Blender model to Garry's Mod (Help with animation problem)

[Fōebā]

Hello, I have a blender model that I want to use as a player model in Garry's Mod. Thanks to another user's help we managed to add it in-game. The ragdoll looked right. However, the model doesn't match Half Life 2 animations, and thus the animations are stretching it, so well it looks terrible. Also, this model is originally wearing clothes making it two meshes which makes weight painting harder.
So, the solution here seems to be creating animations for the model's armature. But I have aboslutely 0 knowledge in animating and don't even know what exactly would I be supposed to do. I'm looking for somene here to tell me if there's simpler way to make it work right, and, if there isn't, help me with creating the animation. If you're seriously willing to help me with my little project, then please, send me a friend request, so I can send you the model and show whatever would you need. I'll really appreciate any attempts on helping me. Thank you

[Pte Jack]

We have already been through all this Schmelix and this is not a Blender issue. It is the model Armature does not match the animation model armature you're trying to use in GMod.

The model armature and mesh is going stretch, twist, warp, shrink to match the animation armature you're trying to use.

Animations are built from an armatures rest position and are specific to the model the armature belonged to,

It's like if I was 4 foot 10 and you were 7 foot 6 and we tried to trade clothes.Our own clothes fit us perfectly when we wear them. But on the trade, You would have to shrink your bones in order to fit mine perfectly, and I would have stretch mine to fit your's perfectly and our skin is going to react based on where those bones that move it go.

End of story...

[still__alive]

Originally posted by Dynamic Dragon:

But since by popular agreement I am an ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ for not indulging the widespread delusion that this job is a free and effortless way to art

Nope, that is not the reason for the general consensus. It is because you craft your posts such that they offer the slightest bit of help in a way that seemingly tries to call attention to how much better you are than the rest of the "kids" here. Very arrogant. And you do it in a condescending and unpleasant manner too. Very rude.

I'm not quite sure if it is because English is your second language and you just don't realize how rude your posts are coming across, or if you have some narcissistic tendencies. Either way, I'm personally going to just continue ignoring most, if not all of your posts, unless you start posting in a more positive manner.

I'm not trying to offend you, be rude, hurt your feelings, or start a fight. Just trying to offer my honest opinion on why you are getting the reception you've picked up on. My advice is to stop denigrating other people with your posts and just put in the helpful bits, or don't bother offering your expertise at all. Take it or leave it, I don't care and I probably won't bother with engaging with you further if you continue posting in the tone that you have been since coming to these forums.

[Fōebā]

@Dynamic Dragon
thank you for your answer. can you elaborate? I understand what you mean but I don't know how would I be supposed to transfer an animation. I don't think you are ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ and I would very gladly hear out your opinion. I do know that animating is not an easy and effortless job, that's why I would appreciate help
and for @still_alive's post pls don't argue here, I just want answers for my problems

[still__alive]

Originally posted by schmelix:

@Dynamic Dragon
thank you for your answer. can you elaborate? I understand what you mean but I don't know how would I be supposed to transfer an animation. I don't think you are ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ and I would very gladly hear out your opinion. I do know that animating is not an easy and effortless job, that's why I would appreciate help
and for @still_alive's post pls don't argue here, I just want answers for my problems

Don't worry, I'm not going to argue or engage further with him. He has been posting in a pretty unpleasant manner since he came to these forums and his negativity is getting a little tiring.

I don't know enough about this particular topic, so I don't know how good these tutorials (well, one tutorial and one thread that references an addon) on it are, but maybe they will be of use to you:

https://connect.unity.com/p/retargeting-animations-with-blender-2-80

https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/26216/can-blender-be-used-to-re-target-animations-to-other-rigs

[Fōebā]

Originally posted by still__alive:

Originally posted by schmelix:

@Dynamic Dragon
thank you for your answer. can you elaborate? I understand what you mean but I don't know how would I be supposed to transfer an animation. I don't think you are ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ and I would very gladly hear out your opinion. I do know that animating is not an easy and effortless job, that's why I would appreciate help
and for @still_alive's post pls don't argue here, I just want answers for my problems

Don't worry, I'm not going to argue or engage further with him. He has been posting in a pretty unpleasant manner since he came to these forums and his negativity is getting a little tiring.

I don't know enough about this particular topic, so I don't know how good these tutorials (well, one tutorial and one thread that references an addon) on it are, but maybe they will be of use to you:

https://connect.unity.com/p/retargeting-animations-with-blender-2-80

https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/26216/can-blender-be-used-to-re-target-animations-to-other-rigs

oh, thanks, that might actually help a lot

[Pte Jack]

Re-targeting would have to be done to over 1000 animations that you want the model to use and this was something else we've already discussed as well.

Not only are you trying to use animations from one different model, you are trying to load animations that have been made for 2 to 4 different models onto it (female_shared.mdl, female_gestures.mdl, female_ss.mdl and female_postures.mdl).

Even though these animations models all start with the same naming conventions, they may have been created using different ref models.

You're trying to use these animations in a program that morphs the ref armature and mesh to use animation armatures, not the other way around where the animation armatures morph to use and drive the ref armature of the model.

Not only are you trying to use animations from different models, a lot of these animations are BLENDED or LAYERED animations where a single animation might need 2 or more animations blended together to make it.

To re-target these animations
You would have to decompile the animation models,
take each animation from those animation models that you're trying to append to this model into blender,
re-target the animations to use your model's armature as the animation ref armature,
make sure they work the way you want them to,
export them,
Write a QC (and include the blending data for those that need it)
compile them into new animations models and then
use those new animation models on the model instead of the ones you're trying to use now.

This is not a simple task to do on pre-made animations.

[Dinonoms]

Originally posted by Pte Jack:

Important stuff!

Just out of curiosity...

What you are telling is basiclly the creator of those MDL-Files created the animations in a way that for example if the character gets a prompt to play, for example, an attack animation. When that happens the activates certain commands for the body animations from one MDL-File and facial animations from another MDL-File?

[dlcmpauo]

you can use a method called "proportion trick"
https://sites.google.com/site/zeqmacaw/tutorials/proportion-trick
many models on workshop use it

[Fōebā]

@naemniyubiutca thank you a lot

[Pte Jack]

Originally posted by naemniyubiutca:

you can use a method called "proportion trick"
https://sites.google.com/site/zeqmacaw/tutorials/proportion-trick
many models on workshop use it

Thanks naemniyubiutca,

I actually found that and other references to the "trick" after I wrote my spiel, however when I tried it, I just couldn't get it to work on this model. Not being an avid Gmodder, I kind of got lost in the instructions for the qc and most likely why my attempts failed.

The model in question needs some serious weight painting and some work on the collision models done before an actual port should be attempted. As for the reference, most of Zeq's tutorials are base on L4D2 type ports which need a little more work than an average Ragdoll type model. The other references linked to the one you posted here but had some other instructions for normal ragdoll type ports as well.

This is one of the guides I tried to follow.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=887935033