Hi there,
I want to use one skeleton and load multiple keyframed motion capture files on it.
example:
000-100: walking
100-200: running
200-300: idle
etc.-etc.
I simple tried to load different animations, and simple selected the keyframes in the time line - copy and paste… but that doesn’t work.
Does someone know how it is doable ?
Check out my MasterClass from this years Siggraph. Theres a section where I do just that, basically loading multiple FBX files onto the same skeleton using the Trax to store the data. Link is below
Mark
thank you Mark,
Thank you Mark,
I was watching the entire class… but I couldn’t fix my problem.
Let me briefly describe what I want to achieve.
--------------- Chapter 1 -----------------------------------
I already setup my character inside Maya 2012 - characterized plus Control Rig.
All works very well.
Now… I want to load different mocap data files on that specific characterized Main Character.
-------------------------------------------------- Chapter 2 -----------------------------------
I characterized the new .fbx animation the same way I did with my main character.
This was more difficult, because I needed to bring at frame 0 the skeleton into the T-Pose position.
Anyways, I did that …and yes… this motion capture data works now perfect as source for my main character.
------------------ Chapter 3 ---------------------------------
Ok… and here comes my problem.
Now… I want to use other mocap files… different ones… but I don’t want to load every single .fbx file and characterize them again. Because if I want to use 20 different mocap files, I would need to characterize 20 more skeletons.
Instead of creating the characterization over and over again, I want to be able to copy and paste other mocap fbx files on my characterized skeleton I already did.
But I don’t know how to do that ?
Maybe I see something totally wrong, and do have a wrong approach.
But this is how I see it right now…
So what do I have to do in order to load other mocap .fbx animations on my main Character ?
I see what you’re saying, you have the FBX’s and currently are switching the source input to your HIK control rig to drive the data. What you want to do is be able to do what I did on the demo and just drop different fbx’s into the scene to compile your animations. ( in the MasterClass I did this by just throwing fbx’s into the Trax to build the sequence up)
What you can do is point the control rig to your characterized fbx skeleton, so this is driving the HIK systems, then drop different fbx (non characterized) files onto the source skeleton you just pointed the HIK system to use as source. Kind of making the source FBX act as your source for the multiple fbx file. As long as you get your naming conventions and prefixes correct then there’s no reason why you couldn’t do what I did in the class and use Trax to build up your sequence using this source as you’re fbx input.
In your case point the HIK Control rig to your Walk source (characterized) then use that skeleton to accept more fbx data and just throw the new stuff onto the Trax.
Hi Mark,
thank you so much for your help.
I try to follow you - I just couldn’t figure it out yet.
You said:
What you can do is point the control rig to your characterized fbx skeleton, so this is driving the HIK systems, (yes, this is what I did)
then drop different fbx (non characterized) files onto the source skeleton … you just pointed the HIK system to use as source.
Ok, this is what I don’t know … how I can do that ?
How can I drop different fbx files onto my characterized source skeleton ?
If you have that in your master class video, at which time do you mention that ? Maybe I missed it…
Thank you so much for your help !
I think I did it about half way through just after I’ve made the full production binder and I’m on about driving it. When I do it all I do is use the fbx import and set it to update only, then as long as the fbx contents can find matching nodes in the maya scene then only those will get their animation data updated. Hence the source that you’ve connected to the HIK could then take new fbx imported data. Either that or use copyKeys to take the data over between skeletons.
Hi Mark,
ok… here is my problem… I tried to import the .fbx you mentioned in your video and you mentioned again with the IMPORT function.
The thing is, I just don’t get the option to set it to “update only”. …
here is a snapshot:
Under the load settings menu, isn’t the option you mentioned and showed in you video… I guess it was Maya 2011… I am on Maya 2012.
So this is my first problem…
the second… I tried to use copy and paste function - I can copy the keyframes in the timeline and paste them to the other skeleton… but the animation looks totally distorted… something goes wrong…
How I did that process ?
I simple selected the non-characterized .fbx animation.
Double clicked in the timeline and copy the keyframes.
Now I select the characterized Skelton, go to the timeslider and select at which frame I want to paste… I hit paste…
and it pastes the keyframes, but the animation get’s distorted… something went wrong… and I don’t know what…
thx for any little help…
Assuming you have the FBX plugin loaded you have to set the FileType to FBX to get the options for it to show in the import UI. Actually that’s crap, might drop the dev team a note about that one.
Hi Mark,
ok… now I got it… I could set the option to update Animation only.
Good… but unfortunately… the animation isn’t updating…
is there anything else I have to consider ?
I just want to get this done… but till yet… no luck at all…
The only problem with the FBX update code is that is required exact node name matches. So lets say you imported the original fbx source into Maya and that appended a namespace, then that would prevent the update code from finding the correct nodes. It’s as simple as that, node=node name based matching. Thats why in the MasterClass we always prefix the target skeleton with a very obvious and unique prefix.
In the MasterClass toolkit that I did theres some binding code that I use to link 2 skeletons together, this by-passes issues like this but currently only adds constrains… it would be dead easy to have that same code copyKeys instead, might just add that…
Thank you Mark.
I see what you mean… well… if possible, I want to avoid to name every skeleton, every bone by hand.
I think if I would characterize each skelton, it would be faster than re-naming… but both solutions are not really good, because it just takes to much time.
I saw your binding tool you mentioned… you really rock… I don’t know how much work it is to add this extra step you said, but it would be soooo great…
I just want to characterize one skelton, and once this is done… drop all your .fbx files and that’s it.
Do you really think your tool-kit or what ever it is, can do that ?
This sounds like christmas to me…
I just want to get anything I can use to copy different .fbx animations to one characterized skeleton… I know it sounds easy, but till today… I couldn’t find anybody who has the right solution…
so if you could make the kit you mentioned I would be more as happy…
thank you so much…
I’m slightly lost, so the fbx library of animations you have, are these all on consistent skeletons who share the same naming conventions and proportions, or are they all different?
Hi Mark,
thx for your reply…
well… actually the .fbx are always different…
sometimes I can get a few ones from the same source, so they might be the same… but usually, I guess they are always different…
here is a link of examples, free fbx files:
Download
these are the ones I just use for testing…
thank you so much for your help
If the FBX files aren’t consistent then no, this method will not work, you’ll need to characterize them to get the mapping to work correctly, sorry I thought you were dealing with a standard library of fbx files from the same character/skeleton. Not a lot you can do other than the characterize and fire into HIK for the mapping really.
That said these are basically all BIP files, just on different proportions of skeleton. Key copy kind of works, but some of these are setup with the BiPed Neck>arm relationship…eek.
ok… well that doesn’t sound to good…
ok… and what about the key copy ?
I tried that, but failed…
is there any short step by step overview how I can do that ?
ohh, and one more thing:
3dsmax has a very nice feature… when pulling up a biped system, you can go inside the animation tab and directly load .bvh or .bip files…
this is one of the best features I’ve seen, because regardless of the skeleton structure, you can load immediately the keys on your skeleton and it changes the animation …
wouldn’t it be possible to use the same technique or the same feature just for maya ?
thank you so much for all your help !
This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.