FNIS for Modders / FNIS 4.0 [WIP]

[fore]

On running the user tool.  I'm only talking about FNIS. This 0_master is about 57.000 lines xml which have to be generated.

 

 

[ShiaNekoChan]

Hey, Fore!

 

Now that I have Skyrim and I'm thinking about bringing Nudeshy X to it, I have a couple basic questions.

 

Can I basically use this animation as the "specialanims" OBSE function in Oblivion?

 

What I'm asking is am I able to switch a character's running animation to another one and back?

 

Will the animations apply in priorities? Basically, what I mean by this is if a character's left arm has more priority than the attack animation and I try to attack, will the character perform the normal attack animation while the left arm keeps doing the custom animation?

[fore]

No. Forget (almost) everything you know about custom animations from Oblivion. THe introduction of Havok Behavior has made it extremely difficult to add any type of custom animations. Besides very few specialized applications, FNIS is currently the ONLY known way to add animations. But with it you only can add simple 3rd p idles and furniture animations.

 

And a little "niche" animation: arm offset animations. From the name "Nudeshy" I assume it could be what you want to achieve. Although it might not really work for PC. Arm offset is a change of arm movement while "certain" base animations like idle, walk, run, .. are executed. Something you did with those priorities in Oblivion. But it only works where Beth has designed it for it'S (NPC) animation. So I'm not sure if sneak will break the AO animations. Check the "FNIS 4.0 Documentation for Modders" for more details.

 

So especially this nice and easy priority system from Oblivion does not exist.

 

And in vanilla you can't switch running animation, of course. But I'm working on FNIS 5.0, and this will introduce what I call "Alternate Animations". The first version will include (un-armed) walk/run, and probably sit and base idle. And in parallel I have a "sensous walk/run" mod in the making, which dynamically assign different walks and runs to all females coming close to the player. But that'S at least one month from now.

 

 

[fore]

   +++   NEWS BREAK   +++   NEWS BREAK   +++   NEWS BREAK   +++   NEWS BREAK   +++

 

Custom PAIRED ANIMATIONS are possible !!!

 

See this mini tutorial by Kentington: http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/49311

 

I'm in contact with him, and his (test version of a) paired_huga.hkx replacer is working.

 

Now I have interrupted my work on "Alternate Animations" for a second time for adding pa's. This will not be a problem, since I had it working one year ago. At least for non-combat pa's. But since it would only work inside of 0_master.hkx, I didn't pursue. But times have changed. Ans since FNIS is changing 0_master.hkx anyway, I don't see any reason not to release it.

[D_ManXX2]

That is great news.  but nexus is down again will try the link later when nexus is actually working.

So i take it now fuck animation and kill at the end is now possible right ??

 

[zax]

If it means an real paired animations then the revolution has begun, seriously!

Not only kill anims, but every single sex position could be remade into paired one - what it means is that half of the SexLab is not needed (position sync) and no miss-aligned animations anymore.

 

I really thought that SaidenStorm will take it to the grave, but noooo... This is indeed an great news!

[fore]

Oh my. I hope I didn't take my mouth too full too early. Now we have PA animations, and I can't get them into FNIS. 

 

When trying to make a behavior hack for non-combat PAs I ran into 2 problems. As it turns out, one was caused because the engine can't handle custom event names in this case. Only the lead character will run her animation, but does not first move to the 2nd character, and the 2nd character will not start her animation.

 

I'm sure this is caused by custom event name, because I replaced the standard event names for starting paired_HugA.hkx by my custom ones, and got the same result.

 

This seems to be yet another case where the engine needs behavior information from non-behavior files meshes/animationdatasinglefile.txt and meshes/animationsetdatasinglefile.txt. Because when I change things there, the corresponding vanilla animations won't work. But I don't know yet, what I have to change there to run custom animations.

 

So I'm a clueless at this moment.

[dje34]

Oh my. I hope I didn't take my mouth too full too early. Now we have PA animations, and I can't get them into FNIS. 

 

When trying to make a behavior hack for non-combat PAs I ran into 2 problems. As it turns out, one was caused because the engine can't handle custom event names in this case. Only the lead character will run her animation, but does not first move to the 2nd character, and the 2nd character will not start her animation.

 

I'm sure this is caused by custom event name, because I replaced the standard event names for starting paired_HugA.hkx by my custom ones, and got the same result.

 

This seems to be yet another case where the engine needs behavior information from non-behavior files meshes/animationdatasinglefile.txt and meshes/animationsetdatasinglefile.txt. Because when I change things there, the corresponding vanilla animations won't work. But I don't know yet, what I have to change there to run custom animations.

 

So I'm a clueless at this moment.

 

Don't give up, Fore ! A great modder like you always have a solution for a mod issue. Btw, I have problems with Estrus mod 0.97 and FNIS 4.1.1... No animation file found ! Is it normal ?

[fore]

Ok, all clear, at least for non-combat PAs. There was another strange dependency between the engine and behavior node names (!!!). Took me some while, but now I have hugs and Kentingtons pa example working as custom pa. I'm now working on an Alpha for modders.

 

That is great news.  but nexus is down again will try the link later when nexus is actually working.

So i take it now fuck animation and kill at the end is now possible right ??

 

 

If it means an real paired animations then the revolution has begun, seriously!

Not only kill anims, but every single sex position could be remade into paired one - what it means is that half of the SexLab is not needed (position sync) and no miss-aligned animations anymore.

 

I really thought that SaidenStorm will take it to the grave, but noooo... This is indeed an great news!

 

Now don't expect tooo much. Killmoves yes, for sex animations I have my doubts.

 

There will be the same alignment problems as with regular animations. There is nothing special to them, like foot IK or so. From a reference pose there are 2 animations which start independant from one another. And if the 2 actors are different in size (compared to what the animator has designed) then the alignment is off as well.

 

For killmoves it's not so important where actor 2 is hit, and how deep. But everything else ....

 

 

...... Btw, I have problems with Estrus mod 0.97 and FNIS 4.1.1... No animation file found ! Is it normal ?

 

 

I added this warning with 4.1, I think. Unfortunately some mods, and especially Estrus, unnecessarily have defined lots of placeholders in the AnimList without the appropriate anim files. I know this has caused a lot of confusion. But I think the warning is more important for future modders and mod releases. (it has cost me 2 or 3 hours not to have this warning when I developed the FNIS Zoo).

 

[Goubo]

Original PM if someone is interested:

 

 

 

Hey Fore, I had a question for you, I want to know if I'm doing something wrong there.

I was testing the offset animation option (ofa) but I can't get any of those animation to work as custom added animation from FNIS.

 

So I've tested to add the vanilla offsetboundstanding animation as custom and the custom cover animation from there

 

Here's what is in my animation folder:

 

Cover_idle.HKX

StandBound.HKX

 

in the List.txt:

 

ofa Cover Cover_idle.hkx

ofa StandBound StandBound.hkx

 

Last version of FNIS, the animation is set properly in CK, the behavior file is generated and FNIS launched.

 

I've scripted something simple to test the animation on an NPC and the player :

Event OnEffectStart(Actor Target, Actor Caster)

Target.PlayIdle(RessConfig.CoverWalk)
Caster.PlayIdle(RessConfig.CoverWalk)

EndEvent

none of them work, the NPC just reset his idle pose. When I set the animation property with the vanilla offsetboundstanding it works fine.

 

 

Ok so for the answer to the PM about Offset animations:

 

I did try to use SendAnimationEvent() and the NPC this time will not even reset his idle animation. Will try again though.

 

I am pretty sure everything is set to work right, no errors whatsoever with Fnis modder/users (1offset animation is registered for Defeat) generation, so yeah, I don't know.

 

 

Are you also aware of the restiction to ofa animations, which are immediately terminated when "other" animations are played. See the chapter from the "FNIS 4.0 documentation for modders".

Yes and I did read your guide ^^ but isn't this apply to a jump, stagger or a sprint who indeed break the offset animation? so if the NPC doesn't move he should play the animation.

I'm just using the vanilla Standbound and try to use it as a custom added anim for testing purpose.

 

Anyway looking forward for your next release with custom PAs.!

[fore]

Original PM if someone is interested:

 

Ok so for the answer to the PM about Offset animations:

 

I did try to use SendAnimationEvent() and the NPC this time will not even reset his idle animation. Will try again though.

 

I am pretty sure everything is set to work right, no errors whatsoever with Fnis modder/users (1offset animation is registered for Defeat) generation, so yeah, I don't know.

 

Are you also aware of the restiction to ofa animations, which are immediately terminated when "other" animations are played. See the chapter from the "FNIS 4.0 documentation for modders".

Yes and I did read your guide ^^ but isn't this apply to a jump, stagger or a sprint who indeed break the offset animation? so if the NPC doesn't move he should play the animation.

I'm just using the vanilla Standbound and try to use it as a custom added anim for testing purpose.

 

Anyway looking forward for your next release with custom PAs.!

 

But there are mods out there that use ofa. So it works. It's something with your test that is wrong. Or maybe a misconception?

 

It puzzles me that you say "not even reset his idle animation" or "he should play the animation". It's only the arms that are changed. Right? 

 

ANd it's not just jump, stagger and sprint that break the offset. It's EVERYTHING besides walk, run and standing idles. So it breaks if any weapon equipped, or even when an NPC starts eating/drinking. But honestly I didn't test very much where it works. So I couldn't say if sneak is possible.

 

I have also a problem with testing right now. I'm in the middle of development. Actually 2: pa, and alternate animations. So my generator doesn't even create output.

[Goubo]

That's probably me doing something wrong yes and I just don't know what but do not bother testing anything, keep working on PA update. ^^

 

I do get that a lot of animation break the ofa, it's just that the animation do not play at all when I test it on an NPC, where the vanilla one do.(StandBound)

 

I did the same thing as adding other animations except that I write "ofa" in the list.txt for this one so I'm pretty sure I'm doing it right in my test, I'm starting to think it's some kind of incompatibility with another animation mod, oh well, never mind it's not that important anyway.

 

 

 

 

[Mordyn]

 

I have also a problem with testing right now. I'm in the middle of development. Actually 2: pa, and alternate animations. So my generator doesn't even create output.

 

I have a simple question about alternate animations: will that be like an enhanced pcea? Like (make the possibility to) create a separate set of animations for every different character?

Keep up the good work btw, without fnis a lot of mods wouldn't be possible, adult or non-adult

[fore]

 

 

I have also a problem with testing right now. I'm in the middle of development. Actually 2: pa, and alternate animations. So my generator doesn't even create output.

 

I have a simple question about alternate animations: will that be like an enhanced pcea? Like (make the possibility to) create a separate set of animations for every different character?

Keep up the good work btw, without fnis a lot of mods wouldn't be possible, adult or non-adult

 

 

No, totally different. PCEA is static, AA will be dynamic. Meaning that a scripted mod can assigne specific AnimVars during runtime, and then the char will execute one out of an arbitrary number of alternates for a specific animations. So as a demonstration mod I will also release a dynamic female walk and run, where all female which come close to the PC will get one of the available movement animations assigned. xr32's, dragonfly's, an what else I get permission for.

 

The disadvantage is that it will only work for specific animations, cause every aa animation needs a individual implementation. And I don't know yet if it really works for all planned animations. Because behaviors, and Beth's behavior integration always has some surprises in their sleeves.

[Mordyn]

Thanks for your answer

 

[oli3d]

No, totally different. PCEA is static, AA will be dynamic. Meaning that a scripted mod can assigne specific AnimVars during runtime, and then the char will execute one out of an arbitrary number of alternates for a specific animations. So as a demonstration mod I will also release a dynamic female walk and run, where all female which come close to the PC will get one of the available movement animations assigned. xr32's, dragonfly's, an what else I get permission for.

 

The disadvantage is that it will only work for specific animations, cause every aa animation needs a individual implementation. And I don't know yet if it really works for all planned animations. Because behaviors, and Beth's behavior integration always has some surprises in their sleeves.

That answers my question right before i would have ask it....

Thanks.

 

Had just a thought about the pregnancy mods... especially beeing female...

or for arousel....

How to know that a npc(female) is horny - just look what way she is walking.

How to now That a npc(female) is horny and want to have sex with you as player -

she looks at you and plays some sexy idle(standing?) ....

 

so i am looking foeward for your next release...

 

Moin

Oli

[oli3d]

ohhh by the way..... your tool is fantastic:

 

combined furniture animation with objects(cained animations from ZaZ)

 

thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you....

 

 

Moin

Oli

[fore]

Update on Paired Animations:

 

Good news; custom paired animations can be generated with FNIS

Bad news: it only works in-game when I use file names for standard animations (which makes them useless) 

 

Background information for the interested:

"Simple idles" were so easy to implement. It's all contained in the behaviors, and so it was possible to generate custom behavior files for custom idles.

With furniture animations the real problems began. It appears that for all animations which require that the character is first moved into position, the engine need some unknown additional information from the bahaviors. So I couldn't do any better but integrate custom furniture animations into mt_behavior. And use one "work-around":

- specific behavior nodes (hkbClipGenerator) had to get the names of vanilla nodes of that kind.

 

For custom paired it is much worse. I had to find 3 "work-arounds" until it worked:

- other specific nodes (BSSynchronizedClipGenerator) had to get the names of the corresponding AnimEvent

- after the start of the game at least one standard pared animation has to be executed

- it only works when standard animation file names are used.

 

You might imagine, how much time it took to find these 3 work-arounds, which are necessary at the same time to make the characters move. But now I just can't figure out what is the cause of this file name dependency. And how I can avoid it. No idea.

 

I'm drained right now, frustrated...

 

[zax]

What do you mean by "standard animation file names"? They need to be replacers?

[fore]

What do you mean by "standard animation file names"? They need to be replacers?

 

Standard animation file names like pa_HugA.hkx. It'S not a replacer in the usual sense. I can make custom behaviors which can run custom animation files. But since the the names can be ANY character paired animation, you could use a set of not so often used killmoves (like the 2 h2h ones) to implement sex animations. 

 

But of course that's not acceptable, and I will not release this.

 

What I'm trying right now is to patch 2 more files. txt files in "meshes" which contain all kind of behavior data in readable format. My last hope.

[nutluck]

Sounds very cool the idea's at least. Sucks you are having so much trouble. Guess it just shows deep down Skyrim despite the moding tool was not really made to be moded sadly.

 

Since I mean there is no reason at all they should force you to use existing animation names for paired animations. Just sounds like bad coding or short sighted coding on the developers side.

[fore]

Sounds very cool the idea's at least. Sucks you are having so much trouble. Guess it just shows deep down Skyrim despite the moding tool was not really made to be moded sadly.

 

Since I mean there is no reason at all they should force you to use existing animation names for paired animations. Just sounds like bad coding or short sighted coding on the developers side.

 

I wouldn't say they force us to use existing animation names. It's only a work-around to make my hack work. And it's not bad or short sighted coding. There is no code involved, just data structures. And what I'm doing was never meant to be done. 

 

The whole story is simple. Beth has replaced the animation part of it's aging game engine with a 3rd party subsystem, Havok Behavior Tool (HBT). But although HBT is un-moddable, it is based on clear, comprehensible data stuctures. Which allows hacking with FNIS.

 

Now if you cut pieces from an evolved system and replace it with another existing system, those 2 parts can never fit 100%. It needs some "mortar" in form of additional data structures and additional engine code. Especially in the area of "connecting" animation Beth had problems to implement it with HBT. Connecting one char with one other (paired) or an object (e.g. furniture). This initiating connection is not done with HBT, The engine interferes in the HBT control of the character, and teleports her to the desired location. And to do this, the engine needs additional data outside of the HBT behavior files. 

 

And this is my problem. I can't look into the engine to see which data it needs, and how it is used. So all I can do to analyze this "mortar" data, and add the appropriate data for my custom animations. Which is pretty time-consuming. But I make progress. One of those work-arounds I mentioned is not neccesary any more. But the file name restriction still persists.

 

And also I said I would never release something with the "same file name" restriction, it might be interesting for many to see all those character/character paired animations (including the kill moves) in FNIS Spells.

[fore]

BREAKING NEWS ... BREAKING NEWS ... BREAKING NEWS ... BREAKING NEWS ...

 

 

I have those friggin paired animations hacked to a point where I can say I will be able to release paired animation support in the near future.

 

All animation names are stored in meshes/animationsetdatasinglefile.txt. But not as string, but as 4 byte hash codes. For whatever reason. Speeding things up can't be it. For the first time I really think that Beth wanted to hide certain things from us modders.

 

Unfortunately I couldn'r figure out yet which hash algorithm is used. So it's not possible (yet) to add arbitrary file names. But I can use every creature animation filename (like AggroWarning1.hkx") without replacing anything. Of course this is still pretty awkward, and I still try to figure out which algorithm is used. But maybe there is an expert here. These are a few of the hash codes:

file name	hex		decimal
idle.hkx	FD606A09	4250954249
mt_idle.hkx	3DF150E1	1039225057
death.hkx	21652233	560276019
mt_death.hkx	8F74D943	2406799683

[Mordyn]

 

All animation names are stored in meshes/animationsetdatasinglefile.txt. But not as string, but as 4 byte hash codes. For whatever reason. Speeding things up can't be it. For the first time I really think that Beth wanted to hide certain things from us modders.

 

For what I understood, all of the animation system implementation is really complex when you compare it to how accessible was the rest of the game... maybe they wanted to release some killmove cheap DLCs?

 

[fore]

Finally .....

 

FNIS 5.0 Beta 1 (paired animations) is released

 

 

Now I hope you guys make good use of it