88mm deck gun mod for the Type II (almost there)

[mikolajcap21]

Hi, you may have seen a post on here recently from a different user regarding a deck gun mod for the type II. I couldn't get my post to show up through my account so I asked somebody else.

Anyway, I am working on a (unrealistic, yet fun) mod to implement the deck gun for the type II. I've previously used the methods I've seen employed in the past, stuff like changing links in the basic.cfg, .eqp, etc. I've had no luck with any of this so I've tried a different method.

This method is similar to how evan82's 37mm AA guns for XXI works. An existing gun is modified simply my changing only the 3d models in the .dat file and some values in the .sim file. Here it's taken to a greater extreme since there is a lot more to change than simply adding thicker barrels.

I am very close to getting to my goal and just have this last hurdle to overcome.

Here are images to show the problem https://imgur.com/a/f0tlOcr

Image 1: This is how the deck gun looks like with the animation configs that are below it. For whatever reason it is translated upward and to the right)

Image 2: This the ExtAnimCtl (*Note all the 20mm guns [Except the 20mmVierling] use 20mmTwin_UFlak_H*)

Image 3: These are the KeyFrame configs. If my animation config is using what is shown in image 2 I could delete these but the problem shown in image 1 would still persist

Image 4: Deck gun's barrel assembly in the correct position as how it looks likes in the GUNS_SUB.dat file. The gun can be manned and rotated and even fired. The problem is that the KeyFrame configs would cause the barrel to perform an animation loop moving up and and resetting down endlessly. I deleted these configs to stop the problem but now the barrel will not elevate.

Image 5: ExtAnimCtl that is responsible for the result in image 4. I changed the AnimName from the 20mm to the 88mm


If anyone knowledgeable with the 3d models and their animation behaviours could help me out with this. I am most curious why the barrel assembly is so offset when using the AnimName = 20mmTwin_UFlak_H. If need be I could send the GUNS_SUB.dat file that I am modifying.

Thank You

[Mister_M]

You must use the exact same settings as for the original 88mm gun. The animation controllers must stay in the Library (AnimationObject in GUNS_SUB.dat), you don't have to copy-paste them.

This thread can help you to understand how the whole mechanic is working: https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=256008 (don't take into account images #4 and #5)

Have you tried this: https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2936890&postcount=5 ?

[mikolajcap21]

I tried what you posted on my previous post and had no luck with it.

I completely forgot about the AnimationObject!

I found my problem I had two nodes that were named <20mmTwin_UFlak_High_Body>Single and the one that was the parent chunk did not have the model so moving the node around did nothing.

I then went to the AnimationObject that controls the 20mm single and went to the KeyFrame that controls the AnimName that the barrel assembly is assigned to. I adjusted the FollowPath values and tweaked the values to move the assembly into place.

All that's left to do is to sort out the crew node, wheel crank animation, and simulation settings.

Thank You!

[Jeff-Groves]

You do realize that Crew Animations are meshanimations and not Keyframed right?
So you can change the Keyframe stuff BUT the Meshanimations won't follow your timings on Keyframe stuff.

You can export the Meshanimations and do some simple changes there to match your keyframe stuff.
Then reimport with S3D. If you do it all right.
Have you looked at this thread?
https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?p=1532155#post1532155

It might be easier to rip the animations from SH5 and use Blender to rebuild the animations since bones are available to move the 3D model joints.
Then export the multipule meshes and import with S3D to a SH3 type meshanimation.
And I did release the Tools and information to do just such a thing.

I may be the only person still active at SubSim that understands and can change animations in SH3/4/5.

[mikolajcap21]

I only picked up sh3ditor about a week ago so I'm still green when it comes to most of the stuff.

By crew animations do you mean the animation that controls how the crew looks and operates the deck gun? When I get to that step I think it will be a matter of changing the animations of the 20mm and replace them with what the crew does on the 88.

Perhaps there were multiple ways of doing this. I got it to work:

https://imgur.com/a/DcBrhpD

The gun moves and looks just like the 88 on the bigger boats.


As for the thread regarding animations, I have looked at it before and could infer some of the information but the images show up as "Sorry, image is currently unavailable".

[Jeff-Groves]

We can Thank PhotoBucket for screwing the pooch on the missing images in that old thread.
:nope:

If one can work in a Hex Editor it's not much of a problem though as the thread states what to do to export and import new Crew Mesh Animations.