[lowfighter]

That airfield campfire is animated by a small "movie" made up of a succession of fire skins (frames). Just wondering if we can use this sort of animation for other ground things, preferably objects one can see on airfields?
Basicaly, here the 3d mesh I think remains unchanged but the skin changes in time, see here the campfire file "fire.txl", it will be more clear of what I'm talking:

[ClassInfo]
ClassName TAnimatedTextureList

[General]
nFrames 7
Time 0.5
Loop 1

[QualityLow]
FPS 10
ImageScale 0.5

[QualityHigh]
FPS 10
ImageScale 1.0

[Images]
skin1.tga
skin2.tga
skin3.tga
skin4.tga
skin5.tga
skin6.tga
skin7.tga

[Generator]

[Vpmedia]

theres a mod, 'VAS_Expl__Fire_v1.0.zip', that uses this method for the fire

+ the gun/cannon muzzleflash

I'm currently learning a program called Particle Illusion ( http://www.wondertouch.com/ ) and experimenting with all kinds of animated textures.

[RAF_Leigh]

hmm i wonder

[lowfighter]

Thanks I'll check it.. Any idea how this can be used to bring the airfields more alive?
I've been thinking about the humans from the "objects" menu, I think a sort of animation using this method can be possible, but I doubt you can achieve with it something "radical" like one soldier raising his hand...
Maybe flags waiving (possible this idea belongs to Fisneaky?)
What else?

theres a mod, 'VAS_Expl__Fire_v1.0.zip', that uses this method for the fire

+ the gun/cannon muzzleflash

I'm currently learning a program called Particle Illusion ( http://www.wondertouch.com/ ) and experimenting with all kinds of animated textures.

[Fisneaky]

Check the wheels on the truck in my avatar :wink:

experimental:-

Slver screen - cinema mod
2D animated camel train

WIP still locked down on the SATA drive from my main (ex )PC :-

Animated tank tracks for Sherman
flags - perhaps if I'd discovered this feature before skinning all those nations the job wouldn't seem so daunting. I'm sure Magpie had some success with the flag on his Ark Royal
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This kind of animation works great for 2D effects. For 3D animation it's the models mesh that needs to be animated. Attempts at moving sails on the windmill were a flop because the sails are 4 blades in the model rather than a complete 360 deg disc.(hmm , may be possible now with the editor)

I suppose you could have buildings with snipers appearing at windows and such.

[lowfighter]

Yes yes, I remember your experiments, very promising indeed :wink:
Snipers, that's not very common on WWII airfields :lol: but maybe you can have something similar : an officer looking out from the control tower once in a while..
The infantry: if you have the infantryman running and you look at it from your airplane, maybe the skin movie would be enough to simulate movement of legs etc. It's a very short period as you fly over and you see almost no details, but the essential thing I think is that you see SOME change in time of the poor little guy?

[Fisneaky]

maybe using 2 infantry men in different stance with alternating on - off alpha channels in the .txl file.

Place both figures on same spot and bingo ( in theory anyway).

[lowfighter]

Fisneaky! I don't understand a word, possible to elaborate?!

[Fisneaky]

Ok . it could work like this:-

You need an all alpha skin and a normal skin so that the soldier dissappears for a given time , then reappears for a given time. Place these in a .txl file for each pose, making sure the timed intervals alternate with each posed model.

Then place 1 of each on the map at the same spot.

Heres an impression of how it might work out.



This method feels like cheating and just involves doubling up the number of objects used and juggling the skins.

If any of the 3D or java experts out there can find or make a similar script for the mesh files or re-work the running pilot figures it would be a better solution.

[RAF_Magpie]

Yeah, I tried to use that method for the flag waving on the Ark Royal I was working on... until my flea size attention was flicked over to the Whirly.

I managed to get the flag waving on a static ship, not the moving ship... but this was with the Franken technic as a starter... I think, if I hadn't switched focus, it is possible that I could have had it working bug free; and on both moving and static ships.

[lowfighter]

I understand now, thanks! Well if you'd place the thing(s) you showed near an AC and reduce a bit the animation speed and provided the player is not so close to watch it might look like he's busy repairing something...
But I agree absolutely if some java M8 can look at the way the running pilot (or running soldier jumping from trucks) works and manage to make it a "vehicle" or stationary object that would be a fantastic step!

Ok . it could work like this:-

You need an all alpha skin and a normal skin so that the soldier dissappears for a given time , then reappears for a given time. Place these in a .txl file for each pose, making sure the timed intervals alternate with each posed model.

Then place 1 of each on the map at the same spot.

Heres an impression of how it might work out.



This method feels like cheating and just involves doubling up the number of objects used and juggling the skins.

If any of the 3D or java experts out there can find or make a similar script for the mesh files or re-work the running pilot figures it would be a better solution.