Lee: It would be so cool if I could get the output from your exporter working in Blitz3D - I've triangulated the model, moved the skelegons in the model file to layer2, and ran LWDeformConv.exe, and it gave me no errors, but so far I can't get the model to animate in Blitz3D. (I assumed I must be doing something wrong in Blitz3D). However, I'll try and send you the lightwave model (.lwo) and scence (.lws) files.
DangerDave: I found out that the OBJ file format does not contain animation information. Apparently, the export options in messiah:animate only export static models - animation information is evidently transferred to other 3D applications like Lightwave (and 3d Studio Max, Maya, Cinema 4D) via plug-ins.
By the way, messiah:animate is a great application for animation, as it features some really nice tools for speeding up game animation workflow. For example, it's AutoRig feature creates a skeleton "armature" which only needs to have a few points dragged to the appropriate place in a model; skinning (vertex weighting for realistic mesh deformation) is automatic! (Although it can be easily tweaked with a neat tool from inside messiah). So the whole step of skinning a model is basically done away with! "Muscle-bones" (bones that automatically deform a mesh as if muscles were contracting), and easy bone mirroring and editing are also some other cool features.
Since messiah will work seamlessly with Lightwave, if I could just get the model and animation output from a Lightwave scene file into Blitz3D format, I'd have a complete Level and model animation workflow established:
For level design and architecture:
SketchUp > gile[s] > .b3d
For modeling and animation (using messiah:animate):
Lightwave > messiah > Lightwave > .lws (scene file) > [conversion program] > Blitz3D (.b3d)
For modeling and animation (using gameSpace):
gameSpace > Milkshape > Blitz3D (.b3d)
Neither SketchUp nor messiah are cheap, but for professional work, they are very nice indeed, which is what I am looking to use them for.
DangerDave: I found out that the OBJ file format does not contain animation information. Apparently, the export options in messiah:animate only export static models - animation information is evidently transferred to other 3D applications like Lightwave (and 3d Studio Max, Maya, Cinema 4D) via plug-ins.
By the way, messiah:animate is a great application for animation, as it features some really nice tools for speeding up game animation workflow. For example, it's AutoRig feature creates a skeleton "armature" which only needs to have a few points dragged to the appropriate place in a model; skinning (vertex weighting for realistic mesh deformation) is automatic! (Although it can be easily tweaked with a neat tool from inside messiah). So the whole step of skinning a model is basically done away with! "Muscle-bones" (bones that automatically deform a mesh as if muscles were contracting), and easy bone mirroring and editing are also some other cool features.
Since messiah will work seamlessly with Lightwave, if I could just get the model and animation output from a Lightwave scene file into Blitz3D format, I'd have a complete Level and model animation workflow established:
For level design and architecture:
SketchUp > gile[s] > .b3d
For modeling and animation (using messiah:animate):
Lightwave > messiah > Lightwave > .lws (scene file) > [conversion program] > Blitz3D (.b3d)
For modeling and animation (using gameSpace):
gameSpace > Milkshape > Blitz3D (.b3d)
Neither SketchUp nor messiah are cheap, but for professional work, they are very nice indeed, which is what I am looking to use them for.