I have a couple of problems I can't seem to work out with this horse I'm animating. After working on it for about a week, I've just about given up solving the problem on my own. I would greatly appreciate any help.

The first problem is that the vertex weights aren't carrying over in to the .package. From what I understand, unimesh takes care of all that, so I wonder if there's a problem with the mesh itself that's causing the weighs to be reassinged to just one bone only. The second problem is that the texture inverts/blends (I don't know the correct term here) whenever the horse is picked up, or when it's playing the animation.

I've attatched a .rar with three files. One is the package, the other two are milkshape saves of the gmdc and the animation I'm trying to run. If you load the horse up in TS2 (find it under deco/all) and compare it with the the animation as it appears in milkshape, you'll see the weight problem; it's most obvious on the tail and neck.

Anyways, I hope someone can check this out. Thanks!

Hi Dragon Slave,
it's been a long time that I saw a comment of you the more I'm glad to see this one. It's a pity that we lost contact and I regret it.
As nobody replied until now to your problems I hope I can give you some humble hints to get nearer to a solution.
First of all: The animations are so great and well done so far that it were a pity you couldn't finish the project! Chapeau!

I checked your horse mesh and the animation in MilkShape 1.8.5 and in an Anygame Basegame as well. In MilkShape the animation worked without any problem and it looked really great! But also the animation in my game worked well. The problems you have may be caused by some other facts, not the weights of bones. I checked your package this way:
First the animation file that worked without any problems.
Second I exported the mesh as a txt-file in order to see the skeleton. I know from my vehicles that there is a difference in values in the GMDC and in the CRES. This way I could see the positions of the joints in CRES. There is no difference in the positions but you can see a difference in the assingments of several vertices that can cause one of your problems.
Third I exported the mesh from MilkShape(!) as an Obj-file. I imported it in UV-mapper Pro and got the error message: "The model contains out of range UV coordinates data". I think that's the reason for the bad texturing in game that you mentioned.
I'd propose to do the following steps:
Export your object from SimPE to a txt-file. Import this file to MilkShape. Export this mesh to a Obj-file in order to fix the graphical issues that might have been lost in some parts while you did the animation. Reimport this fixed Obj-file into SimPE and correct/redo the assignments of several/all the vertices just the same way you assigned them in the GMDC-file. You can compare both by opening two instances of MilkShape. When this is done you export the mesh as a txt-file and re-import it in SimPE. Save your object package and test in game.
I cannot promise a success because I didn't check this method but on my opinion it should work. I made pictures of the differences I watched when I checked your package.

hexameter

It's nice to hear from you, Hexameter! I regret as well that we fell out of touch. I wasn't sure if you were still playing the Sims anymore or not when I started working on my horse again. I'm glad you responded.

I followed your instructions and fixed the graphical problem but I'm still unable to get the weights exported. I believe the difference that you're seeing in the vertices from the exported txt file and the gmdc file I had in the rar are the result of the milkshape export. The weights are reassigned to 100% on one bone only, so when you import the file back in to milkshape, the assignments will show up as different. It does this regardless of whether I use unimesh or export it as a txt file.

Now, in regards to this part:


Did you mean "reimport this fixed obj-file into milkshape"? That's the only way I know how to edit the vertex weights. I haven't been able to figure it out from inside SimPE yet, so if SimPE is what you meant, it could be the answer to my problem.

On your screenshot of the horse in game, I can see the weight problems, so you were experiencing the same thing I see in my game. The difference is subtle, and that might be why you didn't notice it before. I uploaded a screenshot with the key areas circled, as well as a screenshot showing my horse in milkshape holding the same pose. Note the tail. I weighed a number of the vertices here on the pelvis to prevent the faces from moving uniformly whenever the horse moves it's tail. This gives it sort of a flowing effect and makes it look fuller in certain parts of the animation. In game, all that is gone.

The rar contains the milkshape save of the gmdc with a fixed uv, the same animation save from before, and the updated package file. Let me know what you think.

Thanks again for responding.

Well, yes, I still play every now and then, but its been a long time that I made a new object.

Yes, I talked about exactly this fixed obj-file coming from the UV-mapper. It should have no assignments any more. When you make new assignements of the vertices and export the mesh from SimPE as txt-file at this point of work this will correct at least the differences I saw. I had similar problems with vehicles when I exported them from MilkShape. This lead to the fact I had to edit the CRES manually to correct the positions of the joints and vertices to get them identically and to get a correct animation. That's why I had this idea. On my opinion this (the identity of GMDC and CRES values) could be the problem.

That is what I saw, too and I believe that it should be correct once you imported the corrections via the txt-file into SimPE. At least it was the only idea I had at the first sight. You don't have to do the animation again because it is not changed in principle.
If this didn't lead to the wanted effects it is worth to import the animation contained in the GMDC-file again using export from Unimesh in MilkShape. As now both CRES and GMDC (should) have identical values it should have an effect.
In case that this will not work we had to think about other solutions and tries.
hexameter

I'm confused about some of the instructions. There are places where I think you mean one thing but if I think about it another way, it might mean something else. I'm bad about over analyzing things. -_- I'm going to explain what I've done step by step, and if there's an area where I should have done something else, just let me know so I'll be on the same page.

Here's what I did the first time, the results of which are included in the rar file attached to my second post (animated horse 2).

First, I exported the gmdc from SimPE as a txt file. Then I imported this in to Milkshape. From here, I exported it as an Obj file which I then imported in to wings so I could fix the UV Map problem you described. The coordinates had gotten displaced and were above the map area, so I brought them back down to the correct location. Then, I exported this corrected file as an obj. Just to check if the UV problem was solved, I imported it into uvmapper classic. It loaded successfully.
For the joint assignments, I took a shortcut. This may have messed me up in the end, though at the time, I didn't think it would. I started with the GMDC milkshape save that I included in the rar attached to my first post. I imported the obj with the fixed UV on top of it, then used unimesh vertex data merge on all the vertices so that they the same joint assignment data. Then I deleted the original mesh so that just the one I imported with the fixed UV was left. I exported this as a txt file, and imported this in to SimPE replacing the groups maneandtail and body with the ones in the import.
I always select the option "replace" from the drop down box when given a choice, even though by default it's on "add". I figure this is better than adding them then deleting the old. Is this the wrong way to go about doing this for importing txt and obj files?

After reading your reponse tonight as well as rereading your first one, I understand that I need to import the obj from uvmapper in to simpe, export the gmdc as a txt file which will correct the vertex issues, import this in to milkshape where I should reassign the vertices and then export back in to simpe?

I'll work on this tomorrow as it's late now, I'm heading to bed soon. I just wanted to update this thread with my thoughts just in case, and I'll have the result posted as soon as I finish.

Thanks!

I'm so sorry that I didn't see the new *.rar-file you uploaded with post #3 last night, but in this part of the earth we already had half past two in the morning. That's why I remarked it only this evening after work.
So I tested it only to see changes. You made the changes exactly the way I proposed. The grafical issues are fixed now. But you're right these tiny things you want to be shown in the movements still are to be changed. So my guess was not very helpful so far.
A question to comprehend what you did preparing the assignments for the animation (though I think you did it correct): Did you adjust the weights of single/several vertices to the joints in question, for example the tail(movement)? And also, are you sure that you didn't forget to click the correct options in the menu in MilkShape, where these assignments are done?
I only know the method described by Wes Howe in his tutorial here:
http://www.customsims3.com/forum1/Y...?num=1204420229
So I have no better idea than you might have forgotten to check one of the options. I cannot imagine something else because all the other things now work correctly.
hexameter

I guess I used the "other" method Wes_h mentions; I didn't use the bone tool. However, I did use bone tool to "commit all" anyways, just in case.

I'm starting to wonder if it's even possible to do what I'm wanting. All the the tutorials I've found don't really get in to weights; it's just something I assumed was supported. Another idea - maybe it has to do with my version of milkshape. I'm using 1.8.5 but I also have a copy of 1.8.2 installed. I tried opening my gmdc milkshape save with the older version and got a few error messages. Then, all of the vertices were reassigned just like how they are when I export with unimesh! Maybe the newer version is incompatible? I reassigned everything in version 1.8.2 and exported again, but the result was the same when I tried to import with simpe. The download thread for unimesh says it's compatible with version 1.7.8 and up. Since this was posted in 2007, I wonder how accurate it still is? I saw on the last page of comments, someone reports a problem that sounds a lot like mine, and their version is 1.8.4. My idea was that I needed to try this again with with a version even older than 1.8.2, preferably 1.7.8. Milkshape's website doesn't link to anything older than what I already have, so I'm unsure of what to do next. Do you think this might be the cause of the problem?

There's also evidence that something is working as it should. When I open the package that I first uploaded here (the one with the texture problem) in SimPE and look at its gmdc, on the elements tab with bone weights selected, I see that the first weight is listed. In the fixed package, every vertex has a value of 1. I see no difference in how the horse animates in game, so even though the data is there in the first package, something else is missing. Probably the other weight assignments?

I did manage to figure out how to edit vertex weights by running SimPE in advanced mode. There's not a lot I can do without getting error messages after committing. I'm still exploring.

In the meantime, I'm going to make a test model with simple vertex weights and see if it works. If it does, I'll know the problem is with the horse, and not milkshape or something I'm doing wrong specifically. I'll post the results as soon as I see how it turns out. It shouldn't take me too long to make.

"Do you think this might be the cause of the problem?"
No, I don't think so. As far as I followed the information in other threads changes in MilkShape didn't touch the functionality of these plugIns. Let's wait and see what are the results of your experiment.
hexameter

Good news! I've got it working!

I had to use smd export/import in the end. I had tried to use it before but I got error messages. Then it let me use it on the test package I made, so it seemed worth it to work with my horse and figure out what was preventing it from importing. I had to delete the material file I made inside of milkshape. I never would have thought that would interfere.

Anyways, I'm relieved I can animate now. I have a walk animation that's almost done, I just have to set it up for the new cres I made a while back. It would look really good with your vehicles. Let me know if you want to add animations.

Again, thank you so much for your help!

Congratulations to this great animation!! I was too curious and tested your new file before this comment. It looks really great now!
Add maybe a continuous standing option (turning the head or something like that), combine the new animation as reaction to a "view"-option, add a sound and it's a perfect and complete object (hints only!).
Who had thought of the material file in MilkShape and the consequences?
Of course I'm interested in animated horses in my vehicles as well, and even more the users of them. I'll send you a PM about some ideas and problems I already had with all this, if you allow.
Again, thanks for this splendid download I can use as the first downloader!
hexameter