dreamCloud Posted August 31, 2024 Posted August 31, 2024 (edited) So I've got quite a few animated files for creatures in .fbx format (and some modern .blends too, both bought and made by me) that obviously 2.49b can't read/open correctly. If you've ever used Blender 2.49b's animation system you'll know how insanely difficult it is to work with so I'd rather skip the step of re-creating all the rigs, weighting, and animations frame by frame in 2.49b (which would also be weeks/months of work). There has to be a file format that 2.49b can read (I'm using the portable version of X-Blender 2.49b that has all the import/export plugins that I know of already) that modern versions of Blender can export to. So here's the ideas I've been thinking of, not sure how viable they are since there's not a lot of documentation on these plugins on whether or not they support animation...: - Collada .dae files can have animation in them. I noticed in Blender 3.6 it's still an export option and is also an import option in 2.49b. Although the only people seeming to use it are modders for other games like Doom 3 and they have tons of issues with the animations. Unsure if this is a possibility or not. - I found a plugin for MilkShape 3D .ms3d for .fbx files that might be able to work. I have no clue what settings I would need to use or not though and it's in beta status from 2011 so... who knows? Basically import the fbx with animations into MilkShape 3D. Then export that as a Milkshape file then import the Milkshape file into Blender 2.49b then export into .nif/.kf from there? - X-Blender 2.49b can also import .psk and .psa Unreal Skeletal Mesh/Animation files. There is an exporter for that for Blender 2.8, which maaaaay work in the newer Blender versions? - Lightwave MDD might be an option by converting armature animations to mesh animations as shapekeys. Load up the fbx/blends in 3.6, export an MDD. Load up the mesh (from whatever export, obj maybe?) then apply the mdd using Load MDD to Mesh RVKs? I'm really guessing at the workflow here. - The Sims 3 uses the .geom file type which can hold animation data. I noticed X-Blender 2.49b can import that and there does exist a plugin for exporting sims 3 .geom files for Blender 2.8-3.x. |----> This might also work for .md2 Quake files since they hold vertex animation kind of like how a lightwave MDD does. - There's also the possibility of converting .fbx files to DirectX .x files directly using an online converter or through Milkshape3D. Heard varying results with that and that it mostly does preserve animation data, but I have NO clue how Blender 2.49b's .x importer handles animation data. Has anyone tried any of these methods before? Edited August 31, 2024 by dreamCloud
Ociiem Posted June 23 Posted June 23 I've been on the same mission and you filled in the last missing piece. Blender 2.49's ability to import Milkshape works. However, Milkshape itself I can't get to import or save correctly, it scrambles the armature. For my DirectX avatars conversion I've been using a program called Ultimate Unwrap Pro (costs $60 but it just plain works). I checked the plugins page for Ultimate Unwrap and sure enough, they have a Milkshape plugin! So the workflow goes like this; I export my model with animation in .FBX format from Blender 4.3, I open the .FBX in Ultimate Unwrap, Save As milkshape3D (.ms3d), Import .ms3d in blender 2.49, and magic! Some added root bones need to be deleted, some bone hierarchy may be off slightly (much of my face was parented to a brow for some reason, easy fix). But the animation was in tact and high quality. So milkshape format is the key, but you never actually use the program Milkshape, instead use Ultimate Unwrap Pro with the milkshape plugin (downloaded separately on the same site) and then go straight to Blender 2.49 1
dreamCloud Posted July 5 Author Posted July 5 (edited) On 6/23/2025 at 10:27 AM, Ociiem said: I've been on the same mission and you filled in the last missing piece. Blender 2.49's ability to import Milkshape works. However, Milkshape itself I can't get to import or save correctly, it scrambles the armature. For my DirectX avatars conversion I've been using a program called Ultimate Unwrap Pro (costs $60 but it just plain works). I checked the plugins page for Ultimate Unwrap and sure enough, they have a Milkshape plugin! So the workflow goes like this; I export my model with animation in .FBX format from Blender 4.3, I open the .FBX in Ultimate Unwrap, Save As milkshape3D (.ms3d), Import .ms3d in blender 2.49, and magic! Some added root bones need to be deleted, some bone hierarchy may be off slightly (much of my face was parented to a brow for some reason, easy fix). But the animation was in tact and high quality. So milkshape format is the key, but you never actually use the program Milkshape, instead use Ultimate Unwrap Pro with the milkshape plugin (downloaded separately on the same site) and then go straight to Blender 2.49 Wow that's awesome! I had been trying and failing to get Milkshape to import/export correctly for a while before I had moved on to the Unreal file formats, but those were causing problems too. Collada .dae files weren't working for me and I have no clue how the Doom 3 guys were getting them to work in Blender 2.49b, there just wasn't enough information on it I could find and people on old forums weren't responding to dm's. I never got around to trying the lightwave or the .geom or the .x files (aside from trying to convert in MilkShape which never handled the import to begin with). I will definitely give Ultimate Unwrap Pro a try if I can't get the other file formats to work! Edited July 5 by dreamCloud 1
Recommended Posts