Cinematic Editor
wuwut
Join Date: 2012-11-15 Member: 171211Members
Join Date: 2012-11-15 Member: 171211Members
I've done numerous machinima projects over the years (some probably know me more as regis) and have come to fall back in love with NS2. All I've been playing lately and it has rekindled my desire to make a plot-driven film (way better than my previous attempt). I will be looking for any screenwriters or fan fictions that might be able to translate well to machinima.
I've been messing around with the Cinematic Editor a little bit. I'm liking what I'm seeing, though the tool is very much in its infancy. I'm very anxious to see this tool develop.
When the CE becomes a little more usable, I plan on making a few promotional shorts to get the hang of it down. Anyone else messing around with this yet?
Here's the first test render I did after a few minutes playing around with CE, with obvious bugs lol
<center><object width="450" height="356"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/VkFiMgVmdj4"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VkFiMgVmdj4" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="450" height="356"></embed></object></center>
I've been messing around with the Cinematic Editor a little bit. I'm liking what I'm seeing, though the tool is very much in its infancy. I'm very anxious to see this tool develop.
When the CE becomes a little more usable, I plan on making a few promotional shorts to get the hang of it down. Anyone else messing around with this yet?
Here's the first test render I did after a few minutes playing around with CE, with obvious bugs lol
<center><object width="450" height="356"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/VkFiMgVmdj4"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VkFiMgVmdj4" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="450" height="356"></embed></object></center>
Comments
Also, gliding marine made me chuckle. Put a lerk under him for epic lulz.
Tell me about it :P
Yeah, the tools do currently take a lot of time, effort, and swearing to get the necessary results, but there is a ton of potential there, and pretty soon we're going to be able to start devoting some serious time to improving the tools more. I really like what I'm seeing from you so far and hope you can stick with it. I can't wait to see what kind of machinima the community is going to create for NS2.
--Cory
1) How do I freeze and animation for a script actor?
2) Does the CE only load models / materials from the NS2 directory?
2) How can I use exiting CE files in another CE file? For example, bullet tracers
3) Does the CE do motion tweening motion paths for all Script Actors and Camera?
4) Does adding Key Frames to Cameras make the view switch to them? So, multiple Cameras in a single cinematic.
5) Can ambient sounds, sound emitters, or music be played / triggered in a cinematic?
6) Is there a way to apply shaders to the Camera? Ex: Blur, Alien Vision, etc.
You can see the rings at the start of this vid, though the map has improved quite a bit since..
<center><object width="450" height="356"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0Lfaf49yBfY"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0Lfaf49yBfY" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="450" height="356"></embed></object></center>
2) Does the CE only load models / materials from the NS2 directory?
2) How can I use exiting CE files in another CE file? For example, bullet tracers
3) Does the CE do motion tweening motion paths for all Script Actors and Camera?
4) Does adding Key Frames to Cameras make the view switch to them? So, multiple Cameras in a single cinematic.
5) Can ambient sounds, sound emitters, or music be played / triggered in a cinematic?
6) Is there a way to apply shaders to the Camera? Ex: Blur, Alien Vision, etc.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
These are great questions. Let me elaborate on a couple:
3) I've noticed, so far, that you can give a path to anything. And by default, the keyframes are setup for a bezier-type of movement. You have to highlight the frames and switch them to linear interpolation.
4) Adding keyframes to cameras does not cut to them. I actually kind of like this, because I'd personally rather do my editing in a video editor for fine-tuning. I like the ability to set up a scene with actors, animate, then add multiple cameras for different angles. Render out Angle 1, double-click the other cam, render it out, etc. The ability to rename the actors and cameras in the Curves editor needs to be added.
5) You can have cameras play sounds/music in the Events window. However, I have not been able to get them to work.
I'll add a couple of my own (sorry, some are gripes):
1) Can you import your own animations to actors?
2) Can you attach objects? Like place a rifle in a marine's hand? I have been unable to figure this out.
3) Explain to me how to create skyboxes. I've created the entity, placed all the materials, and rendered. Still black.
4) When moving cameras around the map by right-clicking and flying around, I feel the mouse sensitivity is WAY too high. Just me?
5) I am sad that there is no "pedestal" motion for maneuvering the cameras. You can move forward, backward, track left/right, but no easy way to move cam up/down without adjusting the y-origin in curves. I'm sure you guys checked out SFM. Those camera placement tools are very intuitive.
6) The Curves editor and Properties window don't update each other. I assume this is still being worked on, but just putting it out there. For example: When you add an actor, in the Properties window Visible is set to True, however in the Curves editor, it is unchecked by default. It seems checking any of the switches in the Curves editor does nothing and does not update the same settings in the Properties window.
7) Is there no way to delete keyframes, or am I just not seeing it?
Edit: BTW, walk and run (without weapon) animations would be greatly appreciated. And refer to question #2 and I think we could start making some neat stuff. Here is just another little test, trying to get lighting/cameras reacting the way I want them:
<center><object width="450" height="356"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/V3hJ3lqNjJA"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/V3hJ3lqNjJA" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="450" height="356"></embed></object></center>
1) How do I freeze and animation for a script actor?
2) Does the CE only load models / materials from the NS2 directory?
2) How can I use exiting CE files in another CE file? For example, bullet tracers
3) Does the CE do motion tweening motion paths for all Script Actors and Camera?
4) Does adding Key Frames to Cameras make the view switch to them? So, multiple Cameras in a single cinematic.
5) Can ambient sounds, sound emitters, or music be played / triggered in a cinematic?
6) Is there a way to apply shaders to the Camera? Ex: Blur, Alien Vision, etc.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
1) You could blend the first animation into a second animation set at 0% play back. There is no 'stop animation' button. I think I understood your question.
2) You should be able to place your own content into the NS2 directory that you wish to load.
3) For stuff like bullet traces, Add Event -> Play Cinematic -> Select the Cinematic of your choosing and select an attach point. If no attach points are available It might not be possible. I can't remember.
Cinematics like bullet traces only play once so you'd have to add the event 50 times if you wanted a marine to empty a full rifle clip.
Best to create your own cinematic with the amount of bullet traces you want.
The other option is 'Create External File'. Note that if the cinematic you import also has another cinematic imported into it, it will not move with the rest of the imported cinematic. You'll find it at the 'center' of the 'world'
4) Use key-frames to set a camera's property 'Visible' to 'False' when you wish to switch to the next camera or something like that. I do know it doesn't behave as you'd expect. I'll have to figure out what I did to get it to work correctly.
5) Add Event -> Play Sound works on any object if I recall correctly. Sounds are bugged currently. Sounds you add will not likely be audible until you save and reload your cinematic. They are also often to quiet to be heard. No sound file is created if you render a cinematic.
6) I don't think so.
3) I've noticed, so far, that you can give a path to anything. And by default, the keyframes are setup for a bezier-type of movement. You have to highlight the frames and switch them to linear interpolation.
4) Adding keyframes to cameras does not cut to them. I actually kind of like this, because I'd personally rather do my editing in a video editor for fine-tuning. I like the ability to set up a scene with actors, animate, then add multiple cameras for different angles. Render out Angle 1, double-click the other cam, render it out, etc. The ability to rename the actors and cameras in the Curves editor needs to be added.
5) You can have cameras play sounds/music in the Events window. However, I have not been able to get them to work.
I'll add a couple of my own (sorry, some are gripes):
1) Can you import your own animations to actors?
2) Can you attach objects? Like place a rifle in a marine's hand? I have been unable to figure this out.
3) Explain to me how to create skyboxes. I've created the entity, placed all the materials, and rendered. Still black.
4) When moving cameras around the map by right-clicking and flying around, I feel the mouse sensitivity is WAY too high. Just me?
5) I am sad that there is no "pedestal" motion for maneuvering the cameras. You can move forward, backward, track left/right, but no easy way to move cam up/down without adjusting the y-origin in curves. I'm sure you guys checked out SFM. Those camera placement tools are very intuitive.
6) The Curves editor and Properties window don't update each other. I assume this is still being worked on, but just putting it out there. For example: When you add an actor, in the Properties window Visible is set to True, however in the Curves editor, it is unchecked by default. It seems checking any of the switches in the Curves editor does nothing and does not update the same settings in the Properties window.
7) Is there no way to delete keyframes, or am I just not seeing it?
Edit: BTW, walk and run (without weapon) animations would be greatly appreciated. And refer to question #2 and I think we could start making some neat stuff. Here is just another little test, trying to get lighting/cameras reacting the way I want them:
<center><object width="450" height="356"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/V3hJ3lqNjJA"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/V3hJ3lqNjJA" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="450" height="356"></embed></object></center><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
2) Open a weapon model. Center model. Save as a cinematic.
Open the cinematic with the marine and select him. Add event -> play Cinematic -> open the previous cinematic you made. Select rhand attach point.
Job done.
You could also, for exampiale, stick an axe in his head. Or his back. But that requires the fiddly job of postioning the item correctly.
I did something similar with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mfob0z9GZYU" target="_blank">A Marine riding a Onos</a>.
There are also some existing marine models that have weapons attached to them.
3) Save file, reopen file. Now it's visible.
7) Only way I know to delete key frames it to select them in the curves editor and hit delete. That, or Undo.
As for Marines walking without weapons, there is the ready room 'walk' and 'idle' animations.
Any ideas how to pause / stop the playback of existing cinematic effect (steam, sparks, etc)?
Any ideas how to pause / stop the playback of existing cinematic effect (steam, sparks, etc)?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
No pause for anything sadly.
Also a bug that comes to mind that users need to be aware of, is emitters for smoke etc won't play unless you have both the work camera and/or a camera looking at the emitter.