Help with replacing animal bilboards with models

Discuss modding questions and implementation details.
Post Reply
User avatar
Ninelan
Posts: 187
Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2021 10:30 am
Location: Under your bed
Contact:

Help with replacing animal bilboards with models

Post by Ninelan »

So I've recently been able to finish making and animating 3D models for the static animal sprites from archive 201. But.
I'm not all that well versed in unity and the documentation has not helped me shed any light on the topic of how to even start this process.
If anyone chooses to help out, shoot me a PM.

Any help will be greatly appreciated, especially since this mini project is something quite a lot of people pined for.

The models preview:
Spoiler!
Image
Image
Image
You can support me and in turn my art on my Patreon.
https://www.patreon.com/fireflyness

User avatar
Shapur
Posts: 154
Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2021 5:11 pm
Location: Czech Republic
Contact:

Re: Help with replacing animal bilboards with models

Post by Shapur »

I would recommend asking here too: https://discord.gg/XWZ3CJb4.
This probably isn't going to be easy, good luck.
Link to my github here.
And here is my nexus profile.

User avatar
Jay_H
Posts: 4062
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 1:54 am
Contact:

Re: Help with replacing animal bilboards with models

Post by Jay_H »


l3lessed
Posts: 1400
Joined: Mon Aug 12, 2019 4:32 pm
Contact:

Re: Help with replacing animal bilboards with models

Post by l3lessed »

I'll do some digging into this too. I have lots of experience working with the npc objects because of the minimap mod. I'll see what I can dig up for you.
My Daggerfall Mod Github: l3lessed DFU Mod Github

My Beth Mods: l3lessed Nexus Page

Daggerfall Unity mods: Combat Overhaul Mod

Enjoy the free work I'm doing? Consider lending your support.

User avatar
TheLacus
Posts: 1305
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2016 6:22 pm

Re: Help with replacing animal bilboards with models

Post by TheLacus »

If you need help to setup modding environment Interkarma made a video to show the process, while this tutorial explains how to create a mod.
Jay_H wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 7:12 pm TheLacus would be the best person to ask I think, having added support for this a while ago: https://www.dfworkshop.net/daggerfall-u ... ta-0-11-2/

See also: https://github.com/Interkarma/daggerfal ... /pull/1598

https://github.com/Interkarma/daggerfal ... /pull/1763
Farm animals with a looped animation but without movement should be relatively easy to replace. For example if the horse billboard uses record 0 from TEXTURE.201 (as seen from Daggerfall Imaging) a replacement model/prefab can be named 201_0 and included with a mod. You don't need to create any C# script, it's enough to select and add prefab as seen in example 3 of tutorials linked above to have your model show up in game (then you probably need to setup prefab to handle animations).

Replacing combat monsters is more complex and requires scripting, as shown in PRs linked by Jay.

User avatar
Ninelan
Posts: 187
Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2021 10:30 am
Location: Under your bed
Contact:

Re: Help with replacing animal bilboards with models

Post by Ninelan »

Shapur wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 6:44 pm I would recommend asking here too: https://discord.gg/XWZ3CJb4.
This probably isn't going to be easy, good luck.
Thank you and thank you! I seem positive in this endeavour.
With the new pointers, I was able to dig up even more info to help myself out. It seems my biggest enemy was navigation.
l3lessed wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 8:01 pm I'll do some digging into this too. I have lots of experience working with the npc objects because of the minimap mod. I'll see what I can dig up for you.
Splendid! And also a Lil bit on topic below as I recall you musing on 3D enemies on my thread.
Jay_H wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 7:12 pm TheLacus would be the best person to ask I think, having added support for this a while ago: https://www.dfworkshop.net/daggerfall-u ... ta-0-11-2/

See also: https://github.com/Interkarma/daggerfal ... /pull/1598

https://github.com/Interkarma/daggerfal ... /pull/1763
TheLacus wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 8:37 pm If you need help to setup modding environment Interkarma made a video to show the process, while this tutorial explains how to create a mod.
Jay_H wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 7:12 pm TheLacus would be the best person to ask I think, having added support for this a while ago: https://www.dfworkshop.net/daggerfall-u ... ta-0-11-2/

See also: https://github.com/Interkarma/daggerfal ... /pull/1598

https://github.com/Interkarma/daggerfal ... /pull/1763
Farm animals with a looped animation but without movement should be relatively easy to replace. For example if the horse billboard uses record 0 from TEXTURE.201 (as seen from Daggerfall Imaging) a replacement model/prefab can be named 201_0 and included with a mod. You don't need to create any C# script, it's enough to select and add prefab as seen in example 3 of tutorials linked above to have your model show up in game (then you probably need to setup prefab to handle animations).

Replacing combat monsters is more complex and requires scripting, as shown in PRs linked by Jay.
That helped majorly!
And on the enemies.
While there are some combat enemies in the presentation pictures (rat, slaughterfish, sabertooth tiger) and I do plan to fully model all of them. Implementing them is way out of the scope for me, as I am but a 3D modeller.
I'd much rather hand them out to somebody else to toy with them(and help fix/change the model to better fit the needs of the mod). The presented models all have a movement animation, idle animation, attack animation and a shoddy death animation.

So now on what I did today.
I bring the menace of the giant camels!
Image

Image
The two in the distance looking at us looks almost like a hi-res billboard of the original.
Image
I've been fiddling with this for a bit too long with 0 results. But I'm not entirely sure what to do to make them animate.
And so far, while I've scoured the unity forums and documentation, it helped me with some stuff, but I'm likely not even searching for the right thing in regards to the animations.

Image
Image
I also realized there is no sound for the animals. so that goes onto the list of to-do and learn how-to-do.
As of now. All models are implemented...they look good...really good. They don't detract much even with vanilla textures.
Except when they rarely clip through walls.
I like how you don't even notice they all have the same pose, as it looks interesting and dynamic from all angles, giving off an illusion of different individuals within a 'herd'.
You can support me and in turn my art on my Patreon.
https://www.patreon.com/fireflyness

User avatar
TheLacus
Posts: 1305
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2016 6:22 pm

Re: Help with replacing animal bilboards with models

Post by TheLacus »

Looks good!
Ninelan wrote: Wed Sep 22, 2021 3:48 pm I also realized there is no sound for the animals. so that goes onto the list of to-do and learn how-to-do.
I submitted a fix for missing sound in the core game, so that should be solved eventually.

User avatar
Ninelan
Posts: 187
Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2021 10:30 am
Location: Under your bed
Contact:

Re: Help with replacing animal bilboards with models

Post by Ninelan »

TheLacus wrote: Sat Sep 25, 2021 4:42 pm Looks good!
Ninelan wrote: Wed Sep 22, 2021 3:48 pm I also realized there is no sound for the animals. so that goes onto the list of to-do and learn how-to-do.
I submitted a fix for missing sound in the core game, so that should be solved eventually.
Thank you! I'm really proud of how it ended up looking like, and so do others.
Is it an issue with the core game? If the mod is removed dogs now bark again and cats meow etc.
You can support me and in turn my art on my Patreon.
https://www.patreon.com/fireflyness

User avatar
TheLacus
Posts: 1305
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2016 6:22 pm

Re: Help with replacing animal bilboards with models

Post by TheLacus »

Ninelan wrote: Sun Sep 26, 2021 6:25 pm Is it an issue with the core game? If the mod is removed dogs now bark again and cats meow etc.
Yes, it only happens with imported models.

Post Reply