How do I render tileset assets in 8 directions like the creature animations?

[WithinAmnesia]

I would like to add 8 dimensions to tileset render script so that when it renders a tileset in blender there are 8 directions up from 4 regular angles / directions.

For example how can this blender art source for grass land walls / cliffs be rendered in 8 directions when the render animation script spits out the many of single tileset frame asset images? https://github.com/flareteam/flare-game/blob/master/art_src/tilesets/grassland/grassland_walls.blend

Also I figured out (so far) that with the render rig (with the Flare / Fantasy core blender asset art source blender files) once the render resolution is increased to 100% (up from the default of 25%) that when the animation render / render script spits out all of the single frame images of assets for a tileset; that these 100% render resolution settings single frames are all enlarged x 4 times from the original Flare scale and are Flare 4K high resolution tileset assets.

I presume if the script is added to blender render tileset assets in 8 directions; that this script will hopefully make enlarged x 4 Flare 4K high resolution single frame render images with the render resolutions is at 100%. I hope to make tilesets assets in 8 directions just like with creature animations and I hope to also do so with Flare 4K.

I have yet to figure out how to have the blender render script / render rig render in 8 directions. Does anyone know how to have the blender render script / render rig render in 8 directions for tilesets?

Even some links or ideas could help :-).

[WithinAmnesia]

https://flarerpg.org/2015/06/07/20150607/ This?

[In case the site dies like other old OSARE / FLARE links]
"Blender scripting for Flare animations

Clint here. I’ve been away from the day-to-day Flare engine project for a while, but I’m coming back with some things to share. Just figured out an update for the main Python script I use in Blender for Flare animations.

The current alpha-demo Flare animations use a keyframe for almost every single frame. And all of the animations are mashed into one Blender action. Of the 32 frames, the first 4 were standing around, the next 8 are running, etc.

I’ve been in pre-production for HD assets for everyone to use in Flare engine. I’m starting to use different Actions for each animation, which makes working on (and exporting) animations easier to work with — as intended.

render all animations for the named armature

Clint Bellanger 2015

import bpy
from math import radians

angle = -45
axis = 2 # z-axis
armature_name = "FemaleArm"

remember UI settings to restore at the end

original_path = bpy.data.scenes[0].render.filepath
original_frame_end = bpy.context.scene.frame_end

RenderPlatform is an Empty object located at the origin

and has the lights and cameras attached as children.

platform = bpy.data.objects["RenderPlatform"]
armature = bpy.data.objects[armature_name]

Render all animations

for action in bpy.data.actions:

# make this action the active one
armature.animation_data.action = action    

frame_begin, frame_end = [int(x) for x in action.frame_range]
bpy.context.scene.frame_end = frame_end

# Render in all 8 facing directions
for i in range(0,8):

    # rotate the render platform and all children
    temp_rot = platform.rotation_euler
    temp_rot[axis] = temp_rot[axis] - radians(angle)
    platform.rotation_euler = temp_rot;

    # set the filename action and direction prefix
    bpy.data.scenes[0].render.filepath = original_path + action.name + str(i)

    # render animation for this direction
    bpy.ops.render.render(animation=True)

restore UI settings

bpy.data.scenes[0].render.filepath = original_path
bpy.context.scene.frame_end = original_frame_end

I use this script in a Blender file that I call my render mannequin. It has a blank copy of the base hero body with a transparent masking material. All the game’s animations are already set as Actions. The lights and cameras are ready and attached to an invisible swiveling RenderPlatform at the origin.

To use the file to render a piece of armor, I would link the armor from the blender file where I created it. Then attach it to the mannequin’s armature. Running the script results in rendering every frame of animation, for every animation, for all 8 directions the character can face. The files are named like “[Action][Direction][Frame].png” e.g. Running40008.png.

I’ll explain more about how all this works soon. Still figuring it out myself. This creates a lot of images (256 of them at least) that need to be combined into a sprite sheet. That can be done in a simple batch/shell script and ImageMagick. And, that same script should copy the result right into my flare testing directory. Once I have all that clockwork correct, I’ll share all those files and include a tutorial.

The goal I’m working towards is setting up an asset workflow. I’ll be working on a piece of armor, and it’s close enough that I want to test it in the engine. Open up the mannequin file, append the new armor, and run the magic script. Then after a short rendering break it will be ready to wear and test in the Flare engine.
Clint Bellanger June 7, 2015 Uncategorized 2 Comments

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2 thoughts on “2015/06/07”

Hofman
June 4, 2018 at 11:02 am
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We tried to add new figure to your game.

We are on a hard beginning. We download ‘zombie.blend’ and run a script. We have 352 png files. And we need to do a sprite sheet. You wrote “That can be done in a simple batch/shell script and ImageMagick”.
Is this script available somewere? Or how we can do next step to create sprite sheet?
Our expected output shut be similar to “zombie.png” (https://github.com/clintbellanger/flare-game/blob/master/art_src/characters/zombie/zombie.png).

Thanks for your help
Reply
Clint Bellanger
June 4, 2018 at 11:48 am
Permalink

Example script is like this:

montage -background “transparent” -geometry 128×128 -tile 44×8 *.png sprites.png"

[WithinAmnesia]

It looks like creature animations? Hmm how to do a 8 directions for Flare tileset assets? Hmm.

[WithinAmnesia]

I opened the art source for the cliff walls in blender 2.79, increased the render resolution to 100%. Then I clicked around and broke the file over and over getting closer and closer until I clicked around the small black diamond key frames / might have mucked with the 'dope sheet' part. I'm not 100% sure as to how I got here but I did not click on the double down arrows or the down arrows to move stuff down and make ~'trackers'. My first proof of concept success had the camera attached and rotated with the first wall lol; but I had other parts that did work like the water cliff wall part.

So if a person can get to the first of the above images with same depicted type of edit menu without messing anything up (don't touch the any of the down arrows I find helps with limited blender skill). Then slide the top middle menu key frame time bar and line up the tileset 3D model with its key frames where it rotates. Now for every key frame for the corresponding 3D tileset art piece. Edit the Z axis rotation by -45 degrees (e.g. -360 into -315 etc.), each time you edit the value click on a blank menu part to stop editing. Now do that for every frame for the corresponding 3D tileset art piece. Then When every corresponding key frame for the corresponding 3D tileset art piece is rotated by -45 degrees. Then go to the top to render -> render animation. Make sure the render path is not duplicated to get the best results (e.g. for myself I had to rename each render output file folder from "out_walls" to something else like ~'-wall_out'). I renamed every blender render / render animation output file folder to something else before every render animation attempt to make sure I did not get duplicates / bugs / aim for good practice.

So far this is a working prototype start / initial success to render in 8 directions in also 4K for Flare tilesets. So far a person with this method has to render the regular 4 directions first for each tileset blender 3D model file; then render the -45 degree version and combine then after to get all 8 directions to hopefully build a Flare 4K 8 direction tileset.