Frame commands

Animation Primer

Each animation can have commands attached. These are either global (they influence the entire animation), or per-frame (they do or start something at the frame with the given number).

Apart from the default D3 frame commands, the darkmod team has added a few new, useful frame commands. This page tries to describe them all.

In animation, there are some important concepts:

Channel

This is the channel the animation plays on, usually LEGS, TORSO, HEAD and so on. Animations can play on one channel, or on multiple channels at the same time. Different channels can also play different animations at the same time.

Override

Override means that the overridden channel is forced to play the same anim as the originating channel, i.e. LEGS is forced to run the same anim as TORSO. This is usually meant as "idle override" => if the HEAD animation channel is currently idle, it is overridden by the anim played on TORSO.

Synchronizing

Synchronizing is meaning two different things, it ensures that two channels are in sync with each other (such that the hands of the TORSO channel are matching the LEGS movement, like one would expect it when observing the AI - we had a bug report of that back when we implemented the walk animation for the new skeleton), and secondly it is deactivating the framecommands on the channel being synchronized, to prevent double-firing of anim frame commands.

How to use

You need an animation in the md5anim format, and a definition for your AI, which must be placed in the model defitinion of your AI. Here is an example from model tdm_ai_proguard defined inside def/tdm_ai_guard_proguard_devel.def:

anim throw_dice01               models/md5/chars/guards/proguard/throw_dice.md5anim
  {
    no_random_headturning                                       // this is a global command
    frame 17            sound tdm_dice_click                    // this is a frame command
    frame 19            create_missile RightHand
    frame 19            attach atdm:drop_dice01 dice01 hand_r
    frame 71            sound tdm_dice_shaking
    frame 81            sound tdm_dice_shaking
    frame 119           destroy dice01
    frame 119           launch_missile RightHand
    frame 122           sound tdm_dice_rolling
    frame 144           sound_voice snd_reaction
  }

Animation frame commands

These commands influence the entire animation, and not just the current frame.

Command	Description
ai_no_turn	?
anim_turn	?
no_random_headturning	The HEAD channel does not play any random turn animations.
prevent_idle_override	animation will not be interrupted by random idles (may no longer work)
random_cycle_start	Starts the animation at a random frame; avoids all md5meshes being in sync

Default Doom3 frame commands

Command	Description	Example
call	calls a global script function	frame 1 call overrideLegs
object_call	calls a script object function	frame 1 object_call ArrowInvisible
event	Calls an event function	Unused so far
sound	Plays the referenced sound shader on the general sound channel.	frame 12 sound readable_page_turn
sound_voice	Plays the referenced sound shader on the voice sound channel.	frame 23 sound_voice snd_sight
sound_voice2	Plays the referenced sound shader on the second voice sound channel.	frame 1 sound_voice2 monster_boss_vagary_attack1
sound_body	Plays the referenced sound shader on the body sound channel.	frame 50 sound_body snd_footstep
sound_body2	Plays the referenced sound shader on the second body sound channel.	frame 92 sound_body2 snd_footstep
sound_body3	Plays the referenced sound shader on the third body sound channel.	Not used so far, but similiar to sound_body
sound_weapon	Plays the referenced sound shader on the weapon sound channel.	frame 16 sound_weapon snd_drawsword
sound_global	Plays the referenced sound shader on the global sound channel.	Not used so far, but similiar to sound_body
sound_item	Plays the referenced sound shader on the item sound channel.	Not used so far, but similiar to sound_body
sound_chatter	Plays the referenced sound shader on the chatter sound channel.	frame 57 sound_chatter snd_alert_idle
skin	Sets a new skin for the model. Skin name is optional, if left off, no skin (e.g. the default skin) is used.	frame 1 skin tdm_burnt_flesh
fx	Plays the named fx (effect combining particle, sound and light).	frame 16 fx fx/tdm_flame
trigger	Triggers the given target (e.g. activates it).	Not used so far
triggerSmokeParticle	Triggers the named particle (which can be everything, not just smoke).	frame 1 triggerSmokeParticle smokestack
melee	Starts melee action?	frame 9 melee melee_elemental_fire
direct_damage	Does direct damage to the target entity.	Not used so far.
muzzle_flash	Used to flash the weapon muzzle.	Not used so far.
attack	Attack the named entity.	Not used so far.
attack_begin	Begin an attack.	Not used so far.
attack_end	Stop an attack.	Not used so far.
create_missile	Create (in the def specified) missile at the given attachment position.	frame 2 create_missile RMissile
launch_missile	Launches a missile from the given attachment position.	frame 16 launch_missile LeftHand
fire_missile_at_target	Fires a missile at the target.	Not yet used.
footstep	Unknown.	frame 12 footstep
leftfoot	Unknown.	frame 12 leftfoot
rightfoot	Unknown.	frame 12 rightfoot
enableEyeFocus	Unknown.
disableEyeFocus	Unknown.
disableGravity	Gravity no longer affects this model.
enableGravity	Gravity affects this model again.
jump	Makes it jump.
enableClip	Unknown
disableClip	Unknown
enableWalkIK	turns walkIK back on
disableWalkIK	turns walkIK off, so feet don't respond to hitting obstacles
enableLegIK	Unknown
recordDemo	Unknown
aviGame	Unknown

TDM frame commands

Keyword	Description	Version	Example
setRate	Sets the anim rate, used for speeding up/slowing down walking and crouchwalking animations to get correct footstep sounds.	v1.00 +	Does not appear to work
reattach	Move an attachment to a different position. Used f.i. to move the weapon from the back to hand.	v1.00 +	frame 16 reattach melee_weapon hand_r
pause	Pause the animation at its current frame, wait for unpause from somewhere else.	v1.00 +	Not used yet.
melee_hold	Holds a melee attack at a given point in the animation (e.g., at the back swing in attacks, at the parry position in parries). Similar to pause but also updates actor's melee status.	v1.00 +	frame 6 melee_hold
melee_attack_start		v1.00 +	frame 16 melee_attack_start melee_weapon slash_rl
melee_attack_stop		v1.00 +	frame 16 melee_attack_stop weapon
melee_parry_start		v1.00 +	frame 5 melee_parry_start melee_weapon left
melee_parry_stop		v1.00 +	frame 5 melee_parry_stop melee_weapon
set_combat_flag		v1.00 +	frame 16 set_combat_flag melee
clear_combat_flag		v1.00 +	frame 16 clear_combat_flag melee
attach	Spawns an entity of the given class and attaches it with the given attach name on the given attach position.	v1.02 +	frame 42 attach atdm:prop_single_card card hand_r
destroy	Detach and destroy the entity at the named attachment. Usually used after attach.	v1.02 +	frame 42 destroy card
drop	Detach and drop to world the entity at the named attachment. Usually used after pickup.	v1.02 +	frame 42 drop bucket
pickup	Find the entity with the given name, then attach it as the named attachment at the given position. See this article for more information.	v1.02 +	frame 42 pickup atdm_water_bucket_01 bucket hand_l
putdown	Detach and drop to world the entity at the named attachment, and restore the original position and angle it had at time of pickup. (If you use "putdown" on an entity that was created via spawn, it will simply drop to the floor).	v1.02 +	frame 80 putdown bottle
activate_at_joint	Activate the entity attached to the given joint.	v1.02 +	frame 42 activate_at_joint hand_r
activate_near	Find the entity with the given name, near (attached or not) the given joint, then activate it. See this article for more information.	v1.02 +	frame 42 activate_near hand_r
create_missile_from_def	Create a specific projectile at the given joint name. The projectile entityDef name must be passed as first argument, the joint name as second argument.	v1.04 +	frame 10 create_missile_from_def atdm:projectile_firearrow LeftHand

See also

• Entity selection order in animation frame commands