RIGHT. heres how to make your own flowing aura.
1: preparing the model:-
first, copy and paste aura.mdl into its own folder and use ms3d to decompile it, then get your animating aura, eg: Darksuns aura as an example and decompile that, delete all the model and skins on your current aura then import DS's aura without the skeleton.
2:Rigging the model:-
This is the trickyest part. First, you'll notice the current skeleton revolves around four segments. Start with the bottom one. Select the points of the spikes nearest to each bone branching off the main part bone, work your way around each part, making sure you can deform it well,
Tip: it helps to hide the assigned verticles so you do not mess up and assign incorrectly.
One all the points are assigned, select the unassigned bulk and assign that to the main bone, the one where nothing branches off. if you have hidden the assigned verts as you worked around, its a simple select and assign job.
4: Creating the looping animation for your work :-
frame one, normal positions for the bones, set it and move to frame ten, move the bones half way up and spead out a little, giving it the flow feeling, move on to frame twenty, move bones to top and pull them back in, set this and move to frame twenty five, copy/paste the first frame and set, move one frame back, set this frame, then delete the previously set frame and move the max counter down, this adds to the smoothness of looping.
REMEMBER! the current model consists of two sub models, one for standing and one for flying, you will have to repeat the assigning for the upside down aura too, otherwise it'll be two different auras...
there you have it, one looping flowing aura, ive kept it as simple as i can, so people who know how skeletons and models function in ms3d will have no problem. ;O