Cutscene Models

[Fallen Guardian]

Well, in KotOR 1/2 there are certain dialogues where a character will do animations that you cannot normally assign. One example of this being when your character first wakes up on Taris in KotOR 1. My question is, would there be any way to create these or read the existing ones in some sensible fashion?

[Sithspecter]

It is not worth the trouble you are going to have to go through to accomplish this, if it can be accomplished.

Whoops, did a little "mod shoot down people" moment, I do apologize. As many here have proven, difficult things can be accomplished.

[Fallen Guardian]

Originally Posted by Sithspecter

It is not worth the trouble you are going to have to go through to accomplish this, if it can be accomplished.

What do you mean?

[Sithspecter]

Scratch that previous statement. I'm not 100% sure how to do it, but you should definitely go for it. What I would do is use MDLOps 6.0 or 6.1 to extract the model with animations that was used in the cutscene described above, and then examine both the model and the scripts that go along with it. Then, replicate what Bioware did.

That's the best that I have for you right now.

[Fallen Guardian]

Originally Posted by Sithspecter

Scratch that previous statement. I'm not 100% sure how to do it, but you should definitely go for it. What I would do is use MDLOps 6.0 or 6.1 to extract the model with animations that was used in the cutscene described above, and then examine both the model and the scripts that go along with it. Then, replicate what Bioware did.

That's the best that I have for you right now.

Huh, okay. Thanks SS. I'll give it a go.

[Darth Vada]

If you actually devote yourself to do this and make something amazing, you are my hero

[Fallen Guardian]

Okay, I've started to look through the models (which are basically just a huge mass of numbers). I'm a bit confused as to how orientation of the model works at the moment but I found this site very helpful in getting me to learn the basics of what a lot of the stuff means.

[Fallen Guardian]

Okay, I've had no luck getting orientation to change so far but I can change the position of where the person taking part in the animation is moved to. From what I can understand it should be possible to mix and match animations from different cutscene models, compile it all into one model and use it for your own ends. I'll keep chugging along though...

[90 SK]

You're doing great, keep it up!

[Hunters Run]

From what I can understand it should be possible to mix and match animations from different cutscene models

It is possible, I have done it before. That's how I did revans flowing robe for TSL.

[Zerimar Nyliram]

You know, if you accomplish this, I would love to eventually see you (or someone else) replace the cutscenes involving any characters and replace them with in-game sequences that match. Not only would this greatly improve the quality (or, more precisely, the clarity) of the videos, but then those of us who have modded certain characters' appearances will see them matching these altered appearances in the newly restructured in-game sequences.

I am a consistency junkie. Not sure if I'm alone in my anal retentiveness or not.

[Fallen Guardian]

The real trick with these things, seeing as I'm just using a text editor, would be figuring out the proper coordinate for each section of the body (model) defined within the cutscene model. For example, it looks as though the position defined at the beginning of the animation acts as the origin for the torso, which then you provide coordinates that'll animate it. Then, the torso becomes the origin for the arms, which you provide coordinates for that to animate it. I don't think that it'd be possible to get a decent replication of the BIK cutscenes, but then again, there are people far greater skilled than I.

[Zerimar Nyliram]

How did the people who created those mods that replaced those three FMVs from TSL with in-game recreations do it (namely, Kreia's flashback to her time as a Sith Lord, Darth Sion's arrival aboard the Harbinger, and Visas before Nihilus aboard the Ravager)?

[Giant Graffiti]

^I think that those were already set up in the game, all that was necessary was a script to fire them.

[Fallen Guardian]

Those were different than cutscenes involving cutscene models (I'm not even sure if KotOR II involved cutscene models at all). Basically those you could set up by calling normal animations through scripting. With cutscene models you need to create the animations you want your characters to go through using specific coordinates.

[JCarter426]

Originally Posted by Zerimar Nyliram

Kreia's flashback to her time as a Sith Lord, Darth Sion's arrival aboard the Harbinger, and Visas before Nihilus aboard the Ravager

Specifically, the modules are 907MAL, 154HAR, and 853NIH. They aren't identical to the Bink videos, but it's clear they were used to make them.

Originally Posted by Fallen Guardian

I'm not even sure if KotOR II involved cutscene models at all

There might be one for Kreia, but I don't know if it's even used, or indeed if it even is a cutscene model. I'm inclined to believe it's not, though, due to the lack of them elsewhere in the game, particularly in the case of Visas' sacrifice animation.

[Fallen Guardian]

Originally Posted by JCarter426

There might be one for Kreia, but I don't know if it's even used, or indeed if it even is a cutscene model. I'm inclined to believe it's not, though, due to the lack of them elsewhere in the game, particularly in the case of Visas' sacrifice animation.

Yeah, there might be one for Kreia now that I think about it... The animation where Kreia slowly stoops to put her hand on the tree enclosement in the Rebuilt enclave..

[Fallen Guardian]

Okay, weirdest thing I've encountered modding so far. Basically, I set it up so I could look at a cutscene camera by selecting one option with my PC. I made a second option for me to abort the convo. It started fine, but as soon as I got to the point where I chose to continue or exit the dialogue stalled I couldn't choose any options. I could click on them, but nothing would happen.

So I warped out of the conversation, and instantly the two nodes that would've appeared had I said I wanted to see the cutscene model started, but the cutscene model didn't play. Then that dialogue stalled and I had to warp out of it. So the lesson is this: Never call a cutscene model directly after a PC decision.

[Fallen Guardian]

Okay, I put to rest some of my fears about the models tonight. I made doubly sure that lipsynching is treated the same as it is every where else, and is not at all affected by the cutscene model.