hyperPad’s Post

Was brushing up on some VFX and ran into an incompatibility problem with some old UE4 animation packs(compatible up to 5.2) just for some showcasing since I didn't want to create animations from scratch. I created an IK rig inside UE for the old UE4 mannequin and adapted the entire animation pack into the metahuman skeletal structure and then retargeted that over to the UE5 mannequin to make the animations compatible with UE5.3 so that my metahuman character I'm working on could run around holding a flamethrower for this. This also required me to recreate the animation blueprint with enhanced input instead of deprecated action/axis inputs from older engine versions. I didn't spend too much time on this aspect of adaptation since with UE5.4 upcoming features of auto generating IK rigs and retargeting rigs will be a natural feature in an easier process than full manual setup like I did here. For this session I was mainly trying to get a real-time simulation at decent FPS while utilizing experimental niagara fluids for cinematics creation and small-scale gameplay simulation. The water effects was fantastic and the flamethrower was a little bit wonky in some circumstances, having the system be optimized enough to run stable was a challenge. Just a few extra numbers or addition could be the difference between an additional 20-30fps or the opposite to becoming a complete slideshow/crash. I wanted to do some physics impulse and object launching with animation warping but didn't quite get to it yet since this session took up a lot of time just debugging fluids interactions with surfaces and distance mesh fields along with collision problems. But for the most part I came to understand some of the depths of complexity within the niagara system in a relatively short time and to have it behave properly in simulation and in gameplay. It feels great. Certain things that couldn't be addressed were attachments to the character's turn from movement inputs affecting the niagara field to jitter, work arounds would be have it controlled by mouse axis or locked to a threshold turn rate as some viable ideas instead of binary actuation of input. For cinematics this is entirely usable in rendering out a scene at extreme quality especially when using the simulation cache in a sequencer or post processing overrides and command line options(sort of like command prompt rendering without loading up into windows for Maya with MEL or blender python). For gameplay, optimization is a heavy concern and should be used in micro scale or specific important use cases and can be viable without tanking the stability of the game. #unrealengine5 #vfx

The other day, I read this article in which the director of Stellar Blade talked in an interview about the input lag and how it was deliberate due to the game's animation style. Since besides level design, my second passion in game design is animation systems and combat design, I find it a very interesting topic to talk about. I feel that this is one of those things that, until you are developing video games, you don't realize. But yes, there is a war between reactivity in gameplay and realism in animations. How heavy or not a character feels, the inertias, the time in which the body prepares to execute an action and the blending time between the different poses, are issues that affect in both cases, contradicting each other to a great extent. At first, I thought it was crazy that in a hack&slash this decision was taken. Although it is not the first time I see it an action game (I remember that until a later update Kena had this same "problem"), it has been harshly criticized by many players. That's why I wanted to do my bit in this discussion with several questions that come to mind. First, if your player base doesn't like that decision, but you consider as a creative director that it is the right decision, are you right to keep it? One thing I learned during my studies was that sometimes you don't have to listen the feedback directly. Now if the players detect a problem, they may not find the solution or even the problem, but believe me, you have a problem. Secondly, How do we mix realistic animation and frenetic games? We often tend to think of animations as merely visual, but beware, they are a fundamental part of the gamefeel. Let's not think that including a small input lag for the animations to transition well is always an anti-gameplay/pro-visual decision. The key is in the balance to make everything feel right. Finally, to what extent does this decision come from design and not from a marketing point of view? It is evident that these more realistic animations make the game look better in videos. This make me wonder if it is a design decision, where this type of animation has been considered a fundamental and untouchable pillar of the game or if it is an evil with which they have had to deal with. If it is a design decision, I think that with the feedback obtained as a response they should give it a twist (as Kena did at the time) and if it is a decision imposed from the top, I think it's a shame that they have create such a problem to a game that looks so cool. PS: Funny that the example that came to my mind is Kena, first game from a studio that came from animation ;) I would love to read other opinions about this topic, so don't hesitate to post if you have other points of view. #GameDesign #AnimationSystems #CombatDesign #GameDevelopment #GameDev #GameThinking #GameDiscussion https://lnkd.in/dXZMYiTy

Hi everyone! Recently I was experimenting with creating a mock game AD like the ones you would see on social media or in free mobile games. I was responsible for creating 90% of the visuals. Quick breakdown: 1-The intro screen was mainly produced in #AfterEffects. The map texture and pins animation were made using an #AI generated animation from #Canva. This was deformed and animated using a combination of standard effects. CC particle world was use for the flying embers and colour correction adjustments layers were used ove everything to bring it all together. 2-Mock gameplay. This was really fun to put together. I used #Unity as the game engine. Realtime physics was utilized with colliders and rigidbodies for the obstacles which involved walls, floors, falling platforms, rolling boulders and moving logs. The materials for the stage used a quick triplanar #shadergraph I made with albedo and normal map textures downloaded from https://freestylized.com. The camera setup, character and his animation were taken from a free package on the Unity Asset Store. I then setup an animator (state machine) and edited his C# control script to blend his animations from idle to run and allow it to be controlled by the player. The boulders also needed a C# script that caused them to spawn whenever the player entered a trigger area. 3-End screen. Now back in After Effects I animated all of the elements together with some heavy eases. I had a happy accident where the last frames from the gameplay sequence matched the first frames on the end screen which really sold that transition. The background was taken from the original movie poster where I painted out Harrison Ford using #Photoshop. 4-Audio. All of the voice over clips were created using https://elevenlabs.io/ AI voice generator. The sound effects of the gameplay were actually created in post using clips from https://freesound.org/. I choose to do it that way because the focus of the exercise was to create the game ad and not the gameplay. I learnt a lot from this exercise and it demanded a wide range of my skillset. I'm always amazed at the amount of techniques and experience that is needed across these projects. #Unity #Photoshop #AfterEffects #AI #Mobile #Game

🎮✨🤩 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 Animation and the gaming industry have always gone hand in hand.  Motion graphics refers to a specific animation technique used mainly for enhancing things like text, icons, and abstract elements as opposed to characters or environments.  Here’s a few reasons motion graphics are great for games!  🔎 𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘂𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗧𝗲𝘅𝘁: Reading instructions can be dull - motion graphics can make text more engaging  and can also use visuals to convey more information!  🎮 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Something as simple as a health bar pulsing when you’re low can really add an extra feeling of urgency to a game. Small and deliberate animations can really help your players feel emotionally invested! 📰 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻: A clear menu and UI is vital for a good game - motion graphics can give these elements a flourish without making things too cluttered! 🚀 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: Using the same style of motion graphics in the game and in advertising makes your brand feel really cohesive and memorable!  Have a game you’re itching to show the world? Message Flixr and we can work on a campaign to get your game out there!

Message to Darkened Skye developers from Boston Animation: I have a few questions about the production of Darkened Skye, Simon & Schuster Interactive's websites and support lines closed years ago and I am unsure where else to ask. If you can't answer any questions could you please forward me to someone who might know more. What engine was Darkened Skye developed in? What softwares were used in the creation of Darkened Skye's textures and 3d models? Do you still have access or a way to access prerelease versions of Darkened Skye's engine, models or any other game material? Do you still have access or a way to access Darkened Skye's source code and/or uncompiled 3d models and textures? Sorry if these questions seem intrusive or unusual, I am both curious about the games development and attempting to write an article about it. Darkened Skye is one of my favourite games and I have recently revisited it.

More animation tests and blocking for Hybrids. Why side projects are a must if one wants to improve drastically. There are two types of groups in the creative world. One who will talk, discuss and go to many group outings aiming to do passion projects. The others who start on a passion project and slowly keep pushing on. Easy to see which group makes progress. The only way to get better at doing something is constantly iterating and doing the work. Side projects, in the long run, come back to help you in future work that comes your way. This may be in pipelines, workflow or how you designed something around restrictions. While theory is important , the growing reliance on theory, experts who have not made anything, whitepapers ( the relevancy of which can be a whole can of worms) can give an illusion of progress where there is none. Makers make. Creators create. The best way to get better at making games or making tools for games is by making games or making relevant tools. Keep creating.

[Workflow Series #1 - How we animated 100+ 3D creatures for a open-world game] The team at Cominted Labs is tackling interesting challenges for our clients on a daily basis. In this series of articles, our artists will be sharing their learnings & #workflows with you! In this first article, Lucas shares his technique to animate over hundred of #3D creatures for an open-world game (TCG World) 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gPNshsxi

--Understanding Character Rotation and Strafing in Games-- In game development, character movement and orientation play a crucial role in delivering a smooth player experience. Here's a quick breakdown of how character rotation and strafing mechanics work: Base Rotation (Facing Direction): This is the character’s orientation, representing where the player is "looking" or facing. It's typically controlled by player input, like moving the mouse or using the right stick. Velocity-Based Rotation: While Base Rotation shows where the character is facing, velocity rotation reflects the direction of movement. For example, a character might face forward but move diagonally. Strafing Calculation: When the character's facing direction (Base Rotation) differs from the movement direction (Velocity Rotation), strafing occurs. The Strafe Value measures this difference: Get the Facing Yaw (the direction the player is looking). Get the Velocity Yaw (the actual movement direction). Subtract Facing Yaw from Velocity Yaw to get the Strafe Angle. Why Enable "Use Controller Rotation Yaw"? This ensures the character’s facing direction follows the player's input, keeping strafing meaningful by maintaining alignment between input and the base rotation. In Unreal Engine 5, X = Roll, Y = Pitch, and Z = Yaw, which are key for understanding and manipulating rotations. I'll be posting a video soon that showcases the strafing implementation along with the codebase! Stay tuned for insights into how these mechanics are built. #gamedevelopment #UnrealEngine5 #characterdesign #animation #gamedev

🎮⚡ Unlocking Smooth Game Animations with Root Motion Optimization! Ever wonder why some games feel incredibly fluid, while others feel “off” even with great animations? The secret lies in Root Motion Optimization! In one of my recent Unity projects, I tackled the problem of characters sliding or jittering during movement. Here’s what worked for me: 1. Bake Root Motion into NavMesh Movement: Instead of letting the Animator control movement, I use Animator.deltaPosition to sync animation with the character’s movement on the NavMesh. 2. Predictive Position Adjustment: Calculate the character’s future position based on velocity and fine-tune the animation transitions to match the gameplay speed. Result? No more foot sliding. Flawless transitions between walk, run, and idle states. A noticeable boost in player immersion! Unity devs, what’s your secret sauce for achieving silky-smooth character animations? Drop your tips below! 👇

Week 4 of My 8-Week Game Dev Challenge: Motion Design & Dynamic Visuals in Unreal Engine 5 🎮 Week 4 milestone—halfway through my challenge! 🚀 This week, I focused on learning more about the motion design feature in Unreal Engine 5. From asset cloning and placement to camera animation and time dilation, I wanted to dive deep into how these tools can be used in game development. I started by designing a logo with DALL·E and fine-tuning it in Illustrator before bringing it into Unreal Engine for animation. My goal was to explore how motion design could bring more life and interactivity to assets in-game, using techniques like effector animation and color correction to enhance the visual impact. One of the coolest things I learned was how to use shadow catcher and render multiple shots with different cameras in the same scene, adding a lot of flexibility to how assets are presented. I also played around with time dilation, experimenting with slow-motion effects and dynamic sequences. Credit to the creator of the tutorial: HussinKhan(UAI) Why is the motion design feature in Unreal Engine 5 relevant for game development? Procedural animation: Automating animation with rules and patterns to create dynamic interactions. Dynamic visual effects: Enhancing immersion with responsive effects that adapt to gameplay. Interactive motion: Making assets feel more alive and reactive to player inputs. Seamless transitions: Ensuring smooth, polished transitions between in-game actions or scenes. With Week 4 in the books, I’m halfway through this 8-week challenge, and the learning has been incredible so far. Looking forward to what the next half brings! Next week, I’ll be diving into more game development challenges and expanding my skillset even further—stay tuned!