DownloadInstallation & usageIMPORTANT NOTE: Scripts need to be activated from "User Preferences" regardless as to how or where they are installed from. Be sure to use an official public release of Blender (available from Blender.org) before using any scripts, in-development sub-trees often break functionality so check your version before using.To install the MD5 export script either;
1) With Blender open, click "
File >> User Preferences". In the open dialogue, click "
Install AddOn...". In the file browser, select the script and click "
Install AddOn..." It will then appear listed in User Preferences. Finally activate the script by
selecting the checkbox to the right of the entry. Close User Preferences.
Or;
2) Drop the script into the "
addons" folder then activate via "
User Preferences".
For
Windows Vista or
Windows 7;
- C:\Users\[User]\AppData\Roaming\Blender Foundation\Blender\scripts\addons\
Windows XP users should look in;
- C:\Documents and Settings\[User]\Application Data\Blender Foundation\Blender\scripts\addons\
Linux and
Mac installation will differ depending on OS version used.
If dropped into the 'addons' folder, open "
File >> User Preferences", click "
Import-Export" and activate the script by
selecting the checkbox to the right of "
Quake Model 5 (.md5)". If correctly installed "
Quake Model 5 (.md5)" should appear in the "
File >> Export" menu list on exporting.
Using the MD5 exporterIMPORTANT NOTE: The following should be considered generic instructions for mesh and animation export from Blender to MD5 using any of the available scripts. There may be slight differences depending upon the script and Blender versions used so be sure to double check for compatibility issues before using in a production environment.MESH PREP: mesh objects should have "
Apply" transforms set to avoid scaling/association issues - for each object press "
Ctrl+A" and select "
Location", "
Rotation", "
Scale" and "
Visual Transform" (where necessary) from the list. Re-parent the mesh as necessary (although may not be required (version check) -
note however that mesh and Armature parenting is typically used for simple WYSIWYG animation sequence creation so will likely be done at some point during production). Check vertex group assignments, problems typically manifest as deformed meshes where vertices are attached to the 'root' bone of the armature.
MATERIALS: meshes should have a single material/texture/UVW map assigned. In instances where multiple-materials or multi-material are assigned/required the mesh will need to be broken down into a series of sections corresponding to the material assignments, e.g. assigning a "Head" and "Body" material would result in the mesh being split into corresponding "Head" and "Body" mesh sections. In such instances ensure each section is 'closed', i.e. there should be no holes or gaps in the mesh.
EXPORT: export is
selection based so
both the
mesh object (or 'objects' in instances where multiple meshes need to be exported)
and armature to be saved need to be selected, it is preferable for the mesh to be selected last (it highlights a brighter orange) - note that either/or may work depending on the script version. To export, from the "
File" menu, select "
File >> Export >> Quake Model 5 (.md5)". In the browser view that opens, change the file name (it may not be necessary to include the *.md5mesh/*.md5anim file extension [
check script version]), set the "
Scale:" value as needed (or leave at default "
Scale: 1.0000" to export actual size). And finally select whether to export either an md5mesh or md5anim, or both together before clicking "
Export" top-right.
Extended UsageThe correct animation set up inside Blender depends on the game engine or development environment being used or worked on as that will determine how multiple animation sequences are referenced. There are basically two ways to export;
- 1) As a series of individual animation
- 2) As a grouped or inclusive animations
1) When a series of individual animation sequences are required, each 'Action' will need to be exported as a separate *.md5anim file. For example, exporting a character with a "run", "walk" and "jump" cycle would result in four separate files - three *.md5anim files, one for each 'Action', and one *.md5mesh.
2) When animation sequences are to be included in a single track, care must be taken to properly delineate the 'start' and 'end' point of each 'action' in Blender as well as the development environment (1-99 = 'walk', 100-199 = 'run' and so on). Exporting this type of data results in a single *md5anim. Exporting a character with "run", "walk" and "jump" cycle would result in two files - one *.md5anim file containing all the necessary delineated sequences, and one *.md5mesh.
Exporting animationsThe MD5 script only exports the
currently active action. Before export ensure the correct Action sequence datablock is assigned to the Armature (or active in the "
Action Editor" timeline - see below). Ensure the "
Start:" and "
End:" points of an Action are set in the "
Frame Range:" sub-section of "
Render Properties" (panel to the right of the screen).
The "
Action" editor is now a sub-editor of the "
Dopesheet" editor. The DopeSheet first needs to be set as the active Editor view, then within this select "
Action Editor" from the "
Editing Context" drop-down menu in the Header. Once done, edit/delete/create new functions as required.
Selecting the "Action Editor" as a "Mode" of the main "DopeSheet"
Selecting a specific "Action" animation in the "Action Editor"
LimitationsScripts may have limitations and/or compatibility issues when used incorrectly (in the wrong version of Blender), or where features are not available or present in others version. Check that;
- the correct script is being used per Blender version
- animation is correctly set-up relative to single or multiple files (see above)
- models correctly prepped - smoothing, materials, UVW maps should be present
If unsure as to what animation sequences are available, switch a window/view to display the "
Outliner" Editor. In the Header, click the "
Type of Data to display" drop-down menu (defaults to show "
All Scenes") and select "
Datablocks" from the list. Find "
Actions" and click the "
+" to its left, expanding the block to reveal all sequence data saved in the file.
MiscArchived MD5 import and export scripts are available on the Tools page.
Topic: [MD5] How to export.. animated MD5 from Blender (Read 14129 times)