2 replies to this topic

[Gnarlyman]

Something I've always wanted to know, and now actually employ myself...

I want to download some mo-cap data files (actually, from some university's website that someone suggested on these forums in answer to a Q I had about free/low cost mesh and animation resources). What's the process by which one makes actual models and animations from these mo-cap data stuffs? Even better is if I could somehow intake the mo-cap data and produce meshes and subsequent animations procedurally.

[rouncer]

i havent actually done it before, but i think its in a dynamic bone tree in the .3b file or whatever format it is, and you rig your model (link vertices to bones) before you can apply the animation to your model. you only get the animations provided in the animation file, if you want more keyframes, you have to manually make them in your own editor.

[Stainless]

Skinning and or rigging.

Basically you create a mesh with it's arms and legs spread out.

Create a skeleton that matches the one used in the mocap data and match it's position to the mesh.

Generate bone weights for each vertex.

The actual details of how to do each stage vary with your tool chain, it's very different in 3ds max from how you do it in blender, but it general, that's how it works.

Then when you animate the mesh, you position the skeleton, then use the bone weights to position each vertex relative to the bones.

In principle, it's really easy. In practice, a nightmare. I'm not a graphic artist and rigging a character usually ends up with me throwing things at the wall. The usual things, mice, monitors, people... occasionally desks ..