I am trying to export an animated Quake .md3 file from Blender. The object is relatively simply with only a few rotations and translations of the objects. I animated the model using the Ipo Curve editor and everything appeared to work in Blender. I exported the file using a script I have and put the model into a game to make sure it worked. The rotations came out fine but the translations did not. The problem as I figured out is that the .md3 format relies on the object centers. All object centers are placed at the same point and remain there throughout the animation and do not move. The problem for me is that when I was translating objects in Blender it was translating the object centers with them. So even though Blender understood the object was in motion, as an .md3 the center remains in the exact same position relative to the object and hence does not move. The object centers I am referring to appear as a small, pink dot in Blender, which I know refer to as “that evil pink dot.” As I was exporting though I noticed a small blue dot (“the magic blue dot”) appeared and was moving with the animation.
The bottom line conclusion that I have been able to come to is that I need to be somehow selecting the magic blue dot to move the objects while keeping the evil pink dot in its place for the animation to properly export. My question is how do I get the magic blue dot OR am I actually mistaken in this assumption and there is another way of doing the animation and being able to keep everything the way it needs to be in order to function properly. Thank you for any help on this issue.
I think a better way of asking the question would be is there a way to move the mesh in an animation while keeping the object’s center located in the same spot during the animation?
I don’t know, I never have reason to use M3d. What I can tell you is that the Object Center turns blue when the Object is linked to something outside the Scene, ie; to a Script (in your case) or to another Scene or .blend file. I don’t know if M3d supports Shapes but, if it does, then I’d deduce that that is the only way it would be able to read animation of the Mesh while the Object is stationary (which is what is happening if your Object Centers don’t move). PM Bob_Holcombe, I think he wrote the bundled script. If not then find the author and PM him.
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