Free Eat3d video 3 part series on Playable Characters from Maya to UDK using FBX

[MatthewTardiff]

http://eat3d.com/free/maya_udk_1
http://eat3d.com/maya_udk_2
http://eat3d.com/free/maya_udk_3

Part 1 and 2 of 3 are on the eat3d free section.

Part 1 deals with getting your character out of Maya and into UDK using FBX.

Part 2 goes over setting up a basic character package with the provided FBX animations, what to change in the default files and where to put the class scripts that are provided.

Part 3 covers a basic introduction to the AnimTree where I set up an Idle, Walk, Death, Attack and Push animation.

Anyway, hopefully it helps anyone getting started with putting their animated content into UDK.

[JohNLA]

Woohoo! Thanks

[Echo26]

thank you finaly something , i was waiting for long time , custom characters , weapons , etc , that is what i need.

[MatthewTardiff]

no sweat, the information is out there on the forums. But it helps to have a basic platform to jump from to get started. I don't cover sockets or weapons because the udn videos and forum posts pretty much cover that basic to a tee. Check them out when you have a chance.
I'm super glad it's well received so far.

[Echo26]

no sweat, the information is out there on the forums. But it helps to have a basic platform to jump from to get started. I don't cover sockets or weapons because the udn videos and forum posts pretty much cover that basic to a tee. Check them out when you have a chance.
I'm super glad it's well received so far.

I know they cover everything, but for lazy people like me it would be nice to have some Videotuts from Eat3D. Even paid ones.

[MatthewTardiff]

;-) I understand what you mean. Look forward to more down the pipeline.

[Echo26]

part 2? plz

[Flak]

Thank you for this, making it a sticky thread!

[MatthewTardiff]

UPDATE!!!! Part 2 has been released. I've updated the initial post with the addition.

[MatthewTardiff]

and Part 3 has been released. I think some people are having problems with the scripts or something else. I've received some emails about weird issues. Hopefully it's working for most of you and if not, then I hope at the very least it set some of you on the path to understanding the process a little better.

[Martin]

Hey Matt...

Its a FANTASTIC Tutorial!!!

I am very THANK FULL you taking the time to do this for everyone.


I want MY Character to be playable. How do I make MY Character with MY OWN ACTIONS in the Play View Window?

I mean I'm at the point of your tut in vid 3 where I'm suppose to name the AnimNode but, I just want to get MY guy in there with my animations and my own Pawn. Do you have a tut for that?

I was hoping that it would address my own character. I mean do I have to change all of your setting in your GAPawn to my stuff?

I don't have a Stab and Attack animations for my guy. I simply have WALK animations for him cus that's all I want him to do.

Your tut is Good but, I want MY GUY. I've tried for DAYS with tuts that are OLD and USELESS to me cus I'm using a more Current Version.

I'm waiting for someone to get back to me on helping me with this but untill he actually gets back online I'm talking to you.

Can you PLEASE help me. A Video, Anything to tell me how to get MY...not YOURS but MY Guy in there with MY Animations.
I got up to the point of the Scripting part where I have to use your files and i STOPPED. I was waiting for you to tell him how to replace your guy with MY guy. Or, froma standpoint of a person following along geting his own custom guy in there.

I'm cool with the Animtree, etc. Thats all good but I wanted to get MY GUY with MY ANIMATIONS in there instead of the GA guy.. I got simple Walk Animations right now.


But what I need is one from the stand point of Importing YOUR OWN Custom Character (I know how to do and you addressed it in the video), Import YOUR OWN Custom Animations (I know how to do and you addressed that in your video), Making YOUR OWN Pawn/Player controller (Not addressed),Making and Using YOUR OWN SCRIPT (instead of yours), and finally getting YOUR OWN GUY playing and moving around in that View Window (Instead of YOUR GUY).

You got us using your GA files but a Newb like me is trying to do this with my own custom guy

It has to be made simple like your videos since I/we are not pro or even intermediate scripters. (beginners)

THAT'S what I need.

Please Help...


Thanks.

[JKordero]

wow, this save me a lot of time! thnks so much

[MatthewTardiff]

Sorry, I just saw this post.
I can't help explain the scripts since I didn't write them. My explanations would be vague and incoherent.
But if in the meantime you want to get your guy in the engine, export your animation and set up your character package with the naming i follow. Or name the stuff whatever you want and change the names in the pawn scripts.
Example:
From the tutorial Pawn Class
SkeletalMesh=SkeletalMesh'GA_Agent.AgentDefault'
AnimTreeTemplate=AnimTree'GA_Agent.GA_AnimTree'
PhysicsAsset=PhysicsAsset'GA_Agent.AgentDefault_Ph ysics'
AnimSets(0)=AnimSet'GA_Agent.AgentDefault_Anims'

So if your Package was named
`Hero.MrFantastic_mesh`
`Hero.MrFantastic_animSet`
`Hero.MrFantastic_animTree`
`Hero.MrFantastic_PhysicsAsset`
etc.
Your package is called Hero. Inside that package is all the stuff that relates to your character.

The portion I pasted above,
SkeletalMesh=SkeletalMesh'GA_Agent.AgentDefault'
AnimTreeTemplate=AnimTree'GA_Agent.GA_AnimTree'
PhysicsAsset=PhysicsAsset'GA_Agent.AgentDefault_Ph ysics'
AnimSets(0)=AnimSet'GA_Agent.AgentDefault_Anims'

Is in the default properties of the GA_Pawn scripts under version-development-source
As a start, you could change the names in the default properties to match the character package you set up in the Content Browser.

Anyway, I hope that gets you headed in the right direction.

[samfisher_28469]

thankssssss alot

[_User]

Help importing

Hey there OP and fellow forum members!
I'm part of a mod team working for a mod for Chivalry: Medieval Warfare. The mod is called Mana Warfare.
We are currently adding extra content for magic casters into the game for the mod. One of such content is custom animations. We are working with an existing playable class in the game so we are using the same skeleton and mesh already weight painted and rigged together.

I have been trying to follow your tutorial video to get to upload the custom animation into the UDK as an animation package but failed to upload.
First I would like to note I am not using your custom script since as far as I understand it is meant specifically for that set of animations you've already rigged in that included file where all the FBX exports pre-exist. However I did follow the rest of your process cleaning up the scene by optimizing and baking the animation into seperate keyframe. This has indeed cleaned alot of the error messages I got while exporting FBX to be imported into maya- However; I still get an error message about curves:

The plug-in has changed some animation curves tangents type to Auto to ensure interoperability.  This mode change will not affect the animation curves' values
	b_bottomlip_visibility
	b_l_mouthcorner_visibility
	b_r_mouthcorner_visibility
	b_r_brow02_visibility
	b_r_brow01_visibility
	b_l_brow01_visibility
	b_l_brow02_visibility

I am not the animator for the mod team nor do I have extensive knowledge about animating but I am familiar with some basics. In your video (The first one) you mentioned that the export should include the rigged mesh, the skeleton and the animation only- which is what I cut it into.. I removed the rest of the objects on the scene beforehand which removed alot of the issues.. but as far as I can tell there are still some curves on the scene which generate this issue and makes any attempt to import this FBX export in UDK fail.

OP, I would appriciate if you could help me in troubleshooting this, or anyone else who reads this post who has a clue, and what exactly the issue might be in here? Should I supply screenshots, more detail etc.. just let me know. At the moment we are mostly stuck with this animation bit so any help at all could .. help!

Thanks for your time reading!
~ _User.