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| ==Intro==
| | ''Contributed by Grayman. Leave comments and questions [http://forums.thedarkmod.com/topic/11690-cutscene-wiki-page/ here].'' |
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| This article discusses the use of cameras and conversations to create map cutscenes. | | This article discusses the use of cameras and conversations to create map cutscenes. |
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| Though information on these topics already exists (see Resources below), there isn't a single place that shows you how to create a scene using these technologies. | | Though information on these topics already exists, there isn't a single place that shows you how to create a scene using these features. |
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| Hopefully, the following will fill in that gap. | | Hopefully, the following will fill in that gap. |
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| The information is presented in 5 parts:
| | Before you begin, you should have a basic understanding of how to edit with Dark Radiant, and how to build and run maps. |
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| Part 1 - Camera creation, pointing the camera, starting and ending a shot, changing cameras, and the infamous "cinematic" spawnflag | | '''Part 1: Cameras''' |
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| Part 2 - Splines, camera movement | | '''Part 2: Splines and Camera Movement''' |
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| Part 3 - Conversation, vocals, camera position, lighting, where to place the player | | '''Part 3: Lighting, Placing the Player, and Conversations''' |
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| Part 4 - Animation, triggers, sound effects, objectives | | '''Part 4: Extras''' |
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| Part 5 - A step-by-step breakdown of the ''Somewhere Above the City'' cutscene | | '''Part 5: "Somewhere Above the City"''' |
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| Each part includes a (small) map which you can edit to test things.
| | {{Template: Cutscenes}} |
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| ==The Scene==
| | {{tutorial-editing|sort=Cutscenes}} |
| | | [[Category:Video and cutscenes]] |
| In the scene we'll be creating, a City Watch guard is meeting an informant to hear about an upcoming bank heist. The script is simple: the two actors walk onstage, talk, and depart. The map is called ''Snitch''.
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| ==Part 1==
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| ''The Map''
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| Download the file snitch1.zip. This provides a dressed set, the two actors, a player start near some handy buttons, and a script to run the scene. Extract the file contents to your
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| ''Camera Creation''
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| Open the map ''snitch1.map'' in Dark Radiant. In this map, center stage is the billboard on the north wall (+Y direction) of the courtyard. The two actors wait offstage, the guard at the end of a hallway to the NE, the informant on a porch to the West.
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| [[Image:Camera1.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Camera1]]
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| Let's add the first of four cameras. Create the entity ''darkmod/func/func_cameraview'' and move it so its origin is 32 units over the top of the bush in the SE corner. ''func_cameraview'' is the camera. Give it the following key/value pairs:
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| "name" "Camera1"
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| "trigger" "1" (this camera will work when triggered)
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| "cinematic" "1" (this entity will move during filming)
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| When setting up any scene, you should first present a ''Master Shot'' to give the player a sense of where the scene is taking place. Is it in a dining room, in an alley, on the roof of a Builder cathedral? Camera1 will be our Master Shot camera, pulled back enough to present the courtyard and show where our scene is taking place.
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| ''Pointing the Camera''
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| [[Image:target_null_1.jpg|200px|thumb|right|target_null_1]]
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| Camera1 needs to be told where to look. To give it a focal point, create the entity ''darkmod/base/target_null'' and place it near the center of the billboard. Give it the following key/value pairs:
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| "name" "target_null_1"
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| It's a good habit to use matching numbers in your camera/target pairs if you'll be using multiple cameras in a scene.
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| To point the camera at its target, give Camera1 the following key/value pair:
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| "target" "target_null_1"
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| For a standing shot, this is all you need to do on your map.
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| ''Starting and ending a shot''
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| Camera control is done through scripting. Let's look at the script that controls Camera1. Open ''snitch1.script'', which sits alongside ''snitch1.map'' in the ''maps'' folder.
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| If you haven't worked with scripts before, here's an overview of the file:
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| <pre>
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| #ifndef __SNITCH_SCRIPT__
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| #define __SNITCH_SCRIPT__
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| void Roll1()
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| { | |
| ...
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| }
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| void Roll2()
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| { | |
| ...
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| } | |
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| ...
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| void main()
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| {
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| } | |
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| #endif /* __SNITCH_SCRIPT__ */
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| </pre>
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| The ''#ifndef, #define,'' and ''#endif'' directives prevent this script from being included more than once.
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| ''main()'' is a function (program, routine) executed once at the start of your map. Use it to initialize script-based activities.
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| Each ''RollN()'' is a function to be executed at some point as the player plays your map.
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| For ''snitch'', we'll be controlling each camera with a seperate script function in this file.
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| So, Camera1 will be controlled by the function Roll1():
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| <pre>
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| void Roll1()
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| {
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| sys.println("Roll1 running"); // debug
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| $Camera1.activate($player1); // Switch view
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| sys.wait(13); // duration of view
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| $Camera1.activate($player1); // Return control to player
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| }
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| </pre>
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| ''sys.println()'' prints a text line to the console. This is useful when you're unsure whether a particular function is executing or not.
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| ''$Camera1.activate($player1)'' triggers Camera1. ''$Camera1'' is the name of the entitiy, ''activate'' is what you want it to do (in this case, trigger), and ''$player1'' is the name of the entity triggering it. Triggering a camera removes control from the player and paints the screen with whatever the camera is looking at.
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| ''sys.wait(13)'' says to wait 13 seconds. So our shot is 13 seconds long.
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| ''$Camera1.activate($player1)'' deactivates the camera, returns control to the player, and paints the screen with the player's POV.
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| [[Image:target_callscriptfunction.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Roll1]] | |
| Now, how do we run this function? Find the ''info_player_start'' in the SW corner of the map. Next to it you'll see three buttons with three yellow cubes above them. Each cube is a ''darkmod/targets/atdm:target_callscriptfunction'' entity. Each button is targeted to activate one of these entities, which, in turn, calls a function in the script file.
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| The leftmost ''target_callscriptfunction'' has these key/value pairs:
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| "name" "Roll1"
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| "call" "Roll1"
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| So when you push the leftmost button, it triggers Roll1, which calls Roll1().
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| ''Looking at the results''
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| We're ready to try this out.
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| Save the map, build it, and run it.
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| When the map starts, both actors will begin walking toward the billboard. Once they've reached it, press the leftmost button on the wall to your right. Camera1 should take over and paint your Master Shot on the screen for 13 seconds. When it's finished, control returns to you. Pressing the other two button will do nothing at this point.
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Contributed by Grayman. Leave comments and questions here.
This article discusses the use of cameras and conversations to create map cutscenes.
Though information on these topics already exists, there isn't a single place that shows you how to create a scene using these features.
Hopefully, the following will fill in that gap.
Before you begin, you should have a basic understanding of how to edit with Dark Radiant, and how to build and run maps.
Part 1: Cameras
Part 2: Splines and Camera Movement
Part 3: Lighting, Placing the Player, and Conversations
Part 4: Extras
Part 5: "Somewhere Above the City"
