotation as example) by coding??

thanks for your help.

Matt

You can adjust a static actor's properties to simulate animation (Location, Rotation). In terms of "saving" and "reusing" that simulated animation, you could use a base class with the animation all programmed in, and then extend your actors off of that...

[Derp]

Well... animating characters with UDK seems to be "easy". But, all Actor are not Character with bones; sometime you just want to animate an Actor by moving: move my actor from Z=0 to Z=200 to Z=500, etc... It's easy to do it with Matinee, but the animation in attached to an Actor, and it seems (I'm not sure) it's not possible to reuse a Matinee animation to another Actor. Example: I have one animation, and I want to play it on 10 different Actors !
So, I google it during several days, but I didn't found any kind of example, where you can define an animation by UnrealScript (by setting each key frame values, as Matinee do). In Flash, you can drive your animation by script by using Tween; in other language and framework, as Qt, you create your animation by coding.
UDK have an animation system for Complex animation (character body)... but, what about "simple" animations (move + rotation as example) by coding??

thanks for your help.

Matt

You can adjust a static actor's properties to simulate animation (Location, Rotation). In terms of "saving" and "reusing" that simulated animation, you could use a base class with the animation all programmed in, and then extend your actors off of that...

[mattf06]

Yes, that's the default solution: DIY... Today I manage animation myself by using Timer and Tick and some interpolation functions (Lerp, etc...).
To manage fadein/fadeout alpha it is a little bit complicated (material parameter + timer + tick); it will be so easy to define an animation on Alpha value: (time=0,Alpha=0) to (time=2,Alpha=1) by using a specific interpolation (easeIn, easeOut, easeInOut) !! As we can do with Tween in Flash/ActionScript.
I'm little bit surprised in UDK it is not "possible" to do that ! It can manage complex animation with blending, etc... but not a simple key framed parameter !!??? what a shame :-((
In fact it does... but via Matinee !!! I just want to do in UnrealScript what Matinee do ! no way ?

[Derp]

Yes, that's the default solution: DIY... Today I manage animation myself by using Timer and Tick and some interpolation functions (Lerp, etc...).
To manage fadein/fadeout alpha it is a little bit complicated (material parameter + timer + tick); it will be so easy to define an animation on Alpha value: (time=0,Alpha=0) to (time=2,Alpha=1) by using a specific interpolation (easeIn, easeOut, easeInOut) !! As we can do with Tween in Flash/ActionScript.
I'm little bit surprised in UDK it is not "possible" to do that ! It can manage complex animation with blending, etc... but not a simple key framed parameter !!??? what a shame :-((
In fact it does... but via Matinee !!! I just want to do in UnrealScript what Matinee do ! no way ?

Comparing 2D software to 3D in terms of animation is ridiculous, I don't believe any other engine (correct me if I'm wrong) offers "simple key framed" animation for static actors...

[mattf06]

Sorry, but all 3D software as Softimage, maya or 3dsmax have keyframe system for animation ! UDK also use these system with Matinee !