Editing Arcane University:Animation

{{Trail}}
'''Animation''' in Skyrim has two sub-categories: character animations, rigged to a creature or npc skeleton; and static animations, like doors and chests. Creating new creature/npc animation files is challenging, but doable. More commonly, an existing animation file is being used on a new skeleton, that has mostly the same bone count and proportions. Static animations are much simpler.

==Specific Tutorials==
===Character and creature animations===
* [[Arcane_University:Editing Animation Skeletons|Editing Animation Skeletons]]: altering skeletons to fit existing animations to a custom skinned mesh

===Static object animations===
* [[AU:Exporting animated statics using ck-cmd|Exporting animated statics using ck-cmd]]: creating animated statics like doors or containers

====Videos====
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DrN_AS28qk Animating Crash Course - Basic Static Animations in Blender (Youtube)]: creating a basic animated static in Blender, using an armature
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23-JjWs_nrg Nif Animation - Kettlewitch // AToMM August 2021 (Youtube)]: creating animated statics using only NifSkope

== General hints ==
* It is not recommended to place a lot of meshes in regions with a lot of movement, like armpits, thighs and so on as glitching (surfaces being visible where they should not) is more common to happen.
* Keep disconnected meshes at a minimum, as it will increase the effort to rig the mesh.
* Cover body parts that have different proportions (Argonian head, Khajit head, human head) to cut work for unique variants.
* Prefer booleans to insert meshes to avoid complex clipping.
* The quality assurance of your work must happen with the animations loaded. Expect that you have to go back and iterate on the movement a few times.
* The left thigh of humans moves more than the right.

==Information by 3D software==
=== 3DS Max ===
Click here for the main [[Arcane University:3DS Max for Skyrim|3DS Max]] page.

Here you can see a tutorial of animating a skeleton for FO4, which uses the same engine as Skyrim: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-NkbrmG5po

=== Maya ===
Click here for the main [[Arcane University:Maya for Skyrim|Maya]] page.

=== Outfit Studio ===

Click here for the main [[Arcane University:Outfit Studio for Skyrim|Outfit Studio]] page.
Rigging within Outfit Studio is documented on the page [[AU:Rigging in Outfit Studio|Rigging in Outfit Studio]].

=== Blender ===
Click here for the main [[Arcane University:Blender for Skyrim|Blender]] page.
Rigging Tools within Blender is documented on these pages:
* [[Arcane University:Rigging with Blender  2.79|Rigging with Blender  2.79]]
* [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q_mNPVJdQ5udrYYftIaeXv7V1Wk7RFoP/view Rigging Jewelry with Blender  2.79]

=== Nifskope ===
Click here for the main [[Arcane University:Nifskope for Skyrim|NifSkope]] page.

* You have to enable each of these boxes in BSDismemberSkinInstance or NiSkinInstance of every skinned mesh:
** Partitions: ''BodyPartList''
*** Part Flag: PF_Editor_Visible, PFStartNetBoneSet ''BSPartFlag''
*** Body Part: SBP_32_Body ''BSDismemberBodyPartType''

[[Category:Arcane University-Animation| ]]
[[Category:Arcane University-3D Art| ]] [[Category:Arcane University-Method| ]]