Anim File Format

// A description of the anim file format.

// August 16, 1998

// 

// The .anim file format (version 1.0):

// // and # are both valid comment characters.

//

// All of the lines in the file that do not contain curly braces

// (’{’ or ’}’) should end with a ’;’ After the ’;’ character, start

// a new line.

//

// The keywords and data are whitespace delimited. 

//

// Version 1.1 changes:

// April 20, 1999

// new weighted keyword for animData

// new breakdown flag for keys

//

// The version of the file format. This is a required line.

//

animVersion string

// The Maya version. The string is the value of MGlobal::mayaVersion()

mayaVersion string

// The following two lines are optional. If they are not included,

// the clipboard is set to the range defined by the anim curves

// contained in the clipboard.

//

// These are used by anim curves that have time inputs.

//

startTime [float] // The starting frame for the clipboard.

endTime [float] // The ending frame for the clipboard.

// The following two lines are optional. If they are not included,

// the clipboard is set to the range defined by the anim curves

// contained in the clipboard.

//

// These are used by anim curves with unitless inputs.

//

startUnitless [float] // The starting value for for the clipboard.

endUnitless [float] // The ending value for the clipboard.

// The following three keywords are used to set the units for the file.

// Each anim curve may have its own units, but these are the default 

// units if the anim curve units are not given (see the animData section).

//

// If the units are not given, then the ui units are used.

//

timeUnit [game|film|pal|ntsc|show|palf|ntscf|hour|min|sec|millisec]

linearUnit [mm|cm|m|km|in|ft|yd|mi]

angularUnit [rad|deg|min|sec]

// All of the keywords described above can only be in the header section

// of the file. As soon as anim curve information is encountered, the 

// header section is completed and the body of the file is begun.

//

// The string is the name of the attribute the anim curve is connected to.

// The next three ints are the row, child, and attr values used by the

// clipboard. See the documentation for MAnimCurveClipboard for more

// information.

// 

// If the anim curve is not connected to any attributes, the string

// is not needed, but the following ints should be 0 0 0. 

anim [string] [int] [int] [int] 

// The second form of the anim line has three strings which list what

// the anim curve was connected to.

//

// The strings are: the full attribute name, the leaf attribute name,

// and the node name. The row, child, and attr ints are still required.

//

anim [string] [string] [string] [int] [int] [int]

// The third and final form of the anim line is used for clipboard

// place holder objects. These are used to skip node which do not

// contain any anim curve data, but are positioned in a hierarchy 

// with nodes that have attached anim curves.

//

// In this case, the string is the node name and the three ints are the 

// same as the other two formats.

//

anim [string] [int] [int] [int]

// The animData must follow a line with a valid anim statement.

//

animData {

 // The input type of the anim curve. Defaults to time.

 input [time|unitless] 

 // The output type of the anim curve. Defaults to linear.

 output [time|linear|angular|unitless]

 // Whether or not the anim curve has weighted tangents. Defaults to false.

 // This is available with animVersion >= 1.1

 weighted [1|0]

 // The unit of the anim curve input, if it is a time input.

 // The units default to the time units specified in the file header.

 inputUnit [game|film|pal|ntsc|show|palf|ntscf|hour|min|sec|millisec]

 // The unit of the anim curve output. The output unit should match

 // the output type of the curve. These default to the units specified

 // in the header.

 outputUnit [game|film|pal|ntsc|show|palf|ntscf|hour|min|sec|millisec]

 outputUnit [mm|cm|m|km|in|ft|yd|mi]

 outputUnit [rad|deg|min|sec]

 // The unit of the tangent angles, if there are any fixed tangents.

 // The units default to the angular units specified in the file header.

 tangentAngleUnit [rad|deg|min|sec]

 // The pre-infinity type. Defaults to constant.

 preInfinity [constant|linear|cycle|cycleRelative|oscillate]

 // The post-infinity type. Defaults to constant.

 postInfinity [constant|linear|cycle|cycleRelative|oscillate]

 // The start of the actual keyframe data. Each key is a row in the 

 // braced section.

 keys { 

 [float] [float] [in tan] [out tan] [tan locked] [weight locked]

 // animVersion 1.1 adds breakdown information

 [float] [float] [in tan] [out tan] [tan locked] [weight locked] [breakdown]

 .

 .

 .

// The first two values are the input and output values in the

 // units defined by the inputUnit and outputUnit keywords.

 // The in and out tangents should be valid tangent types.

 // These are followed by three int values for tangent locking,

 // weight locking and the breakdown flag. If they are 0, the values

 // are unlocked, or not a breakdown, otherwise they are locked.

 //

 // If either, or both, or the tangents are fixed, then additional 

 // information is needed: a tangent angle and weight.

 // These two values, per fixed tangent, are added at the end of 

 // the above line.

 //

 // For example:

 // 1.0 2.0 fixed linear 1 1 0 62.345 0.04;

 // 

 // In the above case, 62.345 is the tangent angle for the first 

 // tangent and the tangent weight is 0.04.

 //

 // An example with two fixed tangents:

 // 1.0 2.0 fixed fixed 1 1 0 62.345 0.04 45.3 0.023;

 }

}

The pattern of an anim line followed by animData should be used until all of the anim curves are described.

The following example is an animated joint chain consisting of 4 joints. The first three joints are animated and the fourth joint is not animated.

animVersion 1.1;

mayaVersion 2.0;

timeUnit ntsc;

linearUnit cm;

angularUnit deg;

startTime 1;

endTime 30;

anim rotate.rotateX rotateX joint1 0 1 0;

animData {

 input time;

 output angular;

 weighted 0;

 preInfinity constant;

 postInfinity constant;

 keys {

 1 0 linear linear 1 1 0;

 30 0 linear linear 1 1 0;

 }

}

anim rotate.rotateY rotateY joint1 0 1 1;

animData {

 input time;

 output angular;

 weighted 0;

 preInfinity constant;

 postInfinity constant;

 keys {

 1 0 linear linear 1 1 0;

 30 0 linear linear 1 1 0;

 }

}

anim rotate.rotateZ rotateZ joint1 0 1 2;

animData {

 input time;

 output angular;

 weighted 0;

 preInfinity constant;

 postInfinity constant;

 keys {

 1 0 spline spline 1 1 0;

 10 -16.774359 spline spline 1 1 0;

 15 -1.6493069 spline spline 1 1 0;

 22 -3.064691 spline spline 1 1 0;

 30 0 spline spline 1 1 0;

 }

}

anim rotate.rotateX rotateX joint2 1 1 0;

animData {

 input time;

 output angular;

 weighted 0;

 preInfinity constant;

 postInfinity constant;

 keys {

 1 0 linear linear 1 1 0;

 30 0 linear linear 1 1 0;

 }

}

anim rotate.rotateZ rotateZ joint2 1 1 1;

animData {

 input time;

 output angular;

 weighted 0;

 preInfinity constant;

 postInfinity constant;

 keys {

 1 0 spline spline 1 1 0;

 10 60.962438 spline spline 1 1 0;

 15 106.06094 spline spline 1 1 0;

 22 33.259896 spline spline 1 1 0;

 30 0 spline spline 1 1 0;

 }

}

anim rotate.rotateX rotateX joint3 2 1 0;

animData {

 input time;

 output angular;

 weighted 0;

 preInfinity constant;

 postInfinity constant;

 keys {

 1 0 spline spline 1 1 0;

 10 0 spline spline 1 1 0;

 15 0 spline spline 1 1 0;

 22 0 spline spline 1 1 0;

 30 0 spline spline 1 1 0;

 }

}

anim rotate.rotateY rotateY joint3 2 1 1;

animData {

 input time;

 output angular;

 weighted 0;

 preInfinity constant;

 postInfinity constant;

 keys {

 1 0 spline spline 1 1 0;

 10 0 spline spline 1 1 0;

 15 0 spline spline 1 1 0;

 22 0 spline spline 1 1 0;

 30 0 spline spline 1 1 0;

 }

}

anim rotate.rotateZ rotateZ joint3 2 1 2;

animData {

 input time;

 output angular;

 weighted 0;

 preInfinity constant;

 postInfinity constant;

 keys {

 1 0 spline spline 1 1 0;

 10 0 spline spline 1 1 0;

 15 0 spline spline 1 1 0;

 22 0 spline spline 1 1 0;

 30 0 spline spline 1 1 0;

 }

}

anim joint4 3 0 0;