3 replies to this topic

[monem81]

dear all ...

i'm about to make a previz for my next short sci-fi movie. and i have custom characters i want to use in moviestorm.

first, how i can import those characters to moviestorm?

second, how i can use custom mocap data to animate them in addition to the ready made animation in moviestorm.

any ideas?

thank you.

[Ben_S]

It's going to be complicated, I'm afraid.

To be able to import characters and animations into Moviestorm, you need to export them into the Cal3d binary format.

There are exporters to Cal3d from 3ds Max, Milkshape, Misfit, and an old version of Blender.

Generally, it is preferable to make a version of your character that is skinned to the existing Moviestorm Male01 or Female01 skeletons, and export that, rather than making them a separate character. This lets you use all the existing animations that exist within Moviestorm, with the character, rather than having to redo them all (walking, gestures, breathing, using props etc).

Mocap data would probably need to be cleaned up, mapped onto one of the skeletons, and exported in the Cal3d format to get it into Moviestorm. It is probably best put in a gestures, if it is not going from definite start points to definite end points (gestures have blending from the characters previous poses).

[ahpresents]

Ben_S, could you explain the process of exporting characters we've designed in one Moviestorm project to another one? Thanks!

[jamoram62]

Ben_S, could you explain the process of exporting characters we've designed in one Moviestorm project to another one? Thanks!

Quite easy:
1. Once loaded the source movie, go to the Dressing Room View, select the character you'd like to export and then press the button 'save stock character' or something like that (you can find it on a icon bar at the left bottom of the screen and it looks like an arrow pointing into a box). Finally give the exported character a name and confirm.

2. Load/create the movie you want the guy imported into, go to the Dressing Room and press the 'Load Stock Character' button (an arrow from a box). Select it, confirm and get fun.

BTW, a similar procedure allows you to export/import the sets you've created.