Daemoc

I don't use Blender, but it looks like the guns object origin point is not zeroed. I would guess you imported the gun, move/rotated it into position, then attached it to the bone. The exporter is probably driving the mesh from the import position. I would check the export settings. Failing that, make sure your gun "object" origin matches the "mesh" origin. This is easy to do in the software I use, but I have no experience with Blender.

It looks like the third time's a charm. ? Good news: I actually found a laptop that has a proper desktop CPU and GPU. No integrated whatsoever. ? Bad news: The battery lasts about an hour and it cost me almost as much as my 27" iMac. ? I don't mind the battery, but that hurt the wallet. It will be worth in though. It should help streamline my workflow considerably.

Next on my list is to make a little "scene" to test the character in. At the moment I am using hand painted bump maps to generate detail. Again, without really knowing exactly what I want to do yet, I am keeping the resolution pretty low. More or less just experimenting. Once I start getting more pieces together I will start working on more details. Only one floor tile and the stair frame so far. Obviously I need a few more floor tile's so it is not so repetitive. I also am going to tweak the floor grates to match the tiles a little better. The hand rails are a bit too thick, need to slim them up a taste.?

No dice on the new laptop. I need one with a "MUX" I guess. The unfortunate part is none of the manufacturers make this information available to the public. A few tech forums I was browsing said the only way to tell is if you can dictate which GPU to use in the bios. If you cant change in there, it can't be forced and will rely on the Drivers, OS and software. I am thinking of just washing my hands of it at this point. Maybe try a microAXT/ITX build that is somewhat more portable than my 75lb gaming rig. Buy the smallest case I can find and bolt on a small monitor and carry handle.?

I Got it! I had to change the side motions --Rightward Motion if self.entity:GetAirborne()==false and (window:KeyDown(Key.W) or window:KeyDown(Key.S))== false then if window:KeyDown(Key.Shift) and (window:KeyDown(Key.D) then newmode = "sr_run" self.entity:PlayAnimation("sr_jog_civ",0.03,100) elseif (window:KeyDown(Key.D) newmode = "sr_walk" self.entity:PlayAnimation("sr_walk_civ",0.02,100) else end end --Leftward Motion if self.entity:GetAirborne()==false and (window:KeyDown(Key.W) or window:KeyDown(Key.S))== false then if window:KeyDown(Key.Shift) and (window:KeyDown(Key.A) then newmode = "sl_run" self.entity:PlayAnimation("sl_jog_civ",0.03,100) elseif (window:KeyDown(Key.A) newmode = "sl_walk" self.entity:PlayAnimation("sl_walk_civ",0.02,100) else end end I don't know if this is the right way to do it. Heck, it might cause blue screens after 15 mins, but it works.

Perfect. Thanks.

Is there any issues with using non "water tight" meshes when used strictly for visuals? Lets say you have a grated floor plate that you will only ever see from one side. Would it cause visual/render anomalies if I deleted all of the polygons on the bottom side? I could save a lot of polygons this way. Thoughts?

@Iris3D Games Aye, I do not think I will ever wrap my head around enough code to make a game. There is so much to soak in it would take years. I am having fun with it though. I hope to learn enough to play/test my art assets in game, but I have no illusions of creating an entire game from scratch. You never know though. I did a test changing the <^, ^> animations to ^ and it did in fact blend quite nice. Usable at least. The down side is the <V, V> are completely opposite of <, > so I can not rely on the blending. I will have to find another way to separate and dictate those functions.

@gamecreator That almost did it, here is what I have now... --Idle if self.entity:GetAirborne()==false then newmode = "idle" self.entity:PlayAnimation("idle_civ",0.05) self.entity:Stop() end --Jump if self.entity:GetAirborne()==false and window:KeyDown(Key.Space) then newmode = "jump" self.entity:PlayAnimation("jump_civ",0.01,0,1) end --Falling if self.entity:GetAirborne()==true then newmode = "drop" self.entity:PlayAnimation("drop_civ",0.05) self.entity:Stop() end --Forward Motion if self.entity:GetAirborne()==false and window:KeyDown(Key.W) then if window:KeyDown(Key.Shift) and window:KeyDown(Key.D) then newmode = "fr_run" self.entity:PlayAnimation("fr_jog_civ",0.03,100) elseif window:KeyDown(Key.Shift) and window:KeyDown(Key.A) then newmode = "fl_run" self.entity:PlayAnimation("fl_jog_civ",0.03,100) elseif window:KeyDown(Key.Shift) then newmode = "f_run" self.entity:PlayAnimation("f_jog_civ",0.03,100) elseif window:KeyDown(Key.D) then newmode = "fr_walk" self.entity:PlayAnimation("fr_walk_civ",0.02,100) elseif window:KeyDown(Key.A) then newmode = "fl_walk" self.entity:PlayAnimation("fl_walk_civ",0.02,100) else newmode = "f_walk" self.entity:PlayAnimation("f_walk_civ",0.02,100) end end --Rearward Motion if self.entity:GetAirborne()==false and window:KeyDown(Key.S) then if window:KeyDown(Key.Shift) and window:KeyDown(Key.D) then newmode = "rr_run" self.entity:PlayAnimation("rr_jog_civ",0.03,100) elseif window:KeyDown(Key.Shift) and window:KeyDown(Key.A) then newmode = "rl_run" self.entity:PlayAnimation("rl_jog_civ",0.03,100) elseif window:KeyDown(Key.Shift) then newmode = "r_run" self.entity:PlayAnimation("r_jog_civ",0.03,100) elseif window:KeyDown(Key.D) then newmode = "rr_walk" self.entity:PlayAnimation("rr_walk_civ",0.02,100) elseif window:KeyDown(Key.A) then newmode = "rl_walk" self.entity:PlayAnimation("rl_walk_civ",0.02,100) else newmode = "r_walk" self.entity:PlayAnimation("r_walk_civ",0.02,100) end end --Rightward Motion if self.entity:GetAirborne()==false and window:KeyDown(Key.D) then if window:KeyDown(Key.Shift) then newmode = "sr_run" self.entity:PlayAnimation("sr_jog_civ",0.03,100) else newmode = "sr_walk" self.entity:PlayAnimation("sr_walk_civ",0.02,100) end end --Leftward Motion if self.entity:GetAirborne()==false and window:KeyDown(Key.A) then if window:KeyDown(Key.Shift) then newmode = "sl_run" self.entity:PlayAnimation("sl_jog_civ",0.03,100) else newmode = "sl_walk" self.entity:PlayAnimation("sl_walk_civ",0.02,100) end end Although I have a blending conflict issues. The < and > animations are blending with the <^, ^>, >V, V< animations and causing oddities. It is all working though. Now that I see how the <, <^ and ^ are blending I might be able to omit the <^ animation altogether. I just would rather have final say over the animation look rather than relying on the blending model. Any ideas how I can isolate those commands? @Iris3D Games Thanks bud! ? That looks like you have a lot there. I am definitely going to study the code and what you are doing there. I don't really know enough to full understand everything yet, but once I get a better grasp of the language I am sure I will be able to wrap my head around that example.

Ok, stupid question time. There are going to be a lot of these stupid questions for a while. I can read and do math, but that’s where my knowledge of code ends. 1: First and foremost, should I make a new thread for each stupid question or should I just keep them all under the same topic? 2: Now for the first stupid question. I have a nice library of animations to drive a character mesh and it is only going to get bigger. A lot bigger. I thought I had the animation calls all worked out, but I ran into an issue last night. I have eight directional animations, (16 w/sprint, 32 w/pistol, 48 w/rifle, etc.), and I can only get the first 6 to work. Any animation call after the 6th just does not seem to work. It is not the code itself as all of the calls work if they are in the first 6 operations, I think it has more to do with the lack of coding knowledge and relying on the different examples of code I have seen and replicated. The calls I am using are probably not meant to be used with so many variables. Here is some example code with extreme shorthand, but the idea is there… (I am at work, I do not have access to the real code at the moment.) if KeyDown(Key.W) then PlayAnimation(“^”,0.02,100,0) end if KeyDown(Key.W) and KeyDown(Key.D) then PlayAnimation(“^>”,0.02,100,0) end if KeyDown(Key.W) and KeyDown(Key.A) then PlayAnimation(“^<”,0.02,100,0) end if KeyDown(Key.D) then PlayAnimation(“>”,0.02,100,0) end if KeyDown(Key.A) then PlayAnimation(“<”,0.02,100,0) end if KeyDown(Key.S) then PlayAnimation(“v”,0.02,100,0) end if KeyDown(Key.S) and KeyDown(Key.D) then PlayAnimation(“v>”,0.02,100,0) end if KeyDown(Key.S) and KeyDown(Key.A) then PlayAnimation(“v<”,0.02,100,0) end This works, but for the first 6 operations. They all work on their own, and in the first 6, but after that it breaks. Also, This is just walk. I actually have the run animations in the code as well with "if shift run else walk" attached to each. Those seem to work just as the above walks. But again, only the first 6. After that they break and refuse to play. I know I am doing it wrong, I just don’t know how to do it right. Any tips would be appreciated. This is just the tip of the iceberg, I have plenty more questions inbound, but one thing at a time.

I just found a new in box previous gen laptop on clearance and ordered it. It is supposed to be the local brick and mortar Sunday for pickup. Cross your fingers gents.

After getting completely side-tracked on cameras and character control over the weekend, I finally finished my jog animation. I am pretty happy with these considering I never really messed with animation until about a month ago. The arm swing needs a little adjustment, the shoulders are a little too stiff and the head is bobbing a bit too much. I am sure there is more, but this calls for fresh eyes tomorrow. It's getting there though. Edit: Removed Vids and uploaded to Youtube due to file size and to save on post clutter. Jog Animation

How fortuitous. I just ran into this issue myself. Thanks for the script mac!

The laptop I used had the three options in the nVidia Control Panel along with a context option of "run this application with high performance nVidia GPU" in the windows environment. There was also a new Windows 10 option just added that also supposedly gave you the option to switch which GPU it should use by application. None of it worked as advertised. The only time those options worked was when the application in question supported any of those options to begin with. Again, I am not sure if it was a driver issue or the new GPU architecture, but there just was no control over which GPU you could use on a lot of applications I tried. The drivers were locked down by the manufacturer as well. Consequently, I could not try any of the newer divers from nVidia to see if it made a difference. Anyway, I do not think this is a Leadwerks issue. Even if it was, requiring "software support" to manage hardware outside of the OS is not only idiotic, but completely unnecessary and asking for trouble.

Ha, right under my nose it seems. This is where I was looking... https://www.leadwerks.com/learn?page=Tutorials_Editor_Models-and-Animation I guess I just had a disconnect between models/animation and script. It's obvious now, but I did not even think to look there. Thanks for the heads up, this will make my life a lot easier.

Thanks bud. I have most of the unarmed motion animations complete. I have also modeled a little something to test the next stage of animations. No texture yet, but I am not sure what kind of camera I want to use for the final project yet. FPS, TPS, 3/4 overhead... I am leaning towards 3/4 overhead as it will be far more forgiving when it to content creation. Since this is just a test model though, I have a FPS high detail polygon count. Who knows, I still may go that route.

I looked around for this information, but had no luck finding it. In the script animation calls, there are 3 values at the end of the string. Through trial and error I think I figured most of it out, although it does not make much sense. The first value seems to be playback speed. The question I have is how does this calculate? I have an animation set to 30 frames a second in the model, but in engine I have to set it to a value of 0.02 to look right? What is the equation here? The second number, I am guessing is the frame count? Shouldn't this be set by the animation though? I have even seen a third value on a few strings, but I have not figured out what this does, or if it is even required. Sorry for the stupid questions, but this does not seem to be documented anywhere.

Thanks Josh! Well, I imported the model with a few test animations in the game engine. That was a no brainer. I spent FAR too long trying to get a 3rd person camera to work though. I went through a few different tutorials and the idea was to learn the scripting language while doing something productive. Yeah, about that. Talk about a lesson in frustration. I ended up having to DL the workshop script and modifying to suit my needs. I have the code in for all of the animations I need already, just waiting on the animations themselves. Speaking of which, here is a little test footage of the walk cycle. Animation Test @ YouTube Also had a little fun with iMovie. There is no Project Nil, outside of testing that is. I am just playing around. I am not an animator by any stretch of the imagination, but for my first walk cycle I am happy with it. It is not done though, I will be tweaking things as I go.

This is a little project I started to test the asset workflow from Cheetah3D to Leadwerks. ^^This is the concept sketch obviously. This was really quick and dirty, but it gets the point across. ^^The 3d model did not take long either, UV's always take a while though. ^^The model with and without the bump map. I am not using a high res mesh for normal map generation. Just using hand painted bump maps. ^^More bump details. ^^Base texture test render with a little test model stand for poops and giggles. ^^More texture work. ^^I decided I wanted to cover the face so I did not have to worry about animating facial features. That will be addressed WAY down the road. If ever. ^^This is an openGL render with one point light and a 50% ambient light to mimic a game engine render. All of the lighting contrast is baked into the texture. I also modeled a little gun to test with. I have successfully exported the test model from Cheetah to Leadwerks and everything was intact. Animations, normals as well as normal breaks. I had zero issues. There was a lot of trial and error along the way, but now that I know what works the next model I do will go much quicker. I am working on some base animations at the moment as those are a big part of the next step. When I get some animations in game I will post actual in game pics. I will also format the images better next time. There is usually an insert "thumbnail" option, but I do not see one anywhere. I hate spamming images that large on one page.

Thanks for the info bud. Battery life is not a concern at all, just portability. Unfortunately, forcing the GPU in the nVidia control panel did not work. Neither did forcing it through the new Windows 10 graphics options. I am not sure if it is a driver issue, a Windows issue, or just the new GPU architecture. It just does not seem to work with certain programs. After all of the research I have done the last few days, it looks like there is just no way to force it. (without using the external monitor that is) Your answer at least gives me hope though. Maybe I can find an AMD setup or a previous gen nVidia that works. The local brick and mortar said they did not care if I ordered multiple laptops and test them as long as I take them back within 15 days. That is my plan if all else fails. Thanks again.

So here is a good one for you... I have been working with Leadwerks on and for about a year now. Not really doing anything exciting yet, but just testing the waters. Getting my feet wet if you will. Just recently, myself and a few others decided to really dedicate some time and effort into really making something. I have a pretty stout gaming rig at home that I use normally and since we are a small team, we do not have a physical office. Consequently, we meet at each others houses occasionally to work collectively and to do testing. I do not care to “work” with laptops and much prefer desktops. That said, for mobility reasons I wanted a laptop to run Leadwerks without dragging my desktop around with me everywhere I go. The other day I bought a “gaming” laptop for this purpose and experienced one of the biggest tech blunders I have ever seen. Switchable GPU’s I get it. I really do. Why would you buy a gaming laptop that sucks a battery dry in 15mins? What would be the point? Other than mobility there is none. In my case though, I need horsepower and mobility. So a gaming laptop it is. The problem becomes when these hardware manufacturers address the above question in moronic ways. Wiring a powerful discrete GPU though an integrated GPU and letting the computer decide which one to use was the moronic answer. You can probably see where this is going. Leadwerks does not work with these laptops. In fact, during my testing I found a lot of other software does not work with the switching GPUs either. Most of my 3D animation tools would not use the dGPU. Playing around with a few games I saw the same thing. I had a 50/50 hit rate on whether or not the game would use the d/iGPU. You can not even disable the iGPU, there is no physical connection between the dGPU and the monitor. You can force the issue if you disable the built in display and hook up an external monitor. This does indeed work, but so much for portability. After two days of blood, sweat and tears I have concluded there is no possible way to force these new laptops to use the dGPU when they do not want to. Two days wasted I could have been working on other things. The worst part about this entire quagmire is there is no fix. None. The new shiny laptop has been returned and I am back to lugging my gaming rig around with me. I am still having a hard time wrapping my head around this. This can’t be a real thing, I am missing something somewhere… …nope. It’s just stupidity disguised as technological progress. TL:DR After all is said and done, it looks like all new laptops have this “feature”. I guess the point of this post was to see if anyone has any experience with a current laptop that will not have this issue. The laptop in question used Intel/nVidia hardware. I know the AMD’s have GPU switching as well, but does the dGPU have a physical connecting to the monitor? Can I disable the iGPU when the computer is too stupid to figure out I need the dGPU horsepower? I hate to go buy another laptop only to end up returning it 3 days later again. As a comical side note: During testing I played a wide array of games trying to get a sense of the horsepower it had, heat management and usability. I fired up a few older games and the laptop would overheat. Here I am playing Unreal Tournament and the fans are screaming. I just stress tested this thing with XCOM2 and the fans where not that bad, how does that work? Lo and behold, when the laptop uses the iGPU to "save power" it also breaks fullscreen v-sync. I fired up the performance monitor on the laptop while running Unreal Tournament and watched the CPU temps reach 98*c and then thermal throttle while running this ancient game at 8000 fps. In game v-sync on, v-sync forced on through the iGPU settings, it does not matter. (Yes, this was running d3d through the iGPU) Now Quake 3 on the other hand, which did in fact use the dGPU, would not even cause the fans to spool. Of course the dGPU drivers actually did their job and capped the frame rate to what you tell it to.