Animation tutorial?

**Sundjata Keita** · 07-02-2005, 19:50

Erm this tutorial is a bit old now, same rules apply for making the animation in MAX but you must use Vercingetorix's XIDX tool now for implementing the animations, no-one has made a tutorial on this yet *hint* but you may be able to pick it up from the readme if you are a competent modder. Good luck!

Sundjata

**Tux** · 07-02-2005, 21:40

I still use the animeditor to create new skeletons wich use a new set of animations since the new xidx doesn't has this feature so the combination of animedtior and xidx is what i recommend to make new skeletons for rome, use the animeditor to create a skeleton and xidx to pack or extract them.
Anyway i think he asked how to create new animations in max not how to implement them in game, but good idea i'll try to update the tutorial and make one xidx.

**Sundjata Keita** · 07-02-2005, 23:26

I thought you just had to copy one of the existing skeletons and then use some command line in the XIDX shell, chpath or something to make the animations use that skeleton. I could be wrong though, I don't actually have the animeditor as I don't think you can download it anymore. All I have is XIDX so I'm trying to cope with just that at the moment. Any addons to your great tutorials would be much appreciated, I'm sure, there aren't many RTW max tutorials out there.

**Tux** · 07-03-2005, 15:09

Hmm i'm not sure, i should take a look at that, i knew that you must edit the skeleton files with an hex editor an set the animations path there.About the animeditor here's a link with it:link
About the tutorials i will be trying to make some more soon but also will update the current ones.

**Sundjata Keita** · 07-03-2005, 15:58

Brilliant! Thanks for the link

As for chpath I think Verc put it in as a command in the shell so you wouldn't have to use a hex editor at all, though he did say it is still easier to use a hex editor if you don't know what you're doing. I think this is how it works, you type in the shell

chpath ALL data/animations/data/animations/new_skel

Then that makes a new folder for "new_skel" or whatever your new skeleton is called in the animations folder like the animeditor did. Then you put the new animations in there and repack. You have to run "pack_skeletons" (comes with XIDX) too for it to work. I'm going to re-install RTW soon and then try this out, if it all works I may write a tutorial of my own.

Regards,

Sundjata Keita

**wlesmana** · 07-03-2005, 18:03

So far I've managed to swap animations around just using AnimEditor.
I create a new skeleton, typed "no" and it'd create a path of folders and an .exe to repack any animations I put in the folders. Pretty simple.

I haven't tried using new animations though.

**Sundjata Keita** · 07-03-2005, 18:12

The reason people are encouraged not to use the animeditor is because it is buggy and I think it was the horse animations that mucked up. Best to trust Vercengetorix and use the XIDX to avoid problems, it's still at quite a basic stage at the moment so not really made as user friendly as the animeditor was. The XIDX is still pretty simple though once you get round all the file path stuff, there just seems to be more room for error.

**Tux** · 07-04-2005, 13:23

Originally Posted by Sundjata Keita

Brilliant! Thanks for the link

As for chpath I think Verc put it in as a command in the shell so you wouldn't have to use a hex editor at all, though he did say it is still easier to use a hex editor if you don't know what you're doing. I think this is how it works, you type in the shell

chpath ALL data/animations/data/animations/new_skel

Then that makes a new folder for "new_skel" or whatever your new skeleton is called in the animations folder like the animeditor did. Then you put the new animations in there and repack. You have to run "pack_skeletons" (comes with XIDX) too for it to work. I'm going to re-install RTW soon and then try this out, if it all works I may write a tutorial of my own.

Regards,

Sundjata Keita

Thanks, didn't knew about that command now i can fully use xidx and let the old animpacker to rest.
Alotugh i use in a different way, check the tutorials to see how.
About the animeditor, you're right but not only the horse animations were messed up but also the camp map ones and more, so yes also suggest xidx.