copyright © 2015 curt hill udk animation with kismet and matinee visual scripting

Copyright © 2015 Curt Hill

UDK Animation with Kismet and Matinee

Visual Scripting

Previously• We know some of the basics of

level creation:– BSP and CSG– Placing static mesh actors– Lighting– Sound– Several miscellaneous other things

• So far everything is static– Lets do simple animations


Kismet• High order animation editor• Anything you can do with this you

can also do with Unrealscript– In the same way that C++ is higher

than Assembly– Anything you can do in C++ you

could also do in Assembly• If you can do it with Kismet it will

be easier than UnrealScript


Classification• The Unreal engine classifies actors• A static mesh is unmovable

– That makes it easier to render• What we want now is to convert a

static mesh into a Mover– A Mover can be moved by the animator

• All that is needed is to reclassify the item

• We do this with a right click


Pictures• In the next screen shots I have

inserted a base and half of a blast door

• I will select the base• Right click and convert to Mover


Base and Door


Base Selected


Right Click Menu


Collision Type• We now set the collision type• Select the base

– If not already• Use function F4 or Right Click and

show the properties• Open up Collision properties• Select COLLIDE_BlockAll from

Collision Type drop down• This prevents player from walking

through the moverCopyright © 2015 Curt Hill

Block_All


Kismet• Select the item in question, the

base• Kismet may be started with:

– The K button on the toolbar– View menu and Kismet submenu


The K Button


Kismet Has Started


A new event• Right click in the blank Kismet

editor• Choose the new event with the

Mover actor that was selected• This gives the following two

screens


Choosing a New Event


Resulting Graph


Graph Explained• This is a visual way to describe

events and their actions• A pawn is the player or other active

agent• To attach in this case is to stand

upon• This triggers the play action

– Denoted by the arrow• When this is done the Reverse

action is triggeredCopyright © 2015 Curt Hill

What Do We Want?• We want two animations: elevator

moves up and elevator moves down• This should be activated when the

player stands on the platform• This should be dependent on where

the elevator is when we start• Since the motion is straight line we

only need to show the beginning and ending locations


Next• We open Matinee and setup two

key frames• We double click on the Matinee

icon in the graph• We should get this:


Matinee Opens With Kismet


Display is Time• The main display is the time the

animation will take• You can drag this display left and right

and see more or less of the times• Notice the red triangles on the bottom• Drag the right one to change

animation length• The black bar is the time for the

current keyframe


Time Bounds


Selecting KeyFrame• With Matinee in focus you hit enter• This refers Matinee to the current

state of the perspective window• You should set (in Red) the name

of the keyframe– Numbered from zero– It should also show a time

• On the first keyframe your perspective frame should be fine


Next KeyFrame• Move the black bar to the last

keyframe and again hit enter• Then return to the perspective

view• Move the actor to its new location


Second KeyFrame Raised


Commentary• The yellow line in the previous

picture is the path that the Mover will take

• We can now play our animation• First hit the stop button and then

the play


Playing


Triggers• Under the Actor Class tab of the

content browser and common are triggers

• A trigger can initiate an animation as well

• Triggers may be:– Hidden – they coincide with a static

mesh– Not hidden – they appear as a switch

• One trigger may activate multiple animations


Process• Drag the trigger onto the level• Set the properties, including sizing

and positioning• With the trigger selected start

Kismet• Select the trigger and then touch• See next two slides


Trigger On Mesh Sphere


Creating an Event


This time• Matinee does not automatically

appear as it did before• What you see is just the trigger• Right click to make Matinee appear• Drag the event to the Matinee play• Matinee proceeds as normal• Multiple matinees are allowed to

animate multiple things• The trigger and the animation do

not need to be closeCopyright © 2015 Curt Hill

Two Matinee Events


Finally on Triggers• Like before the meshes must be

converted to movers• They should have appropriate

positions • Many things will already have the

collision type properly set


Problems• I could not this to animate on my

Win 7 machine (AMD processor)– The metal base did not need a jump

to get on, so it may have been a position problem

– Or something completely different• Worked fine on this one• Could see no differences• Hope the demo goes well


Finally • You are now ready to do a

complete level• Lets do the demo


copyright © 2015 curt hill udk animation with kismet and matinee visual scripting

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