Weird .NIF files, how to preview anims and export them with mesh?

[Pepsee]

Hello, Xentax! I've been revisiting some old formats I've messed with a couple years back but I completely forgot how to work with. I posted a thread years back on NifSkope forums, and it taught me how to preview animations within the NifSkope model viewer.

First off, I have no way of exporting the .NIF files, Noesis doesn't want to preview nor export the format. Secondly, I have no clue how to preview or extract any of the animations from the .KF files. Each .KF file contains a set of animations, so they are basically archives of animation data, similar to .psa files on Unreal Engine.

I tried Noesis, it doesn't open the files, the Nifskope model viewer works, but I can't get the animations to work like before, nor can I export anything in any other format than .OBJ, I don't know what to do.. I will upload some samples containing both meshes and animations, I will leave a link to the old thread still available on the Oddworld Forums, however as I mentioned before, the detailed thread on NifSkope Forums is gone ever since they swapped domains.



However, I forgot the process... now if you attempt to attach an animation to the skeletal mesh you would get the following error:



Here is the link to the old thread:

http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?t=22096

Here is the link to the sample files:
https://mega.nz/#!UEQQXASa!lv6PYJa13RHg ... P_c_6JqYvw

Thank you for your time!

[einherjar007]

Converted Nif with some tricks. It may have been damaged because it referred to old information.
I wish I could load it correctly, but I get the error message "couldn't find the animation's root node ()".

might be can probably guess that it will be possible to load if you give proper route information,
but in nifSkope it will be grayed out and cannot be edited. Please let me know if there is a way to fix this problem.

[Pepsee]

Converted Nif with some tricks. It may have been damaged because it referred to old information.
I wish I could load it correctly, but I get the error message "couldn't find the animation's root node ()".

might be can probably guess that it will be possible to load if you give proper route information,
but in nifSkope it will be grayed out and cannot be edited. Please let me know if there is a way to fix this problem

If I remember correctly, the process involved importing the base mesh .NIF file, then attaching the .KF animation file.
Afterwards, you had to mess around with the NiNodes, specifically the Controller section.
I can't really recall what exactly you had to alter its' value with, I think the ID of the next NiNode, so in this case, where we have "NiNode 3" with its base bone being 'scrab', we change its' controller to 4, for 'dButt'.



That's all I can really remember, I've done this a couple years ago and mostly forgot the process. I don't recall if you had to do all the associating controllers before attaching the .KF or afterwards. All I specifically remember is that you ALWAYS put the value of the next NiNode for the Controller value ). I hope this is some help to people!

[Pepsee]

Okay, I managed to get a plugin working for a very specific version of blender for importing .nif files. Skeletons work, rigging is saved, but animations are another story.

It all loads up until a certain point and then slaps me in the face with a Python error which I can't see in the console for whatever reason. Seems like the same bad luck that I found myself up against when dealing with Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath files.

I've been told that the best course of action is to work with the Noesis plugin and alter it to support the Munch's Oddysee format for .NIF meshes and .KF animations..




I have attached the Noesis Plugin and Blender Plugins.

[shakotay2]

I've been told that the best course of action is to work with the Noesis plugin and alter it to support the Munch's Oddysee format for .NIF meshes and .KF animations..

yeah, Noesis is a good choice for handling nifs and kfs (besides the strange fact that you have to load the .kf first. Each time I try it I stumble when loading the nif first... , ELOA, amalan for example)

But apart from that Nif is the most flexible (translation: most annoying, same as Havok §$%&!) 3D format.
So I don't see how your proceedding should leave to an acceptable result in a timely manner.

Thing is that your .kf files contain NiSequenceStreamHelper commands. No tools seems to have handled them ever, or correctly.
(the kfs can't be previewed with old Morrowind/Oblivion kf viewers for example)

So it's recommended to just strip out the rotation and translation data from the kf:
(sadly the NifSkope .dae export is empty, more or less, for kf files)
.

Oddworld_SW-kf.png

[Pepsee]

Yeah, Nifskope's exports leave much to be desired.. I'm still wondering if Noesis can fully support them as you said, loading the .KF first, .NIF afterwards.

[Pepsee]

*bump* Any idea for previewing/exporting animations and the meshes as well?

[shakotay2]

It's a shitload of work to do this for nif version 3.3.0.13 - I don't see a simple method.
(Sources for NifSkope are freely available, btw.)

Since you had a working method you should try to recall it somehow, someday (did you search in wayback archives?).

(Once I have some spare time (not this year, I guess) I could try to get a skeleton at least.)
.

getting frames from kf.png

[Ivan04]

Sadly wayback machine won't work.

[Pepsee]

Is there any way to get the contents of the .PAK file from the HD version?
There are very few models on the HD version, sadly, PS3 is the only workaround..

I posted the file here:
https://mega.nz/#!ocJGmIrK!5gvpASBQX3wq ... BKIrAM4nQ0

[DMZT2]

If there's interest I can implement import of these anims for the blender nif plugin. It looks easy enough.

[Ivan04]

If there's interest I can implement import of these anims for the blender nif plugin. It looks easy enough.

Could you maybe ellaborate? the blender plugin so far doesn't import these kind of .kf files, but if the .nif has a sequence attached it works just fine when the .nif is imported.

[DMZT2]

I help develop the port of the plugin to blender 2.79.
https://github.com/niftools/blender_nif_plugin

Keyframe Controllers & Data are already supported, it is just the NiSequenceStreamHelper that's missing and that looks quite simple. It just maps bone name to controller with those extra datas.

[Ivan04]

I help develop the port of the plugin to blender 2.79.
https://github.com/niftools/blender_nif_plugin

Keyframe Controllers & Data are already supported, it is just the NiSequenceStreamHelper that's missing and that looks quite simple. It just maps bone name to controller with those extra datas.

Oh it would be awesome if you did that.

[DMZT2]