Stream animation to a Custom rig

To stream animation to a Custom rig

1. In Maya, load or create a character with a Custom rig and create a skeleton definition using the Definition tab in the Character Controls window.

   The skeleton definition needs to know what joints of your skeleton are driving the skin deformer, what body part they correspond to, and their stance positions and orientations.

2. Create a Custom rig mapping. See Create a Custom rig mapping.

   By default, your character's name displays as <CharacterName> (custom rig).

   NoteYou can also choose to create a Custom rig mapping after you send your character to MotionBuilder. However, if no Custom rig mapping exists, the live stream feeds the target character's skeleton in Maya and produces a bad visual result. It is recommended that you create an initial mapping first, then tweak this mapping once the data is streaming from MotionBuilder.
3. Open the Live Connection window ( > Edit > Live Connection), and click the Send button beside your character's name.

   Your character is sent to MotionBuilder and a live connection is established.

   NoteThe skeleton definition must be locked before it is sent to MotionBuilder using the Live Connection window.
   The name of your remote character appears in the Source menu. By default, your character is named <Character Name>(remote).
4. In MotionBuilder, manipulate or apply motion capture data to your character and it streams on to your Custom rig in Maya.
5. Make the following adjustments to refine your animation:
   • Select an effector in the MotionBuilder Character Controls and adjust the amount of reach between your character and its motion source.
   • Adjust the retargeting parameters in the MotionBuilder Character Settings pane.
6. In Maya, select > Bake > Bake Live To Custom Rig to permanently transfer the animation into your scene and disable the live connection. See Bake the result of a live connection.