Need help with Blender animation X-porting

D

Danl

New member
Hi everybody, I have been searching for a solution to my exporting animations in Blender 2.48a. I am just learning Blender and am using Paul Hobbs tutorial of the Simple Loco for my project. I am building a three axel tender bogey. I have it completed and tried to export it to Trainz. I found only the XML file and the .IM file and NO .KIN file. I have tried several times with no success. I even tried selecting only the animation tab without selecting the mesh data tab and that didn't work either. Can any body help with this problem? I am relatively sure that I must have missed something somewhere along the process. I tried to email Paul Hobbs at the email address on the tutorial but that address don't work anymore. Does anybody have a current address for Paul?
So, if anyone knows their way around Blender, Your help would be greatly appreciated. I didn't get any error from the trainz exporter when I exported so I don't know what to look for.
Danl :eek:

"My thinker stopped thinking, The reverser is stuck in neutral, somebody get out and push. Thats a heck of a way to run a railroad." :hehe:
 
First get the animated part in the active window, and in the buttons window you should be on frame one.

When you export you should see a window with mesh data and animation data, the OK bit is to the right. Click on animation data so it turns blue the same as mesh data then click OK.

Cheerio John
 
Hi John...I have done that operation a number of times with no success. All I get is the XML and the .IM files. I think I may have left out a step or two in the animation process. The tutorial says to press "I" and select Rot at frame 1, then go to frame 30 and press "I" and select Rot again, then rotate the lattice, then press "I" again. I don't think I did that. If that is what I need to do, then that is where I messed up. If that is correct.... what is the purpose of pressing "I" the second time at frame 30 after rotating the lattice. This is what confused me in the tutorial. After the "I" is pressed the second time then what do you do? Make another selection in the dropdown menu? I think this is where I got confused.

Thanx......Danl
 
Danl said:
I tried to email Paul Hobbs at the email address on the tutorial but that address don't work anymore. Does anybody have a current address for Paul?
Click to expand...
My email address has been the same for the last ten years or more. What does the console window say when you try and export? What is in the log file?

Paul
 
:hehe: Hi Paul & John, I am very glad to hear from you both. I must have my head up my #*>!!. I forgot to link the lattice to the mesh during the animation process. BOY!! what a dummy.... I certainly do appreciate you guys taking the time. And Paul...I sent you an email to the address paul hobbs@web.de. It didn't go through because I didn't put a "dot" between your first and last names. I guess my thinker has stopped working and my reverser is still stuck in neutral. Let me go back to my animation process and do it the right way and see what happens. I guess thats what I get for sitting around looking stupid. Thanks again guys. I appreciate you. :wave:
 
:hehe: Hi Paul & John, I am very glad to hear from you both. I must have my head up my #*>!!. I forgot to link the lattice to the mesh during the animation process. BOY!! what a dummy.... I certainly do appreciate you guys taking the time. And Paul...I sent you an email to the address paul hobbs@web.de. It didn't go through because I didn't put a "dot" between your first and last names. I guess my thinker has stopped working and my reverser is still stuck in neutral. Let me go back to my animation process and do it the right way and see what happens. I guess thats what I get for sitting around looking stupid. Thanks again guys. I appreciate you. :wave:
Click to expand...
Just saw this. I'm exporting only the im file as well. I already did the bone heat with the armature and mesh. I then created a brief animation. Then exported by enabling the animation button on export. No kin file though. Just the im file. What am I doing wrong?
 
If the same rules apply to Blender that apply to Gmax, anim.kin is a separate export. Note the name, it has to called that, nothing else will work.

further edit:-
According to the Trainzdev wiki other names can be used in the mesh table as

'anim Somethingelse.kin'

So make your choice.

Peter
 
Last edited:
If the same rules apply to Blender that apply to Gmax, anim.kin is a separate export. Note the name, it has to called that, nothing else will work.

Peter
Click to expand...
So if I understand what you're saying - I name the file anim.kin on export? Then I export the im file separately? Or I simply export 1 file and name it anim.kin. I've renamed it anim.kin and it exports 'anim.kin.im'. Yes I'm confused.:confused:
 
Don't you have a choice for the extension. It is the blind leading the blind here, I know very little about Blender. I can only speak from my knowledge of Gmax, where Trainz exports have a choice of .im and .kin as extensions.

Be patient, someone with Blender savvy will reply.

Peter
 
Len12 said:
So if I understand what you're saying - I name the file anim.kin on export? Then I export the im file separately? Or I simply export 1 file and name it anim.kin. I've renamed it anim.kin and it exports 'anim.kin.im'. Yes I'm confused.:confused:
Click to expand...

When you export you get a window that says Export options, push to export, mesh data, animation data. Normally the mesh data button is darker blue, click on the animation data to make it the same colour, darker blue as the mesh data then click OK.

Sort the folder by time and data and you should now see the .kin file as well as the .im file.

Cheerio John
 
John

I know that. I've persistently pressed the animation export button as well. The only thing I get is the im. file. That's the confusing part. I created a mesh - person. Made the armature and burn't it to the mess. I then created a brief animation. Named it. Pressed the "animation" export option as well. Only thing comes out is the im file.
 
Wait a minute. I'm not home now. But is the problem that I'm pressing both buttons. So far I've clicked both to export expecting the im and kin files concurrently?
 
Len12 said:
Wait a minute. I'm not home now. But is the problem that I'm pressing both buttons. So far I've clicked both to export expecting the im and kin files concurrently?
Click to expand...
It makes the *.im and the *.kin in one hit if both buttons are selected. What's happening is that the exporter is not recognising that you have an animation in there - probably because the linking is wrong. You sent me the files and I'll have a look in a few hours.

Paul
 
Thanks Paul.The error after the attempted export states:no bones --->*.kin file. So it's not exporting the bones. I'll send the blend file.
 
The same way you always send an attachment. Make sure it's not over 4Mb though, so either zip it or strip the Blend file down so that only the lattices and the meshes that the animation needs are included (no textures, I don't need those).

You did rename the lattices to b.r.name etc didn't you? If you didn't they won't be recognised as bones, but I did mention this in the tutorial.

Paul
 
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