Animations not working

Scripting Issues
1

So for some reason no matter what I try the animations never play. Even though when I open pview they play perfectly.

Here’s some code I use to try to run it:

import sys, os, math, random
from direct.showbase.ShowBase import ShowBase
from direct.actor.Actor import Actor
import mainMenu
 
class mainCtrl(ShowBase):
    def __init__(self):
        ShowBase.__init__(self)
       
        #base.disableMouse( )        
        # create a lens
        self.lens = base.camLens        
        # set the field of view to 90 degrees
        self.lens.setFov( 10 )        
        # set the far clip plane
        self.lens.setFar( 90000 )
        myobj = Actor('models/testxcc2.egg', 
                      {"character": "models/testxcc2"})
        myobj.reparentTo(render)
        myobj.loop('character')
        
startGame = mainCtrl()
startGame.run()

and here is the code for the egg file (sorry if it’s long) so you can just paste instead of downloading a file…

<CoordinateSystem> { Z-Up }

<Group> character {
  <Dart> { 1 }
  <Group> Box01 {
    <VertexPool> Box01.verts {
      <Vertex> 0 {
        -46.8576 1.27026 0
        <Normal> { 0 0 -1 }
        // Bone02:1
      }
      <Vertex> 1 {
        -25.4224 30.5648 0
        <Normal> { 0 0 -1 }
        // Bone02:1
      }
      <Vertex> 2 {
        0.23267 11.7927 0
        <Normal> { 0 0 -1 }
        // Bone02:1
      }
      <Vertex> 3 {
        -9.78186 -20.9192 0
        <Normal> { 0 0 -1 }
        // Bone01:1
      }
      <Vertex> 4 {
        -46.8576 1.27026 12.3432
        <Normal> { 0 0 1 }
        // Bone02:1
      }
      <Vertex> 5 {
        -9.78186 -20.9192 12.3432
        <Normal> { 0 0 1 }
        // Bone01:1
      }
      <Vertex> 6 {
        0.23267 11.7927 12.3432
        <Normal> { 0 0 1 }
        // Bone02:1
      }
      <Vertex> 7 {
        -25.4224 30.5648 12.3432
        <Normal> { 0 0 1 }
        // Bone02:1
      }
      <Vertex> 8 {
        -46.8576 1.27026 0
        <Normal> { -0.513544 -0.858063 0 }
        // Bone02:1
      }
      <Vertex> 9 {
        -9.78186 -20.9192 0
        <Normal> { -0.513544 -0.858063 0 }
        // Bone01:1
      }
      <Vertex> 10 {
        -9.78186 -20.9192 12.3432
        <Normal> { -0.513544 -0.858063 0 }
        // Bone01:1
      }
      <Vertex> 11 {
        -46.8576 1.27026 12.3432
        <Normal> { -0.513544 -0.858063 0 }
        // Bone02:1
      }
      <Vertex> 12 {
        -9.78186 -20.9192 0
        <Normal> { 0.956194 -0.292733 0 }
        // Bone01:1
      }
      <Vertex> 13 {
        0.23267 11.7927 0
        <Normal> { 0.956194 -0.292733 0 }
        // Bone02:1
      }
      <Vertex> 14 {
        0.23267 11.7927 12.3432
        <Normal> { 0.956194 -0.292733 0 }
        // Bone02:1
      }
      <Vertex> 15 {
        -9.78186 -20.9192 12.3432
        <Normal> { 0.956194 -0.292733 0 }
        // Bone01:1
      }
      <Vertex> 16 {
        0.23267 11.7927 0
        <Normal> { 0.590512 0.807029 0 }
        // Bone02:1
      }
      <Vertex> 17 {
        -25.4224 30.5648 0
        <Normal> { 0.590512 0.807029 0 }
        // Bone02:1
      }
      <Vertex> 18 {
        -25.4224 30.5648 12.3432
        <Normal> { 0.590512 0.807029 0 }
        // Bone02:1
      }
      <Vertex> 19 {
        0.23267 11.7927 12.3432
        <Normal> { 0.590512 0.807029 0 }
        // Bone02:1
      }
      <Vertex> 20 {
        -25.4224 30.5648 0
        <Normal> { -0.807029 0.590512 0 }
        // Bone02:1
      }
      <Vertex> 21 {
        -46.8576 1.27026 0
        <Normal> { -0.807029 0.590512 0 }
        // Bone02:1
      }
      <Vertex> 22 {
        -46.8576 1.27026 12.3432
        <Normal> { -0.807029 0.590512 0 }
        // Bone02:1
      }
      <Vertex> 23 {
        -25.4224 30.5648 12.3432
        <Normal> { -0.807029 0.590512 0 }
        // Bone02:1
      }
    }
    <Polygon> {
      <RGBA> { 1 1 1 1 }
      <VertexRef> { 0 1 2 <Ref> { Box01.verts } }
    }
    <Polygon> {
      <RGBA> { 1 1 1 1 }
      <VertexRef> { 2 3 0 <Ref> { Box01.verts } }
    }
    <Polygon> {
      <RGBA> { 1 1 1 1 }
      <VertexRef> { 4 5 6 <Ref> { Box01.verts } }
    }
    <Polygon> {
      <RGBA> { 1 1 1 1 }
      <VertexRef> { 6 7 4 <Ref> { Box01.verts } }
    }
    <Polygon> {
      <RGBA> { 1 1 1 1 }
      <VertexRef> { 8 9 10 <Ref> { Box01.verts } }
    }
    <Polygon> {
      <RGBA> { 1 1 1 1 }
      <VertexRef> { 10 11 8 <Ref> { Box01.verts } }
    }
    <Polygon> {
      <RGBA> { 1 1 1 1 }
      <VertexRef> { 12 13 14 <Ref> { Box01.verts } }
    }
    <Polygon> {
      <RGBA> { 1 1 1 1 }
      <VertexRef> { 14 15 12 <Ref> { Box01.verts } }
    }
    <Polygon> {
      <RGBA> { 1 1 1 1 }
      <VertexRef> { 16 17 18 <Ref> { Box01.verts } }
    }
    <Polygon> {
      <RGBA> { 1 1 1 1 }
      <VertexRef> { 18 19 16 <Ref> { Box01.verts } }
    }
    <Polygon> {
      <RGBA> { 1 1 1 1 }
      <VertexRef> { 20 21 22 <Ref> { Box01.verts } }
    }
    <Polygon> {
      <RGBA> { 1 1 1 1 }
      <VertexRef> { 22 23 20 <Ref> { Box01.verts } }
    }
  }
  <Joint> Bone01 {
    <Transform> {
      <Matrix4> {
        -0.498809 0.866712 0 0
        -0.866712 -0.498809 0 0
        0 0 1 0
        8.98265 -35.1776 0 1
      }
    }
    <Joint> Bone02 {
      <Transform> {
        <Matrix4> {
          0.999416 0.0341694 0 0
          -0.0341694 0.999416 0 0
          0 0 1 0
          38.584 2.94417e-007 0 1
        }
      }
      <Joint> Bone03 {
        <Transform> {
          <Matrix4> {
            1 -1.91348e-008 0 0
            1.91348e-008 1 0 0
            0 0 1 0
            41.6833 -5.58898e-006 0 1
          }
        }
      }
      <VertexRef> {
        0 1 2 4 6 7 8 11 13 14 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
        <Ref> { Box01.verts }
      }
    }
    <VertexRef> {
      3 5 9 10 12 15
      <Ref> { Box01.verts }
    }
  }
}
<Table> {
  <Bundle> character {
    <Table> "<skeleton>" {
      <Table> Bone01 {
        <Xfm$Anim_S$> xform {
          <Scalar> fps { 30 }
          <Char*> order { srpht }
          <S$Anim> h { <V> { 119.921 } }
          <S$Anim> x { <V> { 8.98265 } }
          <S$Anim> y { <V> { -35.1776 } }
        }
        <Table> Bone02 {
          <Xfm$Anim_S$> xform {
            <Scalar> fps { 30 }
            <Char*> order { srpht }
            <S$Anim> h {
              <V> {
                1.95814 3.8901 9.45159 18.3683 30.0363 43.1945 55.8751
                65.7232 73.2903 80.6057 87.7188 94.3452 99.5457 101.72
                99.1364 92.4884 83.3299 73.0726 63.0024 54.3221 48.2124
                45.8916 45.8916 45.8916 45.8916 45.8916 45.8916 45.8916
                45.8916 45.8916 45.8916
              }
            }
            <S$Anim> p {
              <V> {
                0 1.49251 5.3215 10.4363 15.7088 20.1209 22.9992 24.0209
                22.9453 19.9323 15.3226 9.77385 4.2874 0 -3.37132
                -6.69389 -9.73672 -12.2999 -14.2589 -15.5865 -16.335
                -16.5768 -16.5768 -16.5768 -16.5768 -16.5768 -16.5768
                -16.5768 -16.5768 -16.5768 -16.5768
              }
            }
            <S$Anim> r {
              <V> {
                -0 -1.44562 -5.19451 -10.4427 -16.4513 -22.3467 -26.9347
                -28.7804 -27.0154 -22.5706 -16.7377 -10.5715 -4.79955 -0
                4.50486 9.60144 14.9841 20.3154 25.2098 29.2416 31.9713
                32.9719 32.9719 32.9719 32.9719 32.9719 32.9719 32.9719
                32.9719 32.9719 32.9719
              }
            }
            <S$Anim> x { <V> { 38.584 } }
          }
          <Table> Bone03 {
            <Xfm$Anim_S$> xform {
              <Scalar> fps { 30 }
              <Char*> order { srpht }
              <S$Anim> x { <V> { 41.6833 } }
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

I followed the manual, and it seems like even though I export with animations and model separate, or with them combined (“both”) I can’t ever get the animation to play.

I even tried myobj.pprint() and it says the frames and the animation speed, but it also says “File: None”. I think I’m thoroughly confused and I can’t even start working on my game until i figure out this animation problem. Thanks for any and all help.

2

Ahh, I figured it out. Atleast I figured out a workaround…

The actor.loop(‘name’) and the actor.play(‘name’) doesn’t work for me, maybe I just don’t understand how to use them correctly. But my workaround is just using actor.actorInterval(‘name’, startFrame = #, endFrame = #).loop() and this seems to work great.

:smiley:

3

The real problem is you’re not saving a pointer to your Actor. Use self.myobj instead of just myobj, and you should be fine.

David

4

I always get confused with pointers. Since I’m using this outside my main functions init how would I use a pointer?

(I tried self.myobj in the example file I posted and it worked, thanks! but…)

I tried self.myobj (in another one of my scripts) but it says self is not defined (I sorta know why it isn’t defined but don’t know the correct usage of it)

If you have time should you write a super short straight-to-the-point example of creating an actor inside a function that exists in an external file?

5

I confused you by my use of the word “pointer”. Forget about that. (In some sense, Python doesn’t have pointers at all. In another sense, everything in Python is a pointer. But unless you are comfortable with the concept of pointers, you shouldn’t think about them in Python.)

I just meant that you need to keep a variable around that has your Actor in it. In your first example, you declare the local variable “myobj”, but as soon as that function ends, all of the local variables go away, including “myobj”, and that means your Actor and all of its animations also go away. If you call it “self.myobj” instead, it means to make it a data member that gets stored on your class, and so it lasts beyond the length of the function.

If you’re doing this in a global function, instead of in a class method, you don’t have a “self” to store it in. You could make a global variable with the global keyword, but I don’t advise doing that–it’s sloppy. While you’re learning Python, I advise you to always use classes when you have data you want to stick around.

David