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Basic Animation Transfers

Level 19
Joined
Nov 16, 2006
Messages
2,165
Basic Animation Transfer Tutorial

Hello all. In this tutorial I will explain how to edit a model covering the following basic subjects:

- Transferring animation from one model (warcraft) to another (warcraft).

- Adding a new animation to a model (warcraft).

- Removing a useless animation (warcraft).

Tools we need :

- Warcraft 3 Viewer
-> Download here.
- MDLX Converter
-> Download here.
- Oinkerwinkle's Animation Transfer
-> Download here.
- Warcraft 3 Model Editor
-> Download here.

Tutorial Start

Getting your model

First of all, you must get your model that you want to edit.
For this step we will use the Warcraft 3 Viewer.
Open Your Warcraft 3 Viewer and browse to the Treeview (If you can not see this window, press CONTROL+H).
Select the model/unit you prefer and right-click on it to extract it.
Wc3Viewer1.jpg

Extract it to a known location, so you can find it again quickly.
Hint: Can't find your model? Press Control+F and try to search for it by name.

Converting your model into mdl

You will need to convert your model into .mdl format because Oinkerwinkle's Animation Transfer does not support mdx formats!

Now, Open the MDLX Converter and load your model.
NeWConvert1.jpg

Be sure you selected the model you wanted, and that the type of the file is MDX 3D FILES. Open up your file and it will automatically convert your mdx model into mdl.

There: you have finished exporting the model you wish to edit!
Lets go to the next steps.

Transferring an animation from one model to another

If you followed the previous steps correctly, you already have the model file you want to change animations with.
In order to transfer your model's animation to other animations, you will need to first search for a suitable model with fitting animations. (An example would be taking the footman animations for the priest.)
Export the model with the animation you want again as I explained in the previous steps.

There, now you should have two models:

-> The model (your model which will receive the new animations).
-> Animation Model (this model's animations will be transfered upon your model, The model).

Now open Oinkerwinkle's Animation Transfer and do the following steps:
transferanim.jpg

Fill in the Base field The model you want to change animations with.

Fill in the Animation file the Animation Model which animations will be transfered to your model (The Model).


Fill in the Output file the location of where you want to save the model. Also change the name (if you want).

(Notice that there are three buttons, one behind each that is named ... . I selected them with a blue color, press here to select the models, and choose the save location.)

Press Transfer and wait a few seconds until the program gives the response : Done.
When done, you can find your model at the location you saved it with the name you gave it!

Warcraft 3 Model Editor is useful to view your model!
Double click on your file, and open it with the Warcraft 3 Model editor or simply load it into the program.
You might see your model in it, then press:
1) Windows
2) Animation Controller
A window pops up with some options.
Select the arrow (to the right of Unanimated) and pick the animation that you would like to see on your model!
War3ME.jpg

Selectanim.jpg

Adding a new animation to a model

There are three ways (or more) to actually do this.
I will explain here the easiest way to do it.

Check the previous steps, and get again

two models:
Code:
-> [color=red]The model[/color] (your model which will receive the new animations).
-> [color=royalblue]Animation Model[/color] (this model its animations will be transfered upon your model, [color=red]The model[/color]).

Open the model (with the animation you want to transfer) in the Warcraft 3 Model Editor and enter the animation screen.
War3ME.jpg
Selectanim.jpg

You may see a lot of animations, select the one you want to transfer to your model and write (or keep in mind) the animation name. I will use as example:
Spell - Channel.
StandChannel.jpg

If you have your models then you may open Oinkerwinkle's Animation Transfer and:

Fill in the Base field of the model you want to add a new animation to.

Fill in the Animation file of the Animation Model where the animation(s) will be taken from.

Fill in the Output file the location of where you want to save the model. Also again, change the name if you want.

Attention! A new step here,
Select the "Transfer single animation" and fill in the Animation to transfer field with your chosen animation name. In this case, it would be
Spell - Channel.
AddAnim.jpg

Press "Transfer" and wait a few seconds until Done pops up.
There, You just added a new animation to your model!


Removing a useless animation

The last subject of this tutorial.
Again, there are several options to remove animations from a model but I will show the easiest way for beginners.

Export again a model, the one you would like to remove one or several animations from.
(This model does not have to be converted into .mdl format, since it works with both file types *mdx & *mdl).

Open your model with the Warcraft 3 Model Editor.
Go to :
1) Windows
2) Sequence Manager

AnimDelete.jpg

A window pops up again and you may see several animation names like walk, death, attack -1, ... and so on.
To remove an animation, simply right click at it and press remove.
RemoveAnim.jpg

The animation gets removed now. Save the file and you're done!

If you don't remember the animation name you wanted to remove, you may also view it again by using the Animation Controller.
War3ME.jpg
Selectanim.jpg

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thats it! I hope you enjoyed it!

Hints:
- Not all animations can be transfered and will show wrong animations.
- Is your model giving randomly corpses? visit this link then.
- Sometimes you are unable to open converted mdl files with the Warcraft 3 Model Editor. Simply open the mdl file with the MDLX Converter and it will be converted back to a mdx file.

~- Xarwin
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Level 18
Joined
Nov 1, 2006
Messages
1,612
Awesome Heero, great job. It's interesting that this is exactly what I needed for the Mini-Game contest and I had no idea how to do it, but I found it as the first thread in this section!

EDIT: This does not work for me, each time I try to add all the animations it will erase all the others that were originally with the base model, and if I try to add one animation from the animation model to the base model, and then try to open it up I get the error: Unable to load "C:\ETC.", unknown group "20100:"!
 
Last edited:
Level 17
Joined
Sep 25, 2004
Messages
508
Removing a useless animation

The last subject of this tutorial.
Again, there are several options to remove animations from a model but I will show the easiest way for beginners.

Export again a model, the one you would like to remove one or several animations from.
(This model does not have to be converted into .mdl format, since it works with both file types *mdx & *mdl).

Open your model with the Warcraft 3 Model Editor.
Go to :
1) Windows
2) Sequence Manager


A window pops up again and you may see several animation names like walk, death, attack -1, ... and so on.
To remove an animation, simply right click at it and press remove.

The animation gets removed now. Save the file and you're done!

If you don't remember the animation name you wanted to remove, you may also view it again by using the Animation Controller.

Deleting a sequence makes an animation unplayable, it does not remove it. All the bones' keyframes are still there taking up space.
To remove them use the look at the program in this post.
 
Fixing screwed up transfers

how come when i tried to add one animation it gives me error? do i remove the animation before adding or does it overwrite, it gives the the error everytime i use add one animation.

That is because Anim transfer screws up the model when only one animation is transferred. And magos model editor can only open somewhat perfect models.

BUT you can still fix it.

  • Get yobguls converter here
  • Convert the .mdl model that gives the error into .mdx with the converter
  • Try to open the .mdx model with magos

Without this converter the transfer of a single animation will always fail.
With this converter the transfer of a single animation will sometimes fail.

meaning: sometimes the model will not work even if you try to convert it to .mdx
Then you should try renaming the bones or getting the animations from another model.
 
Im trying to add a single animation to a model, i did what Kita said by converting the .mdl to .mdx but the animation doesnt show up at all.

Like I said,

Kitabatake said:
Without this converter the transfer of a single animation will always fail.
With this converter the transfer of a single animation will sometimes fail.

If you do what I said, you have a better chance to succeed, but there are certain unit's whose animations just don't match because of different bone names.

Also some times the problem can be that the bones have same names, but in the other model they are helpers instead of bones.
Then you can open the model (.mdl) in a notepad (before transferring animations) and replacing every "helper" word with "bone", except the very first one which is "number of helpers".

Then you'll just have to change the number of helpers to 0 and number of bones to number of bones + number of helpers.

But even this doesn't work with ALL models.
 
Level 2
Joined
Dec 29, 2007
Messages
16
Error!

i'm getting this error after I transfer a single anim:
Expected "}" , got "2" in group "Bone" in "model.mdl"
PLZ HELP
 
i'm getting this error after I transfer a single anim:
Expected "}" , got "2" in group "Bone" in "model.mdl"
PLZ HELP

Like I said before:

That is because Anim transfer screws up the model when only one animation is transferred. And magos model editor can only open somewhat perfect models.

BUT you can still fix it.

  • Get yobguls converter here
  • Convert the .mdl model that gives the error into .mdx with the converter
  • Try to open the .mdx model with magos

Without this converter the transfer of a single animation will always fail.
With this converter the transfer of a single animation will sometimes fail.

meaning: sometimes the model will not work even if you try to convert it to .mdx
Then you should try renaming the bones or getting the animations from another model.

You have transferred a single anim -> model gets bugged
next you should convert the model to .mdx by using Yubguls converter which I mentioned in my earlier post.
Then try opening your model in magos model editor.
 

vhx

vhx

Level 3
Joined
Jan 15, 2008
Messages
36
Is this suppose to transfer the animated model to it as well? Like say I wanted to take a Doodad model, and add a build animation to it from another model. Is this suppose to transfer the build animation over to it? Like changing the model associated with the animation? If not, what guide should that fall into?
 
Level 2
Joined
Aug 15, 2006
Messages
21
hmmm. an interesting process, very quite useful indeed nontheless.

However is there a way to rename the animation using the programs required? Or must i go into the mdl txt and rename it from there and what not?

A final note Bravo!


EDIT: ahhh nevermind you do have to open up a Text Program and edit the names from there =]
Love this tutorial. By far is helping my map the most.
 
Level 13
Joined
Jun 9, 2008
Messages
248
Basically the new model needs the same bones as the model you take the animations from. Question, if I use gmax, can I just copy/paste (by merging) these bones from the original model into my new one? Or will this only screw up everything?
 
Level 2
Joined
Oct 14, 2008
Messages
5
I transferred a single animation, and it showed perfectly on Magos. But it(the transferring anim) doesn't show up on WE or in game. Help please?
 
Level 4
Joined
Jan 20, 2009
Messages
36
When i opened this 2 combined,whitch i combined with animation transfer program,it only opened priest and i tryed to open model editor,then windows,animation controler,untaimed there just writed attack1,attack2 and that shits no sing of other animation why?????
 
Level 3
Joined
Apr 1, 2009
Messages
15
a late post here :) so I'm on another project and I would want to make a priest model into wielding a 2handed sword animation, when Im done with the transfer (Arthas wielding frostmourne) the priest just looks like hes having somekinda stroke when he attacks. :S
 
Level 1
Joined
Aug 2, 2006
Messages
6
Does it work somehow with wow models? 'Cause if it does I haven't figured it out yet. Anyway, if it doesn't work, do you know a tool or a method of transfering animations between wow characters? Please help!
 
Level 3
Joined
May 15, 2008
Messages
47
help please. i added one new animation to a unit (both custom units) but when i open the model with the transfered animation in magos world editor, to check out the new animation, the model with the new animation does nothing...it takes the 'unanimated' stance....
 
Level 2
Joined
Jul 1, 2009
Messages
3
Nice tut man... I tried tranfering the blademaster's anim to a viliger male. it look good in model editor but when I import it to world editor and run the map it crashes wc3. any ideea why? i did everythig just like in the tutorial
 
Level 4
Joined
Jan 7, 2008
Messages
61
Sounds cool, could I get a tauren chieftain to play a good bladestorm animation with this?
 
Level 2
Joined
Aug 31, 2009
Messages
21
That is because Anim transfer screws up the model when only one animation is transferred. And magos model editor can only open somewhat perfect models.

BUT you can still fix it.

  • Get yobguls converter here
  • Convert the .mdl model that gives the error into .mdx with the converter
  • Try to open the .mdx model with magos

Without this converter the transfer of a single animation will always fail.
With this converter the transfer of a single animation will sometimes fail.

meaning: sometimes the model will not work even if you try to convert it to .mdx
Then you should try renaming the bones or getting the animations from another model.

when i try to open that converter it says it can't find GAME.DLL
 
Level 11
Joined
Dec 5, 2009
Messages
846
So when youre done can you just import the mdl model into your map then ? Cuz it doesn't work for me.

Edit it works now.

But i have another thing. My animation transferer is black when you should write path for single animation. I can't see what im writing. But when i select the text i can see what im writing and even if im writing correct it doesn't work. it only stands Error wrong path.
 
Last edited:
Level 3
Joined
Nov 10, 2010
Messages
11
Hey when I change nothing happens.
STAND put the animation does not rotate.
PLEASE HELP !!!!! ¡¡¡¡¡
:vw_wtf::vw_wtf::vw_wtf:

Reasons for not working, Graphic:
Model Editor: llllllllll
MdlxConv: llllllllll
Warcraft3Viewer: llllllllll
Anim Transfer: llllllllll
 
Level 2
Joined
Jun 21, 2014
Messages
11
this dont work, when I convert model back to .mdx file and add to map, model read as .mdl and it dont work on map, anyone can help?
 

Screamernail

S

Screamernail

so you can give Illidan a murloc attack animation?
 
whenever i try to transfer animations it says done but when i open the model in world editor theres no new animations but there there in the model editor

EDIT: Works in game so its all good XD

You might need to close the map and reopen it to see the changes (or restart the editor). The editor has some weird caching implementations that can get buggy at times. For example, if you open map A with a custom footman skin and then open some other map B, then map B will have the custom skin on its footmen. (if you test it in game, the skin won't be applied. It is just a world editor bug)

But that bug can be fixed if you restart the editor. It might be a similar case here.
 
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