In the ART tool plugin for Maya there is the ability to import fbx mocap or animation files onto a rig created in the ART tool.
I used this feature to try and import fbx files of mocap onto a rig created in ART. The mocap comes from a purchased package of basic movements.
I realize that the skeleton with the mocap data is not going to be exactly the same as the ART skeleton.
The mocap fbx files I tried to import onto my ART rig did not transfer any movement. It only turned the pelvis of the ART rig slightly, distorting the character.
How are developers suppose to use this import feature for mocap? I was anticipating having to do a lot of clean up on the ART rig once the mocap was on it. But I get no mocap data on the rig at all. The Unreal tutorial demonstrating this ART feature does not explain how to use mocap data. That is limiting the choices of what I can use. What have other developers done to get outside mocap data onto their ART rigs?
I personally thought that the tool was created for importing animation created on the ART rig itself and not used for retargeting? I might be wrong but that was what I was led to believe.
There are ways around this however, but they are long-winded.
If you’ve got 3DS max, you could export the FBX mocap onto a BIPED, retarget it to a CAT rig and use Bruno Brito’s HeroTTP template to retarget the CAT animation to HIS CAT rig.
THEN import his template into your engine and retarget it to the Epic Skeleton.
AND THEN go to Mixamo (Hopefully you have a free autorig!) and autorig your character. Then download the autorig as an FBX for Unreal Engine 4.
Import it and then retarget the animation from the Epic Skeleton to your character.
Of course if you don’t have 3DS Max, don’t want to pay for Mixamo (And don’t have a free autorig) or have a character that won’t work with the autorig then this method won’t work.
But hopefully you tick all those boxes and can do it all fine
This is a Maya related thing, since there isn’t a universal standard for a rig, so you’ll eventually need to retarget all the bones from the mocap file to your rig.
I created a script which is basically a position/rotation constraint from the mocap rig to my custom rig created in ART, so every time I want to use a mocap file I just import the file, run the script and voilà, retargeting done…you could even contraint the root motion if you want.
Maya isn’t too friendly for this kind of stuff, but the script creation is just a copy/save of the constraint of every bone…tedious to create the first time, but you have to create it just once and reuse it for all your mocap file…possibly you can make a batch retargeting for the mocap files, but this is bit too advanced for me
