Exporting Motions for 3DS Max CAT Rig

3DS Max provide convenient CAT templates for quickly building biped human bone structures. By characterizing CAT characters, iClone standard motions can be transferred to 3DS Max for the characters with CAT bones.

Before starting this pipeline, you need to prepare a CAT Base Human bone structure in 3ds Max.

The CAT bone structure.

Step 1: Loading and Characterizing CAT Bone

  1. Load the prepared CAT bone (in FBX format) into 3DXChange.
  2. Characterize the character into an iClone non-standard character.
    Please make sure that you map the bones to the bone nodes instead of the mesh nodes in 3DXchange.

Step 2: Adding Desired Motions to Perform Editor

  1. Scroll the Modify panel to the Animation section.
  2. Manually drag and drop standard character motion files into the Motion Library; select one of the motions and click the play button to preview. Please refer to the Using Motion Library section for more information.

    Note:

    • Click the Explore button to browse to the default folder for storing the iClone standard characters motion files.
      Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\Reallusion\Template\iClone 5 Template\iClone Template\Motion
      Windows 7 or above: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Reallusion\Template\iClone 5 Template\Motion\
    • IMPORTANT: If you drag and drop motion files in FBX or BVH format to the Motion Library, then you MUST characterize the character again so that these motions will be automatically converted into iClone compatible standard motions.
  3. Add desired motions into the Perform Editor. Only the motions added into the Perform Editor are the candidates for being included for exporting FBX. Please refer to the Using Perform Editor section for more information.

Step 3: Exporting Motions in FBX Format

  1. Execute the File >> Export to Other 3D Format >> Export FBX... command. Alternatively, you can click the Export FBX... button on the tool bar.
  2. In the Export FBX panel, use the Target Tool Preset drop-down list to auto-load the settings for 3DS Max. Please refer to The Settings for Exporting an FBX File section for more information about the details of the settings.
  3. Click the OK button to export the model along with its motions in FBX format.

Step 4: Loading the FBX Motions to 3DS Max Character

  1. Go back to 3DS Max.
  2. Execute the File >> Import command and select one desired FBX motion file.
  3. When the FBX Import panel shows, you MUST choose Add from the File content drop-down list in the Include section.
  4. Click the OK button to apply the selected motion. You will see white boxes (generated from the FBX motion file) appear besides the CAT bone.

Step 5: Retargeting CAT Bones with FBX Motion

In this step, you can adjust the motion of the FBX to the CAT bone rig by retargeting these two bone structures.

  1. Select the Spine1 of the CAT structure and set it as Keyframed in the Spine Setup section in the Command Panel.

    Repeat the same step with the Neck1 bone or any other bones that are not set as Keyframed.
  2. Execute Animation >> Animation CAT >> Capture Animation command to show the Capture Animation panel.
  3. The CATRig Mapping pane will list both the CAT and FBX structure.
  4. Drag and drop the bone from the leftmost column to the right most column to map them.

    Please note that you must map the Base HumanLFoot in the left column to both the Base HumanLPlatform and Base HumanLFoot, same with the Base HumanRFoot to Base HumanRPlatform and Base HumanRFoot.
  5. Repeat the steps until all nodes are mapped. The CAT bone structure will be driven to move along with the FBX motion.
  6. Manually adjust the Platforms on both feet and any offset issue with transform tools if necessary.

    Before adjustment.

    After adjustment.

  7. Click the Capture Animation button in the Capture Animation panel to bake the motion from the FBX to the CAT bone.
  8. You may then optionally remove the FBX data from the Schematic View to decrease the size of your project.
  9. Play back to view the motion result.