Guide: "From a picture to an animation"

Part 3 - Separating Limbs and Export as .obj-File

This is the last part of the series taking place in Qubicle Constructor. Prior exporting the model into an .obj-file, the body parts are separated. Each limb gets its own matrix, so the single limbs can be animated separately later on.

If interested you can download the adjusted Qubicle-file and also the .obj-file(s), to use with an animation tool of your choice.

In the next video I will load the .obj-file into Blender and start with some preparation for animating the dwarf.

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wow @voxel_pirate ā€¦ really well done my friendā€¦ it even made sense to to me (mostly), and thats saying something indeed! :+1:

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Thanks Steveā€¦ hope that the .obj-files are interesting for some people, as most are using Qubicle in the free version, so they do not have the chance to export the own model yet.

Part 4 - Animation with Bones

I have just uploaded the 4th part of the guide. This time I try to give an introduction in one of the animation techniques with Blenderā€¦ using bones. The video shows how to create bones and how to align the body parts to it. It also shows some first steps in animating the model using this ā€œskeletonā€. The related Blender-file which can be downloaded includes the animations from my second video on animating a standard worker.

There are for sure some other things to take into account. However, the video is already around 45 minutes long. If there is enough interest I might create a second one going a bit into details. Otherwise the next video might take a look on the second way to animate with Blender (more related to what we have seen so far in one of the mammoth-streams).

Enjoy.

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great work, will watch it later

You have to watch it first, before you can say that it is great :wink:. At least I hope it gives an idea of what to start with. Also do not underestimate the downloadable file in terms of animation. It should include the animations from this video. So if you really want to take a look into animationsā€¦ that might be a starting point.

General question:
I do understand this workflow is in order to explain how to develop a voxel based char animation to Stonehearth, but, is this later on possible to use these animations to make a game in unity?

Iā€™m currently developing a voxel based game using Unity and was wondering if this workflow will work for Unity as well, if so, is there some video explaining how to take the animated objects from blender and place them in Unity?

Thanks.

I wish I cold animate a standard dude so he could use the weapons I made in Quibicle, but Iā€™m stuck with the Basic Edition of Quibicle, so I canā€™t import my models into Blender.

Great how to I will give it a try and learn it the best way I can. Is their a way to import another obj file but keep the animation. in other words, can I use the dwarf animation on others. Like a worker or warrior. It seem tedious to do it over and over again.

@voxel_pirate I dont say it is great, I say the work you did is great :wink:. I am in the same ship as EpicDwarf, so no use to watch it now as I will have forgotten it by the time I make animations.

@Skull24 Yes you can. If the animated parts are the same as existing ones you dont have to animate at all.

@avivezra1 You can import .obj-files into Unity. So you can animate in Blender, Maya, etc. and import this animations into Unity. How it works exactlyā€¦ I have no idea, as I do not use Unity. But I am sure you can find some tutorials on that on YouTube.

@EpicDwarf That is one of the reasons I have recorded this videos. If you really want to play around a bitā€¦ just take the files I have uploaded and there you go.

@Miturion Thanks for clarificationā€¦ so you do not like it :smile:.

@voxel_pirate I do, but I have not watched it yet so I can not give a proper evaluation

Iā€™m sure Radiant Entertainment will have their own animations and model for us to use during the beta. Iā€™m happy they are all hard at work. Also, they must have moved into their new offices.

trueā€¦ if not moved, at least signed a lease, etc. last week was probably a bit of down time for the team as wellā€¦

I am currently planning on an animation.

@Skull24 Absolutelyā€¦ there will be re-usable animations in Stonehearth. As long as you are able to adjust an existing model (so the size, etc. fits to what you have in your mind), there will be no need for animation.

This whole ā€œtutorialā€ is more for those who are interested in how this could work and who are thinking about implementing an own model from scratch (including animations). Its only purpose is to show that it is not rocket scienceā€¦ and to waste some time while we are waiting.

I enjoy the fact that you made it. I think more people should learn how to do it for themselves so they are no intimated by it. I want to make a few animated shorts. To see what I can come up with.

Part 5 - Animation without Armatures and Bones

Part 5 of the series is uploaded now. This time, the video shows an alternative way to create animations in Blenderā€¦ without using ā€œArmaturesā€ and ā€œBonesā€. As it looks from the different streams, that is the way how Tom creates all his animations.

Hope you enjoy it!

P.S. The .qmo-File for the ā€œFirshermanā€ and the .obj-Files are again available for download.

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thanks again @voxel_pirateā€¦ your series is well done, and most appreciated! :+1:

@voxel_pirate Hello! and I am fairly new to the forums, so this is like one of my first posts. I like what you have done with everything and how you help people on their way and are able to break down everything for everyone, however the question I have is a little more technical. The first question that I have is have you ever tried to put the models you have built and animated into a game scenario like in a C# type game, or are you just an artist and animator??? and if you have please help me out, because the models that I try to put into my games from qubicle files into the game it doesnā€™t work. Not even .fbx files will work. So, just curious if you do stuff like that!