Head Animation Tutorial - Revision history

Tolwyn at 21:37, 27 October 2026

2026-10-27T21:37:51Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:37, 27 October 2026
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	Now, animated PNGs are a pretty fat file format compared to traditional video. The head animation pack I put to together is a gigabyte for 128 animations. To reduce the file size you can use [https://github.com/MjnMixael/AnimStudio AnimStudio] by MJNMixael.		Now, animated PNGs are a pretty fat file format compared to traditional video. The head animation pack I put to together is a gigabyte for 128 animations. To reduce the file size you can use [https://github.com/MjnMixael/AnimStudio AnimStudio] by MJNMixael.

			== Alternative naming and playback (FSO 25.0.0+) ==

			FSO 25.0.0 and newer support an alternative to the legacy a/b/c naming convention. This was introduced in [https://github.com/scp-fs2open/fs2open.github.com/pull/6338 Upgrade head ani handling].

			Create a file such as <code>head-settings-msg.tbm</code> in the mod's <code>data/tables/</code> directory:

			<pre>
			#Message Settings
			$Use newer head ani suffix features: YES
			#End
			</pre>

			Place the animations in <code>data/hud/</code>, using these filename stems:
			* <code>Head-example-reg</code> — normal communication.
			* <code>Head-example-death</code> — the built-in death-scream message for a non-Command persona.

			Keep the message's animation reference as <code>Head-example</code>. FSO appends the appropriate suffix before loading the animation. Command personas, and messages without a persona, use <code>-reg</code>.

			The setting defaults to NO and applies globally to automatic suffix selection. Convert any heads that rely on the legacy a/b/c selection, including those supplied by dependencies. An existing unsuffixed animation bypasses suffix selection, so do not supply <code>Head-example</code> as an actual animation when using this mechanism.

			Knossos users must ensure the mod launches FSO 25.0.0 or newer.

			==Following the voice duration ==

			The separate <code>$Always loop head anis:</code> setting makes normal comm animations loop while the voice plays and stop when the engine considers the voice finished. To enable both features, use:

			<pre>
			#Message Settings
			$Always loop head anis: YES
			$Use newer head ani suffix features: YES
			#End
			</pre>

			Keep the settings in the order shown. Death-scream messages are excluded from this normal voice-following playback path.

			See [https://github.com/scp-fs2open/fs2open.github.com/blob/release_25_0_0/code/hud/hudmessage.cpp#L1241-L1249 the upstream playback implementation].

	[[Category:Tutorials]] [[Category:FRED]]		[[Category:Tutorials]] [[Category:FRED]]

Qweqwe321: /* Terran talking heads */

2026-05-24T17:56:13Z

Terran talking heads

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:56, 24 May 2026
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	* Downsize the video to 160 x 120. Yes, that's very, very small, and it's what's required by the Freespace engine. [http://ezgif.com EZGif] has good online, easy-to-use video tools for this.		* Downsize the video to 160 x 120. Yes, that's very, very small, and it's what's required by the Freespace engine. [http://ezgif.com EZGif] has good online, easy-to-use video tools for this.

	* Divide the shrunken video into three 2.66 second files. EZGif also works for this. (Head animations must to be in sets of three.)		* Divide the shrunken video into three 2.66 second files. EZGif also works for this. (Head animations must be in sets of three.)

	* Convert the three files into APNG. Again, EZGif.com is great at this for beginners. I also converted any color videos to grayscale.		* Convert the three files into APNG. Again, EZGif.com is great at this for beginners. I also converted any color videos to grayscale.

Qweqwe321 at 17:51, 24 May 2026

2026-05-24T17:51:03Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:51, 24 May 2026
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	==Terran talking heads==		==Terran talking heads==

	* Create a short MP4 video - 8 seconds long of a person talking. You can use any MP4 video for this. For my [[No Tea's Retro Anis\|retro-style heads]], I used [https://firefly.adobe.com/ Adobe Firefly's] video generator with Google's Veo 3.1 model. You'll obviously have to tweak it to your liking. A sample prompt is:		* Create a short MP4 video - 8 seconds long of a person talking. You can use any MP4 video for this. For my [[No Tea's Retro Anis\|retro-style heads]] and [[No Tea's Modern Anis]] I used [https://firefly.adobe.com/ Adobe Firefly's] video generator with Google's Veo 3.1 model. You'll obviously have to tweak it to your liking. A sample prompt for retro head generation is:

	** ''a light-skinned woman with a braid wearing a futuristic, minimalistic, light-colored uniform in a starship hallway. the woman has a neutral expression and is wearing a headset. the woman is talking continuously into the camera. the video is in greyscale with scan lines. the video is from a 3D playstation 1 game from 1999.''		** ''a light-skinned woman with a braid wearing a futuristic, minimalistic, light-colored uniform in a starship hallway. the woman has a neutral expression and is wearing a headset. the woman is talking continuously into the camera. the video is in greyscale with scan lines. the video is from a 3D playstation 1 game from 1999.''

Qweqwe321: /* Conversion to ANI format */

2026-05-24T17:44:42Z

Conversion to ANI format

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:44, 24 May 2026
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	==Conversion to ANI format==		==Conversion to ANI format==

	Now, animated PNGs are a pretty fat file format. To reduce the file size you can use [https://github.com/MjnMixael/AnimStudio AnimStudio] by MJNMixael.		Now, animated PNGs are a pretty fat file format compared to traditional video. The head animation pack I put to together is a gigabyte for 128 animations. To reduce the file size you can use [https://github.com/MjnMixael/AnimStudio AnimStudio] by MJNMixael.

	[[Category:Tutorials]] [[Category:FRED]]		[[Category:Tutorials]] [[Category:FRED]]

Qweqwe321 at 17:43, 24 May 2026

2026-05-24T17:43:50Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:43, 24 May 2026
Line 1:		Line 1:
	[[head ani\|Head animations]] are one of the more finicky things to deal with in Freespace~~, and have taken a lot of effort for people to figure out~~. It's actually not as hard as it looks. In essence, a head animation is an animated PNG (or .ani, more on that later) that the engine plays every time that		[[head ani\|Head animations]] are one of the more finicky things to deal with in Freespace. It's actually not as hard as it looks. In essence, a head animation is an animated PNG (or .ani, more on that later) that the engine plays every time that

	==Terran talking heads==		==Terran talking heads==
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	* Divide the shrunken video into three 2.66 second files. EZGif also works for this. (Head animations must to be in sets of three.)		* Divide the shrunken video into three 2.66 second files. EZGif also works for this. (Head animations must to be in sets of three.)

	* Convert the three files into APNG. Again, EZGif.com is great at this for beginners.		* Convert the three files into APNG. Again, EZGif.com is great at this for beginners. I also converted any color videos to grayscale.

	* Drop the files into your mod's ''/data/hud'' folder.		* Drop the files into your mod's ''/data/hud'' folder.
Line 44:		Line 44:

	4. Once you have a suitable video, follow the instructions for Terran anis.		4. Once you have a suitable video, follow the instructions for Terran anis.

			==Conversion to ANI format==

			Now, animated PNGs are a pretty fat file format. To reduce the file size you can use [https://github.com/MjnMixael/AnimStudio AnimStudio] by MJNMixael.

	[[Category:Tutorials]] [[Category:FRED]]		[[Category:Tutorials]] [[Category:FRED]]

Qweqwe321: /* Terran talking heads */

2026-05-24T17:09:40Z

Terran talking heads

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:09, 24 May 2026
Line 3:		Line 3:
	==Terran talking heads==		==Terran talking heads==

	# Create a short MP4 video - 8 seconds long of a person talking. You can use any MP4 video for this. For my [[No Tea's Retro Anis\|retro-style heads]], I used [https://firefly.adobe.com/ Adobe Firefly's] video generator with Google's Veo 3.1 model. You'll obviously have to tweak it to your liking. A sample prompt is:		* Create a short MP4 video - 8 seconds long of a person talking. You can use any MP4 video for this. For my [[No Tea's Retro Anis\|retro-style heads]], I used [https://firefly.adobe.com/ Adobe Firefly's] video generator with Google's Veo 3.1 model. You'll obviously have to tweak it to your liking. A sample prompt is:

	** ''a light-skinned woman with a braid wearing a futuristic, minimalistic, light-colored uniform in a starship hallway. the woman has a neutral expression and is wearing a headset. the woman is talking continuously into the camera. the video is in greyscale with scan lines. the video is from a 3D playstation 1 game from 1999.''		** ''a light-skinned woman with a braid wearing a futuristic, minimalistic, light-colored uniform in a starship hallway. the woman has a neutral expression and is wearing a headset. the woman is talking continuously into the camera. the video is in greyscale with scan lines. the video is from a 3D playstation 1 game from 1999.''

	# Downsize the video to 160 x 120. Yes, that's very, very small, and it's what's required by the Freespace engine. [http://ezgif.com EZGif] has good online, easy-to-use video tools for this.		* Downsize the video to 160 x 120. Yes, that's very, very small, and it's what's required by the Freespace engine. [http://ezgif.com EZGif] has good online, easy-to-use video tools for this.

	# Divide the shrunken video into three 2.66 second files. EZGif also works for this. (Head animations must to be in sets of three.)		* Divide the shrunken video into three 2.66 second files. EZGif also works for this. (Head animations must to be in sets of three.)

	# Convert the three files into APNG. Again, EZGif.com is great at this for beginners.		* Convert the three files into APNG. Again, EZGif.com is great at this for beginners.

	# Drop the files into your mod's ''/data/hud'' folder.		* Drop the files into your mod's ''/data/hud'' folder.

	# Make sure your file names are appropriate for Freespace 2. In most cases, the Freespace engine requires you to use a mandatory file naming scheme of ''filenameA.png'', ''filenameB.png'' and ''filenameC.png''. The A and B files are used for normal chatter. The C file is unique: in pilot heads, it's used for the death animation. In other heads, it's used for normal chatter as well. Samples are included below.		* Make sure your file names are appropriate for Freespace 2. In most cases, the Freespace engine requires you to use a mandatory file naming scheme of ''filenameA.png'', ''filenameB.png'' and ''filenameC.png''. The A and B files are used for normal chatter. The C file is unique: in pilot heads, it's used for the death animation. In other heads, it's used for normal chatter as well. Samples are included below.

	[[File:Head ani file naming scheme.png]]		[[File:Head ani file naming scheme.png]]

	# Extra step for pilot death heads: I created my death animations by doubling the speed of original animation, and stitching a "transmission lost" video to the end. EZGif has tools for this.		* Extra step for pilot death heads: I created my death animations by doubling the speed of original animation, and stitching a "transmission lost" video to the end. EZGif has tools for this.

	[[File:uef-f-3-asianA.png]]		[[File:uef-f-3-asianA.png]]

Qweqwe321: /* Terran talking heads */

2026-05-24T17:09:16Z

Terran talking heads

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:09, 24 May 2026
Line 3:		Line 3:
	==Terran talking heads==		==Terran talking heads==

	1. Create a short MP4 video - 8 seconds long of a person talking. You can use any MP4 video for this. For my [[No Tea's Retro Anis\|retro-style heads]], I used [https://firefly.adobe.com/ Adobe Firefly's] video generator with Google's Veo 3.1 model. You'll obviously have to tweak it to your liking. A sample prompt is:		# Create a short MP4 video - 8 seconds long of a person talking. You can use any MP4 video for this. For my [[No Tea's Retro Anis\|retro-style heads]], I used [https://firefly.adobe.com/ Adobe Firefly's] video generator with Google's Veo 3.1 model. You'll obviously have to tweak it to your liking. A sample prompt is:

	''a light-skinned woman with a braid wearing a futuristic, minimalistic, light-colored uniform in a starship hallway. the woman has a neutral expression and is wearing a headset. the woman is talking continuously into the camera. the video is in greyscale with scan lines. the video is from a 3D playstation 1 game from 1999.''		** ''a light-skinned woman with a braid wearing a futuristic, minimalistic, light-colored uniform in a starship hallway. the woman has a neutral expression and is wearing a headset. the woman is talking continuously into the camera. the video is in greyscale with scan lines. the video is from a 3D playstation 1 game from 1999.''

	2. Downsize the video to 160 x 120. Yes, that's very, very small, and it's what's required by the Freespace engine. [http://ezgif.com EZGif] has good online, easy-to-use video tools for this.		# Downsize the video to 160 x 120. Yes, that's very, very small, and it's what's required by the Freespace engine. [http://ezgif.com EZGif] has good online, easy-to-use video tools for this.

	3. Divide the shrunken video into three 2.66 second files. EZGif also works for this. (Head animations must to be in sets of three.)		# Divide the shrunken video into three 2.66 second files. EZGif also works for this. (Head animations must to be in sets of three.)

	4. Convert the three files into APNG. Again, EZGif.com is great at this for beginners.		# Convert the three files into APNG. Again, EZGif.com is great at this for beginners.

	5. Drop the files into your mod's ''/data/hud'' folder.		# Drop the files into your mod's ''/data/hud'' folder.

	6. Make sure your file names are appropriate for Freespace 2. In most cases, the Freespace engine requires you to use a mandatory file naming scheme of ''filenameA.png'', ''filenameB.png'' and ''filenameC.png''. The A and B files are used for normal chatter. The C file is unique: in pilot heads, it's used for the death animation. In other heads, it's used for normal chatter as well. Samples are included below.		# Make sure your file names are appropriate for Freespace 2. In most cases, the Freespace engine requires you to use a mandatory file naming scheme of ''filenameA.png'', ''filenameB.png'' and ''filenameC.png''. The A and B files are used for normal chatter. The C file is unique: in pilot heads, it's used for the death animation. In other heads, it's used for normal chatter as well. Samples are included below.

	[[File:Head ani file naming scheme.png]]		[[File:Head ani file naming scheme.png]]

	7. Extra step for pilot death heads: I created my death animations by doubling the speed of original animation, and stitching a "transmission lost" video to the end. EZGif has tools for this.		# Extra step for pilot death heads: I created my death animations by doubling the speed of original animation, and stitching a "transmission lost" video to the end. EZGif has tools for this.

	[[File:uef-f-3-asianA.png]]		[[File:uef-f-3-asianA.png]]

Qweqwe321 at 17:04, 24 May 2026

2026-05-24T17:04:13Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:04, 24 May 2026
Line 7:		Line 7:
	''a light-skinned woman with a braid wearing a futuristic, minimalistic, light-colored uniform in a starship hallway. the woman has a neutral expression and is wearing a headset. the woman is talking continuously into the camera. the video is in greyscale with scan lines. the video is from a 3D playstation 1 game from 1999.''		''a light-skinned woman with a braid wearing a futuristic, minimalistic, light-colored uniform in a starship hallway. the woman has a neutral expression and is wearing a headset. the woman is talking continuously into the camera. the video is in greyscale with scan lines. the video is from a 3D playstation 1 game from 1999.''

	2. Downsize the video to 160 x 120. Yes, that's very, very small, and it's what's required by the Freespace engine. [~~EZGif~~.com] has good online, easy-to-use video tools for this.		2. Downsize the video to 160 x 120. Yes, that's very, very small, and it's what's required by the Freespace engine. [http://ezgif.com EZGif] has good online, easy-to-use video tools for this.

	3. Divide the shrunken video into three 2.66 second files. [EZGif~~.com]~~ also works for this. (Head animations must to be in sets of three.)		3. Divide the shrunken video into three 2.66 second files. EZGif also works for this. (Head animations must to be in sets of three.)

	4. Convert the three files into APNG. Again, [EZGif.com] is great at this for beginners.		4. Convert the three files into APNG. Again, EZGif.com is great at this for beginners.

	5. Drop the files into your mod's ''/data/hud'' folder.		5. Drop the files into your mod's ''/data/hud'' folder.

Qweqwe321 at 17:03, 24 May 2026

2026-05-24T17:03:06Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:03, 24 May 2026
Line 45:		Line 45:
	4. Once you have a suitable video, follow the instructions for Terran anis.		4. Once you have a suitable video, follow the instructions for Terran anis.

	[[Category:Tutorials]] [[Category:~~Fred~~]]		[[Category:Tutorials]] [[Category:FRED]]

Qweqwe321: /* Vasudan talking heads */

2026-05-24T17:02:55Z

Vasudan talking heads

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:02, 24 May 2026
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	==Vasudan talking heads==		==Vasudan talking heads==

	For this, it requires ~~two~~ extra steps.		For this, it requires three extra steps.

	1. I took screenshots of the specific stance and camera angle that I wanted to use of [https://p3d.in/Xg1EP Oddgrim's Vasudan Pilot model] and [https://p3d.in/Xg1EP Oddgrim's Vasudan model].		1. I took screenshots of the specific stance and camera angle that I wanted to use of [https://p3d.in/Xg1EP Oddgrim's Vasudan Pilot model] and [https://p3d.in/Xg1EP Oddgrim's Vasudan model].