Hey there, everyone. I'm trying to find a modeling tool that will let me export skeletal animation in a format that JME will import. I'm reasonably comfortable with Blender, but have so far had zero luck with Blender's MD5 export tool and the MD5 Reader 2 project from Sourceforge. Has anyone got any suggestions? I don't have a great budget, but I'm willing to look into just about anything that will simplify the process of getting my animations into JME.
Thanks in advance.
I had no problems when using md3 http://www.jmonkeyengine.com/wiki/doku.php?id=exporting_animated_.md3_models_from_blender
then loading w/ TestMd3JmeWrite
Thanks, I'll give it a shot. I'd prefer to use an actual skeletal animation system (isn't MD3 morph-target based?) so I can modify animations in-engine if I need to, but at this point, anything that works will make me happy beyond measure. 
I'd prefer to use an actual skeletal animation system (isn't MD3 morph-target based?)
have a look at the previous link, its a tutorial to create a simple skeletal animation and export as md3
mud2005 said:
have a look at the previous link, its a tutorial to create a simple skeletal animation and export as md3
The animation is created using bones, but the md3 format contains vertex-animation. The md3 exporter used in the tutorial automatically converts the skeletal animation to morph targets.
In other words: Kintar, you are right, md3 is solely morph-target based.
Hmmm. I'm running into the same problem here as with the MD5 importer. Everything loads correctly, and I get the right vertex and tris count at the bottom of the screen, but my model doesn't show up. All I've done is modify the TestMd3JmeWrite code to load my model (a simple cube, textured plain white using a 256x256 TGA file). Are there any hidden "gotchas" to this process that aren't listed in the tutorial?
Oh, and a note: I've tried exporting the model with no extra editing, and flipping the normals before exporting. Both have the same results.
You need to save the TGA file without RLE compression, I think it has to contain an alpha layer and the "shader" line in the md5mesh-file must be correct.
For example, my models has a line that says:
shader "/home/gathers/workspace/SomeProject/src/testy/people/M001.jpg"
and that I must manually change into:
shader "testy/people/M001"
If the model is made of 2 meshes then you need to change 2 lines etc.
And if you use Eclipse, don't forget to refresh your project with F5 after you change any files externally or your program won't see the changes.
Halleh-FREAKING-lujah! Thank you, Gathers! All this time, and it was the RLE setting on the tga files.
bangs head repeatedly on desk Did a tutorial or docs somewhere say that, and I just missed it, or is it an undocumented "feature" that justifies the homicidal rage I'm currently feeling toward whoever wrote JME's targa loader? 
My jubilation was slightly premature. ;) The MD3 model works now, but I get the following cryptic error when I attempt to use the MD5 model:
org.lwjgl.opengl.OpenGLException: Invalid value (1281)
at org.lwjgl.opengl.Util.checkGLError(Util.java:56)
at org.lwjgl.opengl.Display.swapBuffers(Display.java:555)
at org.lwjgl.opengl.Display.update(Display.java:571)
at com.jme.renderer.lwjgl.LWJGLRenderer.displayBackBuffer(Unknown Source)
at com.jmex.game.StandardGame.run(Unknown Source)
at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:613)
Any further tips? (BTW: You folks are my heroes now. I've been beating my head against this for four days now. Thank you!)
Glad to be of assistance! 
I went through the same maddening process as you when I first fought with animated models.
Actually I don't recall if I read about the RLE setting somewhere or if I found out myself somehow. (I too spent a lot of time with trial and error…) It might well be undocumented… And if so I apologize for never updating the wiki about it, I'll go do that right away!
As for your error message I have no idea. :? Is it possible you could post the code and/or model you are using?
well its easy to miss but this is in Troubleshooting section of tutorial
Your texture must be a .tga file and it must NOT use RLE compression
My jubilation was slightly premature. Wink The MD3 model works now, but I get the following cryptic error when I attempt to use the MD5 model:
Ive seen this error before I think it was when setting the specular values or hardness of specularity in blender to high, but I think other things can cause this also.
The animation is created using bones, but the md3 format contains vertex-animation. The md3 exporter used in the tutorial automatically converts the skeletal animation to morph targets.
In other words: Kintar, you are right, md3 is solely morph-target based.
Thanks for the info hevee I did not know that :)
seen that error before open the mesh file in a text editor u want to a make sure the mesh count is accurate nummeshes at the top, u also want to make sure there are no empty meshes aswell
haven't touched it in a while wrote post about these issues but don't remember where.
I was logging in to post my mesh and code, but it looks like mcbeth hit the nail on the head. The box I was trying to export had an empty mesh, and the other, more complex model I was trying to use ended up with two empty meshes at the end of the file. ( I think the empty meshes are the eyes, actually. ) Taking the empty meshes out fixed the complex model. Now I just have to figure out what causes the simpler meshes to fail to export, and why there are a few misplaced vertices.
Thanks again, everyone!
mud2005 said:
well its easy to miss but this is in Troubleshooting section of tutorialYour texture must be a .tga file and it must NOT use RLE compression
It might be easy to miss, but I think the real reason Kintar didn't find it is that the note about RLE was added to the wiki only after he posted his question. :D
Gathers said:
It might be easy to miss, but I think the real reason Kintar didn't find it is that the note about RLE was added to the wiki only after he posted his question. :D
Evil, evil man! Making stealth changes to the wiki. ;)
http://www.jmonkeyengine.com/jmeforum/index.php?topic=3022.msg23273#msg23273
that should help you (middle to bottom of page and on) , although u seem to have figured it all out already