Readme - AdamPack

AdamPack

A replacement character, with animations, for the Torque Game Engine

Change Log
System Requirements
Included Files
Installation
Editing and Exporting
Miscellaneous Notes

Change Log:

6/28/05:

Added a suggestion for an alternate, cleaner method of installing AdamPack files to this Readme.
Added instructions for making the dust poofs come from Adam's feet to this Readme.
Added a t-shirt layer to AdamPack.psd
Added a khaki pants layer to AdamPack.psd
Added \t-shirt directory with an alternate Adam.jpg texture containing the t-shirt and the khaki pants
Adjusted UVs in player model to accomodate t-shirt
Adjusted vertices in player model to hang over the belt line a bit (the belt looked too thick before)
Fixed animations: forward, side, and back, adding triggers to them so that they produce poofs of dust, footsteps, and footstep sounds when the player runs
Cleaned up some weird vertex influencing: each leg bone had a mild influence on the opposite leg, and the thumbs were influenced by the finger
Adjusted verts to shorten the thighs slightly
Fixed the death animation: previously the gun ended up penetrating the arm. Also, added a little more bounce to the hand when they hit
Touched up the jump animation so right foot doesn't point so sharply down

System Requirements:

To unpack AdamPack:

Windows 98/SE/ME/2000/XP

To put Adam (as is) into a game:

Torque Game Engine (or even one of the demos will do)

To edit AdamPack:

3dsmax 4 or later, and Character Studio
Exporters for 3dsmax (max2dtsExporter.dle). Find them here.

Included Files:

AdamPack.max: 3dsmax file consisting of the Adam player model, with three LOD (Level of Detail) models. Adam's player model has 1216 triangles, and his LODs have 376, 196, and 100 triangles. Both the player model and the LODs are rigged to a Character Studio Biped skeleton.
player.dts (exported from AdamPack.max).
3dsmax files and .dsq files for the Adam's animations: root, forward, back, side, lookde, head, fall, land, jump, diechest, scoutroot, headside, recoilde, sitting, celsalute, celwave, standjump.
.3ds file of Adam in base pose.
Assault_Rifle.max: 3dsmax file for Adam's rifle, with a single LOD model. The assault rifle is 760 triangles, and the LOD is 285 triangles.
weapon.dts (exported from Assault_Rifle.max).
.cfg files for export.
.cs files - Torque Game Engine script.

Installation:

Important: back up your entire project before proceeding. Following these instructions will overwrite your current player model.

Please note that if you've named your character and weapons something other than the GarageGame defaults, you'll have to rename the AdamPack files accordingly.

To install:

1. Unzip all AdamPack files, keeping directory structures intact.

2. Copy all the files from \AdamPack\shapes\player\ into your \data\shapes\player directory, overwriting files with the same names.

Note: For a cleaner installation with fewer excess files, you can remove everything from the \player directory except for the files footprint.png, splash.png, and debris_player.dts (Torque requires those files). Then copy the AdamPack files into the \player directory.

3. Copy all the files from \AdamPack\shapes\crossbow\ into your \data\shapes\crossbow directory.

(At this point Adam should be visible in-game, with his rifle in hand - now would be a good time to check.)

4. Change the character bounding box to fit Adam: Open \server\scripts\player.cs. Find the line with:

boundingBox =

and change the values to:

boundingBox = "1.0 1.0 2.2";

4b. Make the poofs of dust appear to come from Adam's feet: Open \server\scripts\player.cs. Find the lines with:

// Foot Prints
decalData = PlayerFootprint;

and change the values to:

decalOffset = 0.05;

5. Make the weapon show up correctly in the first person view: Open \server\scripts\crossbow.cs and find the line that says:

eyeOffset =

and change the values to:

eyeOffset = "0.2 0.35 -0.35";

6. Delete \server\scripts\player.dso and \server\scripts\crossbow.dso before trying out the above script changes. The .dso files are compiled versions of the corresponding .cs files, and sometimes they don't get overwritten after you make changes to your .cs files. (Generally, you shouldn't have to do this, but for now it's best just to delete the .dso files until you're sure your changes are being compiled.)

Editing and Exporting:

Make backups of your work before you start, and continue to make iterative backups as you proceed with exporting.
Refer to the docs linked beside the 3ds Studio Max exporter link here for lots of good information on how to build, animate, and export characters using Torque's tools. If you want to make any changes to Adam, you'll have to have a reasonable understanding of these tools. Naturally, you'll also have to have a reasonable grasp of how to use 3dsmax and Character Studio. If you're a beginner, I highly recommend the 3dsmax video tutorials on 3DBuzz.com. You have get a 3DBuzz membership and sign in if you want to see the videos.
When exporting any of the Adam files, un-check the box that says "Collapse Transforms" in the Parameters section of the DTS Exporter Utility. The .cfg files I've included in the directories with the .max files will take care of collapsing the transforms more accurately than that checkbox.
If you want to change what nodes get exported, do so in the .cfg files in the directories with the 3dsmax files. The .cfg files have to be in the same directory as the .max files in order to affect the export process (.cfg files and their use is covered in detail in the docs, and on the GarageGames forums).
When exporting the assault rifle, there's no need to un-check "Collapse Transforms" because the assault rifle doesn't have animations.

Steps for exporting to player.dts:

1. Open AdamPack.max

2. Double-check that config file playerFull.cfg is in the same directory as the Max file you've just opened. This file makes sure all the necessary bones get exported from the max file into the .dts file. Incidentally, the playerFull.cfg in \AdamPack is exactly the same as the one in \AdamPack\fullbody. They serve the same function, only the one in \fullbody is for the animation files in that directory.

3. In 3dsmax, go to the "utilities" tab (with the hammer icon). Select the DTS Exporter Utility - you may have to go into the "More..." list to find the DTS Exporter Utility. If you can't find the DTS Utility, check that you have max2dtsExporter.dle installed properly.

4. Open the Parameters rollout, and uncheck "Collapse Transforms"

5. Open the Utilities rollout, and select "Whole Shape" under "Export"

6. Navigate to your player.dts file (you did back up that file, right?) and save over it.

7. Run the game, -show tool, or ShowTool Pro to make sure your changes worked

Steps for exporting to an animation (.dsq) file

1. Open one of the AdamPack animation files, such as AdamPack_forward.max, or AdamPack_fall.max.

2. Double-check that there's an appropriate config file (such as playerFull.cfg or playerLegs.cfg) in the same directory of the .max file you've just opened. The config file will pick and choose what nodes get exported. For instance, playerLegs.cfg will ensure that only the leg bones from the Biped skeleton make it into the .dsq file.

3. Go to the "utilities" tab (with the hammer icon). Select the DTS Exporter Utility - you may have to go into the "More..." list to find the DTS Exporter Utility. If you can't find the DTS Utility, check that you have max2dtsExporter.dle installed properly.

4. Open the Parameters rollout, and uncheck "Collapse Transforms"

5. Open the Utilities rollout, and select "Sequences" under "Export"

6. Last time I ask: you backed up your files, right? OK, then navigate to the corresponding .dsq file (it should be named with the same naming convention as the .max file) and save over it.

7. Run the game, -show tool, or ShowTool Pro to make sure your changes worked

Steps for exporting to weapon.dts

1. Open Assault_Rifle.max

2. Go to the "utilities" tab (with the hammer icon). Select the DTS Exporter Utility - you may have to go into the "More..." list to find the DTS Exporter Utility. If you can't find the DTS Utility, check that you have the tools installed properly.

3. Open the Utilities rollout, and select "Whole Shape" under "Export"

4. Navigate to weapon.dts and overwrite it

Miscellaneous Notes:

Adam is realistically scaled, in the two meter range, or somewhere between six and seven feet. He might, however, look a little small compared to some other objects that are out there. I think this is because the default Torque orc is huge, and many objects built for use in Torque have been scaled to look right relative to the Orc.

While it's possible to animate forward.dsq (and certain other animations, I think) with a transform that makes it so the game can match foot motion with the ground as the player slows and speeds up, I preferred not to do it that way. Instead, I simply animated the run in such a way that the player moves his legs the same speed no matter what his velocity. It was simpler to do it this way, not to mention the fact that, if you make the animation speed match the ground speed, and you make the player move really fast (and I personally like fast movement), it just looks funny to have the player running fast motion, in a Charlie Chaplin-esque style.

Shoulders are notoriously tricky to get right on a solid mesh character. If you go twisting Adam's shoulders around too much, they'll start looking crimped. One solution to this is to detach the arms as separate objects that pivot in the torso (like in an action figure), but that has its own problems.

I'm happy to help with any problems with the pack, but I'm afraid I just don't have the time to teach anyone how to use 3dsmax. Did I mention 3DBuzz.com? Great site.

Many Thanks:

to Joe Maruschak, Jeff Tunnell, Robert Brower (for the horse), and to the forum people who gave feedback. Many thanks to Barbara for saying the butt looks good - that's all I needed to hear - and for doing such a "kiss ass" job of helping me edit the page. Thanks also to the caffeine monkey clinging to my back, and to the rainy Northwest winter for not distracting me with sun and warmth long enough for me to get this done.

-Spencer Boomhower