Frame Rate?

[robinb]

We usually animate at 30fps (NTSC frame rate, and also common on the PC). This is resampled at runtime for PAL so the animation runs at the same speed regardless of the TV format.

Since only keyframes are stored, it actually doesn't matter what the frame rate is, as the keyframes are interpolated as the animation is played back. There's little point animating at 12fps or something, simply animate at 30 (or 25) and make sure you don't use too many keys. We could technically animate at 60fps as that's how fast the game runs, but there isn't much point in going that fast, the quality loss of interpolating 30fps animation is negligable.

This is all for bone animation of course. If you're doing vertex animation (like the Quake series), then frame rate is much more important as the engine stores a copy of the whole mesh for each keyframe. I believe Quake 1 was animated at 10-12 fps.

The same is true for morphed animation (which is basicall the same), but again usually only the keyframes are stored and the actual on-screen animation is interpolated from those, so there's still no real benefit from a lower frame rate.

Hope that gets you started.

[Cullen]

Thanks robinb

... does help quite a bit.

[EricChadwick]

I second all that Robin says... if you needed a second opinion.

(Hi Robin)

[Ysaneya]

I third it :) 25 or 30 fps is the norm. More than that is just a loss of space, and the anims can easily be interpolated if the framerate is higher.

[robinb]

It is worth going with the higher frame rate (NTSC), rather than sticking with PAL unless you're definitely not planning to release in the US or Japan. It's always worth using that as the base when trying to get anything running. The last thing you want is for the game to run perfectly in a frame in PAL, but stutter and stall all the time in NTSC because it was too near the end of a frame and only just fit into that 25th or 50th of a second. Just look at Tomb Raider. I can only assume they only tested it in PAL while it was in production and when the time came to make the NTSC version it just ran over the frame and slowed down, but by that time it was too late to do anything about it.

And Hi Eric.

[Boone]

And me too - 30fps. Though I wouldn't mind trying 24fps for a "Cinematic feel". Knowing my luck - it'll look crap! :rolleyes:

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