Animation Format

VCMI allows overriding HoMM3 .def files with .json replacement. Compared to .def this format allows:

• Overriding individual frames from json file (e.g. icons)
• Modern graphics formats (targa, png - all formats supported by VCMI image loader)
• Does not requires any special tools - all you need is text editor and images.

Note that right now this replacement is not supported fully: there are still some areas that can't use it. Most notable areas are:

• Adventure map
• Battles

Format description

{
    // Base path of all images in animation. Optional.
    // Can be used to avoid using long path to images 
    "basepath" : "path/to/images/directory/",

    // List of sequiences / groups in animation
    // This will replace original group with specified list of files
    // even if original animation is longer
    "sequences" :
    [
        {
            // Index of group, zero-based
            "group" : 1,

            // List of files in this group
            "frames" :
            [
                "frame1.png",
                "frame2.png"
                    ...
            ]
        },
        ...
    ],

    // Allow overriding individual frames in file
    "images" :
    [
        {
            // Group of this image. Optional, default = 0
            "group" : 0,

            // Imdex of the image in group
            "frame" : 0,

            // Filename for this frame
            "file" : "filename.png"
        }.
        ...
    ]

}

Creature animation groups

Animation for creatures consist from multiple groups, with each group representing specific one animation. VCMI uses groups as follows:

Basic animations

• [0] Movement: Used for creature movement
• [1] Mouse over: Used for random idle movements and when mouse is moved on the creature
• [2] Idle: Basic animation that plays continuously when stack is not acting
• [3] Hitted: Animation that plays whenever stack is hit
• [4] Defence: Alternative animation that plays when stack is defending and was hit in melee
• [5] Death: Animation that plays when stack dies
• [6] Death (ranged): Alternative animation, plays when stack is killed by ranged attack

Rotation animations

• [7] Turn left: Animation for rotating stack, only contains first part of animation, with stack turning towards viewer
• [8] Turn right: Second part of animation for rotating stack
• [9] (unused in vcmi, present in H3 files)
• [10] (unused in vcmi, present in H3 files)

Melee attack animations

• [11] Attack (up): Attacking animation, stack facing upwards
• [12] Attack (front): Attacking animation, stack facing front
• [13] Attack (down): Attacking animation, stack facing downwards

Ranged attack animations

• [14] Shooting (up): Ranged attack animation, stack facing upwards
• [15] Shooting (front): Ranged attack animation, stack facing front
• [16] Shooting (down): Ranged attack animation, stack facing downwards

Special animations

• [17] Special (up): Special animation, used if dedicated cast or group attack animations were not found
• [18] Special (front): Special animation, used if dedicated cast or group attack animations were not found
• [19] Special (down): Special animation, used if dedicated cast or group attack animations were not found

Additional H3 animations

• [20] Movement start: Animation that plays before movement animation starts.
• [21] Movement end: Animation that plays after movement animation ends.

Additional VCMI animations

• [22] [VCMI 1.0] Dead: Animation that plays when creature is dead. If not present, will consist from last frame from "Death" group
• [23] [VCMI 1.0] Dead (ranged): Animation that plays when creature is dead after ranged attack. If not present, will consist from last frame from "Death (ranged)" group
• [24] [VCMI 1.2] Resurrection: Animation that plays when creature is resurrected. If not present, will consist from reversed version of "Death" animation

Spellcasting animations

• [30] [VCMI 1.2] Cast (up): Used when creature casts spell facing upwards
• [31] [VCMI 1.2] Cast (front): Used when creature casts spell facing front
• [32] [VCMI 1.2] Cast (down): Used when creature casts spell facing downwards

Group attack animations

• [40] [VCMI 1.2] Group Attack (up): Used when creature attacks multiple target, with primary target facing up (Dragon Breath attack, or creatures like Hydra)
• [41] [VCMI 1.2] Group Attack (front): Used when creature attacks multiple target, with primary target facing front (Dragon Breath attack, or creatures like Hydra)
• [42] [VCMI 1.2] Group Attack (down): Used when creature attacks multiple target, with primary target facing downwards (Dragon Breath attack, or creatures like Hydra)

Proposed format extensions

Void format

• vcmi client [Todo]
• map editor [Done]

Json header may be omitted. In such case a single frame will be loaded from same resource ID. Resource id should have no extension, image must be in SPRITES/ virtual directory.

Texture atlas format

TODO

• arbitrary texture coordinates
• margins
• grid-like layout

Texture atlas format

{
    // Base path of all images in animation. Optional.
    // Can be used to avoid using long path to images 
    // If a path is a filename is is treated as single texture atlas
    "basepath" : "path/to/images/atlas/bitmap.png",

    // List of sequences / groups in animation
    "sequences" :
    [
        {
            // Index of group, zero-based
            "group" : 1,

            // List of files in this group
            "frames" :
            [
                {"x":0, "y":0, "w": 64, "h": 64},
                {"x":64, "y":0, "w": 64, "h": 64}
                    ...
            ]
        },
        ...
    ]
}

Texture atlas grid format

• vcmi client [Todo]
• map editor [Todo]

{
    // filename is is treated as single texture atlas
    "basepath" : "path/to/images/atlas/bitmap.png",
    
    //optional, atlas is a grid with same size images
    //located left to right, top to bottom
    //[columns, rows]
    //default [1,1]
    "gridCols":3,
    "gridRows":3,

    // List of sequences / groups in animation
    // sequence index -> images count in sequence
    "sequences" :
    [
        1,3,5
    ]
}

Modding related articles

Main articles
Modding changelog	Modding guidelines	How to create a town mod	Mod Handler

Formats
	Mod file Format
Town Format	Creature Format	Hero Classes Format
Artifact Format	Animation Format	Hero Format
Bonus Format	Object Format	Spell Format

Work-in-progress formats
Building bonuses		Map format
	Bonus Type Format	Random map template

Outdated pages
	Mod system proposal