[Leonie Connor]

I keep hearing about Saiden Storm's Skeleton for males...is that available anywhere?

[Svenja Hedrich]

HKXCMD thread #1 -> I did not keep the link.

[Aman Bhattal]

Ok, I've been trying to make my own custom race from scratch for two weeks now. I've got a mesh.nif, skeleton.nif as well as a mesh, skeleton, and animation.hkx -all three of which I'm not sure have been made correctly with the right filters- and I've been trying to at least preview the animation in the class creation window.
So far I've been getting a warning saying:

"HAVOK: .\Version\hkVersionPatchManager.cpp:778: Warning : Source contains hkxMaterial version 2, but 1 is the current version. Make sure required patches are registered to update this class."
I'm using 3ds max 2011 64-bit with the Havok tools 2010.2 so I know I'm using the right version, and I've been using the Havok export filters that Saiden and CherryHotaling have posted (I think. I'll post more info when I can)

That's the first problem. The second problem is in the hkxcmd.exe when I try to use the "hkxcmd retarget" command on a custom idle.hkx animation using a custom skeleton.hkx in hopes that the result would give me a .HKX animation that wouldn't give me the above error in the CK. Anyway, when I try to do this with hkxcmd, I get the following error:
"Source animation binding contains bone remapping which is not supported at this time."

I'm not really sure what to do here. I don't need to convert any of Bethesda's animations because I'm making new animations using a skeleton I made myself. (Right?) So all I need to worry about is exporting it the right way so that the CK can read it, right?
So then what do I need to do/Learn/Learn how to do?

[Carlitos Avila]

Ok, I've been trying to make my own custom race from scratch for two weeks now. I've got a mesh.nif, skeleton.nif as well as a mesh, skeleton, and animation.hkx -all three of which I'm not sure have been made correctly with the right filters- and I've been trying to at least preview the animation in the class creation window.

At the VERY least you need a Behavior Graph (copy/paste one of Bethesda's), EVERY anim.hkx that the Behavior Graph requires, a skeleton.nif, a skeleton.hkx and a mesh.nif.

"HAVOK: .\Version\hkVersionPatchManager.cpp:778: Warning : Source contains hkxMaterial version 2, but 1 is the current version. Make sure required patches are registered to update this class."

No idea though its likely an export into wrong format issue -> IE you exported to an x64 file instead of an x86 file.

That's the first problem. The second problem is in the hkxcmd.exe when I try to use the "hkxcmd retarget" command on a custom idle.hkx animation using a custom skeleton.hkx in hopes that the result would give me a .HKX animation that wouldn't give me the above error in the CK. Anyway, when I try to do this with hkxcmd, I get the following error:
"Source animation binding contains bone remapping which is not supported at this time."

You should not need hkxcmd for anything if you have max and are creating an original actor.

I am going to start creating a generic Custom Actors for Skyrim Tutorial at some point soon just a Sphere Test Actor keeping things as absolutely simple as possible.

[Rob Davidson]

No idea though its likely an export into wrong format issue -> IE you exported to an x64 file instead of an x86 file.

Well nevermind. I just updated the old skeleton.nif file because I updated the skeleton in 3ds max by adding a single bone where the NPC_Root should be and linking that to it's pelvis so that the hierarchy is the same as bethesda's skeletons. I'm getting a different error though that reads: "NPC_'actors\pony\character assets\skeleton.nif' has a controller that targets the root 3D"

Edit:
Ok, I've fixed it so that now I'm just getting a "Could not load animation file" warning. I'm still not sure what to do about this, but it seems much more managable
I still have no idea what the difference between an x64 file and an x86 file is. And I'm still not sure if I'm even using the right export filters for havok. AND I have no clue how to export meshes the right way with Havok.

[Sophie Morrell]

First of all thanks to your tool.
Everything went just well while importing, exporting, and put them back to Skyrim. But when I test it in game the weapons rotates so badly.

heres the image

Spoiler

i40.tinypic.co m/344y3c6.png
you may need to add http yourself since i dont have the premission to post links..sorry

bows and other weapons look okay when standing (mt_idle.hkx) but quivers dont
and both of them look weird in mt_runforward.hkx and mt_sprintforward.hkx

I've tried rotating weaponbow and weaponback in 3ds max but that didnt work at all...
any chance i can fix these? i was trying to get the running animation and standing animation look better since we only got a catwalk mod w/o those files modified

thanks!

[Alina loves Alexandra]

Well nevermind. I just updated the old skeleton.nif file because I updated the skeleton in 3ds max by adding a single bone where the NPC_Root should be and linking that to it's pelvis so that the hierarchy is the same as bethesda's skeletons. I'm getting a different error though that reads: "NPC_'actors\pony\character assets\skeleton.nif' has a controller that targets the root 3D"

Edit:
Ok, I've fixed it so that now I'm just getting a "Could not load animation file" warning. I'm still not sure what to do about this, but it seems much more managable
I still have no idea what the difference between an x64 file and an x86 file is. And I'm still not sure if I'm even using the right export filters for havok. AND I have no clue how to export meshes the right way with Havok.

x86 are windows 32 bit files and x64 are windows 64 bit files the game is 32 bit only...

Your .hkx exports should be Packfile Win32 MSVC options -> the game can also use Tagfiles though they are a less optimized format.

As for Meshes you do not export Meshes with HCT you have to use NifTools exporter as meshes are in the .nif format not .hkx.

First of all thanks to your tool.
Everything went just well while importing, exporting, and put them back to Skyrim. But when I test it in game the weapons rotates so badly.

heres the image

Spoiler

i40.tinypic.co m/344y3c6.png
you may need to add http yourself since i dont have the premission to post links..sorry

bows and other weapons look okay when standing (mt_idle.hkx) but quivers dont
and both of them look weird in mt_runforward.hkx and mt_sprintforward.hkx

I've tried rotating weaponbow and weaponback in 3ds max but that didnt work at all...
any chance i can fix these? i was trying to get the running animation and standing animation look better since we only got a catwalk mod w/o those files modified

thanks!

1) This would be because they are rotated incorrectly in MAX before export.

2) Pic does not work...

3) Might want to specify which are the anim's your replacing as the default anims look fine.

[Facebook me]

Saiden I am relly confused can you tell me what kind of animation types we can do atm?

What kind ofanimation mods we can do and what we cannot do?

why you say we cannot do this and that but then I see many mods with new anims?

[Elisha KIng]

Saiden I am relly confused can you tell me what kind of animation types we can do atm?

What kind of animation mods we can do and what we cannot do?

You can create New Actors using one of Bethesda's Behavior Graphs' -> Copy/Paste -> New Race -> New Actors'.

The new Race comprised of Skeleton's(.nif and .hkx), Meshes, Animations, can be made with completely Original Assets' (Custom Creature's) or just rehashed versions of Bethesda's Assets.

why you say we cannot do this and that but then I see many mods with new anims?

THERE ARE ZERO mods with new animations in the sense that they added something to what was already there, all Animation mods are "Replacers".

[Brentleah Jeffs]

ok so the important word here is "Replacers" ... I sacrify one animation to get another ? ... Are there any unused anims around?

[no_excuse]

ok so the important word here is "Replacers" ... I sacrify one animation to get another ? ... Are there any unused anims around?

Of course, that said, Saiden and some of the rest of us have been trying to make use of a workaround for this, in which a character undergoes a hidden race-switch, to a new race which is identical except for the animations which we replace. In my case, as soon as you equip one of my advanced hand-to-hand combat stances, you change to a race which replaces your unarmed animations with new more "kung fu" versions. If you equip anything else, your race will revert to normal. Saiden's mod apparently involves switching to a new race which replaces archery, melee, and spellcasting animations with crossbow, spear, and potion-throwing animations, I assume triggering the race switch when any items of those new classes are equipped.

There are some major limitations with this approach. Your mod will never be compatible with mods that alter races in any way or create new races, and it's questionable whether or not things like hair and facial feature mods will function once you undergo the change. Until someone comes up with a way to unpack and repack the behavior files, however, this is all that we've got. Fore has been experimenting with altering the behavior files via hex editing, without unpacking them. He's gotten some mixed results. However, to use this method in regular gameplay, keep in mind you will still be using a race-swap to redirect the character from the standard behavior files to your altered ones, and so the same problems will apply.

[steve brewin]

by replace you mean overwrite or is there another trick ? I am not quite following what replacing means in terms of gameplay , you like load a 2 h sword animation that has been edited so that everyone using a sword ingame will look like moving a spear?

[pinar]

by replace you mean overwrite or is there another trick ? I am not quite following what replacing means in terms of gameplay , you like load a 2 h sword animation that has been edited so that everyone using a sword ingame will look like moving a spear?

The problem is, the way animations are called by the game engine is via Havok Behavior Files, which are what tells the game "if the left hand is wielding a dagger and the left hand is wielding a mace, and both buttons are pressed at once, do dw_specialattackpower.hkx" There's no (good) way for us to alter these files right now, an certainly no way for us to make new ones, and what's worse, each race links to a certain master behavior file, which links to another master behavior file, which links to a whole ton of other behavior files. There is no way to get an animation to play in a normal gameplay situation without it being called by a behavior file. So, the only way to get it to play something different for a dual-weapon power attack is to make a new animation and name it "dw_specialattackpower.hkx" and replace the old one. This works fine, but keep in mind that EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER that does a dual-wielding power attack will not be using your animation.

What we've been doing is making a whole other race, once that uses a different "actor" than the "character" that all the other races use. This new actor has all the same behaviors, just copy-pasted into his own folder, and most of the same animations, also duplicated. However, with this new actor we can replace the old animations with our own, and because his animations live in a different folder than the "character" actor's do, they won't override anything. We can use the Setrace command to change the race of a character to one of the new races based on a trigger, such as equipping a spear, crossbow, or martial-arts stance.

But as I said, there are major limitations to this approach.

[Lisa]

As for Meshes you do not export Meshes with HCT you have to use NifTools exporter as meshes are in the .nif format not .hkx.

This helped fix EVERYTHING! It turns out I was replacing the horse.hkx in the "characters" folder of my race because I thought that was supposed to be a mesh.hkx, so after putting the original back where it needed to be, I could load the animation! And to think, I only started this three weeks ago.

The end result: youtube(dot)com/watch?v=PtohYUsD7t4

Edit: Apparently I'm not allowed to post links yet. Just replace the "(dot)" with a "."

[Red Sauce]

So, I've hit a snag, not sure what the problem is.

I've been using the method we've discussed above, making a new race, copying the behavior data to a new actor, and replacing key animations. The idle an regular attack animations play fine so far, but the power attack animations don't play at all. There's a brief "stutter" in the animation, the sounds play, and damage is dealt as if the power attack had occured normally. Oddly, the power attack doesn't cost any stamina.

Power Attack animations I haven't replaced work just fine. The thing I really don't get is the stamina issue: why wouldn't the game be charging the appropriate amount of stamina for the attack, if all that's different is the animation file itself? Is there some essential bit of data I lose in the conversion from kf to hkx? If this a problem where I lose my note tracks maybe, and the game uses those more for power attacks than normal attacks?


EDIT: Looking at the XML of my animations compared to the XML from the actual game files, I notice a few differences.

1. In Object #0003, the game files list 99 transform tracks. My files have 97. My assumption has been that the missing tracks are the cameras, and I haven't been worried. EDIT: Fixed this problem, no improvement
2, Again in object #0003, the game files list 4 float tracks, while mine list none, and don't even have "0", it just skips that line. The game files reference these float tracks again in object #0103 "hkaAnimationBinding" with the array "4 5 6 7" which, again, mine doesn't have. I have no idea what these are or what they do.
3. My animations are slightly longer or shorter than in game. This effects the "duration" and "frames" variables found in Object #0003, but has never concerned me. EDIT: Fixed this problm as well, no improvement
4. In object 1, "hkRootLevelContainer" the game file lists both "Merged Animation Container" which is a "hkaAnimationContainer" and is object #0002, and "Resource Data", a "hkMemoryResourceContainer" which is object #0104. My files only have the Merged Animaton Container, and lack the Resource Data. Again, no idea what this is or what it does. EDIT: Fixed this problem, no improvement.
5. In Object 3, my files have a "maskAndQuantizationSize" of 396, while the game files show a value of 400 here. This appears to have something to do with how the Havok tools are compressing the animations, but I'm not sure how to solve this problem.

There may be other differences, but those are the ones that stick out to me as likely contributors to the problem.


EDIT2: Okay, I was able to get one of my custom power attack animations to play properly, but to do so I have to time it so that it fires off right after one of my custom regular attacks. Really really weird, no idea what's going on here. When I try to trigger a power attack, my character stutters, like he's about to perform one, then is "interrupted" but as I said, the sound effects and damage occur as expected. While the normal attacks behave better (they play) they do misbehave. Most notably, if I do a standing regular attack and move while the animation is playing, as soon as the animation is finished the character will attack again, using the attack-while-moving version matching the direction moved.

[Mark Churchman]

Just a heads up, I've made some major progress with reading the havok behavior files. This includes decrypting the complete list of classes that are custom for Bethesda. In theory that means read/writing the custom files which should enable custom animation. Not promising timelines but if things continue going this well then I should have a release late this weekend.

Also looking into fore's issue with animation timing being slightly off. Fixing that is hampered by updates to the nif.xml from niftools team which is leading to files that are not valid but again hopefully by this weekend. Bad news is that I'm not going to be able to convert files backward to previous releases. (Such as 2011.3 to 2010.2 or 2010.2 to 6.6 which the former would be useful for people using Max 2012 and the later for potential use of Havok Behavior Tool. Not completely infeasible but still quite a bit of work I think to get it right.

[Mimi BC]

Just a heads up, I've made some major progress with reading the havok behavior files. This includes decrypting the complete list of classes that are custom for Bethesda. In theory that means read/writing the custom files which should enable custom animation. Not promising timelines but if things continue going this well then I should have a release late this weekend.

Also looking into fore's issue with animation timing being slightly off. Fixing that is hampered by updates to the nif.xml from niftools team which is leading to files that are not valid but again hopefully by this weekend. Bad news is that I'm not going to be able to convert files backward to previous releases. (Such as 2011.3 to 2010.2 or 2010.2 to 6.6 which the former would be useful for people using Max 2012 and the later for potential use of Havok Behavior Tool. Not completely infeasible but still quite a bit of work I think to get it right.

That's great news! Hopefully this means we can abandon the whole race-swap method for making new animations play, it's a huge pain in the butt.

Question though: how hard does it look like it's going to be to edit the behavior files just in the XML? Without being able to use the actual Havok Behavior Tool, that's likely going to be a pretty major challenge.

[stacy hamilton]

SOunds fantastic!

[Melanie]

Just a heads up, I've made some major progress with reading the havok behavior files. This includes decrypting the complete list of classes that are custom for Bethesda. In theory that means read/writing the custom files which should enable custom animation. Not promising timelines but if things continue going this well then I should have a release late this weekend.
. Bad news is that I'm not going to be able to convert files backward to previous releases. (Such as 2011.3 to 2010.2 or 2010.2 to 6.6 which the former would be useful for people using Max 2012 and the later for potential use of Havok Behavior Tool. Not completely infeasible but still quite a bit of work I think to get it right.

Souns awesome so in tgeory either beth releases. Free their spears and not as payd dlc or we will make our own : p ... Jokes apart congrats is a great and most welcome new for modders ... Its people like you that keep interest in this game high for modders otherwise we would all be doing somethong else .... As for the compatibility issue what do you mean ? I have max 2011 means i wont be able to work behaviour files ?

[Ana Torrecilla Cabeza]

Just a heads up, I've made some major progress with reading the havok behavior files. This includes decrypting the complete list of classes that are custom for Bethesda. In theory that means read/writing the custom files which should enable custom animation. Not promising timelines but if things continue going this well then I should have a release late this weekend.

Also looking into fore's issue with animation timing being slightly off. Fixing that is hampered by updates to the nif.xml from niftools team which is leading to files that are not valid but again hopefully by this weekend. Bad news is that I'm not going to be able to convert files backward to previous releases. (Such as 2011.3 to 2010.2 or 2010.2 to 6.6 which the former would be useful for people using Max 2012 and the later for potential use of Havok Behavior Tool. Not completely infeasible but still quite a bit of work I think to get it right.

Woaw. I almost choked from excitement. I'm anxiously looking forward to this release, Hologram.

It will be a huge step. However I suspect that with knowing the classes someone could write a tool like NifSkope, but without understandig the semantics inside the blocks. Maybe adding additional animations is near, but the rest ...?

So, I've hit a snag, not sure what the problem is.
....
EDIT2: Okay, I was able to get one of my custom power attack animations to play properly, but to do so I have to time it so that it fires off right after one of my custom regular attacks. Really really weird, no idea what's going on here. When I try to trigger a power attack, my character stutters, like he's about to perform one, then is "interrupted" but as I said, the sound effects and damage occur as expected. While the normal attacks behave better (they play) they do misbehave. Most notably, if I do a standing regular attack and move while the animation is playing, as soon as the animation is finished the character will attack again, using the attack-while-moving version matching the direction moved.

There are a lot of glitches in redone (custom) animations, even in simple idles and walkforwards that Cherry and I made. But there I also have great hope in the upcoming hkxcmd release. I think when Hologram has fixed this timing issue he has mentioned, there is a good chance that many of those glitches automatically disappear once we redo the animations.

Currently in our custom animations the key frames have different time stamps than in the originaly animations (because one to many frames in every animation). And we don't know how synchronization between behaviors and the involved animations work. Couldn't it be that we see these issues simply because of not matching time stamps?

[Ashley Tamen]

So, I've hit a snag, not sure what the problem is.

I've been using the method we've discussed above, making a new race, copying the behavior data to a new actor, and replacing key animations. The idle an regular attack animations play fine so far, but the power attack animations don't play at all. There's a brief "stutter" in the animation, the sounds play, and damage is dealt as if the power attack had occured normally. Oddly, the power attack doesn't cost any stamina.

Power Attack animations I haven't replaced work just fine. The thing I really don't get is the stamina issue: why wouldn't the game be charging the appropriate amount of stamina for the attack, if all that's different is the animation file itself? Is there some essential bit of data I lose in the conversion from kf to hkx? If this a problem where I lose my note tracks maybe, and the game uses those more for power attacks than normal attacks?

The conversion from hkx to kf to hkx you lose Annotations -> Sequence Tags that tell the game when to trigger actions -> PreHitFrame, HitFrame, WeaponSwing, PlaySound:xxx, SyncLeft/RightFoot, EVERYTHING gone...

But your problem is most likely your animations are a different duration then the originals (the Behavior Graph stores anim durations and ALL annotation time stamps it even can store Annotations that do not exist in the animations allowing the artist to create annotations in real time in Behavior Tool)

2, Again in object #0003, the game files list 4 float tracks, while mine list none, and don't even have "0", it just skips that line. The game files reference these float tracks again in object #0103 "hkaAnimationBinding" with the array "4 5 6 7" which, again, mine doesn't have. I have no idea what these are or what they do.

Float tracks control "Float" data types for secondary Animation Controllers like NiVisibilityController, BSNiAlphaPropertyTestRefController, BSLightingShaderPropertyFloatController or BSEffectShaderPropertyFloatController -> at least in theory you should be able to Target any of these types of Controllers Bethesda only ever Targeted the first 2 with Float Tracks all the rest were done in Gamebryo or Hybrid Havok/Gamebryo.

Not having these set up will not break anything except equipping/unequipping within furniture/mounting/sheathing weapons.

EDIT2: Okay, I was able to get one of my custom power attack animations to play properly, but to do so I have to time it so that it fires off right after one of my custom regular attacks. Really really weird, no idea what's going on here. When I try to trigger a power attack, my character stutters, like he's about to perform one, then is "interrupted" but as I said, the sound effects and damage occur as expected. While the normal attacks behave better (they play) they do misbehave. Most notably, if I do a standing regular attack and move while the animation is playing, as soon as the animation is finished the character will attack again, using the attack-while-moving version matching the direction moved.

I had this happen when I first started doing my CC's after I matched all Annotations and Anim Durations everything cleared up.

[Valerie Marie]

The conversion from hkx to kf to hkx you lose Annotations -> Sequence Tags that tell the game when to trigger actions -> PreHitFrame, HitFrame, WeaponSwing, PlaySound:xxx, SyncLeft/RightFoot, EVERYTHING gone...

But your problem is most likely your animations are a different duration then the originals (the Behavior Graph stores anim durations and ALL annotation time stamps it even can store Annotations that do not exist in the animations allowing the artist to create annotations in real time in Behavior Tool)

At least some annotations are there when the .kf is imported into 3DStudio, but I only see the start and end annotations, nothing else. It occurs to me, now, that these aren't what I'm supposed to be seeing at all, just an artifact of the conversion. I don't suppose you'd mind taking a moment to help me figure out what annotations do what and go where? Which bone are the annotations found on? (I don't want to assume)

I've seen, though, that the text files found in the "AnimationData" folders contain examples of these annotations, for instance:

DW1HM1HM_SpecialAttackPower
589
1
0
0
10
preHitFrame:0.233
weaponLeftSwing:0.333
HitFrame:0.433
weaponSwing:0.667
HitFrame:0.767
weaponSwing:1.133
HitFrame:1.233
AttackWinStart:1.588
AttackWinEnd:1.832
attackStop:1.83333

No idea what the numbers at the top mean. "10" is probably just the number of annotations. They all seem to go "Big#, Small#, 0, 0, #ofAnnotations." Not overly worried about these, but I'm curious to know what they are.

I gather that to the left of the colon is the text in the tag, to the right is the time of the keyframe it's found in. Can I just add these manually, just add annotations with exactly this text? Weaponswing and weaponleftswing seem self-explanatory (the frame where the weapon begins to swing) as does Hitframe (the frame where the weapon hits) I imagine attackstop goes at the last frame of the animation, but I don't know what prehitframe, attackwinstart and attackwinend do or where they need to be.

Another common one I see is "CastOKStart" and I'm not sure what that one does either, though I could hazard a guess.

"FootScuffLeft"? Is that just a cue for audio/visual effects to be generated by your foot when it moves?

I don't see "SyncLeft/RightFoot" on many of the animations in the file, when is this used?

Anyway, thanks for all the help.

[Pants]

How much can these annotations really do anyway? I mean, if we have 100 weaponswing and 100 hitframe annotations, can we make an animation that hits 100 times without touching behaviors at all?

Could we make an idle or a walk that includes weaponswings and hitframes?

[James Shaw]

Another common one I see is "CastOKStart" and I'm not sure what that one does either, though I could hazard a guess.

"FootScuffLeft"? Is that just a cue for audio/visual effects to be generated by your foot when it moves?

I don't see "SyncLeft/RightFoot" on many of the animations in the file, when is this used?

Anyway, thanks for all the help.

I think, most of the annotations are there audio and visual effects, since I don't think that they used annotations for stuff that could be done with behaviors. We just have to figure out ...
For "FootLeft" and "FootRight" (havn't seen something with "Sync..") it's easy. These are the footstep sounds (unless something else is additionally using the information).

To add it to your (Max) animation you have to put it into a note track. However NOT into the already existing note track directly under NPC Root (which already contains those start and end annotations). This will not be exported. You have to create a new note track unter NPC Root -> Transform. Works perfectly for foot sound.

To check whether your note was exported, you can search with Notepad++. At least those "LeftRightFoot" you find readable.

@Dementor: how did you read the anotations of your DW example? Because when you look up the annotations in the hkx xml version, I only see them for non-attack animations. For all attack animation I can't see ANY annotation at all.

[Jessica Lloyd]

@Dementor: how did you read the anotations of your DW example? Because when you look up the annotations in the hkx xml version, I only see them for non-attack animations. For all attack animation I can't see ANY annotation at all.

I found those in a separate text file, located in "skyrim - animations" under the "AnimationData" folder. The speculation I've read is that said files aren't actually used by the game at all, they're just leftover references used by Bethesda during production, or possibly used by their behavior tools in some way in the generation of the behavior files. My understanding is nothing you do to these files will effect the game in any way, but they're probably educational in determining where the annotations are supposed to be.

I think any annotations in the actual HKX files are part of the compressed animation data, the big blob of numbers which make up the bulk of the files. Otherwise, I don't see where they could be.