Creating your own avitar animations

One of the features that I think needs to be implimented in this game is the ability to manually create animations for our avitars. I think its the only one thing that really stands out as uncustomizable in SL. Im just throwing this random idea in the open for discussion, so far I think the gestures are pretty limited... adding the ability to manually animate your avitar would increase creativity in SL Tenfold.

Perhaps LL can do this by adding a create animation mode, that looks like the appearence window, and has your avitar standing in the "T" position (arms horizontal, body perpendicular to arms, you know, the default animation your avitar goes into when you go into appearence mode) and there would be an animation record button. The user can move parts of the avitar (arms, head, legs, joints) with handles what the user clicks and drags when in the create animation mode. Animation would be stored as a series of events (ex. arm move 45 degrees, elbow bend 32 degrees) so the user can modify and add to the animation without doing the whole thing over again. Also, this would allow users to make animations move faster (ex. in one recording session, the user only concentrates on the avitar's arm, then on the second recording session the user focuses on the avitars leg, the movements could be put together in a way that they would both run insync, and the avitar would move its arm and leg at the same time (or on cue, as specified by the user).

This would definately be fun and interesting, and could make a new skill, as mastering it would take time. With this I also think a new animation sharing ability should be implimented, but that may be quite complex since every avitar is different.

Oh well, this is just my 2 cents I was actually suprised something to make your avitar animate manually wasnt implimented when I started SL. Hehe, I thank all replies in advance!

I'm not a Linden, but to me this sounds like too much to ask for.

I believe specifying a 3D animation is very difficult. There are complex programs out that that game designers and animators use to do what you're describing; I wouldn't want Linden Labs to try to reinvent that. I think the most that we could ask for is for a way to upload an animation created by another program.

Consider the ability to upload images; Second Life could have included its own image editing program, but it made more sense to leave that to the experts. You go to Paintshop Pro to create your image, and then just upload it into SL.

I believe SL is using a 3D engine provided by someone else. (Havoc was the name I saw mentioned elsewhere on the forum.) If that engine uses a standard format for describing 3D animations, a format that other animation programs can generate, it might be possible to allow SL to import files in that format.

(This also assumes there are 3D animation programs priced for hobbyists; I don't know how much of a market there is for such a product aside from professional animators and game designers.)

Hehe , I wasnt really asking LL to impliment this. I was just looking for a little opinion on the subject. I just thought the ability to make or (thanks for adding to this) upload avitar animations would add to the customizability of SL. Just a little rant thing I guess...

I do agree with you too, if theres a program out there that supports animating 3-dimentional characters, by all means, SL can use that instead, LL has done a great job of supporting photoshop and PSP oh well... just my little opinion

The word on the street from the Lindens is...

"eventually"

And I'm not kidding. They want this feature too, and have wanted it for quite a while. But, like the word is, we have to wait for it to "eventually" come

COOL!! Ty for letting me know that

Was going to ask about the same thing, but I'll just second this post...with a few additions.

I think the animation should be done in game. Simply because there is no real standard animation format from other software, and most 3d software that can do character animation with a bone hierarchy is expensive. It's not the same as textures (almost any software can read a .bmp or .tga, and there is no bonehierarchy to think of).

The interface in SL could be real simple, a time slider and basic FK rotations of the joints. Access to the facial shapes would be nice too. As an animator, I would love to see this.

Secondly, and I don't know if this is possible. It would be nice to be able to attach the characters hands and feet to specific objects. So a character sitting on a motorcycle can actually hold the steering wheel. Though this would require IK, which is slow. Of course, with custom animations we could just create a pose for siuations like that.

Danny

Way back when - I did some research into custom animations. We will eventually get them since the did a great job making them easy to manipulate. When the animation go live I would guess you will be able to make your own in poser or I'm sure I can make a stick figure av animator in Director that outputs an animation file.


Xavier

Yes, there was a time when "good little girls" didn't dare clap in X's presense =)

I would be happy with just some interactive animations, like handshakes, hugs, etc.

There was a RL couple who came inworld last night, asking if their avatars could kiss or even hold hands, and I said that they couldn't right now, one replied "We could do that in TSO".

They actually seemed truly disappointed that there weren't any interactive gestures in SL. These gestures could be prefaced by a dialog box that asks permission from the other avatar, much like scripted weapons ask to allow them to be used. This way, people don't just go around kissing random people.

If people can script violent interactions, why can't they script nice interactions. I find it funny that it is easier to kill another av than shake their hand.

Jake, Havok is the physics engine that Second Life uses, not the 3D engine.

Bye bye for now,
Alexis

Holding hands and other avatar interactions are quoted as comming "probably in Havok 2.0". So....

Like Danny mentioned, there is no standard format for animation data (though there are companies trying to solve that problem, like filmbox with the .fbx format), but animation programs have to write in support for .fbx and it will take a while before that happens. Some programs may decide to never support it. So doing something in Poser wouidn't help you. The Lindens would have to write their own translator to support data from outside 3d apps, and they'd need to write one for each app they wanted to support because they all have their own proprietary formats.

Have you looked in the SL Folder?

There's a list of the Charcter animations in the folder marked "Motions"...

They've got the .LLA Extension.

Maybe if you *REALLY* want to mess around with custom animations, open them in text pad, mess around with them, and see what happens.

Back up the folder first of course

After all, this *IS* a beta, and they want you to try as much as possible...