Information and Technical Support

Several sources of information are available for MotionBuilder SDK users, including the Autodesk MotionBuilder website, the MotionBuilder SDK Programmer's Guide, the C++ Reference, the Python Reference, the Autodesk Developer Network, and the AREA discussion forums.

MotionBuilder SDK Programmer's Guide

The document you are currently reading is the MotionBuilder SDK Programmer's Guide. Its purpose is to get you familiar with key concepts in the MotionBuilder SDK. Its topics point you towards insightful Sample Programs and relevant documentation within the MotionBuilder SDK C++ and Python Reference Guides.

Note The majority of the code samples in this Programmer's Guide are written in Python to facilitate their readability and ease of execution. The MotionBuilder Python API is largely generated from the MotionBuilder C++ API, and therefore supports analogous method signatures.

C++

The C++ Reference contains the API documentation for the Open Reality SDK. It includes descriptions and parameters for the API's classes, member functions, enums, etc.

OR SDK sample code is located in the following directory:

<MotionBuilder Installation Directory>/OpenRealitySDK/Samples

Python

The Python Reference contains the API documentation for the pyfbsdk Python module. It includes descriptions and parameters for the API's classes, methods, etc.

MotionBuilder Python sample code is located in the following directory:

<MotionBuilder Installation Directory>/bin/config/Scripts
<MotionBuilder Installation Directory>/PythonScripting/Samples

External Resources and Tutorials

Python.org provides a wealth of information about the Python programming language: www.python.org.

Several Python books are also available:

Learning Python by Mark Lutz and David Ascher
Programming Python by Mark Lutz
Dive into Python by Mark Pilgrim

Consult the following user-created MotionBuilder Python tutorials for additional insight into the functionality of the MotionBuilder SDK.

Creating Interactive MotionBuilder User Interface Tools by Christopher Evans: http://chrisevans3d.com/tutorials/mbui.htm.
MotionBuilder Driven Key Importer by Jason Parks: http://www.jason-parks.com/Pipeline_Tools/MotionBuilder_Scripts.html.

Autodesk Developer Network

Technical support for the MotionBuilder SDK is provided through the Autodesk Developer Network (ADN). The ADN program is based on an annual membership fee. Program details, benefits, and pricing are found on the Autodesk Developer Center web page.

Discussion Forums

The Autodesk MotionBuilder AREA forums provide a convenient hub for Autodesk users to discuss their ideas and solutions.

The C++ discussion forum can be found here: area.autodesk.com/forum/autodesk-motionbuilder/open-reality/.

The Python discussion forum can be found here: area.autodesk.com/forum/autodesk-motionbuilder/python/.

The MotionBuilder Development Team

If you encounter an issue with MotionBuilder or a problem causes the application to crash, you can submit a defect report at www.autodesk.com/motionbuilder-bugreport.

The MotionBuilder Development team also welcomes your suggestions at www.autodesk.com/motionbuilder-sug.