Adding build up animations to make these buildings sellable

w20adm · Vehicle Drone **Joined**: 02 Mar 2019

Hi.

Sorry if this is a daft noob question but I cant seem to find the info by searching. I'm making simple ini files alterations to make things buildable like the cabal core, core defender, nod pyramid and the 2 cabal obelisks. Got them all working fine I.e. buildable etc and at the right tech levels and prerequisites. But I can't sell the 2 cabal obelisks and nod pyramid because they have no buildup anim. I've seen some people mention they are available through mod files etc but how do I go about getting these and then how do I place them within the directory so they exist and can be used?

Any help appreciated thanks.

E1 Elite · General **Joined**: 28 May 2013

In the art.ini, you can add any anim that has more than 1 frame as buildup like
Buildup=W_PIFF

Proper buildup needs making the buildup SHP files in unit palette for the buildings you need and add it to new addon mix file like ecache04.mix etc. and then in art.ini add reference for it.

w20adm · Vehicle Drone **Joined**: 02 Mar 2019

Where do I get the anims from? I'm not really a modder is there any downloadable files pre made for build up animation for the cabal obelisks and nod pyramid?

E1 Elite · General **Joined**: 28 May 2013

I don't know which mod has made such proper buildups. Also if some mod has it, they may not be willing to share for public use.

Try searching in https://ppmforums.com/forum-110/shps/

W_piff is already available in game files, so you just have to add the art.ini entry, just in case you can't make SHP files on your own.

Mig Eater · Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2024 7:43 am Post subject:

As a quick fix you can also use the building's main SHP file as the buildup, so for example...

[BUILD]
Buildup=BUILD

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E1 Elite · General **Joined**: 28 May 2013

Main building SHPs have damaged frames, that will show up too.

w20adm · Vehicle Drone **Joined**: 02 Mar 2019

Didn't know there was a generic buildup anim for quick fix. Just hope it doesn't look too strange lol. I just would have thought that at some stage somebody would've made a buildup anim available for everyone as it seems like a pretty basic thing for the talents on here.

Also do any pic files exist for the build icons of the pyramid, cabal cores and obelisks and core defender?

w20adm · Vehicle Drone **Joined**: 02 Mar 2019

Mig Eater wrote:

As a quick fix you can also use the building's main SHP file as the buildup, so for example...

[BUILD]
Buildup=BUILD

This didn't work btw Sad

w20adm · Vehicle Drone **Joined**: 02 Mar 2019

Also, I can't find an entry in the art.ini for the 2 cabal obelisks, :/

Edit:found them. Obl1 and obl2. The w_piff has made them sellable so thanks. An animaion would be cool though if anyone sees this thread and knows/has one made that I can easily download and place in the directory.

Also, build icons would also be cool if anyone has any of those available.

djohe · Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2024 8:20 am Post subject:

Yes but I do not remember where, and I do not want to search trough my files on my old disconnected hard drive sorry.

NimoStar · Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2024 5:59 am Post subject:

Quote:

I just would have thought that at some stage somebody would've made a buildup anim available for everyone as it seems like a pretty basic thing for the talents on here.

Making a buildup anim is probably the hardest part for buildings

Thats why westwood themselves didn't make them unless they were absolutely necessary

Unlike other types of stuff (voxels, SHP edits, static pre-placed buildings, cameos), buildup anims need to be modeled, animated and rendered in 3D

PS: Soon, it might be more possible to make them with fine-tuned animation AI GANs, though

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Lin Kuei Ominae · Seth **Joined**: 16 Aug 2006 **Location**: Germany

A cheap buildup can be done manually, by removing parts of the building on each frame.

Attached are 2 very old buildup anims OBL1MK and OBL2MK (from 2002 and 2006 according to the file date). No clue who made them (IIRC they were public assets).

In my personal mod I renamed them and created a clone of both buildings, so the original OBL1 and OBL2 stay unchanged. Because with a buildup anim, the computer/Cabal may sell them and thus break the last campaign mission.

obl2mk.shp

Description:

Download

Filename:

obl2mk.shp

Filesize:

27.52 KB

Downloaded:

4 Time(s)

obl1mk.shp

Description:

Download

Filename:

obl1mk.shp

Filesize:

30.62 KB

Downloaded:

6 Time(s)

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SHP Artist of Twisted Insurrection: Nod buildings

Public SHPs
X-Mech Calendar (28 Mechs for GDI and Nod)
5 GDI, 5 Nod, 1 Mutant, 1 Scrin unit, 1 GDI building

Tools
Image Shaper______TMP Shop______C&C Executable Modifier

Lin Kuei Ominae · Seth **Joined**: 16 Aug 2006 **Location**: Germany

to make it complete, here the cameos I used (again no clue who made them 2002, or if it was even myself)

obl2icon.shp

Description:

Download

Filename:

obl2icon.shp

Filesize:

3.03 KB

Downloaded:

4 Time(s)

obl1icon.shp

Description:

Download

Filename:

obl1icon.shp

Filesize:

2.92 KB

Downloaded:

7 Time(s)

_________________
SHP Artist of Twisted Insurrection: Nod buildings

Public SHPs
X-Mech Calendar (28 Mechs for GDI and Nod)
5 GDI, 5 Nod, 1 Mutant, 1 Scrin unit, 1 GDI building

Tools
Image Shaper______TMP Shop______C&C Executable Modifier

w20adm · Vehicle Drone **Joined**: 02 Mar 2019

How do you fuse these to your game to make them work? Does the file just go into a specific folder then get referenced in the ini?

Sorry if it's nooby question but I have no idea how shp's work

Lin Kuei Ominae · Seth **Joined**: 16 Aug 2006 **Location**: Germany

You have to put the SHPs into an ecache MIX file.
See the Tutorials Factory subforum with topics like
https://ppmforums.com/topic-20064/the-newbie-guide-in-modding/
and
https://ppmforums.com/topic-33831/how-to-add-downloaded-unitsbuildings-and-graphics

_________________
SHP Artist of Twisted Insurrection: Nod buildings

Public SHPs
X-Mech Calendar (28 Mechs for GDI and Nod)
5 GDI, 5 Nod, 1 Mutant, 1 Scrin unit, 1 GDI building

Tools
Image Shaper______TMP Shop______C&C Executable Modifier