Conversion into NIF (Clock)

[RoNin1971]

Thanks guys.

 

It did cross my mind but I didn't think it possible. The best I can do is make it swing, but that looks silly if the time doesn't change, imho.

& it is all just one mesh, but that's easy to change and I did actually center it on the center of the clock just in case. Making it easy to rotate the lot.

 

It seems a nice feature, at first, but seriously You likely need to cut it into 720 animation (12x60 min.) and trigger each by script or something.

Eating away resources (especially if you start hanging them everywhere) ...and all that for a decorative clock on the wall you'll hardly look at...

nah, nice idea, but not viable or worth the trouble. (imho)

[RoNin1971]

If you know how to make such a clock - let me know. I think you just need to make 12 sequences and use some kind of script that switches these sequences every hour. I'm not good at scripting, so I animated (can't remember) something like 42k frames. It turned out a huge nif in ~ 5mb. The arrows regularly show the time, but not the game time, but the conditional one. Just 12/1728/42k revs for 42k frames.

it wouldn't work with 12 animations, as soon as the timescale is changed. For example: I like to slow down the game time so day & nighttime take longer. This would mean the animations would be to fast and stop for a while each hour.

Since the speed of the animation is not affected by the timescale.

[RoNin1971]

Alright, here you go: (buildable) Wall Clock

[South8028]

 

If you know how to make such a clock - let me know. I think you just need to make 12 sequences and use some kind of script that switches these sequences every hour. I'm not good at scripting, so I animated (can't remember) something like 42k frames. It turned out a huge nif in ~ 5mb. The arrows regularly show the time, but not the game time, but the conditional one. Just 12/1728/42k revs for 42k frames.

it wouldn't work with 12 animations, as soon as the timescale is changed. For example: I like to slow down the game time so day & nighttime take longer. This would mean the animations would be to fast and stop for a while each hour.

Since the speed of the animation is not affected by the timescale.

The speed of the animation doesn't matter. Sequences are not tied to linear frame playback, they are switched by events corresponding to a counter that triggers these events every game hour. For example, the game time is 1 p.m. = the playidle_01 sequence, represented by the animation of the movement of the arrows in the given range. Game time 2pm = sequences playidle_02... And so on. In general, you would need a script capable of triggering the desired event at a given game time. Of course, we would not be able to achieve absolutely accurate values ​​of the intro time. But analog game clocks don't need that. They would work correctly in the range of hours, and they would simulate operation in the range of minutes. I would fit for sure, because I always play in real time x1.Another little observation. By themselves, animations for some reason do not eat fps at all (if they do not have physics). If they eat fps, then this is noticeably ten times less compared to using high-resolution textures and high-poly objects. Considering that many people dress up crowds of npc in clothes weighing a million polygons with a dozen 4k textures, the impact on animation fps can be estimated in hundredths of a percent. Edited August 13, 2022 by South8028

[RoNin1971]

Well, not looking forward to create 720 'keyframes' to make it point at each minute of each hour, but if anybody wants to give it a try to make it work I'll see what I can do to help on the model/animation side.

 

...although I do see a second challenge: There is another animation at play, the 'swing' below. so it might need cutting into 2 meshes. (= 2 separate nifs. One with the arrows, one for the swing )

Edited August 13, 2022 by RoNin1971

[StormWolf01]

https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/55422 here's the mod for the watch. Tho I dunno if the author would/could offer insight on how to make it access the in-game clock. :shrug:

[Edit] Hrm. The watch is part of a pip boy replacer. So maybe it's not accessing the game engine at all, but rather what would be displayed on the pip boy [/edit] [Edit2] OOOOOOOO!!! IF that's the case, then functionality could be limited by range of the pip boy! Say, if pipboy range < 6 (or whatever) initate x... (or whatever) [/edit2]

 

One thing that would really cut down on game resources is that it would be made to function, only when the item is in view of the player camera. I mean, as the player, you're only going to be able to read it, when you can see it, and be close enough to be able to read it anyway.

If there was only one of them in the "world" I might be able to tinker together a "If playercamera =x, =y, =z yada yada yada" type thing. But with them being able to be anywhere, that'd make my brain explode. UNLESS, somebody could create a situation that specifically creates an "in view" situation for the item.

 

Ummm.... yeah, I dunno how you'd add two different anims to a single mesh. But I barely know more than the basics to creating a working animation. :sad: And that's in DAZ Studio from 6 years ago... :sad: :laugh: [Edit3] Morph targets! Add morphs to the mesh, with the alterations being different placements of the hands! [/Edit3]

So dual meshes is most likely needed. Possibly even 3. One for the pendulum, one for each hand. (A seconds hand really isn't needed, is it? It'd really complicate things more, and the excuse could be that this thing is literally over 200 years old. Things break.)

[South8028]

https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/55422 here's the mod for the watch. Tho I dunno if the author would/could offer insight on how to make it access the in-game clock. :shrug:

[Edit] Hrm. The watch is part of a pip boy replacer. So maybe it's not accessing the game engine at all, but rather what would be displayed on the pip boy [/edit] [Edit2] OOOOOOOO!!! IF that's the case, then functionality could be limited by range of the pip boy! Say, if pipboy range < 6 (or whatever) initate x... (or whatever) [/edit2]

 

One thing that would really cut down on game resources is that it would be made to function, only when the item is in view of the player camera. I mean, as the player, you're only going to be able to read it, when you can see it, and be close enough to be able to read it anyway.

If there was only one of them in the "world" I might be able to tinker together a "If playercamera =x, =y, =z yada yada yada" type thing. But with them being able to be anywhere, that'd make my brain explode. UNLESS, somebody could create a situation that specifically creates an "in view" situation for the item.

 

Ummm.... yeah, I dunno how you'd add two different anims to a single mesh. But I barely know more than the basics to creating a working animation. :sad: And that's in DAZ Studio from 6 years ago... :sad: :laugh: [Edit3] Morph targets! Add morphs to the mesh, with the alterations being different placements of the hands! [/Edit3]

So dual meshes is most likely needed. Possibly even 3. One for the pendulum, one for each hand. (A seconds hand really isn't needed, is it? It'd really complicate things more, and the excuse could be that this thing is literally over 200 years old. Things break.)

there is no problem to shove as many animations as you like into one nif. I already make clocks, but others, outdoor, large. Animating the second hand is nonsense, there is nothing complicated about it. But in old watches there is no second hand, or very rarely. I have a 19th century German clock at home. They do not have a second hand. The only difficulty is the pendulum. I will do it separately. Simply because it needs to be voiced, and to voice tens of minutes of the monotonous "tick-tock" for the sake of one pendulum is idiocy. Each sequence is just as easy to sound like an hour-long chime. Each hour has its own sound descriptor. In general, one - two days, and I will make this watch. Let people versed in scripts mess with them further, if they want.

[RoNin1971]

Don't forget to sound the bell each hour, 1x for each hour. :dry:

[South8028]

Don't forget to sound the bell each hour, 1x for each hour. :dry:

Why one hour? We can add a separate sound to each sequence. 1 hour - 1 ring, 12 hours - 12 rings. Accordingly, 12 sound files. Just need to find a beautiful sound. )

https://disk.yandex.ru/i/BT-TSydMy0As8Q

Edited August 13, 2022 by South8028

[RoNin1971]

This sound FX is perfect for the pendulum: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/clock-67787/