Talk:Main Page

From Moviesandbox

This is the Main Talk page. Until i set up a forum, please feel free to leave a message here! --fiezi 21:07, 23 June 2007 (MEST)

Blender Input/Output

I have a couple question about Moviesandbox, can you import static meshes and then rig them with the standard Unreal skeleton using the character creation tools? Sorry if this is not the place for this. --Andrew 05:53, 2 September 2007 (MEST)

Hi Andrew, no, this is the right place to ask questions, definetly. Right now, it's not simple to do. But in future updates, you will be able to attach props (and staticmeshes) to any bone you like. Unfortunately, the attach command isn't really working right now. Do you want to create a whole character just by attaching things on the bones? I could probably implement something like that. --fiezi 20:17, 3 September 2007 (MEST)

Actually, what I am wondering is if I can import a static mesh from a program like Blender and then do the skeleton set-up/rigging in Moviesandbox. Also, I was reading on the Wiki that there was some discussion of implementing "Puppet Show" from Georgia Tech in Moivesandbox. Has that been done already? Would it be hard to do? I have a puppetry background and really like the Puppet Show concept...I think it would be another great tool for Machinima creators. Thanks. --Andrew 15:14, 7 September 2007 (MEST)

Yes, the first puppet show prototype they did - Cactus Jack - was implemented and demoed using Moviesandbox. For more info, i'd suggest you contact Michael Nitsche from GATech already. Unfortunately, Unreal only allows very basic rigging functions, so the stuff that you're doing with your Panda Puppet controller (which is totally awesome by the way!) is a bit out of reach for moviesandbox per se. But there are ways to import staticmeshes from Blender and attach them to bones. It's a rigid body attachment tough, so real skinning and weighting cannot be done.
However, there are ways to import a fully skinned skeleton actor to unreal (and thus moviesandbox) and then Pose/Control it to a certain degree. I'm currently figuring out how to implement that so that it stays open and user friendly and you can still use custom skeletons. The next version will have a much more versatile skeleton with facial bones implemented, but i'm very open for suggestions...
--fiezi 02:30, 8 September 2007 (MEST)

I have not had a chance to actually try Moviesandbox yet because I don't have a copy of UT 2004 (I ordered one off ebay the other day it should be here in a few days), does Moviesandbox work with the UT 2004 demo, or do you have to have the full version? Re: Puppet Show, I've had some discussions with Michael Nitsche before, so I will get directly in touch with him directly about that as you suggested.

From everything I have read here on the Wiki, this is almost exactly what I have been trying to do with Panda Puppet. Unfortunately the limitations with Blender's game engine has made the development of that quite slow and painful. Since Moviesandbox already has most of the basic functionality I've wanted for Panda Puppet and UT 2004 is a much, much better 3d engine than Blender, I would be very interested in folding the work we are doing in to the Moviesandbox project. Specifically, I am thinking of putting together a feature or plug-in that would allow scenes to be puppeteered and recorded and then exported to Blender where they could be edited, enhanced and rendered out. There are Blender to UT exporters as you mentioned so it should be possible. Are you writing Moviesandbox in C++? --Andrew 12:35, 13 September 2007 (MEST)

Sounds terrific. Unfortunately Moviesandbox is done in Unrealscript, which is also a limiting factor, but makes it still capable of most of what I want to do. I use some custom software that is written in C# (but could also be rewritten in Java or C++) and uses a very simple UDP protocol to communicate between software parts. As for the plugin, we would need to talk a bit more specific, as it's not super-simple to get stuff out of unreal. But there are ways. Would you like to discuss further via eMail? My contact can be found on the main Moviesandbox website. --fiezi 13:53, 13 September 2007 (MEST)

General Observations

I've found that the RenderToDisc function doesn't work when Moviesandbox is in full screen mode, but does work when it is in windowed mode. - Dxvid.

Thanks Dxvid, i'll add this to the version notes and bugs page! --fiezi 02:30, 8 September 2007 (MEST) Another point someone might find useful - I couldn't get the console to open in Moviesandbox until I went into Moviesandbox configuration settings.ini and changed the ConsoleHotKey from 192 to 9 (backspace key) or 223 (key above backspace). I later found that 192 is actually ' on my keyboard, which will work, but think it preferable to have the console hotkey in the traditional top-left position. So if you want to change the key it is a simple thing to do in the present version (1370B) as "keypress" is shown top left of screen under "debug". The console commands add a huge amount of functionality and most UT sites have a list of them eg http://wiki.beyondunreal.com/wiki/Console_Commands You can use them to change the default resolution of Moviesandbox, and for many other things as well! - Dxvid

Input Sensitivity

Hi Friedrich. Once I have the MSB mod running, how can I adjust my mouse sensitivity? I've set the speed to what is desirable in the main game, but when the mod itself is started it appears to be getting the mouse sens value from somewhere else? It's cranked up really high such that I can hardly zero in on buttons. I'm a little rusty inside UT's environment so was hoping you could point me in the right direction, either via a button in MSB's interface to access this option, or else a line in a config file where it might be set. Thanks!

--Zsoverman 00:58, 14 September 2007 (MEST)

Hey Overman, the Input Sensitivity is indeed a separate value that you can change in the MSBCode.ini file in the UT2004\System directory. It's a value called "MouseSens" and it's currently set to 0.7. If you set it lower (e.g. 0.2) the moouse will be slower. I'll add a button that let's you change the mousesens from within MSB for this week's update. Thanks for pointing me to that! --fiezi 01:16, 14 September 2007 (MEST)

That did the trick, thank you! The button will come in handy for future users, good idea. --Zsoverman 02:09, 14 September 2007 (MEST)

Moving a camera during the shot

First, congratulations on creating a great machinima tool! I am a first time user, though, and I haven't found out yet how to move a camera while shooting footage; so far, I have only succeeded in creating a path of different (static) cameras and following a moving actor with a static camera. Is there a way to move a camera during the shot, or am I searching for a feature that hasn't been implemented (yet)? --Rainer 13:41, 17 September 2007 (MEST)

Hi Rainer! You can move a camera with the Tween Action - just create a target actor where you want to move the camera to, and then select it as your "Tween Target" and select the camera you want to move to "AssignTo". The "move time" is measured in seconds. If you want to also rotate the camera, you have to put in a "rotate time" but you canot specify a rotation with the TargetActor. So for that, i would suggest you use a second camera that you position, and then use that as the "TweenTarget". You can play around a bit with the Tween Node, but i will definetly create an "Advanced Cameras" Tutorial as soon as i'm back from my vacation (late next week). Let me know how things turn out!

--fiezi 18:55, 19 September 2007 (MEST)