Camera Angles

[tk102]

Has anyone successfully got a dialog to show a special camera angle of their choosing? I know T7 got that cool screenshot during a fight scene. There should be a way of setting up either a Placeable or an entry in the .git files' CameraList to be able to invoke a special vantage point.

[messkell]

here's an example layout from a dialog file in which I used a different camera angle and camera id(predefined from the git file).

 

 

EntryList

• = ...

0 [user-defined Struct: 0] = ...

AnimList

• = ...

CameraAngle [DWORD] = 6

CameraID [iNT] = 7

CamVidEffect [iNT] = -1

 

 

 

 

also, there is a script command that you could probably use.

I haven't implemented this in a script yet, but it might help.

 

void SetDialogPlaceableCamera( int nCameraId );

[T7nowhere]

Originally posted by messkell

I haven't implemented this in a script yet, but it might help.

 

void SetDialogPlaceableCamera( int nCameraId );

 

How do you think that would work? would "nCameraId" be a vector(xyz) or could it be an invisible placeable?

[tk102]

The approach I've attempted is to add the CameraID field to the Entry or Reply list struct, and add an entry in the .git file's CameraList struct with ID=n. But this appears to have no effect during the dialog.

 

The CameraList struct however, does not provide X, Y, Z Positions unfortunately. ( It may only be used in conjuction with the CameraModel field instead, I don't know.)

 

I've also tried the SetDialogPlaceableCamera function without results. From the name of the function, it really sounds like there should be a placeable that would function as a camera (given its X/Y/Z Position and Bearing).

[messkell]

TK102, in addition to the camera angle, here are few example dialog entry/reply list line entries that can be used to alter the viewpoint during a conversation.

 

 

CamHeightOffset [FLOAT] = 1.000040054321

TarHeightOffset [FLOAT] = -0.500000000000

[Prime]

tk, are you asking if you can set the camera position on the fly in game, or just setting the camera in general? I think you are asking for the former?

 

All I've done is alter the camera ranges to be a bit farther away. Note that there are different camera parameters for different situations.

[tk102]

I would like to position the camera in a certain spot during key moments of the dialog. I remember seeing the parameters Messkell mentioned, but have not tried using them. So thank you for reminding me about them, Messkell.

 

I'm going to try to test something else using the Listener tag and see if I can't get the effect I'm looking for.

[Prime]

Originally posted by tk102

I would like to position the camera in a certain spot during key moments of the dialog.

Ah, got it.

 

Sorry I can't help you

[messkell]

Tk102, here are a few brainstorming ideas:

 

 

 

I think that the SetDialogPlaceableCamera function didn't work for

the following reasons:

 

1. you need to add an invisible placable to the "placeables list" in

the .git file for whichever module you want to use.

 

example, see entries #9, #10, #11 under the Placeable List

in the"m26ad.git". these inivisible placeables act as placeable

cameras.

also, look at the inv.placeables named camer4.utp - camer7.utp in

the "manm26ad_s.rim" to see how they are structured.

 

 

2. you need a trigger nearby the inv.placeable that signals the dialog event(placeables don't have their own

user defined events) in order to implement the

SetDialogPlaceableCamera function(only works during dialog).

 

I'm not sure if you required to move to the invisible placeable object in order for the placeable camera to work.

 

 

 

if any information is incorrect, throw a mackeral at me

[tk102]

I don't have the game in front of me at the moment but I will look into that. What do you suppose gets passed as the int parameter to SetDialogPlaceableCamera in the scenario you proposed?

[tk102]

Okay I figured out a bit more. It appears that SetDialogPlaceableCamera only functions when the conversation is paused. Thus is must be sandwiched like so:

ActionPauseConversation();
SetDialogPlaceableCamera(22);
DelayCommand(3.0,ActionResumeConversation());

 

In addition, this can only be called once per pause. You'll have to resume the conversation and pause again to change the camera a second time.

 

The int parameter is CameraID field of a struct in the CameraList of the .git file.

 

But I still haven't figured out how the location of the camera is specified. The CameraList structs don't give much clue.

[gameunlimited]

perhaps they are defined in the mdl/mdx files although I think that is a very silly thing of Bioware to do. But who knows, perhaps they have a different reason not to mention that I don't have any formal training in programming to criticize Bioware =)

 

I personally guessed, perhaps it is defined as how Meskell said about the invisible placable. In addition to the X/Y/Z data in the Placable List in the git files, the cameras' properties are further specified by the CameraList struct. But then again this is just a guess, I have done no test whatsover.

[tk102]

I can't find any connection between placeables and cameras. I was analyzing the unk_m44ac module (meeting with evil Basitila), and tracing out how the Trigger scripts worked to swap camera angles. For that area there are 22 CameraList structs, but only 9 placeables (only one of which is invisible), so they must be defined elsewhere.

[messkell]

I remember the unk_m44ac module. I did some modifications to it some time ago. The invisible placeable is used for the available good/evil scenarios. It uses a heartbeat script to see which scenario you chose and if certain conditions are met to allow access to the computer.

 

I wonder if it serves a dual purpose for placeable cameras?

 

anyways, I tried a couple of other script functions, such as SetCameraFacing (to no avail in conversation) and setcameramode.

 

setcameramode only worked during conversation and is only available for the pc player.

 

void main()

{

object oParty1 = GetPCSpeaker();

 

ActionPauseConversation();

SetCameraMode(oParty1,CAMERA_MODE_CHASE_CAMERA);

DelayCommand(4.0f,ActionResumeConversation());

 

}

 

this function is somewhat limited because it only allows for the following 3 types of camera modes.

 

CAMERA_MODE_CHASE_CAMERA

CAMERA_MODE_TOP_DOWN

CAMERA_MODE_STIFF_CHASE_CAMERA

[tk102]

Have you found any scripts, source or decompiled, that made use of SetCameraFacing? nwscript.nss mentions that it can be used in area transitions. I can't really think of an instance of that.

 

Can you also describe the effect of the modes of SetCameraMode?

[messkell]

I have never located a single source script that contains any of the camera functions, such as setcamerafacing, that are allowable for kotor.

 

I did try to implement the setcamerafacing function before, and during conversations. I also tried to execute it in a trigger.

none of these methods proved "fruitful". perhaps it is only useable

during an area transition as you stated.

 

as for the SetCameraMode function, I only tried the camera mode "CAMERA_MODE_CHASE_CAMERA " which changed the camera viewpoint to a very high, almost top down perspective.

 

The SetCameraMode function was implemented during the

conversation, and once the conversation was finished, the

viewpoint stayed the same.

 

hopefully with some time, luck, and experimentation the "camera mystery" will be solved.

[tk102]

Well at least you found a function that behaves in a predictable manner.

[Fred Tetra]

In case you didn't know (not likely, heh heh) the GFF editor doesn't show and can't deal with/create certain GFF datatypes that are needed by cameras. These hold the XYZ position and orientation. The first is a tuple of floating point numbers (position) and the second looks like a quaternion (four floats) for the orientation.

[tk102]

<slaps forehead>

Of course! Jeez, I should've thought of that! It occured to me about a month ago that the new data types we discussed were probably used in Location and Vector structures.

 

Wow Fred. I'm just stunned.

 

You get my favorite smiley

 

 

and his band

 

[tk102]

Okay, emotions resettling.

 

I guess that means we have to come up with a new GFF Editor or resort to Hex Editing.

 

Edit:

That also explains why camera angles get wacked out during certain conversations when the .git is edited in GFF Editor.

[messkell]

Originally posted by Fred Tetra

In case you didn't know (not likely, heh heh) the GFF editor doesn't show and can't deal with/create certain GFF datatypes that are needed by cameras. These hold the XYZ position and orientation. The first is a tuple of floating point numbers (position) and the second looks like a quaternion (four floats) for the orientation.

 

 

Fred, thanks for the reminder. I had completely forgotten about that thread.

[Fred Tetra]

Hex editing the values is a pain, because each floating point number consists of 4 bytes (sign, mantissa and exponent, probably)

[Fred Tetra]

I wasn't sure anyone would be interested in the cameras as much as myself, so I haven't added much support for them in the module editor, other that showing where they are.

 

If there is enough interest, I'll add support for them, since I can do that (likely) faster than someone else can write a custom editor for cameras <heh heh>

[tk102]

A challenge Fred?

[tk102]

CamEdit now available for download.

 

Readme.txt

 

 

[edit: download available at PCGM]