The topics in this section explain how to load, save, and display biped motion.
character studio uses a variety of file formats to save, load, and edit motion.
Biped motion (BIP) files have a .bip file name extension. They save all information about biped motion: footsteps, keyframe settings including limb rotation, the scale of the biped, and the active gravity (GravAccel) value. IK Blend values for the keys and Object Space settings are also saved.
You can use character studio with 3ds Max FBX import/export support to simplify the animation of 3ds Max bones. To transform an animated biped into a set of animated bones, export it to FBX and then import your file.
One of the more powerful features of Biped is the ability to retarget or map the motion of any biped onto any other biped.
At some point you might need to use the File Merge command to merge a character into your scene. Also, you can use Merge to clone a biped that has a mesh with the Physique modifier applied, as described in this topic.
character studio provides two main ways of combining BIP files to build more complex character animations: Motion Flow and the Motion Mixer.
Step (STP) files save footsteps, but don't save body keyframes.
Besides animating a biped with footsteps or with keyframing (freeform animation), you can import a motion-capture file.
A particular motion file might position a biped body part inappropriately. For example, the collarbones might be rotated down too far, affecting your mesh deformation. All you need to do is go into Figure mode, rotate the biped collarbones up, and then exit Figure mode: this corrects the collarbone position for the entire animation. The motion references the Figure mode position, if the biped is adjusted, and this adjustment is reflected in your animation when you exit Figure mode.
Biped's Copy/Paste rollout on the Motion panel provides controls for copying and pasting biped tracks from one part of the biped to another, or from one biped to a different biped. At the top of this rollout are three buttons: Posture, Pose, and Track.
The method you should use to reposition a biped depends on which tools were used to animate the biped.
There are two types of animation playback available within character studio: the 3ds Max Play Animation button and the Biped Playback button.
In Place mode allows you to display biped motion as if it were occurring on a treadmill. Regardless of the distance the biped covers under control of the current motion file, the biped stays within the active viewport when you've turned on In Place Mode.
When a biped is animated, you can view its motion not only using Biped Playback, but you can also see the path, or trajectory, the biped (or selected biped links) follows throughout the motion.
The Display Preferences dialog lets you customize how bipeds are displayed while you work with them. This topic introduces some of the commonly used options.
