What formats can blender export that retain armature data?

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1

Hello, I need to know something: What formats can blender export that retain armature data?
I ask because I must export a skeleton from blender to max 8, and I know direct export to max format is impossible, but I want to think outside the box and export in a format that will retain the coordinates of the armature nodes in the .blend file I am using.

This is for TES4:Oblivion use, and I can’t make this happen without this export. any ideas?

2

you could try to use the quake md2. I’m not sure wether it’s using the armature or not, but I saw on the demo the md2 seems exporting the animation well. there’s also md2 file import/export plugin for max, but for max 8 i dunno wether it’s still working or not. found one before, but forgot from where. try your luck by googling. the point is bridging blender and max using md2.

3

DirectX (.x) format supports export of armatures also. The problem is finding the right version of the script, because there are so many :confused:

I haven’t done this in a while, but as I recall there are at least 2 scripts that worked for me when I wanted to do the Blender => Max 8 route.

Do a search of the Python script section of this forum and you should find numerous threads and links to scripts. The .x exporter has been updated frequently and I’m sure you’ll find what you need… after a bit of searching and experimenting :wink:

4

.md2 doesnt support armatures

5
  • *.x .Works great, much specially later versions I did much testing for it, am big fan of Ben Omari’s plugins. Go here :
    http://www.ben.3rdimension.co.uk/
    Worked here great with Blender 2.41

-md5. Works like charm, even export the pose mode and so, constraints.
Link to the exact post in the exact page of the thread where seems latest md5 exporter for blender is:
http://www.doom3world.org/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?p=132794#132794
Worked here great with Blender 2.41

-cal3d. I have not tested.
seems latest thing is at this post :
http://blender.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=52072#52072

or this post:
http://blender.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=50640#50640

Or here:
http://cvs.gna.org/cvsweb/soya/?cvsroot=soya

Download all of them, is an advice.

There are more bones based exports. These formats are very usual in game engines, though.

6

yep, md2 and md3 are vertex formats. You cananimate with bones and weights perfectly, just technically the export will not have bones inside, for the engine that you use, to access them by code.(it all gets “baked” to vertices animation)

7

and for the get-into-max 8 route: with x format: you can grab a Max x importer here:
http://mofo.pns.to/snsp/?cmd=&mid=5
…this way, you export as x, import in max the x animated character. Haven’t myself checked this full path, tho.But should work.(x has loads of setting that can make an anim fail in a an engine or viewer, you need to master a bit the format issues with trial and error and reading the plugn doc, etc)

md5 way. Der ton made also a max importer for md5, found at doom3world.org forums.Surely max section, or modellers, tools, etc section.
So you could also go Blender-> Max so, without loosing bones, weights, and anim.Even more, Der ton has also made an md5 import for Blender, lol, you have ways to be all the time back and force :wink: Could take the md5 again , this time from max, and import into blender again :wink: I neither tested.

8

I have not modded Oblivian, but I have done some stuff with Morrowind. For Morrowind, you can use NIF Tools (http://niftools.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/NIF_File_Format_Library_and_Tools) to directly export to .nif files, Morowind’s 3D format. I think that Oblivian used .nif files too, so you could try using this instead of exporting to 3D$Max.