I´m starting study of animations. My Background for modeling is 3DS Max and Z-BRush. I Already know how to Rig and create keyframes animations.
However I have some questions about meshe structures for UE. I will show my model, and explain what i´m trying to do, so I hope you can give me some directions.
Here is my model, of a fish. Dont worry about scale. I´ve choosed a fish because fish have only few animations. For start, I think is a good point.
Create 2 animations of turn. Left and Right.
Create 2 animations of move. Foward and Backward.
Create a animation of breath.
Create a eating
Create animation(s) of sins
Create animation for tail and fins
Create animation for Eyes.
Create animation of dying.
Blend all animations using state machine of UE like this.
Create a Blueprint to Spaw fishes on aquarium, and make fishes swim respecting aquarium borders.
In Kite Demo a deer is only one mesh. Except for horns. In my case, I need do “Attach” all meshes in one (look at my structure on 3DS max screenshot)?
If Yes, Can I have only one skeleton for all body parts? If no, Can I have parts of skeletons and attach each part inside UE?
How animations tools for Maya can be usefull in this kind of animation? From what I saw, they are just for characters, right?
How I can blend 2 animations like Eyes move + breath and run a turn at same time? In Kite Demo, on deer folder, has animations montages. I need to “mount” each combination I want?
The Point to split all parts, its because is easy for rigging. But, the main questions is this is a good practice? Or even, its possible?
How can I have all animations in same file on 3DS max?
I would be inclined to do to something simple like a fish as a series of morph blends and use a behavior tree. More direct with out the need for complex requirements necessary to make it work in UE4.
Not sure of the question but you could do one or the other or a combination of both.
Once again one, the other, or a combination of both and not difficult to composite a pawn or character blueprint that can combine the parts each with their own animation blueprints.
Really not useful in the case of a character as organic as a fish that wold benefit more from a custom rig.
This is one of the disadvantages of using a state machine as it can only be in a state based on an argument that gets you into and out of a primary movement. Works well for a deer because it’s movements is rather linear where a fish is a lot more dynamic.
Based on your need the better option would be to use a 2d blend space, creating the necessary 8-way movement set , and use “blend by bone” that will “add” each of the blend spaces in an order of preference.
Blend spaces and blend by’s also has the advantage of making something simple and make it more complex over time by just adding a logic block in the animgraph that only needs a yes or no Boolean that gets into and out of a sequence as part of the final pose.
When it comes to rigging any idea as to best practice tends to go out the window so yes splitting up parts has a lot of advantages as to the unique requirements of a given part. Fins for example has a lot of unique secondary motions that you can manage using a unique animation blueprint.
For your needs just create a matched set of the required 8-way matched movement sets and then import the range. If swim backwards is with in a range from 10-20 then import that range using the FBX importer in Unreal 4.
Bonus round.
Assuming you do not need any kind of player input using root motion will save you a lot of headaches down the road.
