This chapter describes procedures and precautions for creating animations using NintendoWare in Maya.
Animation Overview
Skeletal Animation
Visibility Animation
Color Animation
Texture Pattern Animation
Texture SRT Animation
Scene Animation
If the Export option Bake All Animation is selected or if the animation curve in Maya cannot be output as is, then animation curve data will be automatically created from the data of the baked frame values
Animation curve data is always automatically created and output from baked data in the following cases.
The rotational value automatically generates animation curve data after adjusting the baked data so that it is continuous and has a small absolute value.
When selecting Loop with the Export option or the NW4C Set Animation Range Plug-in, be sure to specify End frame that takes the same state as the Start frame.
For example, if animation is being looped on Maya and frame 1 and frame 10 have the same state, specify 1 for the Start frame and 10 for the End frame.
Whether looping is set on or off, the FrameSize in the intermediate file is = (EndFrame - StartFrame).
If attributes are being animated, values for the start frame specified with the Export option are output to the CMDL file. Note, however, that bind pose values will be output for the translate, rotate, and scale nodes, which are influenced by skinning. Also, the value specified by the image name
attribute of the file
node is output for texture pattern animations.
Note that it's not the case that current Maya frame values are output.
Skeletal animation is set by animating Translate, Rotate, and Scale of the transform and joint nodes.
Animation curve data is always automatically created and output from baked data in the following cases.
An animation curve is output to a cskla file only for attributes for which a key, expression, IK and constraint are set.
However, if attribute values for nodes influenced by skinning differ from the bind pose, the animation curve is always output.
Set one key when you want to forcibly output an animation curve for unanimated attributes.
Visibility animation can be set by animating the visibility attribute of the transform node or the mesh node.
the on/off state of the visibility will affect all lower nodes in the hierarchy.
the on/off state of the visibility will affect only the polygons in that same hierarchy layer.
To enable key setting in the visibility attribute of a mesh node, select the mesh node, open Channel Control, and set Visibility to Keyable.
For Visibility Animation, the animation curve data is always automatically created and output from baked data.
Because Visibility Animation is set on a node basis, if the Export option Compress Node has been set to Cull Useless Node, Cull Uninfluential Node or Unite Compressible Node, make sure that nodes for which visibility animation is set are not compressed . (You can set the compression disable flag using NW4C Set No Compress Node Plug-in). Do not set Compress Node to Unite All Node when using visibility animation. |
Color animations are set by animating the Color, Transparency R component, and
Specular Color of material nodes.
If a file node is connected to the Color attribute, the animation set using the Color Gain attribute of the file node will be reflected as a diffuse color.
If a layeredTexture node is connected to the Color attribute, the animation set using the Color Gain attribute of the file node connected to the top-most layer will be reflected as a diffuse color.
The Transparency attribute will be reflected in the intermediate file only for the animations set to the RGB R-component; animations set for the G and B components will be ignored.
If a file node is connected to the Transparency attribute, the animation set using the Alpha Gain attribute of the file node will be reflected as alpha.
In the case of color animation, data is output only for those attributes that have been set for animation. Attributes for which data was not output are shown in the cmdl file. Thus, even if an attribute has a set value, if it differs from the state in the cmdl file, be sure to set at least one key to the attribute before exporting the color animation.
If the Export option for material compression is enabled, even materials for which color animation is not set sometimes get animated as a result of material collecting. If this happens, use the NW4C Set Material Attribute plug-in to change settings so that materials for which color animation is set are not compressed. |
Texture pattern animations are output in cmata files.
Texture pattern animations are set by animating the file node Image Number (the Frame Extension attribute).
Select a file node, open the Attribute Editor, and set on Use Image Sequence (the Use Frame Extension attribute). Delete the expression when applying a key, because at this time the default expression will be automatically connected to the Image Number (the Frame Extension attribute).
Next, set the animation for the Image Number (Frame Extension attribute). Driven keys, expressions and animation layers can also be used. However, when using expressions or animation layers, use the NW4C Set Frame Extension List
plug-in to configure the list of textures that will be output. Set the attribute Frame Offset to 0.
If even one key has a connection type other than "Stepped", or if a driven key or expression is being used, animation curve data will be automatically created and output from baked data.
A number that corresponds to the Frame Extension is applied to the names of the files used for texture pattern animation. The number appears immediately before the file extension, as in "name.number.tga". File names where numbers start with a zero, such as "name.01.tga," "name.001.tga" are also supported. (Numbers up to four digits long can start with zeroes.) For example, if two files have the names "name.1.tga" and "name.01.tga", the texture without a 0 will be output.
The only textures that are output by default are those set using the Image Name attribute of the file node, and those that correspond to the keys that were applied to the Frame Extension attribute. |
For instance, if the Image Name is "name.1.tga" and keys have been applied only where the Frame Extension is 1 for the start frame and 4 for the end frame, only "name.1.tga" and "name.4.tga" will be output. Even if the animation curve tangents are linear, "name.2.tga" and "name.3.tga" will not be output. If the texture for the Frame Extension of the animation curve is not output, the texture for the closest Frame Extension will be used as the pattern animation data.
You can use the NW4C Set Frame Extension List plug-in to set textures for forced output. |
For example, if you set the forced output Frame Extension range to "1-4" (from 1 to 4), there will only be two key hits with Frame Extension equal 1 for the Start frame and 4 for the End frame. The animation curves' Tangents can be output as Linear.
When using multiple cmata files with a single model, be sure to use the NW4C Set Frame Extension List plug-in to configure the settings so all necessary textures are output.
Texture SRT animations are set by animating the Repeat UV, Rotate Frame, and Translate Frame attributes of the place2dTexture node.
Be sure to set the Coverage attribute of the place2dTexture
node to (1, 1), Offset to (0, 0), and Rotate UV to 0.
If the Export option for material compression is enabled, even materials for which texture SRT animation is not set are sometimes animated as a result of materials collecting. If this happens, use the NW4C Set Material Attribute plug-in to change the settings so materials are not compressed if texture SRT animation has been set for them. |
Scene animations are configured by animating camera and light attributes.
The following is a list of attributes that can be configured with animation:
transform
node (Rotate
is only for a one-node camera)transform
node (for two- and three-node cameras)transform
node (for three-node camera)LookAt
node (for two-node camera)camera
nodeGlobal coordinate values are output for the camera position and direction. If the camera's transform node, the Aim locator, and the Up locator have a parent node, the Translate/Rotate/Scale of the parent node are also reflected.
The following is a list of attributes that can be configured with animation:
transform
node (for other than Ambient Light).Global coordinate values are output for the light position and direction. If the light's transform node has a parent node, the translate and rotate settings of the parent node will also be reflected. Visibility of the parent node will also be reflected in these settings.
You cannot use shape animations at this time.
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