The NGLE Manual
Wadmerger Tutorial
by EssGee
and Jesse
This tutorial is
based on a translation of a German tutorial written by
Daniel at Lara’s Levelbase. Bedazzled (Tomb Builder)
provided the English translation of the original
document. We have revised the document and updated it
with a substantial amount of additional information. The
document should be read in addition to reading the
documentation provided by Michiel (TRWad) – the author
of the program.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1:
Installation and Introduction to Wadmerger
Chapter 2: The First Steps in the Animation
Editor
Chapter 3: The MeshTree Editor and the Structure
of Animations in Tomb Raider
Chapter 4: Advanced animating - Animation
Commands and StateIDs
Chapter 1: Installation and
Introduction to Wadmerger
Before we begin, the
general question “what actually is Wadmerger?” should be
answered. Wadmerger is an efficient tool for creating
and working on your own Wads - the "object pack" of each
TR level. With it, you can copy objects from one Wad
into another, delete objects, and add textures to
objects. But Wadmerger contains much more - among other
things a complete animation studio; with which one can
change object movements. In the course of this first
chapter, we will concern ourselves with this and all
other features, but this should be sufficient for an
introduction. This guide relates to the newest Wadmerger
version 1,9 revision 7 A2 unless indicated differently,
which is available for download from TRSearch Engine
(current beta 1.98 beta 3). You also need to download
the required VB Runtimes.
|
NOTE: During the evolution of Wadmerger, there have
been several released versions that perform certain
functions better than others.
V
1.97.0.1002 and V1.98.0.103 handle extra statics
slots.
V
1.97.0.102 handles collision problems properly.
V
1.96.0.1002 handles custom sound samples properly. |
Nevertheless all
lessons should be useable in previous versions starting
from version 1.9 revision 5. Mostly they are updates
with bugs fixed (programming errors removed). Also you
need to download the example Snake Wad, and extract it
to any folder, we’ll use this wad later. Now let’s get
started.
First unzip the VB
Runtime files to a temporary directory, and run the
install program. Now create a directory named Wadmerger
on your C: drive (or wherever you choose to place it),
and extract the zipped Wadmerger files into it. Now run
Wadmerger by opening this folder, and double clicking on
the Wadmerger icon. When you start Wadmerger for the
first time, the settings window will show. This only
shows the first time, but you can access it by selecting
Options (The spanner icon) in the main window.
Settings – Folders
You can set the
default locations of your WAD folders. Use the browse
buttons to point to the desired location.
Wad Folder: The
default Save path
Original Wad Folder:
The default Load path
Wadmerger can export
objects from earlier TR Games. Here you can select the
default location. There are 3 paths highlighted in red.
These need to be set in order to make Wadmerger work
properly if you are extracting moveables from TR1, 2,3,
5 wads:
Samples folder
When saving objects from other TR games, the samples
must be saved too. This must point to TRLE\sound\samples
(where TRLE is the place where you installed the level
editor). The TR2 and TR3 sound file must point to the
main.sfx file location. If you want to use TR3 wads a
lot, you must set this. If you load levels from the CD,
you can point it to the CD too. When you click 'browse'
a dialog will show that needs to load main.sfx. It will
be opened when saving TR2/3 levels. This file can be
found in the data folder on the game disc.
Example
If you have the CD-ROM drive as D and you run TR2/3 from
CD, insert the CD and choose the browse button after the
filename. Go to the cd and open data\main.sfx. When you
load a level, make sure the CD is in the drive so it can
be loaded. After loading you can remove the CD safely.
Now we can take a
look at the Wadmerger user interface more closely. One
can divide the interface essentially into three areas:
The red and at the same time most important part is
probably the Wad preparation area. The function of all
Buttons for this part are described below.
WAD Edit Section
Load WAD
Click this Button
under the left window to load an existing WAD that you
want to work on. Click the Load Button under the right
window to load a WAD, from which you can copy objects.
Save WAD
With this Button you
can save your edited WAD.
New WAD
Click on this Button,
so that you can build a completely new WAD.
Load TR
With this Button one
can load a TR level, (TR1-5). From which you can copy
objects. NOTE: this function does not always work with
custom TR4 Levels.
Delete
Deletes the selected
moveable or static object in the WAD you are editing.
Copy
Copy the moveable,
static or sprite you selected on the right to the left
list. Should you already have the object in your WAD
then you will be asked whether you want to overwrite it.
Choose ‘Yes’ if you want to replace the object with the
new one. Shift + Copy: With this Keystroke an object can
be copied into another Slot. A dialog will ask you for
the new slot name. Choose a new slot from the Drop-down
list. Note: You cannot copy a static object into a
Moveable slot using this function.
Rename
Use this button to
rename an existing object into another Slot. A dialog
will ask you for the new slot name. Choose a new slot
from the Drop-down list. Note: You can only rename a
Static object as another Static slot, or a Moveable into
another Moveable slot using this function.
Import
Will show a dialog to
load a moveable and add it. Theoretically the recognised
file extensions are *.trwad, and *.mqo. but this
function is not currently implemented.
Export
Will show a dialog to
save the selected moveable to a file. Theoretically the
recognised file extensions are *.trwad, and *.mqo. but
this function is not currently implemented.
Add Texture
Will show a dialog to
load an image file and add it to the texture data. You
can use it in your own objects (with Strpix). Image size
limit is 256x256 pixels.
|
Note: you can only add textures to a
moveable object mesh in Wadmerger. If you want to
add textures to a static object create a temporary
wad with your static object and a dummy moveable
item. Use the dummy item to add a texture and apply
the texture(s) anywhere on the moveable. Save the
wad, open it in Strpix, and then apply the new
textures to your static object. Now save the wad in
Strpix and transfer the static to your working wad. |
Empty
Will make this
moveable or static empty. It will be invisible in the
game. You must use this on SKIN_JOINTS when using TR1-3
outfits else TR will crash.
Create new
Create a totally new
Moveable object. You will be asked to select a new
Object ID. Choose a suitable Object slot for your new
object from the Drop-down list. After creating it, the
object will be empty. In the animation editor you can
add meshes to it (meshes can be created using
Metasequoia and StrPix).
Make Shatter
Use this button to
create a new shatter item. This function creates flat
shatter walls and windows. Using the Shatter Wizard -
select a suitable height for your object. Load a
suitable texture to cover the chosen area. Click Build,
and a new Shatter Item slot will be created in your Wad.
We will turn now to
the Object Edit Section.
Object Edit Section
This consists of only
a few Buttons. In the dark grey Preview window the
selected object is displayed. You can rotate the object
by holding click over the preview window. Use the Left
and Right Arrow keys to rotate manually, and the Up and
Down Arrow keys to zoom in and out. The following is an
explanation of the four buttons in this section:
Disable Collision
This Button
deactivates the collision of an object, so that Lara can
travel through it.
Enable Collision
This Button activates
the collision of a moveable object, so that Lara cannot
travel through it. Hold Shift while pressing this button
to recalculate collision on a static object.
Create Normals
(Button
not in current version)
This Button is
deactivated and has no function; it may be used in one
of the future versions.
Clear
(Button not in
current version)
With this Button an
empty Mesh replaces a Mesh from the list.
We come now to the
last part of the user interface, the included editors.
The following is a short explanation of them:
Included Editors
Sound Manager
With this editor it
is possible to add missing sounds to a WAD. Save your
wad before AND after using the sound manager. In the
latest beta version you can use this editor to simply
delete sounds simply by unchecking them. This function
was not available in earlier versions.
|
Note: If you add sound banks to your
wad with Sound Manager, some sounds have a default
chance value other than 0 that is entered. This
means the sound will not be played every time it is
cued from the animation. For advanced sound editing
to correct these and other types of sound problems
you can use Pcwadsfx, Screamer, or SFX Manager. |
AI editor
The AI editor makes
it possible to work on the intelligence of opponents
from other TR games so that they function in TR4. It is
however somewhat complicated to use. This editor is
rarely used and you can perform similar functions using
the main Animation Editor. So it will not be discussed
for now.
Switch Manager
With this editor one
can use switches from other TR games, such as the small
pushbutton from TR3, which was not in TR4.
So for example, if
you are using the Small Push Button in your wad, open
the Switch Manager, select Small Push Switch from the
OCB 2 drop-down menu, and click Save. Then save your
wad. Whenever you place a push button in your map assign
an OCB value of 2 to it. In game, Lara will now perform
the correct ‘push button’ animation. You must also check
that your Lara animations include the necessary
animations for these special switches.
Sprite editor
Flames, ropes, smoke
and frames are created using sprites. Most of these are
stored in the DEFAULT_SPRITES object. However, there are
also 2 other sprite objects 'MISC_SPRITES' and
'SKY_GRAPHICS'. These objects are a list of textures. If
you select a sprite, you see them in the 3D window. You
can edit them by double clicking the 3D window or
clicking 'Sprite Editor'. You must select a sprite
before you can do this. A new window will show. It has a
list of all textures available. You can use the Add and
Remove buttons to add/delete textures to this sprite.
But remember that removing textures from the default
sprites or sky graphics can look strange in game (for
example, the rope looks like steam). Until a way is
found to use the remove and add functions they are
disabled. To edit a sprite, select a texture number. The
sprite will show up in the window. You can load and save
it to a bitmap. If you import a bitmap it doesn't have
to be the same size, but the maximum size is 256x256.
Many sprites are stored in DEFAULT_SPRITES. For example,
the rope textures are texture 16. Also flames and steam
are stored here, but they will look different because
the colour and shape is created by the engine and can't
be edited in the Sprite Editor.
Here
is a list of known sprites:
0-
Flame Emitter/ Underwater blood/ smoke
1- Flame Emitter / Underwater blood/ smoke
2- Flame Emitter / Underwater blood/ smoke
3- Flame Emitter / Underwater blood/ smoke
4
5
6
7
8 - when lara jumps from a high point in the water, this
sprite appears as water
9 - when lara walks in the water this sprite appears
around her feet
10
11- Shiny, glow of electricty arc
12
13- Underwater bubbles
14- Underwater Dust
15
16- Rope
17- Jeep 'R' for Reverse
18- Jeep 'D' for Drive
19- Unused, can be used for the Shadow Sprite in
conjunction with TREP
20- Unused, can be used for the Shadow Sprite in
conjunction with TREP
21- Unused, can be used for the Shadow Sprite in
conjunction with TREP
22- Unused, can be used for the Shadow Sprite in
conjunction with TREP
23- Unused, can be used for the Shadow Sprite in
conjunction with TREP
24- Unused, can be used for the Shadow Sprite in
conjunction with TREP
25- Unused, can be used for the Shadow Sprite in
conjunction with TREP
26- Unused, can be used for the Shadow Sprite in
conjunction with TREP
27- Unused, can be used for the Shadow Sprite in
conjunction with TREP
28- Flame_Emitter 3/Lightning Conductor Sprite. The
colour of the bolt depends on the amount of white in the
sprite ie: very light-very light blue...very dark,
darker blue.
29
30
31- Lensflare
32
33
Top Toolbar Section (listed in order from
left to right)
Options
Displays Options screen. You can set-up the folders from
TRLE and change skins in it.
Use Smartcopy
If
it's checked SmartCopy is used. If it's unchecked,
SmartCopy is ignored. SmartCopy will help you when you
copy objects that can use more then 1 slot (like
DOOR_TYPE1, DOOR_TYPE2). With smartcopy enabled, doors,
switches, animatings, trapdoors, pushables and quest
items are not copied to the edit wad with the same
ObjectID. SmartCopy looks in the edit wad if there are
any DOOR_TYPEx slots free. It will copy the object to
the first free slot. If no slots are free, a message
will warn you that you have reached the limit of
available slots for that type of object. This makes it
easier to build a WAD with doors and switches from many
other wads since mostly DOOR_TYPE1 is the first one and
you will always get messages if you want to replace it.
Turning off SmartCopy can be useful if you are adding
static objects and wish to replace a current static slot
with a new object.
Moveable
Displays the moveables in the list
Static
Displays the static meshes in the list
Sprites
Display the sprites in the list.
‘A’ button: Add Anim Button (unmarked but present in
V1.97A2)(visible as ‘A’ button in Version 1.98.beta3)
Used in conjunction with wads that
are created for exporting specific object animations.
Displays the list of object animations that have been
added for export from the wad. (see animation section
for more detail)
About
Display the about dialog. It
contains the names of the people working on Wadmerger
(including the skins and documentation).
Exercise for you to try
We
will now try editing a Wad in practice using the
standard supplied editor wads.
Click
the load wad button under the left hand window - a new
window opens displaying a list of your wads (Program
Files\Core Design\TRLE\Graphics\Wads). Click on the
tut1.was listing. Now click load wad under the right
hand window but select the city.was file. Expand the
list by clicking on the small square with a + sign next
to the city.was name Scroll down the city.was list and
click on the SAS now click the <<COPY button you have
copied the SAS object into the tut1 wad. Now click on
the Teeth Spikes in the tut1.wad and click on "< <
DELETE" and confirm if necessary. The Teeth Spikes
should now be deleted from the Tut1 WAD. You see WAD
editing is not so difficult after all. This should be
sufficient as an introductory chapter, but you should
practice copying, renaming, deleting and overwriting
objects in a WAD, ready for the next chapter.
Chapter 2: The First Steps in the Animations Editor
We now
move on to probably the most interesting, and difficult
part of Wadmerger: the Animation Editor. Before we
begin, it’s important to clarify some fundamental ideas.
These are the following:
Slot
A Slot
designates a "container" specified in the program code
of TR for objects, which possesses completely determined
characteristics. For example: Altogether there are 525
Slots in TR, each slot stands here for an object from
TR4. If you go through the objects in your Wad in the LE
in the Object Window, the names of the objects are the
names of the Slots they are in. In order to make the
different characteristics clear, let’s take the Harpy
and the Crocodile Slots as examples. If you copy an
opponent to the Harpy Slot, then the program code
regards the opponent automatically as a Harpy and the
opponent can in theory fly (however only in theory). If
you copied it into the Crocodile Slot, then the opponent
could swim under water.
|
NOTE: If you want to make an
opponent or trap from another TR game function
in the LE then it’s best to look for a Slot, in
which a TR4 opponent sits, which possesses the
same and/or similar characteristics, to the
object from the other TR game. If the opponent
can poison, but not fly, then only the Scorpion
Slot is applicable, since it and the Harpy in
TR4 are the only opponents, who can poison. And
an opponent would fly in the Harpy Slot, so only
the Scorpion Slot remains. If you copy
an object into another Slot, then only the
"appearance" is exchanged; the object actually
takes over automatically the characteristics of
the opponent that was originally in the Slot,
i.e. an eagle in the Harpy Slot is not exactly
the same as when shot it dies like a Harpy.
Unfortunatley you cannot change that, since the
characteristics of the Slots are firmly
integrated in the program code. With enemies
from other TR games there is also an issue with
different State Ids which affect the behaviour
of the enemy, but that subject deserves a
separate topic. In brief summary, you cannot
simply copy an enemy from an earlier TR game
into a wad for TR4 and expect the enemy to
function properly as it did in its native game
engine. StateIDs will be discussed in Chapter 4. |
Mesh
A Mesh
is a "part of the body" of an object. A Mesh consists of
many polygons and is the "raw material", of which each
object is composed. We can take Lara’s head as an
example, likewise her hands, legs, arms, and torso are
all meshes. Objects consist in principle only of meshes,
with each one having a number (Mesh 1, Mesh 2, Mesh
3...).
Animation
An
animation is simply a series of slightly different
pictures known as frames. The human eye can notice only
pictures; if many pictures are played very fast one
after the other, then it appears to us as movement. We
will create a simple animation, which is nine frames
long. In each frame a snake’s head will turn 10 degrees
further to the right, at the end we’ll have an
animation, in which the head turns 90 degrees to the
right. At the beginning you downloaded a small Wad
(Snake.wad). We are now going to work with this Wad. It
contains the snake from the TR3 Temple level in the
Scorpion Slot. Start Wadmerger and load the Wad in the
left hand window. click on the object "Scorpion" and
then on the Button "Animation Editor". If the camera is
automatically rotating, click the Auto Rotate Button
(3rd Button from the left) to stop the object from
rotating, and then click on the Reset View Button (with
the small camera) in order to centre the camera.
Now
we’ll look at this window more closely.
In the
above diagram, the Buttons are divided into
green and
red Areas; everything
within a green
border has something to do with the generation of
animations; all red
on the other hand refers to the building of objects, and
the possibility to rebuild objects from other TR games
for our LE so that they function correctly. Let’s start
with the simpler part, namely the
Animations.
First
the Button explanation (the upper, green Toolbar
Buttons), from left to right:
The square arrow (Move button)
With
this Button, one can move the object in an animation
forward, back (the z axis), to the left or to the right
(the x axis), or up and down (the y axis). If no
animation is selected; you can arrange the Meshes of an
object and can push for example the head under the legs.
0.25 is equivalent to 1 click, so for example moving the
object to 0.5 on the Z axis would move the object
forward 2 clicks, making it appear on the edge of the
square.
|
NOTE: The y axis is upside-down
in the game engine. Thus as the y value grows
more negative, the object is raised higher, not
lower, and vice versa. |
The
move button only changes the visual position of the
object, not the actual position. The actual position can
only be updated by either using the speed/acceleration
fields explained in Chapter 3, or with a set position
command explained in Chapter 4.
The round arrow: (Rotate Button)
Clicking on this Button enables us to rotate a Mesh in
all directions. Mainly with this Button, the illusion of
a movement is produced.
The little man with the circle: (Auto Rotate Object
Button)
This
button stops/starts the object rotating in the viewing
window.
The little man with the arrow in the hand: (Auto Animate
Button)
A
click on this Button plays the current animation,
clicking again stops it.
The camera (Reset View)
Clicking it returns the camera to the default position.
The 2nd little man with an arrow (Animation Wizard
Button)
Here
one can start the Animation Wizard (animation
assistant). Details further down.
The little man with a blue + (Add a new frame)
With
this Button, one can extend the animation by a frame. It
duplicates the frame currently selected.
The little man with the red X: (Delete current frame
Button)
This
Button deletes the currently selected frame.
Sub-section: Objects frame
This
section allows you to view certain objects together. For
example if you open the Lara Vehicle Extra animations
you can also select te Motorbike from the drop-down list
and view both objects animations being played together.
Sub-section: Render Options frame
By
default the Animate button is selected for viewing
animations. To edit textures click the Model button.
V
button - to view mesh Vertices
L
button - to view mesh Lines
F
button – to view textured meshes
Grid
button – to view floor grid
The
upper red toolbar buttons will be explained in the next
chapter.
Now a
short description of the lower green area.
In the
Current Animation Drop Down menu, you can see all the
animations of the object listed. Select each one to view
it.
With
one click on Add an
additional animation is added to the object. You cannot
delete an Animation in Wadmerger. the ‘Remove’ is
deactivated at present. An alternative to this is to go
to the frames menu and select "delete all frames" to
delete all frames in the selected animation.
The
Button Chain Plays
back all animations in a chain. If for example an
object's animations are arranged such that after Anim 1
Anim 3 is played and after Anim 3 Anim 4, is played with
one click on this Button, all three Anims are
sequentially played back.
With
one click on Replay
the animation will loop upon playback.
We’ll
leave the Mesh editor and the red Buttons for now. Next
we’ll look at the functions of the mouse.
Mouse Functions
If you
click with the right mouse button on a Mesh, it will
select it.
Hold
simultaneously ALT and the right mouse button - moving
the mouse will zoom in & out.
By
holding only the right mouse button pressed and moving
the mouse, you can turn the object in any direction.
Finally one can shift the entire view by holding both
the Shift key and the right mouse button.
To
return again to the original view, click on the camera
button.
Now,
we venture into our first animation.
Making an animation
Using
the Snake wad as an example, ensure that the camera is
not revolving and press the camera button to get the
original camera perspective back.
Select
Animation 0. Pull the slider under the menu, in which
you can select the animation number, all the way to the
right in order to select the last frame. With this
slider, frames of an Animation can be effortlessly
selected. Now add an additional frame by clicking on the
Add Frame Button (Button with the blue +).
Now
click with the right mouse button on the head of the
snake; the Head Mesh is now selected.
Now
click on the round arrow and you should see three axis
lines with coloured spheres at the ends also a little
window, into which values for the "x, y, z" axes may be
entered.
The
three lines stand for the three axes, around which
objects in the three-dimensional room can be moved. With
the red sphere at the end of the red X axis you can turn
a Mesh to the left or to the right; with the blue sphere
at the end of the blue Z axis you can tilt a Mesh, with
the green sphere at the end of the green Y axis, you can
rotate a Mesh towards the top or bottom. Yes, very
important, we said rotate and not move. With an
animation there is a difference, whether one says, one
moves a Mesh or one rotates a Mesh. If one moves a mesh,
it "leaves" its original place, therefore it separates
itself from the rest of the object and places itself
some centimetres or metres away in any direction, from
the remainder of the object. The moving of a single Mesh
is not supported by the LE however (also it would look
somewhat strange, if the head of an opponent removed
itself). Therefore one can only move the total object
(multiple meshes) with the movement Button ("Move button
with the 4 arrows) and not single Meshes within that
complex object.
|
NOTE: If an object consists only
of one mesh, then it can be moved. If one
rotates a Mesh on the other hand, it remains at
its current place and "leans" itself only in the
corresponding direction. We can rotate the Mesh
directly by clicking and dragging one of the
spheres with the mouse; it’s more exact however
with the new window. Here one can input the
number of degrees behind X, Y or Z, which you
want to turn the Mesh. Input 10 in X, and the
mesh revolves around 10 degrees to the left.
NOTE: If you experience very slow
or no movement using these toggle spheres, try
going into your Options menu and adjust the
Animation Editor Undo Buffer Size to 0. |
Now
input in Z 40 so that the head moves down some degrees.
Now close the window and add a further frame. Repeat the
procedure, only input 45 instead of 40 so that the head
tilts further down. Add three more frames - enter
successively in Z 50, 55 and 60. When the animation is
viewed you should now see the snake move its head down
at the end of the Animation. Congratulations, you have
just generated your first custom animation!
Now
perhaps you’re thinking, longer animations with several
hundred frames will be very complex to create in this
manner. It can be achieved in an easier way with the
Animation Wizard.
Delete
the last 5 frames (the Button with the red X) and start
the Animation Wizard.
Step 1
- Welcome to the Animation Wizard - Click once on Next
Step 2
- First frame of animation - move the window so that you
can reach the Buttons. Select again the head and click
on the Rotate Button. Input in Z a value of 45, click OK
in this small window and click on Next in the Wizard.
This step has generated the first frame of the
animation,
Step 3
- Last Frame of animation - Now input in Z 60, click OK
in small window and click again on Next. This step has
generated the last frame of the animation.
Step 4
- Animation Length - Input 5 in the upper field; this
tells the program that the animation should be 5 frames
long. Enter 41 in the field; the original animation had
40 frames and we are adding an additional 5 frames to
the end of the animation; our new Animation will start
on frame 41.
Click
on Finish and Wadmerger generates the animation
automatically. To view it click the Auto Animate
Button. The result is the same animation produced much
more quickly.
Should
you make a mistake, it can be undone with the Edit >
Undo command (Ctrl+Z).
|
NOTE: The object's position can
appear incorrectly while using the Animation
Wizard. Here is a way to avoid this bug: Have
both the first and last frames finished in the
normal animation editor, and select frame >copy
with the last frame selected. Then select the
first frame and start the wizard. Click next
twice and then select the main window and do
Ctrl+V or use Frame > Paste (replace) to paste
in the last frame. This way you have it use two
frames that have been finished beforehand, so
you know that they are correctly positioned.
Click next and, because of this method, you need
to add one more frame than you intend to use,
and then click Finish. |
Review
the animation and remove any extra frames at the end of
the sequence.
These
are all the menu commands in the animation editor:
Toolbar Menu
File> Save Wad
File> Quit
Edit> Undo
Meshes> Move Center
Meshes> Scale
Frame> Copy
Frame> Paste (Replace)
Frame> Paste (Insert)
Frame> Delete all frames
Frame> Set position for all frames
Frame> Set rotation for all frames
Animation> Add to AniFile
Animation> Copy
Animation> Paste (replace)
Animation> Paste (add to current)
Animation> Paste (play)Animation> Export
Animation> Import (replace)
Animation> Import (add to current)
Animation> Invert animation
View> Frame calculating
Sound> Add sounds
Textures> Import
Cutscenes> Load cutscene
Collision> Disable collision (frame)
Collision> Calculate collision (frame)
Collision> Calculate collision (animation)
Collision> Show Bounding Box
Collision> Disable mesh sphere
Collision> Show mesh sphere
You
can save your animation changes in your wad using the
menu File > Save Wad. Alternatively, when you close the
Animation Editor window (File> Quit) you will be asked
if you want to save changes. If so, click Yes and then
click the Save Wad button in the Main Wadmerger window
to save the changes permanently. When creating
animations, Edit> Undo (Ctrl+Z) will undo the previous
animation you made.
Meshes> Move Center – This allows you to move the point
of a "parent" mesh at which its "child" meshes connect.
The relationships between meshes are explained in the
next chapter.
Meshes> Scale – Use this function to resize an entire
object. For example entering values of 0.5 in all three
axes (x,y,z) will reduce the object size by half.
The
Frame >Copy command will copy a frame and the Frame >
Paste (add to current) command will insert the copied
animation after the current one. The Paste>Replace
command will replace the current frame by the one you
copied. With Frame >Delete all frames you can remove all
frames from the current animation. Both commands "Set
position for all frames" and "Set rotation for all
frames" are also quite useful. An object in an animation
moved with the Move Button to a certain place and you
want the object to remain there in each FRAME, simply
select it and click” Set position for all frames" this
places the object at the same place in each frame The
same applies to the rotation, only that here it
determines, that the head of the snake is for example
turned 60 degrees to the right in all frames.
The
Animation menu works similarly to the frame menu, except
you can also export and import frames to/from external
files. The "invert animation" option orders the frames
in reverse order, so the animation is backwards from
before. The collision menu allows you to have the
program calculate the collision box for either the
current frame or the current animation, as well as
delete the collision box from the current frame. Newer
WADMerger versions calculate the box more accurately
than the version in which this feature was introduced.
One last reference: When closing the Animation Editor a
message appears "Save Changes?" click "Yes".
Nevertheless click the “SAVE WAD” Button because
sometimes the changes are not stored.
Bug
warning: If you are viewing an object from a WAD or TR
file loaded on the right side of the WADMerger
interface, clicking "Yes" for "Save changes?" may change
the corresponding object on the left side.
Sound>
Add sounds: allows you to add new sound samples to an
object. The sounds can then be assigned using the
Animation Commands.
Textures> Import: Allows you to add new textures to an
object of any size up to 256 x 256 pixels.
Cutscenes> Load cutscene – Function not known.
Exercise for you to try
Use
animation zero and generate a completely new animation
in which the snake moves its head (Mesh 11) downward by
15 degrees then back up by 15 degrees and repeats these
movements three times. Altogether the animation should
have 30 frames. Keep a secure copy of your wad, so that
it’s the original for future chapters.
Chapter 3: The Mesh Tree
Editor and the Structure of Animations in Tomb Raider
At the
beginning we are going to return to the exercise set at
the end of the previous chapter. A completely new
animation was to be created, in which the snake over a
period of 30 Frames should move it’s head down 15
degrees then back up 15 degrees repeating these
movements three times. There were two ways of doing
this. The first and simpler possibility is to use the
animation Wizard. But we need to employ a few
fundamental considerations. Altogether the snake is to
move its head six times (three times downward and three
times upward). We know that we need to provide the
animation Wizard with the first and last frames of an
animation, and Wadmerger automatically calculates all
frames between them to create the final animation. Since
the head is to always move the same number of degrees),
in the last frame of the animation it will be in exactly
the position it started in. Therefore we cannot simply
enter 30 frames as the animation length, since Frames 1
and 30 of the animation are identical the result would
be no animation at all. How do we get around this
problem? Now, we must use the animation Wizard in
several places in the animation, exactly 6 times. If the
30 Frames must be divided into 6 head movements, how can
this be achieved within one animation? 30÷ 6 = 5 i.e.
each movement has five Frames.
We’ll
now do this step by step:
-
Select animation 0, then click Frame = > DELETE all
Frames - this makes a completely empty animation
available.
-
Start the animation Wizard.
-
The first frame is already correct, therefore click
on "NEXT ". Now right click on Mesh 11 (the head),
then on the Button with the round arrow. The axis
window shows Z=34 and we now want to add 15 (the
number of degrees we want the head to move), so
change the value to 49 and click “OK.” Now the snake
lowers it’s head by 15 degrees, click again on
"NEXT”.
-
Enter 5 for the animation length, and 0 as the
Startframe. Click on "finish" This gives us the
first part of our animation.
-
Now the procedure is repeated starting from step 3,
with the difference that we take 15 off, so that the
head lifts up again by 15 degrees. Likewise the
animation begins this time on Frame 5. Altogether
the whole process is repeated six times, until our
animation is completely finished. This was the easy
way with the help of the animation wizard.
The
second possibility consists of creating all 30 Frames by
hand with the help of a pocket calculator to calculate
how many degrees the head should move in each frame
downward or upward. This method is far more
time-consuming, however it’s very suitable for
practicing. We turn now to something new.
We
have discussed creating our own animations, but now we
need to learn the "structures" and characteristics of
animations. It is very important to understand why for
example a soldier in the SAS slot is not the same as
another human enemy in Baddy 1 or 2 slots. For this
purpose we are occupied now with the MeshTree Editor.
You’ll find the appropriate Button to open it in the
lower right corner of the Animation Editor. After
opening you should see this window:
If you
look more closely, at how the Meshes are connected, then
this "list" will remind you of a “Family Tree". Also, in
the Mesh Editor you can specify, where each mesh stands
in the relationship. This is very important for the
animation, because if you rotate a mesh other meshes
automatically also rotate. Also the logic behind it
corresponds to a family tree. Beginning with Mesh 0 all
other Meshes are connected amongst themselves. It’s
constructed like a genuine family tree with "children"
and "parents". With the snake’s mesh tree, Mesh 0
represents a "parent" to Mesh 1. Mesh 1 is therefore the
"child". At the same time Mesh 1 is also again the
parent of Mesh 2, which is again the child of Mesh 1.
Thus it continues sequentially. Mesh 12 and 13 are
finally again children of Mesh 0, they possess however
no children. Why is this parent child relationship
important?. Fundamentally a "child" always moves along
and/or rotates with it’s parent. In this case it would
mean that all other Meshes move with movement and/or
rotation of Mesh 0, because they are all "relatives”
with Mesh 0, as one can recognize by the lines. If you
rotated for example Mesh 7, the Meshes 8, 9, 10 and 11
also move, these are the "children", "grandchildren",
"great-grandchildren" etc from Mesh 7 . All Meshes above
Mesh 7 however do not move, since they are not children
of Mesh 7, but "parents", "grandparents",
"great-grandparents" etc.. Mesh 12, and 13 also do not
move, they are related only to Mesh 0. It looks pretty
complicated, but with time you’ll be able to quickly
move through a Mesh Tree. Altogether it is always
advisable to study the Mesh Tree of an opponent before
providing a new animation in order to understand better,
which Meshes are to be connected and which not. In
addition it is very important for authentic animations
to provide a physically correct Mesh Tree. For example:
you have a human opponent (Baddy etc.) and would like to
raise its thigh. Now it is very importantly that the
lower leg is a child of the thigh, otherwise it will not
move. Likewise the foot must be a child of the lower
leg, have you tried to lift your thigh while trying to
keep your foot on the ground? It’s impossible. The foot
lifts up just like your thigh. Now, you know, what a
Mesh Tree is and how it’s constructed. However, how can
you change it? Now the Buttons and check boxes at the
edge come into the play. With the "ADD" Button you can
add a further mesh to the object. This however is only
used with Strpix. Therefore we’ll leave this Button for
now and come back to it later. The "Replace" Button
doesn’t appear to function as it usually crashes the
program. With the "DELETE" button you can delete a
selected mesh. With the "UP" Button one can shift a mesh
in the family tree upward, and with the “DOWN” Button "
downward. Here it’s important to note that not only the
meshes in the list shift up and down, but also in the
object itself. You will need to use the MOVE Button
afterwards to put it back in the correct place. With the
check boxes one can specify now whether a Mesh is a
"child" or a "parent". Here one can ignore the Dummy
Button. It allows Lara to have the dummy meshes in the
LARA slot replaced with the correct meshes from the
LARA_SKIN slot. If one would like to specify a Mesh as a
"child", then leave the check boxes unmarked. If the
Mesh should be marked as a "parent", then "Push" must be
marked. The last box, "Pop", means return to parent
level. If a mesh has a set of children, grandchildren
etc and one now clicks the next mesh "Pop" on, then a
line to Mesh 0 will form directly to this mesh. In the
object this mesh will connect with mesh 0, if no other
mesh above it in the mesh tree has the designation
"Push". In order to clarify, open the Scorpion mip in
the snake wad in the Animation Editor and open the Mesh
editor. Click now on Mesh 19 and untick the "Push" box.
Meshes 21, 22 and 23 aligned themselves previously with
Mesh 19. Now Mesh 19 is no longer ticked in the "Push"
box, the scissors of the Scorpion now align themselves
with Mesh 17 because this is the next Mesh, which has
push box ticked. Close the Mesh editor and view the
result. Now use the “Move”to reposition Meshes 21 and 24
back to the body. View one of the animations now, the
Scorpion does not move correctly although we have the
scissors attached again to the body. What has gone
wrong? Now, we attached the scissors at the body again,
but they depend on the animations of Mesh 17 because
this is marked with "Push" and is the next "Push"
Mesh-to-Mesh 21. You see therefore, it is not at all
simple to generate a good mesh tree. Therefore you
should always make yourself familiar with the original
opponents if you intend to build a completely new
opponent. The goal of this section was to explain, how
the Meshes "react" with one another so that it can be
taken into consideration during animating and so avoid
unpleasant surprises. In theory there should be a
balanced relationship whereby the number of ‘Pop” meshes
should equal the number of “Push” meshes.
The
other animation characteristics are not so complicated .
Right beside the Frame selector you find a few fields
(with the overview red borders). In addition, these are
important for the building of opponents, as some have
influence on the animation. So for example Speed: The
number entered here determines the speed with which the
object moves itself with the Animation playing. The
higher the number, the faster the object moves. A good
example is Lara. When normal running the speed value is
42. when sprinting it has a value of 82. The
Acceleration field adds the given value to the object's
speed for each frame of the animation. This is used for
when objects start or stop moving (use a negative value
to slow it down). Framerate value: The normal Framerate
is 1. The higher the number, the more frames are
calculated by the game engine between the defined frames
(frames given in the animation editor). With 2 entered,
the animation has 1 frame added between the defined
frames, with 4 entered, the animation has 3 frames added
between the defined frames, etc. You can use this to
stretch the length of an animation. For example if you
had a door that had an opening animation that lasted 1
second (30 frames), you could extend it to open more
slowly by increasing the framerate to 4, The door would
now take 4 seconds (120 frames to open). Make sure to
adjust any existing animation commands and stateID
changes (next section) when changing the framerate of
the animation. The function of the stateID field will
be discussed in the next chapter. The next animation
field tells which animation the object will go to after
the current animation, and the next frame field tells
which frame the object will start with in that new
animation.
Chapter 4: Advanced Animating
- Animation Commands and StateIDs
It is time to learn about the red upper toolbar buttons, as
well as the stateID numerical field near the bottom.
Animation Commands
Animation commands can be used to perform the
given functions below, during a specific animation. Each
animation can have its own animation commands. You can
access them by pressing the Edit Anim Commands Button
(button with many 0's and 1's) in the upper toolbar. The
dropdown menu on the left gives a function to select, and
the fields on the right change depending on which function
you choose. The possible functions are:
1. Set
position – once the animation is complete, it moves the
object by the specified values in the 3 fields, which are
the x, y, and z axis, respectively. The values are the same
as those given when you use the Move button on the object,
except multiplied by 1000. This means 250 is equivalent to
one click.
|
NOTE: Just like with moving objects,
the y axis is upside down in the game engine. For
example, to move the object up 4 clicks you would
use the set position command (0,-1000,0).
IMPORTANT: Savegame files do not save
occurrences of objects using set position commands
except for those used by Lara, baddies, Von Croy or
the guide. So for example, if you make a moving
spike wall that uses this command it will reset at
its original point whenever the level is reloaded. |
2. Grab
position – LARA object only. This sets up the curve of the
jump for Lara, which is initiated once the animation is
complete. The two fields are the height (y axis) and
distance (z axis) respectively. Once again the y axis is
upside down, so normally the height is a negative value.
It is
difficult to determine how the height values work exactly.
–100 is 6 clicks high and –110 is 7 clicks high, as these
are used for Lara's current jumps. But 10 is not necessarily
equivalent to a click. Using –70 still lets Lara grab ledges
4 clicks higher than her, as opposed to an expected 3 clicks
of height if going by the values used above. The values
might go by a mathematical function of a second degree or
higher, meaning as we add clicks to Lara's height, less and
less of an additional value would be needed to reach the
next click. Either way, it will take some experimenting with
this value to reach a desired height in terms of clicks.
For
distance, the value 25 is equivalent to one square of a gap
that Lara can cover, if she grabs the ledge of the opposite
side. 50 is used for her standing jumps which cover 2
squares, and 75 is used for her running jump which covers 3
squares.
Make sure
the animation using this command has the appropriate
stateID, as noted under the stateID section.
3. Command
3 (unknown) – This command is actually known, at least for
the LARA object. The game engine seems to keep track of
whether Lara's guns are drawn or not, but sometimes this
status gets buggy. Using this command, after the animation
is complete Lara's gun status is restored so she can draw
her guns. This command is missing from several TR4
animations, such as her pedestal pickup animations, her
polejump animation, the animation where she gets off at the
bottom of the pole, and her prizing objects off the wall
animation. Notice that when you use these animations
in-game, Lara can no longer grab ledges, crawl, etc. because
the game thinks her guns are drawn (this was fixed in TRC).
So if your animation has this bug occur, add command 3 to
fix it.
4. Die –
For baddies, it is for their death animation. It is, oddly
enough, used for switches as well, to activate switch
triggers when the animation completes.
5. Play
Sound – this is used to make sounds heard when a certain
frame in the animation is played. The first field specifies
which frame makes the sound heard. The second field is a
drop-down menu with the available sounds for the object. The
third field is also a drop-down menu with these options:
a. Always
– The sound is always played. You should choose this for any
objects other than Lara.
b. On Land
– The sound is only heard when Lara is on land.
c. On
Water – the sound is only heard when Lara is walking/wading
in a body of water.
|
NOTE 1: If the sound you wish to use
is unavailable in the sounds list, add a sound by
going to the Sound menu in the main editor window
and selecting "add sounds". Check the sounds you
wish to use and press "Add Selected".
NOTE 2: Sounds assigned to objects
other than a few specially hardcoded slots (e.g.
underwater door and switch) will not be heard if an
object is used underwater (e.g. a standard door). |
6. Play
Effect – this is used to play a special effect when a
certain frame in the animation is played. The first field
specifies which frame plays the effect. The second field is
both a text field and a dropdown menu, so you can either
select from the given effects or type in your own custom
effect number.
TIP: One
such custom effect number to be aware of is effect #12,
which is the same as the command 3 function noted above,
except it occurs in the middle of the animation when the
given frame is played. It is useful for Lara's pull-up
animations.
TIP: The
last two given effects – Play Step Sound for on land or on
water – are used to play the texture sound (metal, sand,
mud, etc.) that Lara is on, given that you have specified
these sounds in the level editor.
STATEIDs
If you
have looked through any object's animations, you have
probably noticed that each one has a stateID value assigned
to it. A stateID is a value that asks the game engine to
respond to the object's animations in a certain manner.
For the
LARA object, a stateID can achieve multiple purposes, such
as:
1.
Allowing Lara to do what she does - applies to just about
all stateIDs, the stateID tells the game engine what Lara is
doing so that the game engine will let her do it. For
example, stateID 71 (crouched) and stateIDs 80, 81, and
84-88 (for crawling maneuvers) all allow Lara to enter
crawlspaces. Attempting to use a different stateID in a
crawlspace causes Lara to glitch and get stuck standing up
through the ceiling.
2.
Manipulating the camera - some stateIDs change the camera
angle to make things interesting. For example, stateID 25
for Lara's backjump makes the camera face Lara at an angle
from the front instead of from the back, and stateIDs 36 and
37 for pushing and pulling blocks makes the camera move to
the square on the left (if possible) to watch Lara. When you
are making custom animations, you might want to consider
manipulating the stateIDs to make some interesting camera
angles for your animations, as long as they don't conflict
with other stateID purposes.
3. Setting
Lara's direction for jumps - The following stateIDs are for
Lara's jumps: 3 for a forward jump, 25 for a backward jump,
26 for a jump to the right, 27 for a jump to the left, and
28 for a jump straight up. Each jump has two animations: the
second one is the jump itself, while the first one is for
setting the grab position command to create the curve of the
jump. Whichever stateID this first animation has, determines
the direction of the curve of the jump.
4.
Determine how Lara reacts to the environment - most stateIDs
have hardcoded behaviors that occur when Lara does certain
things during a certain stateID. For example, stateID 1 for
Lara's run allows her to fall off ledges, but stateIDs 0
(walking), 2 (approach standstill), 16 (walk backwards), and
21-22 (walk sideways) do not allow her to fall.
5. stateID
changes - these are explained in detail below. Some stateIDs
exist only to serve as stateID changes and not for any
actual animations. An example of this is stateID 68 for when
Lara flips from a forward to a backward jump or vice versa.
In most other cases, the stateID associated with the target
animation is used for the stateID change.
For other
objects such as baddies and doors, the principle of stateIDs
is the same, except points 2 and 3 above will never apply.
Some objects (such as those in the ANIMATING slots) don't
use different stateIDs, so the value is left at 0.
A list of
Lara's stateIDs from TRs 1-4 is provided at the end of this
chapter.
STATEID CHANGES
Some
reactions during animations are hardcoded as noted above,
but others are not. It seems that the object and the game
engine hold a conversation of sorts using stateIDs. You now
know how the object communicates to the game engine with its
stateIDs. However, the game engine also sends stateIDs of
its own for the object to respond to. This can happen for
some of the changes in environment around the object, as
well as, for the LARA object, almost all the button presses
by the player. StateID changes are sets of values that allow
the object to respond to these new stateIDs under specific
parameters. Each animation can have its own set of stateID
changes. You can see them in Wadmerger's animation editor
when clicking on the State Change Editor Button ("1>2"
button) in the upper toolbar. Each stateID change is
structured of 5 values:
1. stateID
- Sets which game engine's stateID for the object to respond
to. See the IMPORTANT note below.
2. Low
frame - Sets the lower boundary of the range of frames
within which the object can respond to the new stateID. See
the * note below.
3. High
frame - sets the upper boundary of the range of frames
within which the object can respond to the new stateID. See
the * note below.
4. Next
animation - The new animation for the object to use when
responding.
5. Next
frame - The frame to start on in the new animation.
IMPORTANT:
The object's current stateID restricts which stateIDs the
object can respond to. You cannot simply make up your own
responses. For example, with the LARA object, pressing the
sprint key while crawling does not generate any stateID from
the game engine, so making a new stateID change with stateID
73 for her crouching animation would accomplish absolutely
nothing. You would have to edit the game engine to make this
work.
Some
responses are even hardcoded for only certain animation
slots. For example, notice how when Lara vaults a 2-click
block, she can either start running from the vault or put
her right foot down. This vaulting animation is stateID 2,
but alas, if you try making another stateID 2 animation and
allow her to optionally break into a run with a stateID
change for stateID 1, it will not work. Animations 96 and
150 (grabbing thick and thin ledges or monkeyswing) seem to
have hardcoded responses as well, they remain the same even
if you delete them. Because of such things you have to keep
an open mind and accept when a stateID change just doesn't
work the way you want it to.
There are,
however, some unused responses for some stateIDs and/or
animation slots. For instance, Lara's standing still
animation, anim #103 with stateID 2, can respond to stateID
73 for when the player holds the sprint key first before
pushing forward. Notice that trying this sequence of keys in
any official TR3-5 game brings no response at all from Lara,
she is stuck because this stateID change is missing. So it
might be worth a shot making a jump from one stateID to
another even if you haven't seen it done before. Do not
expect it to work, but if it does, then you've discovered a
new stateID link.
*The low
frame and high frame parameters typically cover the whole
animation's frames, but they are more specific for any
animation where an object switches from one foot to the
other, such as walking or running. With these parameters you
can make sure that, for example, when the object's animation
is in the frames with his/her left foot on the ground, that
his/her next animation is the one starting on the left foot,
and not the one starting on the right foot. So this allows
the animations to flow better.
Taking it into your hands
When
considering manipulating stateIDs and stateID changes, the
best way to start is observing the already existing stateIDs
and stateID changes in the object's animations so you can
observe what the stateIDs do, and which stateIDs can lead to
which new stateIDs. It is pretty safe to assume that the
jumps from one stateID to the other that are used already
are the only ones possible, but again there are some unused
links you might find.
If you are
going to make animations for your setup, you should hold off
working on them until you know that your setup will work.
Make some simple test animations with your stateIDs and
stateID changes and give it a go in-game. You need to be
able to experiment on your own to piece together a working
setup, if one is possible for your intentions.
LARA'S STATEID LIST
Here is a
list of all of Lara's stateIDs from TRs 1-4 ("crouch" means
her position on one knee, "crawl" means her position on both
hands and both knees):
TR1
stateID 0
= walk forwards
stateID 1 = run (can rotate left/right)
stateID 2 = stand still, or going into stand still (player
does not fall of edges)
stateID 3 = forward jump, or going into forward jump (player
can move left/right)
stateID 5 = hop backwards
stateIDs 6 and 7 = turn in place
stateID 8 = death
stateID 9 = falling
stateID 10 = hanging onto ledge, or going up/down ladder
without feet
stateID 11 = mid-air grab (player does not bounce off of
walls)
stateID 13 = at a standstill underwater
stateID 14 = letting go of rope in TR4? (not used)
stateID 15 = start a standing jump
stateID 16 = walk backwards
stateID 17 = swimming
stateID 18 = Lara shooting through the water, Lara stops
swimming
stateID 19 = pulling up (player cannot move; also used for
start of death slide)
stateID 20 = turning? (not used)
stateIDs 21 and 22 = walk sideways
stateID 23 = roll in place
stateID 24 = slide foward
stateID 25 = backwards jump
stateID 26 = side jump right
stateID 27 = side jump left
stateID 28 = jump straight upwards
stateID 30 = shimmy left
stateID 31 = shimmy right
stateID 32 = sliding backwards
stateID 33 = swim on surface standstill
stateID 34 = swim on surface forward
stateID 35 = Jump into water
stateID 36 = push forward
stateID 37 = pull backwards
stateID 38 = push/pull standstill
stateID 39 = picking up an object
stateID 40 = underwater switch, use lever switch, use push
switch
stateID 41 = reset lever switch
stateID 42 = key use
stateID 43 = puzzle use
stateID 44 = death underwater
stateID 45 = used for dive roll and roll in place (not sure
how it differs from 23)
stateID 46 = crushed by boulder
stateID 47 = swim on surface backwards
stateID 48 = swim on surface to left
stateID 49 = swim on surface to right
stateID 52 = swan dive or going into swan dive
stateID 53 = "death mode" swandive (Lara can break her neck
at this point), also used for "swan flips" TR2 and on.
stateID 54 = handstand
TR2
stateID 55
= climb out of water, or go from wading to standing in water
stateID 56 = standstill on ladder
stateID 57 = climb up ladder
stateID 58 = climb left on ladder
stateID 60 = climb right on ladder
stateID 61 = climb down ladder
stateID 65 = wade forwards
stateID 66 = roll underwater
stateID 67 = pickup flare, pickup underwater?, pickup in
crouch? (there are duplicate pickup animations that use both
39 and 67. Weird!)
stateID 68 = used for player pressing roll during forward or
backward jump (for reversing direction)
stateID 70 = zipline
TR3
stateID 71
= crouched
stateID 72 = crouch roll forward (not used)
stateID 73 = sprinting
stateID 74 = sprint roll
stateID 75 = grab paper-thin ledge, grab monkeyswing
stateID 76 = monkeyswing forward
stateID 77 = monkeyswing shimmy left
stateID 78 = monkeyswing shimmy right
stateID 79 = monkeyswing turnaround? (not used)
stateID 80 = crawl position
stateID 81 = crawl forwards
stateID 82 = rotate left monkeyswing
stateID 83 = rotate right monkeyswing
stateID 84 = turn left in crawl position
stateID 85 = turn right in crawl position
stateID 86 = crawl backwards
stateID 87 = pull up into crouch
stateID 88 = slip out from crawlspace
TR4
stateID 89
= used for many interactive objects in TR4
stateID 90 = rotate left rope, crowbar pickup
stateID 91 = rotate right rope
stateID 92 = push giant button
stateID 93 = trapdoor pull up
stateID 95 = use rotating switch (hypostyle hall)
stateID 96 = use cog switch
stateID 97 = use lever switch
stateID 98 = reach-in-hole pickup
stateID 99 = standstill pole
stateID 100 = climb up pole
stateID 101 = slide down pole
stateID 102 = rotate left pole
stateID 103 = rotate right pole
stateID 104 = pull chain switch
stateID 105 = turn left in crouched position
stateID 106 = turn right in crouched position
stateID 107 = shimmy concave corner to left (also with
ladders)
stateID 108 = shimmy concave corner to right (also with
ladders)
stateID 109 = shimmy convex corner to left (also with
ladders)
stateID 110 = shimmy convex corner to right (also with
ladders)
stateID 111 = standstill rope
stateID 112 = climb up rope
stateID 113 = swing rope
stateID 114 = start swinging rope
stateID 115 = go from ladder to shimmy position? (not used)
stateID 116 = Approach puzzle/pickup
stateID 117 = double doors
We have
now covered all the essential elements of Wadmerger in this
article. A better understanding can only be gained through
use and experimentation with the tool.
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