Cleaning Mocap Animation

#1

Hi Guys, I’m new to MB and i got a request from my boss to research on it and it’s specific to cleaning motion capture animation.

from there i found a lot of difficulties using MB, may be i still don’t get the motion builder concept :(. therefore i got some question about cleaning mocap animation.

  1. ok, got sample mocap file and the forward direction is X+, which i need to rotate to Z+. I’ve try to rotate at first and end keyframe on new layer, but it become a mess, how to make this well done?

  2. is cut and paste key frame is the only way to move the keyframes, because all animation should start from 0 frame?

  3. what is the best way to fix the leg’s slippage?

Thanks guys, I use MB 7.5

#2

What sort of mocap data are you dealing with? All the optical data I’ve ever used have a root node (for instance TRC:Optical) which you can use for non-destructive rotation/translation/scale of the mocap sequence.

  1. is cut and paste key frame is the only way to move the keyframes, because all animation should start from 0 frame?

I’m not quite sure I understand this question. Although, as a general rule, have a look at the layered animation workflow. It’s a powerful and effective way to edit captured data.

  1. what is the best way to fix the leg’s slippage?

Is this a problem with your markers, or with the rig? If it’s the rig (hopefully), then you probably need to place some corrective animation on the feet after plotting to a control rig. You may also want to check out floor contacts for the character definition, to prevent your character from moving through the floor.

http://area.autodesk.com/index.php/tutorials/tutorial_index/correcting_optical_data/ has some good tips on how to clean and prepare optical data in MB. Although I prefer to do this in the solver engine we use for capturing, it’s still possible to make some corrections in MB should you need to.

Cheers

#3

Thanks gozzer,

Here are my additional informations.

  1. Actually I got the .FBX files from the client which already contain a character with animation. but the animation is facing wrong direction(X+), which i should rotate it to the Z+. even i don’t really know about “what optical data is”, but I don’t think i’ll deal with the optical data. if it in 3dsmax (biped), i think it will be pretty easy to rotate all the animation, i only need to add one layer and then add one key frame which contain rotation, done. but the proble is “i don’t know how to do it in Motion Builder” :(.

  2. because i am a max user, i will compare MB base on my knowledge in 3dsmax. i actually really enjoy the click and drag keyframe in 3dsmax, so it makes me a lot of easier to move the key frame to any timeline that i want. let say i want to move the key from frame 300 to 0, so ai just need to select the keys that i want to move and then drag it to 0 frame. can i do this in MB?

  3. i think your answer already solved my problem :slight_smile: thanks.

Regards

#4

Cool, I hope it turns out well!

Post the file somewhere if you need more help, I’m sure many talents are lurking in the shadows of this forum.

Cheers

#5

I guess I can answer some of the questions that you had as well.

Optical Data - either the raw or tracked marker data from the actual actor using an optical mocap system to point out specific parts of the body. If your dealing with standard .fbx files and MotionBuilder then you don’t really have to worry too much about this. If your going to be involved with mocap its good to know the “language” and "terminology’ so that it’s easier to communicate with others. It takes time. :smiley:

Moving keys along the timeline - just click drag the animation marker(s) You can move a whole selection as well by click dragging or selecting one at a time. It’s easier if you zoom in on the section of keys you wanna move and then select.

Sliding feet - Make a layer by itself or if you’re using Story use a new take to keep things tidy. Either use general animation to keep the feet stable or use AuxEffectors if your animation is kept minimal.

If I have made an error then someone please correct me, we need to have correct information being shared between us.

Good Luck :thumbsup:

#6

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