Anyone know how the cutscenes were made?

[icelandknight]

Does anyone know if the cutscenes (animated scenes which you just watch, and you don't have control of the character) were made with a feature inside HL2... or were they made with a seperate program, then just "played back" by HL2?

Is it possible to use HL2 for movie making? How easy / hard is this? Any tutorials available to do this?

I would like to try and make some movies/comics using characters and scenes from HL2... not unlike the stuff that is already in there... It's such a shame to have developed and designed all these great scenes and textures, then each player passes them in a few seconds.

Example?
http://www.simnet.is/icelandknight/morrowind_comic

Yours,
Thor

 

[nagual678]

look for OCST on google, it's a pretty funny machinima on CS:S

to answer your question :
yes

 

[jheaddon]

The loading levels are just that, levels with a camera sequence.

You can make little movies in HL2 yeh, go for it.

 

[icelandknight]

Anybody know HOW they made the cutscenes in the game?

A step by step explanation might be nice... Maybe a tutorial?
For those who are interested in doing this.

Yours,
Thor

ps. I'm going to look for OCST now...

 

[Glo-Boy]

Do look for a tutorial-- for someone to type a step by step would take a LOT of work. Also, I doubt there are any such tutorials as of this time. But good luck on your search!

 

[m00b]

I think they use scripted sequences in combination with sound and some kind of files that contain animations for models. Try scripted sequences first with existing animations. They worked for me. There's something about that movie making in the source documentation.

 

[RabidJester]

Ok, here's what happens:

You create your level in the Hammer map editor.

Then you use a program called Faceposer (yet to be released to the public) to script facial animations, lip-syncing to wav files, look at targets, and movement cues.

This is all exported out as a .vcd file. Back in your map, you drop in a logic_choreographed_scene entity, and point it at your VCD file. Assign a trigger to begin the scene, compile the map, and you are set.

Now, you use the record feature in-game to record a demo of the scene playing out, with your viewpoint as the camera. cl_drawhud 0 and r_drawviewmodel 0 (I think...not double checking my work at the moment) will get rid of things in the way, like crosshairs and weapons.

The demoui has the ability to edit your demo's camera path, but that's buggy right now. A fix should be coming. Then you use your preferred method of capturing the video, or Source's built in movie tool (dumps out tga files at a specified fps), cut your scene, add music, transitions, titles, etc, and you have a movie.

Hopefully that should get you started.

 

[icelandknight]

Ok, here's what happens:
...
The demoui has the ability to edit your demo's camera path, but that's buggy right now. A fix should be coming. Then you use your preferred method of capturing the video, or Source's built in movie tool (dumps out tga files at a specified fps), cut your scene, add music, transitions, titles, etc, and you have a movie.

Hopefully that should get you started.

Are there any COURSES available anywhere where they teach this stuff? - I have been excited about being able to do this for a long long time... but I'm not very savy when it comes to all the game files, and stuff. - I'd very much like to learn the scripting language and the whole process, in order to make my own movies with this game. - (I'm willing to travel to the UK or USA to attend such courses. (I'm in Iceland))

I am so impressed with how much the whole character look has improved from the last game... but I'd even love to be able to make movies with the old version (HL1).

Thanks for the info... Hopefully someone will make volumes of user friendly tutorials of how to use the various things and run through the process in detail from start to finish. I'm sure HL2 will yeild AMAZINGLY realistic movies... The game is totally amazing.

Yours,
Thor

 

[RabidJester]

Once I get everything figured out myself, I'll put some tutorials up.

Gotta do a lot of work before then.

 

[icelandknight]

I'm looking forward to it already... - Also, let me know if I can help out at all... I've done some stuff before... ( www.simnet.is/icelandknight/3d/ds_intro ) - It's not much but it did what it is supposed to... Give people an idea of what the program does.... Sometimes getting over that initial intimidation / fear / phobia is all it takes.

Yours,
Thor

 

[m00b]

Note that simple cut scenes where characters dont talk can be done using only scripted sequences. Only when you have facial expressions and speaking up close do you need choreographed scenes.

 

[icelandknight]

Note that simple cut scenes where characters dont talk can be done using only scripted sequences. Only when you have facial expressions and speaking up close do you need choreographed scenes.

Hi, and thanks for this note... Every bit helps.

I'm a complete newbie when it comes to games & character scripting, so far I just love playing the games... and exploring the world the game makers have made for us... I've done some Javascript for web pages, etc though... and have programmed before (even made part of a stock control program with HyperTalk)... but not C or such. I do understand some C# when looking at it slowly... but that's about it.

I'd really want to find an illustrated beginner's guide to games script writing... with character positioning in mind. My main aim, first of all, would be simple positioning for comics... but then I'd like to also like get into animation, using the game. (see first post)

You see it's just character placing, screeshots and speech bubbles. That'll do for now... "the rest can come later."
(Famous last words?)

Yours,
Thor