Requirements for Grafics

[joc-wi]

Somebody, somewhere (i think it was in the wiki, but I can't find it anymore) once wrote, that all one would need to create a simple "Game" in GemRB was a room and a character.

 

Now rooms will be easy, so I made a character for people to experiment with.

To render and publish it I would need some information:

- How many frames does the typical walkcycle of Infinity-Engine-Games have?

- In which file-format would you like the frames? (png, 8-bit-png, bmp with 255_255_0 als Transparency, All Frames in one single File, etc...)

- Is there a naming convention you woud prefer? (If there is nothing I would name them "guy_walk_NE_4.png" for the forth frame of the walkcycle in North-Eastern direction, if the characters name is "guy")

- Hard transparency instead of soft alpha, I presume?

 

The first question (about the number of frames) would be the most importen at the moment.

[Avenger]

There are several animation schemas implemented. Depending on how much detail is available.

Do you have only walk/stand animations?

Attack animations? Getting hit/dying?

 

DLTCEP can convert BMP's to BAM sequences, so BMPs in a ZIP are good enough.

Unless you want to create the BAMs yourself as well, but that is not easy.

 

There is no alpha channel in the animations, only a transparent colour (and a shadow color).

The clown coloured animations are very tricky, so, i guess that is out of question for now.

This leaves 254 colors to use in the whole animation, as BAMs have a single shared palette.

See BAM format: http://iesdp.gibberlings3.net/file_formats...mats/bam_v1.htm

Avatar naming schemes: http://iesdp.gibberlings3.net/appendices/avatarnaming.htm

 

I think the PST or IWD formats are the easiest to begin with.

 

IWD format, each stance needs at least 5 directions:

South, southwest, west, northwest, north.

The remaining 3 can be generated by DLTCEP.

The sequences are played at 15 fps (iirc), normal walk sequences seem to have 15-19 frames.

Attack sequences seem to have 15 frames.

 

The naming convention you said should be fine. But the closest to the original schema the better.

So, for walking: GUYWK_S00.BMP would be the first and GUYWK_S15.BMP the last. Please use zero padding.

In this format, first 3 characters are designating the animation (GUY), WK is the walk animation, '_S' is just something arbitrary, but it would be fine to have them as _S, _SW, _W, _NW, _N.

I will import them in this order into the BAM (should you opt for skipping the BAM creation).

 

If you want to create the BAMS yourself, read on:

1. create sequences from the animations: in DLTCEP, choose: edit/BAM, select tools/import frames.

2. save the file, (it will be saved under GUYWK_S) repeat this for all 5 directions.

3. start a new BAM (file/new BAM).

4. import the 5 cycles in the abovementioned order (file/merge bam).

5. now you have a BAM named GUYWK.BAM with 5 cycles, each with 15-19 frames.

6. save this BAM, then select: tools/create mirror frames. Save it. The file will be automagically named GUYWKE.BAM, and it will contain the missing 3 mirror animations in the correct order and format. (They start at cycle #5). If you want these extra directions rendered by your animator, then still keep the first 5 cycles empty. You can add empty cycles by Cycle/Add (or Insert) Cycle. Add will add the cycle after the currently selected cycle, Insert will insert it before. So, you can add the 3 cycles to GUYWKE as you did with the other 5, then simply insert 5 empty cycles in the beginning.

 

That's all, i guess, it is easier than the animator

[lynx]

If some of this is too confusing, you can also visit us on irc for an interactive session.

[joc-wi]

Sorry for the pause.

 

IWD format, each stance needs at least 5 directions:

South, southwest, west, northwest, north.

The remaining 3 can be generated by DLTCEP.

I take it that they are generated by mirrowing the others, right? If that's the case I will render every direction.

 

I think the PST or IWD formats are the easiest to begin with.

My goal is to give people the posibility to create new games from the scratch. So I would like to use one format and stick with it. It should be one both other artists and you programmers are comfortable with. You suggested both PST and IWD, but described the IWD-Format in some lengh. Does that mean that the IWD-format would be best for that purpose?

 

When I am doing the rendering (and not yet the compositing), I would need to render:

 

- Eight directions.

- a 1-bit alpha

- a 1-bit shadow

- colorchannel of course

 

is that right?

 

When it comes to compositing the end-product, I have still to work something out. My photoshop-version (well, the one I use at home) is to old to accept serious scripting. Not that scripting photoshop is that much fun anyway, but it would be helpfull for creating "254-Colors, 1-Shadowcolor, 1-transparency-color"-pictures. *sight*.

Or does one of the tools you mentioned have an automatisation for combining images?

[Avenger]

Yes, i think the IWD format is the easiest to begin with.

Shadow is not really needed for the beginning.

Just make sure palette index 0 is the transparent index (or at least, that the transparent index is always the same, it is possible to do an 'order palette' in DLTCEP to make it #0).

 

Once you have the bmps in the previously mentioned format, the rest of the building a complete .bam is very simple as i detailed earlier.

 

Come to #gemrb if you have more questions.

[Guest Edheldil]

Hi,

thank you for your effort creating data for GemRB. The New Game notes are at wiki:newgame

 

My photoshop-version (well, the one I use at home) is to old to accept serious scripting. Not that scripting photoshop is that much fun anyway, but

 

You might find Gimp much better scriptable.

 

If you want your art redistributed with GemRB, please consider an appropriately free license for it.

 

Cheers, Edheldil