I am trying to import a custom character idle animation into the creation kit. Before i actually make the animation, i want to make sure i can successfully import it into the ck. I dont want to replace an existing idle, i would like to add in a new one.

So here are the steps i take:
Extract "meshes/actors/character/animations/idledrunk.hkx" from bsa

convert from hkx to kf

hkxcmd exportkf skeleton.hkx idledrunk.hkx idledrunk.kf

open "skeleton.kf" and attach "idledrunk.kf" to check it working. it works. close.
open "idledrunk.kf", go to NiHeader, change the first under "Strings" to "idletest01" (from "idledrunk"), save as "idletest01.kf"

convert back to hkx

hkxcmd convertkf skeleton.hkx idletest01.kf idletest01.hkx

place "idletest01.hkx" into "Data\meshes\actors\character\animations"

start up Creation Kit, go to "Gameplay" -> "Animations" -> "Insert Sibling", and choose my "idletest01.hkx" file
now when i press "insert child", i get a window to select form. HOWEVER when i press cancel, open up the animations window again and press insert child (there is now a "LOOSE" entry), it gives me a blank entry, which i name "idletest01" and then close.

i go to my "AI Package" -> "Idles" -> "New", and try to find my new Idle - but it isn't there. However, neither is "IdleDrunk", only "IdleDrunkStart" (and Stop). I noticed those entries on the Animations Window under Character\Behaviors\0_Master.hkx -> LOOSE -> IdleDrunkStart

So i think my problem is making a new idle recognizable as an idle, by the ck. But i don't know, does anyone have any suggestions?

Behavior -> Not alterable -> nothing you can do about it -> IE no one will be adding new animations unless Bethesda changes their mind about not releasing their Havok Behavior Tool or someone decides to take on the monumental task of decoding these files and writing a tool that will allow us to alter them.

Thanks for the reply, but dang. So you're saying if i wanted to add a rabbit, for example, and that rabbit needed custom animations, that would be impossible?

Beyond the fact that Skyrim basically already has a rabbit -> yes you could create another rabbit -> what you can not do is add new animations to the existing rabbit.

Ok so i'm trying to add poses to my Advanced Mannequins mod but since you have to enable AI in order to move him around, i need an animation with only 1 frame. How can i do this?

You have to make a new Manakin race but do not use the Character Actor Profiles as this requires you to bloat the install with secondary copies of every animation that profile requires be present -> use one of the smaller profiles like the slaughterfish.

Ok cool thanks! I already have a new Mannequin race so no problems. Now in order to put my idle into the Slaughterfish idles, do i extract the slaughterfish hkx, convert to kf, copy my idle into those idles using nifscope, and then convert kf back to hkx?

Just copy/paste -> slaughterfishprofile.hkx, slaughterfish.hkx, and slaughterfishbehavior.hkx <- these are the Behavior Graph files not animations, also keep file directory structure when you copy/paste.
You then just create your idle and copy it over and over and rename every copy to the slaughterfish animations names and place them into the your new animations folder.
Then make sure you copy/paste the character actors skeleton.nif and skeleton.hkx.
Then make sure your new actor is able to wear pc armors by setting Copied Data "Armor Race" to one of the pc races.

That should get everything working.

Ok thanks, but by naming my animations over the slaughterfish animations, won't that make the slaughterfish not work in-game properly? Sorry if i'm missing something.

--edit--

I think i figured out what you mean better. I extracted the Slaughterfish folder (both animations and mesh) copied it and renamed it to "Mannequins". Then copied my compiled hkx animation into the "Animations" folder, renamed and overwrote the slaughterfish animations with my animations, and copied my skeleton.nif and skeleton.hkx into "Character Assets". Then Gameplay->Animations, right click -> new sibling, add my Behavior HKX, right click -> insert child, choose "ActionIdle", right click -> Child "MainIdle", and then change "AnimEvent" to "IdleStop" (because if i dont, it wont showup in the list of idles) Now i go to my new race and under "Body Data", change Skeleton and Behavior Graph to mine. Now i try, via Papyrus Script, to play the idle with PlayIdle (i've setup an idle property and selected "MainIdle") but it returns false in-game. Am i on the right track?

You will not need a script to force play the Idle it will auto play even if you do not set up the action/event mapping.

Ok well since they're mannequins, i have AI turned off most of the time. So i actually kind of need to only start it via a script. Can i do this?

So....this means NO ONE will be able to force a block animation (such as adding a blocking feature to the dual weapons ) even if the animation is a vanilla animation?

It is not like Oblivion were you can force an idle to play of the vanilla block animation?

Or is it indeed possible to play a vanilla animation file (via a script for example) but what you are saying is that no new moder made animation file can be used, all animation mods will have to use one of the existing vanilla animation files.

By the way, do you use maya or 3dmax (or more likely you use both huh?) Which do you like better for game animations? Everything I have read so far says 3dmax is the standard for the gaming industry.

They are both from the same company? Why did Autodesk make BOTH (competing?) software?

@spookyfx.com
I use Maya and 3ds Max. In my view, 3ds Max is better at animating, but Maya is better at Modeling. That may just be my personal preference though. Autodesk purchased Discreet (the original creators of 3D Studio Max) around version 7 or 8, and continued development of both software packages.

I spent some time trying to force an animation classified as an action to play it did not work out I wsa able to force any Loose Anim to play but the exact same script that worked for loose anims did not for trying to force an anim event -> there maybe a way to do this through a custom function forcing the Action to register thus triggering the anim event naturally but I have not found one that works.


Playgroup XYZ no longer applies because it targets playgroups that no longer apply to any actors.


I mean if you want to add spear anims thats not going to happen because we the modders can not add new animations/events/transitions to the Behavior Graph -> can not edit the Behavior.hkx files specifically.


Max -> though I have used Maya but Max has far better Game Animation support -> the Dope Sheet alone is invaluable something Maya lacks completely.


Maya is more of a rendering App then Max and Max has a few secondary systems that push it above Maya for Game based work flows -> but either can get the job done.

Shouldn't I be able to play an animation via both script or auto play? The goal is to have it scripted, so I am doing that. And if it won't work, what can i try then? This doesn't absolutely have to be an idle by the way, it just needs to be an animation that i can script on/off.

Depends on the Behavior Graph you use, you need one that has Special Idles available -> Anything listed under the Loose Category will be able to be called from Script.

wow... how did Bethesda think Skyrim would be even more modded than Oblivion?

(All their comments sound like they think that.)

I guess Skyrim mods will be hundreds of "house mods" that are all basically the same but look different. That and quest mods (quest mods are a good thing).

I guess the Tes Game DEV playtime party is over, time for me to get serious about learning animation and modeling.

Hey, http://www.gamesas.com/user/278361-saidenstorm/, do you make videos I can buy to learn 3dmax animation? I have a student license now, and 3 years to learn...

So man you cant add new custom animations without to replace some orignal one? And do u agree with that? In Warcraft 3 u could add even 200 new animations to a model and is 10 years old.
WIsh Skyrim had and editor like Starcraft 2 Editor.

Max has a Bazillion Tutorials related to animation -> though I highly suggest picking up http://www.simoworks.com/posetool/index.html, anything animation related will be helped by Pose Tool -> And its Cost is fantastic "FREE".....