Tutorial for Creating Outfit Files

The Actor Studio needs outfit files for creating and exchanging body parts, pieces of clothing, faces, etc.

The big advantage of this technology: The outfit files are transmitted automatically - this means no "red robots" anymore! The other users will see the outfit, but they won't be able to use it themselves. This transfer is optimized for broadband users (e.g. DSL), and may therefore take longer with slower connections. You can also offer the file for download and give permission of "wearing" your self-made outfit, meaning there will be no need for the automatic transfer.

Offering the file for download: The outfit file is already pre-packed; nevertheless it is recommended to process it with the moovepack tool into a mpz.file. This will enable the outfit to be downloaded automatically: it will be immediately available for use in the Actor Studio. You can download  the moovepack.exe in the shop. Please contact support@moove.com if you wish to use the digital signature feature to sign your work. In this case we need a personal ID (e.g. a copy of your driver's licence, etc. 

For the creation of your own outfits, you need resources like 3D objects and textures. These can be created with standard tools. Of course it's easier if you use already existing moove SRF and JPG files. You can find these in the respective moove/SRF or moove/Art folders.

We already put together packages with all the files and tools you need for creating outfit files. You can find these packages in the "moove Shop" -> "Developers".
 

Have a look at a flow diagram showing the necessary files and steps on creating an .outfit file..

This tutorial will show you how to create your own outfit files for the Actor Studio. As an example we will use a baseball cap; this example outfit consists of a single part ('subpart'). Of course there are more complicated outfits (e.g. shirts) consisting of more parts, but these will all follow the same principles.

To create an outfit file, you need several different files (Assembly Text [ASM file], base texture, 3D file, and mmg.exe).

• The Assembly Text  (ASM File)
  
  

• The MMG File
  
  

• Creating an MMG
  
  

• The Outfit File

The Assembly Text (ASM File)

This file gives a detailed description of an outfit's properties.

Every part is defined in its size, where it is connected to the body and how it is animated. The ASM also includes information on the graphical representation: 3D surface, painting and additional commands for even finer settings.

There are different possibilities to paint a 3D object:

1. You can paint it with a base color (in red, green, blue = 'RGB') or a texture (JPG file). However, in this case, you will not be able to change the color of the part in the Actor Studio later on. 

2. Use of an MMG file. If you use an MMG file, you can paint the outfit in the Actor Studio and make it transparent. The advantage of this technique is that you don't need to create a new outfit for every change in color you want to make. 


Here are the properties of our baseball cap (to the left using an MMG file - to the right using a texture). You can edit all the settings highlighted in red. 

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The MMG File

Basics
The MMG file is a file format created by moove.

Files in the MMG format enable the user to change certain areas of the texture: You can make it 100% transparent, 50% transparent and colorable, or only colorable. 

The MMG file consists of a texture (JPG) + a mask (4 Bit BMP); the mask determines how the texture is used. 

By using a 4 Bit BMP file with MMG, you have a color palette of 16 colors in total. However, the colors are only indirectly important for the representation of the outfit. The colors you chose for the 4 Bit BMP file do not mean that the base texture (here 'bassb_cap.jpg') is painted with these color or that you will only be able to color with these colors in the Actor Studio. The colors only represent a color index from 0 to 15 that moove Roomancer recognizes as information/code. 

For every color index value there's a special property. For example, the number 0 (Color: black) tells moove Roomancer that the black area of the 4 Bit BMP texture has to be displayed as 100% transparent over the base texture - i.e. nothing of the JPG texture is used. The number 3 has the property to show 50% transparency and be colorable as well. The numbers from 7 - 14 determine that the area has to be displayed as colorable. This also means that you can set 8 fields in the coloring panel of the Actor Studio as colorable, since 8 colors have this property. The number 15 (color: white) in the 4 Bit BMP determines that that for this pixel, the JPG base texture is used.

PLEASE NOTE: If you want to make the object colorable, you have to use the sequence of the color index. For example, if you only want to use a single color (by putting "MAXCOL 1" in the ASM file), you need to paint the colorable areas of the 4 Bit BMP with the color index color 7. If you want to use two colors (by putting"MAXCOL 2" in the ASM File), you need to use color index colors 7 and 8. If you want to use three colors ("MAXCOL 3"), you need to use colors 7, 8, and 9, etc.

Here is an overview of the color index with the respective colors:

This is important if you want to create a pair of pants, for example, and want the buttons, the belt, the pants themselves, etc. to be colorable in the Actor Studio. If you want to color many different areas (e.g. many little circles that are spread out over the 4 Bit BMP mask), then you can use the same color on these circles (even if they aren't directly connected) and will have the possibility to color all circles with one click in the Actor Studio. 

The resolution of the 4 Bit BMP has to be exactly the same as the size of the JPG file, i.e. if the JPG file is 100x150 pixels, for example, the 4 Bit BMP needs to have the same size..

Use

In detail, what are the different possibilities for creating the object?

There's the possibilities to paint the object with a texture (here 'cap.jpg'). In our example, the texture looks like this:

Of course you can also use the base texture (here 'bassb_cap.jpg'):

So what should you do if you want to be able to change the colors of the object in the Actor Studio later on? As already mentioned, you need to use an MMG file. The MMG file consists of a base texture (here 'bassb_cap.jpg') and a 4 Bit BMP mask (here 'bassb_cap.bmp'). The 4 Bit BMP mask can be edited in any graphics program, e.g. Paint (component of all Windows operating systems). After editing, our 4 Bit BMP mask looks like this:

In this example we use five different colorable areas. These areas can be painted with the help of the coloring panel in the Actor Studio later on. As you can see, our example does not have 50% or 100% transparent areas. By way of the following graphic we will demonstrate the composition of an MMG file. 

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MMG Creation

To create an MMG file you need the 'mmg.exe'. You can find it in the "moove shop" -> "Developers". The 'mmg.exe' has to be saved in the moove Roomancer installation folder. Open the 'mmg.exe' and choose "File" -> "New" from the menu. You'll get to see the following window:

Under "Base File Name" you need to enter the complete path of where the base texture is located (i.e. the JPG file - in this case 'bassb_cap.jpg'). Under "Mask File" you need to enter the path to the BMP file (here 'bassb_cap.bmp'). Under"Output File" you need to enter the path where you want the MMG file to be created. This path always has to be 'C:\moove\Art\MMG' (or the respective installation folder). To create the MMG file, click on the button "Create".

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The Outfit file

The outfit file defines the type and look of the object in the Actor Studio. To create a new outfit file, you need to open moove Roomancer. Active the 'Test mode' under "View" ->"Options" -> "Service". 

Enter the following command:

Example I: Using the first ASM file (with MMG)
!ASMFileToOutfit("c:\\moove\\Actor Tutorial\\bassb_cap.asm","c:\\moove\\outfits\\Hats\\Baseball Cap (Colorable).outfit")

Example II: Using the second ASM file (with texture)
!ASMFileToOutfit("c:\\moove\\Actor Tutorial\\bassb_cap2.asm","c:\\moove\\outfits\\Hats\\Baseball Cap (Jeans).outfit")

The first path is the source of the ASM file you created. The second path is where you want the outfit file to be created and saved. Since our baseball cap is a hat, it should be created in the folder "Hats". (Important: Please create the respective folder if it doesn't exist yet. Otherwise the outfit file cannot be created.) Please don't forget to change the paths from our example accordingly. 

If everything was done correctly, you will see the message 'TRUE' in the chat window. If you should get to see 'FALSE', please check if all paths are entered correctly. (Please note double \\!)

If everything was entered correctly and the outfit file was created, you can find and use it in the Actor Studio (Button "Actors" -> "Actor Studio").

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