Motion Capture Overview

In Softimage, you can perform the complete process of working with motion capture using the comprehensive set of tools it provides. As well, you can easily export data to other software as you like — whatever works with your character animation pipeline.

In Softimage, you can:

• Use MOTOR (motion transformation) tools to retarget animation from one rig to another, or from BVH or C3D mocap files to a rig — see Overview of Retargeting Animation with MOTOR.

• Use MOTOR tools to save any type of animation in a normalized motion format so that it can be loaded and retargeted on any rig. This makes it easy for you to build up libraries of animation that can be used across all your rigs — see Saving Animation Data in Normalized Motion (.motor) Files.

• Create a facial animation rig with Face Robot and then apply C3D mocap data to it — see Face Robot.

• Import Acclaim (ASF and AMC) and Biovision (BVH) mocap data files — see Importing Motion Capture Files.

• Create a Motion Builder rig from a template, then import FBX files to animate it — see below.

• Transfer mocap animation data between rigs — see Transferring the Mocap Animation Data to Your Rig.

• Blend mocap data (FK) with IK animation — see Blending Between FK and IK Animation.

• After the mocap animation is transferred or offsets added to your rig, you can plot the final results — Plotting (Baking) and Storing Mocap Data.

The Autodesk® Motion Builder® Template

If you work a lot with Motion Builder, you can use the Get Primitive Character Motion Builder Template biped rig. This rig shows you the typical hierarchy and naming conventions that are used in Motion Builder.

Any biped animation you import from Motion Builder can seamlessly drive this rig. You can then pose-constrain a Softimage character to this template and plot the animation from it to your Softimage character.

For information on FBX files, see Importing and Exporting FBX Files.