Wild idea: Kinect for motion capture

[Stan`]

Only 2014 I'm 19 and engineer student.

[Radagast.]

Dude, it's not 3DSMax that makes the animations incompatible. Don't waste your time. It's the order of vertices/bones.

We need:

• to reexport all animations from their .dae files.
• That's why we try to get them into Blender.
• Then we export and the animations should play well with all blender exported meshes/animations in pyrogenesis.

If it works instead then we might not even have to reexport all:

Additionally we can go the 3DSMax -> Maya -> .dae and 3DSMax -> Maya -> Blender -> .dae way as for Maya this issue should be fixed in blender. GaiaClary since has been treated a bit roughly from the blender mates, so I guess this case is lost.

I wonder why it's so hard to be a little bit more cautious if someone invested a lot of time ... one can't simply say then, hey guy, I did it myself based on your work, but I don't think what you did is useful.

Or: Can't you reimplement the complete Addon instead of just improving this bit of functionality? I want it fixed properly.

Really interesting way to handle things ... okay, Ton Rosendahl says equal harsh things sometimes to the same devs that said it this time to their subjugates. Really interesting.

Engineer? Wanna join us here? My humble self Aerospace student.

[Stan`]

We need:

• to reexport all animations from their .dae files.
• That's why we try to get them into Blender.
• Then we export and the animations should play well with all blender exported meshes/animations in pyrogenesis.

If it works instead then we might not even have to reexport all:

Additionally we can go the 3DSMax -> Maya -> .dae and 3DSMax -> Maya -> Blender -> .dae way as for Maya this issue should be fixed in blender. GaiaClary since has been treated a bit roughly from the blender mates, so I guess this case is lost.

I wonder why it's so hard to be a little bit more cautious if someone invested a lot of time ... one can't simply say then, hey guy, I did it myself based on your work, but I don't think what you did is useful.

Or: Can't you reimplement the complete Addon instead of just improving this bit of functionality? I want it fixed properly.

Really interesting way to handle things ... okay, Ton Rosendahl says equal harsh things sometimes to the same devs that said it this time to their subjugates. Really interesting.

Engineer? Wanna join us here? My humble self Aerospace student.

Dude, it's not 3DSMax that makes the animations incompatible. Don't waste your time. It's the order of vertices/bones.

I agree to disagree. According to my post below there is something wrong with max 2014 Exporter. And there have been since max 6, that's why the team was forced to use collada max. Problem is, plugin is only compatible with max 2014 with no SP and max 2013. I don't have any of those...

Okay so here is the new rotatory file in FBX format, you'll why below

Help06.png

Here is the file in Max. Animation is fine and everything is fine. Missing only the donkeys.

Help08.png

Here is the file after export/import to FBX. As you see everything is fine

Help07.png

And now here is the file after export/import from Dae. As you see... Well there is nothing to say. Animation was lost.

I attached the FBX file

RotaryMill.7z

We need:

• to reexport all animations from their .dae files.
• That's why we try to get them into Blender.
• Then we export and the animations should play well with all blender exported meshes/animations in pyrogenesis.

Agree on this, model I provided in blend files had animation working fine.

If it works instead then we might not even have to reexport all:

Additionally we can go the 3DSMax -> Maya -> .dae and 3DSMax -> Maya -> Blender -> .dae way as for Maya this issue should be fixed in blender. GaiaClary since has been treated a bit roughly from the blender mates, so I guess this case is lost.

Don't know if there is a max maya exporter. Only fbx.

I wonder why it's so hard to be a little bit more cautious if someone invested a lot of time ... one can't simply say then, hey guy, I did it myself based on your work, but I don't think what you did is useful.

Or: Can't you reimplement the complete Addon instead of just improving this bit of functionality? I want it fixed properly.

Really interesting way to handle things ... okay, Ton Rosendahl says equal harsh things sometimes to the same devs that said it this time to their subjugates. Really interesting.

I must have missed something I don't see corrolations here....

Engineer? Wanna join us here? My humble self Aerospace student.

I'm a very bad unspecialised engineer. I think i will fail this year Might not be suitable for your project...

[Radagast.]

You will fail? Ha, I will also fail this year I guess. Don't worry. It's normal. Do ya need help? will help where I can.

Don't know if there is a max maya exporter. Only fbx.

However 3DSMax users get the animations and models into Maya doesn't matter. As long as it plays back correctly. Perhaps Maya has a working COLLADA exporter. Then all is fine. So grab that Maya 2014 if you like. ^^

[niektb]

Only 2014 I'm 19 and engineer student.

I can get 2011-2014 for free as a student using that link I posted.

[Stan`]

You will fail? Ha, I will also fail this year I guess. Don't worry. It's normal. Do ya need help? will help where I can.

However 3DSMax users get the animations and models into Maya doesn't matter. As long as it plays back correctly. Perhaps Maya has a working COLLADA exporter. Then all is fine. So grab that Maya 2014 if you like. ^^

Failing isn't normal ^^ and even less when you pay 6400€ per year. But guess I didn't choose the good speciality to go in engineer studies, should have targeted way lower, where maths, are maths that my poor brain can understand. //OFFTOPIC.

I'll try

I can get 2011-2014 for free as a student using that link I posted.

Oh, yeah. I didn't checked that, I only use pro versions... I'll see. Don't have a big bandwith though.

[Stan`]

Okay, I can't use any student version to work for 0.a.d. Because they don't allow me to sell anything. And therefore neither does the game. Need to find max 2013

[Radagast.]

If you are so about moral: Do you know blender? It's said it really exists.

Btw. @topic. Kinect could really help us alot. Have to add it to my list. Even if we don't have stunt(wo)men.

[Stan`]

I'll do motion capture with my swords and shields. What is this awesome Image from.

I would'nt bother with max animations, if blender imported them correctly. And I now know why it doesn't The source of all this *** is max the exportation doesn't work and in maya either. FBX Collada is bad.

found a nice viewer http://sourceforge.net/projects/assimp/?source=pdlp

Edited March 29, 2014 by stanislas69

[Radagast.]

it's from a unknown non-quality alpha program, I'm afraid. I think it's called blender.

Good gracious, where did you find this multi-talent? It does the animations it seems. Perhaps this can solve our issues?

I understand you, don't worry. It's just because it's crazy just to support 3DSMax if there is blender anyway. Still the old animations have to be saved and that's the main reason for me to fix the compatibility. Still hoping for Gaia .. or really perhaps have to provide a patch myself. Oh no. Really. I have other plans. (so has Gaia I guess, so no chance to have it fixed) Oh, but you have found the 3d-multitalent.

[Stan`]

it's from a unknown non-quality alpha program, I'm afraid. I think it's called blender.

I like Blender, not as much as Max, because I started making bad 3d stuff with it but I like it. My minion avatar was made with it. I was just wondering if it was from a game or something.

Good gracious, where did you find this multi-talent? It does the animations it seems. Perhaps this can solve our issues?

*Stan was in despair and brownsing through sourge forge, and when he typed collada, a wild program appeared)

I understand you, don't worry. It's just because it's crazy just to support 3DSMax if there is blender anyway. Still the old animations have to be saved and that's the main reason for me to fix the compatibility. Still hoping for Gaia .. or really perhaps have to provide a patch myself. Oh no. Really. I have other plans. (so has Gaia I guess, so no chance to have it fixed) Oh, but you have found the 3d-multitalent.

Opening what you call "multi talent software" (I don't know why you do that) I realised that props were already boned, but that the bones were fine, which is not the case in blender !

[Radagast.]

Interesting. I just call it like that because what you found supports 30 3D filetypes. Good find. And it's open source and handles animations.

*Stan was in despair and brownsing through sourge forge, and when he typed collada, a wild program appeared)

Haha, well done.

It's okay, if you like 3DSMax. It's cool. Variety is no bad. Blender has weak points too. I currently don't know exactly what to think other than that we have to fix things and make our plans happen before we get lost. What? What you say? We are already lost? .. well *lost

[Stan`]

Now is this good news ? =D

EDIT : Copy of Enrique's message

Hephaestion, on 29 Mar 2014 - 10:08 PM, said:

Sent Today, 12:35 AM

Small Update : Fixed weights

If you manage to fix the remaining minor bugs you're done. I can't because I have no idea how rigging truly works.

Spoiler

This how i did the trick.

Required : Blender 2.70 (Make sure we use the same version)

1. Export from max to SMD

2. ADD SMD/IMPORT EXPORT to blender

3. Import the skeleton

4. Import the dude model from Anewhope.dae, which is actually the model from the game.

5. Parent it with the skeleton and choose the second option

6. Remove all the prop vertex groups.

http://www.mediafire...jemd617n/Fix.7z

Edited March 29, 2014 by stanislas69

[unknown_stranger]

Are you guys still interested in using (or at least testing) motion capture with kinects? Is there anyone here that has a first-generation kinect? If so, I might be able to arrange something. I can't make any promises though.

[Stan`]

I don't think so, we are now using MoCap For that.

[Enrique]

I don't think so, we are now using MoCap For that.

Stan, the idea of this thread is to use kinect for recording motion capture files. Motion capture files = MoCap files.

Are you guys still interested in using (or at least testing) motion capture with kinects? Is there anyone here that has a first-generation kinect? If so, I might be able to arrange something. I can't make any promises though.

Yes, we are. But you'll have to get around almost on your own (there are blender users in this forum that can help though), but since no-one have kinect for that matter and try with you.

[Stan`]

Oh. Well As I said I have a Kinect too. And some people converted me to blender ^^.

[Enrique]

I warn you this is not an easy task to achieve:

- Find a free and opensource program (much of the pioneers are now propietary software) that is capable of translating kinect data into blender-usable data.

- Be able to calibrate the kinect in order to get rid of sliding and movement noise. (This would be probably the hardest part, since you'll need good blender knowledge and kinect-blender software skills to do the calibration)

- Set the basic human armature for recording. I'll take care of the bone retargetting for getting the animation into the new armature I'm developing.

The person who wants to experiment with it will need to take some time to find and learn the software for getting the data into blender, and it's difficult to help from the forums since not everyone has a kinect to make tests and help with it.

However, no one stops you from getting into it.

[Stan`]

Someone did that with that software

http://www.ni-mate.com/download/

This guy is french and apparently succeeded too. I may PM him to see

http://minecraft.fr/forum/index.php?threads/faire-bouger-steve-avec-kinect-dans-blender.86175/

You might also want to check here : http://blender.vsb.cz/index.php/en/kinect-blender/download

[Enrique]

Someone did that with that software

http://www.ni-mate.com/download/

This guy is french and apparently succeeded too. I may PM him to see

http://minecraft.fr/forum/index.php?threads/faire-bouger-steve-avec-kinect-dans-blender.86175/

Ni-mate is no longer free, and you have to purchase a license in order to use it in any project.

[Radagast.]

Indeed that's a massive task. Though the last link provided by our stan just seems to do it. Though I'm pretty sure we'll run into problems which will take time to solve, especially to get it compatible and to produce accurate enough results.

It might be something for a thesis if anyone looks for a topic.

(me personally I first wish to have all 3D models modeled and rigged and prop pointed ... and textures ready before I start really getting into helping out in the animation sector. Once we reach this phase and we're still serious then I'll try to help with all means to get a toolchain/workflow ready for hopefully amazing attack- and defence- animations. Though we might need a stunt(wo)man... 8))