Possible -> Playing Item Animations?

[Tr!KzZ]

Hello guys,

sunchip answered a similar question, but he wanted to play a alternate stand animation to use just one model for e.g. Shield left and right. Sure it's easier to use, if you only create one item and just flip it within the animation to make it fit for the right and the left hand.

But my question now is, and therefore I started a new thread:
How is it possible to play attack animations of an Item? For example I'll create a bow and added the attack animation to it. Should work fine if you use this bow as unit, but floating bows suck.. So I attached it to a unit, doesn't mather if you use an item with the ability for it or adding it as special effect (though I don't think this method works with animations).

So, finally, is it possible to play the attack animation of the attached Bow, when the real Unit attacks? It just sucks when you have some statue like Bow, that normally gets streched to shot arrows.

 

[Thyrael]

You can't play specific animations of attachments via triggers, that's fact. Only thing you can do is setting the set of animations being played by editing the unit itself in the unit editor. A possible solution would be having mutiple models of f.e. one bow. One playing the normal stand and another playing the attack. Than you have to swap the SFX when the unit attacks and back again after attack is finished. That would require the attachments to have the same animation scale as the unit has. Further systems for custom attack etc are needed. But I would say: it can be done. Requires a lot workarounds... but it is still possible.

 

[Tr!KzZ]

Thought there was an easier (hidden?) way to solve this

Would be a method to do so.. replacing the special effect with another that plays the bow animation as stand animation and then replacing it again with the not-moving bow model.
But this will be a lot of work, because you need to make those model fit to the model, as you already mentioned. Also you have to create 2 models for each bow or attachment you want to animate while the unit attacks.

How about using some simple black tube model? that represents the cord of the bow. and link it between the bow attachment and the hand of the model?
I mean I make something like this: _______________
and then link it to the ends of the bow and to the attacking hand of the model, so the bow cord follows the movements of the hand, simulating the attack animation.

[color=white]o[/color][b][color=brown].,~**'''#Bow#'''**~,.[/color][/b][color=white]o[/color]
 [color=black][b]\[/b][/color] . . . . . . .   . [color=black][b]/[/b][/color]
. .[color=black][b]\[/b][/color] . . . . . . . [color=black][b]/[/b][/color]
. . . [color=black][b]\[/b][/color] . . . . [color=black][b]/[/b][/color]
. . . . .[color=black][b]\[/b][/color]. [color=white]o[/color] .[color=black][b]/[/b][/color]
. . . . . [color=orange]Hand[/color]
. . . . . [color=orange]arm[/color]
. . . . . [color=orange]arm[/color]

black = Bow cords (1 attached left from bow to hand, and one for right)
white = attachmentpoints (2 for the bow and 1 for the hand that attacks)
brown = Bow
orange = Hand and arm

Should be something similar than the lightning effects, except you're using the attachmentpoints of the model, instead of points on the map? Would this be possible?

 

[Thyrael]

It's not possible to have an attachment geoset "linked" or "merged" to one of the units it is attached to. Both will remain independent models. I understand what you try to do. I thought about the same problem for my RPG. I decided for now, to have no strings for bows etc. Because you watch your hero from behind, it won't be noticable that easy.

About your idea with the animating string. If you only want to use one string for all bows, all bows have to be the same size. That is because you can't edit the scale of an attachment without edit the unitscale. So if you want to have different bow models with different dimensions, you'll have to create several strings. Further you'll need a system to store what weapon is used and pick the fitting string.

 

[Tr!KzZ]

This could be a way yeah, but I ment to have just one black string with two attachmentpoints. At the beginning and at the end of it. Then I want to attach the Start of the string to the bow and the end of it to the hand of the Hero, but I think this isn't possible. So well, Wether I'll do a copy of each bow and making a "shot-animation" of it as stand animation and replacing it when the Hero attacks, or I leave it to non-moving bows ^^

Thanks for your suggestions and posts!