Just thought I'd vent out this idea I recently got. Sorry if people already knew it (I haven't seen it getting used in any mods).

Alright, so ... as many modelers here would know: Blender allows for non-realtime Cloth Simulations.

This has already been used in the past to make realistic looking, Static clothes such as Cloaks and Capes (http://wiki.tesnexus.com/index.php/Creating_a_cape_using_Blender).

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I am suggesting an extension of this technique which will allow the capes to actually animate properly when the character is moving\fighting. The technique can also be used to make and other such things like flowing banners and curtains.

Basically the idea is to turn the cloth simulation into Shape Key animations ... which can then be exported into NIFs as Morphs.

To do this simply export the cloth simulation as .mdd ... then remove the baked frames and re-import the mdd onto your cloth (this will turn the cloth simulation into shape keys).

Now you can export your nif as usual and the animation will be exported as Morphs:


Example NIF: (these are NOT set up to work in oblivion 'as is' ... open it in nifscope instead and view the animation).

- Sheet and Block: https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bx-LiQamBQ_IYzZkNjAzYWUtYmZjZC00MmFlLWJmNGYtNDc4YjFmMWE5YTRk
- Banner on WIndy Day: https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bx-LiQamBQ_INTk1MTIxZWEtYTNmMC00MmQyLWJmZGEtMWZhN2NmNjhlNGRj

Hi Hashmi1,

I know of another, probable route, to making clothes havoked, while still on a living & animating actor.

I have not actually tried nor adapted my method on actors/NPCs, yet. But here is a sample file I just uploaded to TesNexus, that animates a crude elevator in a full circle, all the while allowing it to retain its havoked/grabbable properties the whole time. I've been working on this off and on for a few years, but only tonight perfected it some more.:

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=41041

Koniption

Nice

I guess one of the uses of this could be used for overlaying death 'animations' onto the 'ragdoll' ... creating more realistic deaths than we currently have (characters suddenly go limp instead of showing any signs of suffering).


Anyways ... my topic is on a slightly different area:

Its on faking http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_body_dynamics (vertices of collision bodies deforming) whereas you are talking about mixing key-frame animations with the already present http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigid_body_dynamics (collision bodies remain 'rigid' but can be moved and rotated etc.)

Its possible to roughly imitate Soft Body Physics by deforming meshes by using a combination of skinned meshes, bones and parenting small, connected, Rigid Body units to the bones ... however it produces very rough and unrealistic results not to mention that its cumbersome to set up.


So ... what I am suggesting is that in certain closed systems (such as cloaks on characters and banners flapping in wind) where interaction with forces is controlled and predictable ... we could pre-record cloth physics in the form of morphs and then play back the recorded animations.