Tutorial: Working with the NiControllerManager.

[Pelgar]

I've worked through the tutor and it seems to be laid out pretty well. The only real problem I had was once I got to the part where you play the single door anim. for the first time, nothing happended. I could select the animation and click the play button but the door just sat there closed while the anim. time line moved. The problem turned out to be with the NiMultiTargetTransformController. I noticed in your image, where you link the NiMultiTargetTransformController to the door NiNodes, that the Freq. Start/Stop time and target had been set. I don't know if I did something wrong and those variables should have been set when I linked the NiMultiTargetTransformController to the NiControllerManager but once I set them the anim. started working.

 

I'm curious about playing a Cycle_Clamp animation in NifSkope. With the NifSkope Loop button unpressed I would expect the door to open and stay there but mine continues to play over and over until I stop it.

 

I'm also curious about the animation Start/Stop times. I'm pretty sure these are seconds and I would expect the door to open very slowly if I set Stop Time to 5.0 but the door still opens in one second. The anim. slide bar continues to move, with the door open, for about 5 sec. then the cycle starts over.

 

Thanks once again for this great tutor.

[TrickyVein]

You have to set those values yourself in the NiMultiTargetTransformController. Just like in any controller. Still, wouldn't hurt to be redundant - I'll update the tutorial.

 

The actual start and stop times for your animation are set in your NiControllerSequence.

 

When you add keys to your animation, you can choose different start and stop times depending on how many keys you have and what you want to do with them, but the total length of the animation is what you define in your sequence.

 

So if you don't have a key in your NiTransformData that is set to play after 1 second, nothing is going to happen.

 

And Nifskope loops the animation by default. It's a playback setting.

[TrickyVein]

I just updated the tutorial with some very important information which if not followed would have prevented animations from being played in-game or from being recognized by the GECK.

 

So for anyone who's actually read through all of this information and was wondering why it wasn't working for them, well it was my fault :)

[MartinPurvis]

Absolutely brilliant guide, hard to get your head around it at first. I wonder how difficult it is to do in blender.

[TrickyVein]

You mean, export an animation from blender? Yeah, you certainly could.

 

I mean, the whole point is being able to manage animations without using other programs. If you don't have them or you don't know how. I've updated parts of the tutorial with more clarifying and new information.

 

Except for .kf files and camera paths I'd wager you could animate pretty much everything in the game just in nifskope. Those too but you'd have to have a lot of free time.

Edited October 30, 2013 by TrickyVein

[MartinPurvis]

Thanks a lot for the help, with your guide I've managed to get animation working properly in game.

 

The animation I've made is a Cutout Enemy that pops up when you approach it and goes back down when you shoot it. I'm going to use it in a military room clearing mod.

[Polyfemus]

Hey so I finally came around to trying to tackle this tutorial and very soon I've found myself stuck. Basically at the end of Part I when I insert the NiDefaultAVObjectPalette. After that I don't know how to add the other node items under the NiDefaultAVObjectPalettes's obj list. In fact I feel like I'm either missing or totally don't understand how to do simple things. I don't know how to attach nodes as children of other nodes. I don't know what drop-down menu I'm supposed to do that from. I have no idea. So the way I was doing it was instead copy and pasting branches to the nodes I want them to be children of. But I can't do that for NiDefaultAVObjectPalette's obj list.

 

I had a problem with my installation of nifskope some time ago. The error was that certain menu options/node properties selections simply didn't render. I solved that problem by reinstalling nifskope. I wonder if I might have to do it again because I was following the tutorial step-by-step but I feel like I can't attach existing nodes to be children of other existing nodes. Either that or I simply don't know how.

 

EDIT: I made a picture to try to demonstrate my issue.

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/68kaw4t.png

 

[Deleted1205226User]

In Block Details, change the Num Objs value with the number of objects you need, update by clicking the green arrow.

The place for adding data will appear. Be sure to insert names of your nodes also.

 

Same principle for attaching children nodes, first you have to set how many, update, then you'd be able to attach.

 

Contact me if I'm not clear.

Edited February 1, 2014 by Guest

[TrickyVein]

Correct.

 

Update the array once you've input the number of objects you want to list in the NiDefaultAVObjectPalette. Right click → array → update!

[Polyfemus]

I've recently come back to this tutorial again after a hiatus. I'm understanding more and more and I thank you for this tutorial. But I seem to be stuck again.

 

First question. At the last step in Part II when I have to fill in the Controlled Blocks values for the NiControllerSequence do I fill in just that 1 Controlled Blocks as shown in the picture or do I fill in the other Controlled Blocks for my other NiNode (the other side door, left)?

 

Next question. Now I'm at Part IV and have begun key-framing the animation with the rotation -90 under the Quaternion Keys. When I input the value neither door swings open. The animation is "playing" on a loop but nothing is happening. I'm not sure what I did wrong but I guess I'll have to redo it and see what works. Comparing my .nif blocks to the ones in your pictures it seems identical.