[MUA1] Animation Tutorial

[ak2yny]

MARVEL  MODS  ANIMATION TUTORIAL
SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION

By UltraMegaMagnus, MrKablamm0fish, thetommyboy2002, BloodyMares, nikita488, defogexa, LarsAlexandersson and ak2yny
Logo by Outsider

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Previewing Animations
• Mixing Animations
• Blocking the Last Frames
• Importing Animations in 3DS Max
• Exporting Animations in 3DS Max
• Creating Animations in 3DS Max
• Retargeting Animations

What is Covered in This Tutorial

      This tutorial covers how to mix existing and create new animations for Ultimate Alliance. For all creation processes, it's necessary to use a tool that is only available in Alchemy 5, which means, they're all incompatible with any other games (including Console versions and XML 2 PC).

Required Tools

• Alchemy 5: The only real requirement when creating animations.
• 3DS Max Version 5 or 2008-2012 32bit: Since we have to use Alchemy 5 anyway, I recommend to use 3DS Max 2012 32bit, which is the latest version compatible with Alchemy 5. We'll use Max 2010 in the tutorial, but the processes are very similar to identical. If a newer Max is no option for you, you can certainly use Max 5 for everything as well. This is only required for custom animations.

      All tools will be linked in each section as well.

      When you install Alchemy 5, be sure to copy the files inside "2 Paste the content of this folder to your Alchemy 5 directory" to your Alchemy installation folder. The structure of the folders has to match, and it's successful if most files are replaced. We're going to need some of the tools.

     If you plan to use 3DS Max 2008+, copy the contents of "3 - 3DS Max plugins\IGMaxExporter updated by Nikita for 3ds max 2008 to 2012\MaxScripts" to your 3DS Max 2008+ installation directory (and not in [username]\Documents\3dsMax).

     If you plan to import animations from FBX files, you can install the 2012 version of the plug-in from the folder "3 - 3DS Max plugins\FBX plugin 2012-2 version for 3ds Max 2010 only". This is optional, since 3DS Max 2010 comes with a native FBX importer. The plugin is identical to the native FBX importer in Max 2012.

     More Alchemy 5 installation instructions can be found here.

Important Knowledge

• Compatible animations: Alchemy 5 compatible animation sets are from following game versions: XML, XML2, MUA (all except PSP), MUA2 Wii.
• Compatible skins: Skins need the igActor at 0,0,0 (xyz) coordinates. This is usually not the case for custom created skins from before 2018.
• Animation sets: They are all saved in the actors folder of the games. The easiest to identify them, is by the name. If they are not a skin, which consist of numbers only, they are animations. All sets have at least one animation and a "defaultAnimation". If we extract animations, or create custom ones, we get single animation files which have to be combined to an animation set.
• Animation names: There are two ways to change an animation for a character. The first is renaming the animation name in powerstyles, the second is replacing an animation through animation mixing. Both require you to know the animation names. The names inside powerstyles don't equal the names in the animation sets. Check inside shared_anims.xmlb for the names, or look here.
• Character animation sets: If we're using the term "animation set", we usually mean a character animation set. They're easily identified by the internal character number, as they all start their filename with this number. They also contain the character name in some form. These set names can also be found in herostat and npcstat. Each character animation set has two animation sets, one with the name from the stats, and one with this name plus a "_4_combat" suffix. If both sets have identically named animations, the ones from the 4_combat animation set take priority. A few characters (eg. Mr. Fantastic) have additional animation sets.
• Fightstyles: Fightstyles are a method that was more common in XML2 and is used to add special moves to a group of characters. They consist of a move list in data/fightstyles and an animation set, referred to as a fightstyle animation set. Check The Outsider's Guide To Modding for mor information. Fightstyles should not be used per character (use character animation sets and powerstyles for that), they're common animations and fightstyles.
• Interact animation sets: There are a whole bunch of animation sets in the actors folder, starting with "interact". They're all used to animate victims when handled by a character. For example, when Hulk grabs an enemy, he has to be animated to look like he is held by the Hulk.
• Zone animation sets: There are also many animation sets in the actors folder, starting with "zone". They're used for special animations in a specific level. For example, when we free Balder in Asgard, he is released from his "chains" and falls to his knees. This is done with zone animations. Most of them are called with scripts.
• Common animations: Similar to character animation sets, there are two animation sets called "common" and "common_combat". They contain all animations that are not character specific. Some characters use animations that are in common animation sets as well. In this case, the character animation set's animation is used (replaces the common animation).
• Combat zone: All zones except hub/town areas. Combat zones load both character animation sets, while hub zones (Stark Tower & Doom's version, Sanctum Sanctorum, Valhalla and Attilan) only load the standard character animation set (the one found in herostat).
• Menu animations: Each character has its own menu animations (menu_action, menu_idle, menu_goodbye). They have to be in the standard character animation set. All other animations can be in either character animation set.
• PSP animations: Animation sets from the PSP versions of the games. They are not compatible with the Alchemy 5 Animation Producer (the animation mixing program).
• Havok animations: Havok is a tool for game developers that was used in Vicarious Vision's MUA 2 versions to create animations. The plug-ins available for 3DS Max enable us to convert those animations to be used with Alchemy 5.
• Skeleton and bones: Both, actors and animations, have a skeleton which is a bone structure, much as we humans have it. In most cases we don't need to bother about that. If you use animations of a non-standard skeleton for animation mixing, you might want to use the source skeleton (ie. source animation set instead of fightstyle_default). A Biped (from Latin, meaning two feet or two legged creature) is a special form of a skeleton with extended functions.
• Motion node: Animations for MUA must have a Motion node. It is responsible to move the actor around, eg. in a slide animation. It usually has the animation's name when imported and has to be renamed to "Motion". Any existing "Motion" bone has to be deleted first.

Useful Links

• How to remove an animation from single bones in MUA - works with any animation and any bone on actors and animation sets
• Animation Tutorial from The Outsider's Guide To Modding - with more infos about animations
• Animated Boltons and Mannequins Tutorial - directly animated models without an animation file
• The History of Animation Modding
• Alchemy 5 Tutorial

[ak2yny]

MARVEL  MODS  ANIMATION TUTORIAL
SECTION 2: PREVIEWING ANIMATIONS

By UltraMegaMagnus, nikita488, LarsAlexandersson and ak2yny
Logo by Outsider

Introduction

      Some modders try to make a list of all animation, by describing them. Others remember most animations from playing the games. I find it very helpful to be able to view each animation of an animation file, without having to start the game first. There are two ways to preview animations without the game, with FBX files (online and offline) and directly from IGB files.

      Introducing IGB animation previews with a video by UltraMegaMagnus:

(stop @38s)

      We can setup our computer to have this process even easier. Follow the steps below. Skip to Sketchfab for methods that don't require Alchemy 5.

      Note: if an image or video is too small, click to expand it

Preview Animations on a Skin Using Command (IGB)

      Unfortunately not all skins are compatible with Alchemy 5 to preview animations. Nikita488 and UltraMegaMagnus created some skins that work. Get them here.
      If you installed Alchemy 5 as instructed, you're ready to go. Windows commands, as they're used by UltraMegaMagnus in his tutorial, are very powerful, especially when saved as batches. I created a batch for previewing animations that enables us to preview them from where they are. Get it here. When executed, this previewAnimations.bat opens each animation, in the same folder as the batch, in Insight Viewer to preview, one after the other. It also opens every animation when dropped on it. We can also drop a folder on it to preview all animations inside.

      Once the animation is opened in Insight Viewer, we can continue with selecting each animation as in the video:

(stop @38s)

      You can now add previewAnimations.bat or a shortcut to it wherever you like. You can also look at the method below that uses Insight Viewer directly.

Preview Animations on a Skin Using Insight Viewer Only (IGB)

      Lars discovered that we can also drag and drop an actor and an animation, without renaming or anything, on the Insight Viewer shortcut (or on [C:\Alchemy]\ArtistPack\insight\DX9\insight.exe directly). If we use one of the actors from above, it can be viewed in the same way.
     
      Lars also discovered that we can actually use any custom skin that can be viewed in Insight. No matter how we use them though, they will not act out the animation. But their skeleton does. To show it, go to "Actor">"Show Skeletons">"Skel Only".



      We can now preview the animations on the skeleton. If you prefer not to use Alchemy 5, check out the preview method below.

Preview Animations on Sketchfab (FBX)

      Find MUA animations on Sketchfab and use search terms to find a specific animation file or character. For characters use the character name plus "MUA" search terms. Example:

Code Select Expand

Fury MUA
      For animation files, use the animation file name. Try it with .igb file extension first and if you can't find it, try it without .igb extension. Some animation files are spread among multiple characters and it might be necessary to search both ways. Example:

Code Select Expand

21_nickfury_4_combat.igb


Code Select Expand

21_nickfury_4_combat

      There are also collections:

• MUA playable characters animations
• MUA playable Gold Edition and PSP exclusive characters animations (OCP version)
• MUA NPC animations (incomplete)
• (animations of other games will follow if time allows it)

      Download all animations to view them with Windows' 3D Viewer (Windows 10+):

• MUA animations

      Alternatively, find most animations on UltraMegaMagnus' YouTube channel.

Summary

• Previewing animations is important to see what is in an animation set.
• Batches are very convenient to quickly preview multiple animations.
• Preview animations by dragging them together with an actor/skin onto Insight Viewer (exe or shortcut).
• If a skin doesn't act out the animations, we can select to show "Skel Only", to see it act on the skeleton.
• Preview animations without Alchemy 5 on Sketchfab.

[ak2yny]

MARVEL  MODS  ANIMATION TUTORIAL
SECTION 3: MIXING ANIMATIONS

By nikita488, defogexa and ak2yny
Logo by Outsider

Introduction

      In MUA we can use up to three animation sets, counting character animation sets and fightstyle animation sets. But what if you would like to use an animation from a fourth character, or even use a custom animation? Mixing animations is what you need.

      Required Tools:

• Animation Mixing Tools   Link   Original Release Post
• Alchemy 5   Link   Original Release Post

1) Extracting Animations

      This process extracts each animation from animation sets. To extract you need following files from the "AnimationMixing" folder: "_extract.bat" and "_animations.txt". You can extract from any animation set that is compatible with Alchemy 5.
    
      Copy the animation sets you want to extract from in a seperate folder, which has to include "_extract.bat" and "_animations.txt". Execute "_extract.bat" and wait for it to finish.
Optional: If you want to use any existing extract texts (any TXT file beginning with "extract"), you can answer the question with yes when prompted. You'll always be asked, as soon as such a TXT file exist in this folder.
     
      Extracted animations can be handled like animation sets: They can be used in MUA, and they can be previewed with Insight Viewer.
     
      Extract all animations, before you continue with the next step. The batch extracts all animation sets in the same folder, so you can choose the animation sets you want to use and copy all of them in this folder.

2) Mixing Animations

      Each animation set gets extracted into a seperate folder. It doesn't matter how they're organized for animation mixing though. For mixing, move or copy single animations (custom, as exported with 3DS Max, or extracted in step 1) into a folder that doesn't contain any other IGB files. The filenames and folder where they come out of should give you a clue what's inside. If you are unsure, you can preview them with Insight Viewer. Rename the files if you encounter conflicts. For example, if you want to use both Spidey's and Cap's "power_1" animation, you will encounter an error message when you try to copy/move the second animation file. Choose to keep both or rename one of the files beforehand.
    

How to keep both files on Windows 10.
    
      Rename the animation files to the new name you're going to use.
Examples: If you want to use Spideys "power_1.igb" for your power5 animation, rename it to "power_5.igb". Rename Cap's "power_1.igb" to eg. "attack_light3.igb" if you want to use his power1 animation for your melee animation.
    
      Animation sets must have following animations, otherwise they will be missing entirely:

      For standard character animation sets ([##]_[charactername]):

Code Select Expand

menu_action
menu_goodbye
menu_idle
All default characters have a custom "idle" animation as well, but a default idle will still play when missing.

      For combat character animation sets ([##]_[charactername]_4_combat):

Code Select Expand

attack_heavy1
attack_knockback1
attack_knockback2
attack_light1
attack_light2
attack_light3

3) Combining Animations

      To combine you need following files from the "AnimationMixing" folder: "_combine.bat" and "_fightstyle_default".

(stop @5:35)
    
      Put them in your folder with the mixed animation files. Execute "_combine.bat" and choose/enter the filename of your custom animation set.
Optional: If you want to use any existing combine texts (any TXT file beginning with "combine"), you can answer yes when asked.

      Each new animation set usually increases in size, because all the different bindings of the animations to previous skeltons are preserved, and are added to the set, even though a new binding is created during mixing. Only mix original animations, to keep this size change minimal.

      To test your new animation set, you can preview them with Insight Viewer.

      The batch will create a "combine.txt" which includes all animation names for your file. Find them in shared animations, to see what name you have to use in the powerstyle.

Animations with Advanced Skeletons

      Some actors and their animations have an advanced skeleton. Most of them only have additional bones, and some are still compatible. Animals and animal like creatures have a different bone structure, which means that their animations are not compatible. A few animations stretch the bones even in idle (much like Mr. Fantastic's animations) and shouldn't be used. A few bots have a reduced or different skeleton and are not compatible. Here is a list of these advanced skeletons (thanks to BaconWizard17 and UltraMegaMagnus):

Spoiler

• Angel (additional wing bones)   XML 2
• Apocalypse (incompatible, stretched legs)   XML 2   41_apocalypse
• Arcade (Bot) (incompatible, looks funny)   MUA   130_arcade_bot
• Blackheart   MUA   138_blackheart
• Clay Warrior   MUA   113_clay_warrior
• Deathbird   MUA   56_deathbird
• Dragonman (additional wing bones)   MUA   67_dragonman
• Fenris the Wolf (incompatible, bends spine)   MUA   98_fenris_wolf
• Fin Fang Foom (incompatible, looks funny)   MUA   114_fin_fang_foom, 114_fin_fang_foom_wings
• Fire Giant   MUA   149_fire_giant
• Galactus (incompatible)   MUA   18_galactus
• Kraken (incompatible, looks funny)   MUA   115_kraken
• Lady Deathstrike   (MUA2 only)
• Lizard (additional tail bones)   MUA   61_lizard
• Lockjaw (incompatible, bends spine)   MUA   95_lockjaw
• Mephisto's Pet (looks funny)   MUA   150_mephisto_pet
• MODOK   MUA   65_modok
• Scorpion (additional tail bones)   MUA   40_scorpion
• Sentinel (incompatible)
• Ymir (incompatible)   MUA   108_ymir
• Mr Fantastic Arms (incompatible)   MUA   20_mrfantastic_arm_left   20_mrfantastic_arm_right
• 02_daredevil_batons (incompatible)   MUA
• 06_ghostrider_chain (incompatible)   MUA
• 25_skrull_empress (no animation)   MUA
• 26_hussar_whip (incompatible)   MUA
• 32_kang (no animation)   MUA
• 34_ultron_b (no animation)   MUA
• 36_loki_b (no animation)   MUA
• 39_hobgoblin (no animation)
• 46_thunderball_ballnchain (incompatible)   MUA
• 47_nightcrawler_tail (incompatible)   MUA
• 49_odin (no animation)   MUA
• 69_mantis_bot (incompatible)   MUA
• 84_shiar_tracker (incompatible, missing bones)   MUA
• 91_galactus_punisher (no animation)   MUA
• 99_shiarfighter (no animation)   MUA
• 125_aim_reaver (incompatible, looks funny)   MUA
• 137_murder_bot (incompatible)   MUA
• 157_luke_cage_chain (incompatible)   MUA
• 160_iceblock (incompatible)   MUA
• fightstyle_nonhuman (incompatible) MUA
• fightstyle_weapon_onehanded
• fightstyle_weapon_rubberhammer
• fightstyle_weapon_spear
• fightstyle_weapon_staff
• fightstyle_weapon_twohanded
• interact_dmnsoul_victim
• interact_fire_giant_victim
• interact_frostgiant_victim
• interact_shiar_gunner_victim
• interact_spiderman_webcocoon_victim (incompatible)   MUA
• zone_briefing3_10 (incompatible) MUA
• zone_laserthing
• zone_mandarin2
• zone_mandarin5
• zone_omega1
• zone_skrull5
• zone_valhalla1

     Note: Every animation where it doesn't say "incompatible" or "no animation" is still compatible with the default skeleton, ie. can be mixed.

The Rules of Animations

• We can't use custom animation names, period. But there are around 24 animation names in MUA that are most likely free to use. We can even change the names of them in data/shared_anims.xmlb (not the powerstyle name though). This is helpful for "ea_ko_legs1" and "ea_ko_torso1" which both have no animation name.
• You should avoid making changes in data/shared_anims.xmlb, if you want to share the mod.
• Animation names for powerstyles (to use after "animenum = ") can be taken from shared_anims only. They are the ones starting with "ea".
• If an animation transitions to the idle stance, it should not be used. We can, however, block the last frames/milli-seconds of an animation.
• Don't use animations of actors with a dissimilar bone structure, like Lockjaw for example.

• [...] don't pick a female animation [...] if your character is male [...]

• Don't use animations without animated ponytails, if your model has a part rigged to ponytail bones (most female characters in MUA).

Summary

• Use the batch tools to extract and combine animations.
• Mix animations by moving or copying custom and/or extracted animations into a new folder.
• Preview animations to test animation sets or check what's in an extracted animation.
• Make a list of your new animations containing both, animation names and powerstyle names.
• Follow the Rules of Animations.

[ak2yny]

MARVEL  MODS  ANIMATION TUTORIAL
SECTION 4: BLOCKING THE LAST FRAMES

By MrKablamm0fish, BloodyMares and ak2yny
Logo by Outsider

Introduction

      This procedure can be used to make an animation stop early by removing the last frames - or better put: milliseconds - from an animation. The only tool required is Finalizer (Insight Viewer is optional).

Optional: Finding the Exact Time with Insight Viewer

      To know what time to stop the animation, preview the animation set or file in Insight Viewer:



     We have to cover some steps:

• Step 1 - click on "Actor">"Anims" and then on the animation you want to edit (1).
• Step 2 - click on "Time" and then on "Display time" (2).
• Step 3 - in the same menu ("Time") click on "Loop" (3) and on "Stop" (4). If you want to start with the animation's start, instead of the current position, click on "Reset" (5).
• Step 4 - in the "Time" menu or on the bottom right edge of the Insight window, use the controls (6) to navigate to the last position you want to use from this animation. We recommend to use "Decrease speed" and/or "Step forward" and "Step backward" to find the exact spot with the preview (7)
• Step 5 - note the time on "Current time" on the bottom left of the Insight window (8), or remember it, or leave Insight open. In the picture above it's 0.51, which is 0 seconds and 51 milliseconds.

Edit Duration in Finalizer

     Finding animations in Finalizer might not be exactly intuitive, but I'd say it's fairly easy to find them. If you installed Alchemy 5 correctly, you have two new programs available: Finalizer and Insight Viewer. By default, all IGB files open with Finalizer. Let's open an animation set or animation file in Finalizer:



     Navigate to the animations by clicking the plus symbol on igAnimationDatabase (1) and then on _animationList (2). Select the animation which you want to edit. By now, you should be familiar with the process of translating the powerstyle animation names to the animation set animation names (3).


    
     Right click on the selected animation and click on "Edit object fields".



     Inside this window, you have to edit the "igAnimation::_duration:" field. In most cases, this number is either nine or ten digits long. The first 3 digits correspond with second(s) and milliseconds if the value has 10 digits. If it's less than 1 second, then the value has 9 digits and only means milliseconds. A block animation for example is usually shorter than a second and therefore has only nine digits (eg. 750000000). We need to edit this time to something smaller, ideally to the time we noted from Insight Viewer.
Example 1: To edit the animation to the time we noted from Insight Viewer above (51 milliseconds), write 510000000 in this field (this changes from ten digits to nine).
Example 2: To stop the animation ten milliseconds early, change the number from 1399999976 to 1299999976, or simply 1300000000.

     Click on "OK" and save the file. Unfortunately, the changes can't be seen in Insight Viewer. Instead, check the new animation ingame.

     Note: If you thought about changing "igAnimation::_startTime:" or "igAnimation::_keyFrameTimeOffset:", forget about it again. It doesn't work. And this method only works for one cycle. Looping animations will reset to the original time afterwards.

Summary

• Stop an animation early by changing the duration in Finalizer.
• Find the exact time by using the controls in Insight Viewer.
• Animation times are in seconds and milliseconds.
• See the changes in the game.

[ak2yny]

MARVEL  MODS  ANIMATION TUTORIAL
SECTION 5: IMPORTING ANIMATIONS IN 3DS MAX

By UltraMegaMagnus, MrKablamm0fish and ak2yny
Logo by Outsider

Introduction

      The easiest way to create custom animations for MUA, is to import animations from another game or other resources. The animations can come in various formats, therefore, we have various import processes.

      Required Tools:

• 3DS Max 2008-2012 32-bit (Download can't be provided here) or 3DS Max 5 (Information and download)
• IMPORTANT: Set the units to the same (metric) for every version of 3DS Max that you're using! The units setup may be automatically changed, when a scene is loaded, in which case you may have to set it again.
• Optional: FBX importer  Folder "3 - 3DS Max plugins\FBX plugin 2012-2 version for 3ds Max 2010 only"
• Optional: ActorXimporter  Folder "3 - 3DS Max plugins\Actor X  Importer for 3ds Max 5 only", compatible with Max 5 | Latest version + exporter, compatible with Max 2010+ only
• Optional: Noesis  Folder "6 - Noesis credits original authors for the various plugins"
• Optional: A 64bit version of 3DS Max - depends on the import plug-in (in this tutorial we will cover HKX animations which need it).
• Optional: HKX importer by PredatorCZ  Download
• Optional: Asset Studio by Perfare  Download

      Note: I will be using 3DS Max 2010 version for the tutorial, but most processes can be used in the same way in 3DS Max 5, and any other version (including v 2012).

Finding Animations

      Every XML and MUA animation (IGB) can be mixed.

      Here are some sources to download animations from:

• For MUA 2 next-gen (Vicarious Visions version) animations in HKX format, get MUA2 PC and extract anims.bin with QuickBms
• Mixamo by Adobe with FBX animation files (login required, but free)
• Search Google for animations in the Biped file format (BIP)
• Ripping animations from Unity and Unreal games (incl. Marvel Future Fight) is covered in the tutorial

      Usable file formats that animations can come in:

• BIP - will be covered in the tutorial
• XAF - a native 3DS Max format
• MAX - the format a 3DS Max file is saved as
• CPY - another native 3DS Max format
• FBX - will be covered in the tutorial
• HKX - will be covered in the tutorial
• PSA - will be covered in the tutorial
• DAE - a format with great compatibility among many programs, incl. 3ds Max, Blender and animationConverter

Optional: Extracting Unity and Unreal Animations with Asset Studio and Noesis

      A small note ahead: Some animations can possibly be imported to your preferred 3D program, which can likely export animations to a format that 3DS Max understands. However, Asset Studio and Noesis are two very powerful tools, which are relatively easy to install and use.

(stop @30s)

      Open a game's assets in Asset Studio (File > Load, or File > Extract and then Load the extracted files - more information in the Asset Studio documentation). In the "Scene Hierarchy" tab, select the skeleton that you want to extract animations from (tick it). Then go to the "Asset List" tab, and select the animation(s) you want to export (Note: for MUA it is safest to use one animation at a time). In the menu toolbar, find and click Model > "Export selected objects (split) + selected AnimationClips". Chose a destination and click "Select Folder". The file will be saved as FBX.

      You can now continue with this FBX at "Importing from FBX In 3DS Max 2010". If you continue watching the next 30 seconds in the above video, you will see the exact same process as explained in "Export to PSK/PSA using Noesis". It's been noticed that using PSA can cause minor issues which may be fixed by using the FBX directly with the FBX plugin and 3DS Max 2010 or 2012.

Optional: Converting Non-native File Formats

      Native file formats can directly be imported on a biped in 3DS Max: BIP, CPY, XAF, FIG. These and MAX files (directly opened with Max) might not be compatible with older versions (especially 3DS Max 5).
     
      Some non-native file formats can be imported to 3DS Max with plug-ins: FBX, HKX, PSA. These might not be compatible with older versions of importer plug-ins, and the plug-ins themselves might not be compatible with older versions of 3DS Max.

      What to do, if the animation is not compatible with your version of 3DS Max? Answer: Convert it. Most animations from other games have a different skeleton that's not compatible with the MUA skeleton (template). Such animations have to be re-targeted. The recommended method here is with Blender, which reads most formats, especially with plugins, so you can skip the part below (the re-targeting tutorial includes import and links you to the next step). Even animations with compatible skeletons can be done with the re-target method, but you may get better results with a direct import using a method below.

      We will cover two methods. Method 1 (by UltraMegaMagnus) covers adding the animation to the Skin modifier which is necessary for Alchemy 5 exports in 3DS Max 2008+, because it doesn't have the Actor Editor. Method 2 (by MrKablamm0fish) skips this step and adds the animation to the igActor in the 3DS Max 5 exporter of Alchemy 2.5.

(stop @30s)
     
      The plug-in for the format needs to be installed first. For this tutorial, we will be using the HKX format and it's plug-in requires a 64bit installation of 3DS Max (3DS Max 2010 64-bit and later). If you use any other format, the import process will be different, but this part can be learned with Google. For most animations, it's necessary to load them onto a rigged model. We recommend to use a rigged MUA skin template as extracted by nikita488 directly from an IGB (works with Max 2010 and newer). For HKX files, go to "Import" and find your animation file (HKX) on the computer. Double-click, or click "Open". In the import dialog, change the Motion ID to the maximal possible number (this will import all animations in the file). Make sure that "Disable scale" is set to on and option "Right" is pointing to "Right" and "Back" is pointing to "Back" (as seen here). Click on "Import".
     

     
      If you press "H" to open the selection editor, the animations will show on the bottom.

(stop @57s)

      If the animation file (HKX in our tutorial) imported multiple animations, you will have to delete all animations except one, because Alchemy exporters only support one animation at a time. If you want to use multiple animations from this file, you will have to repeat the import process for each one. If there was a node called "Motion" in the selection editor, you would have to delete it as well. The only remaining animation then has to be renamed to "Motion".



      Open up Schematic View.

(stop @2:04)

      Press "C" to activate the connect tool. Click on the Motion node and hold the button while dragging the mouse to the root bone of the skeleton. In the recommended template it's called "Unnamed bone". A line will indicate that you're about to connect the two. When the mouse is over the root bone ("Unnamed bone"), release the button to connect them. Close Schematic View and select the mesh with the rigged skin modifier, "zremove" in the template.



      If you want to use Method 2 (required for Max 5), you can skip the following step. For Method 1: Go to the "Modify" tab (1). Skin should be selected. Navigate to the bones section where all biped bones appear (2). Click on "Add" (3) and select the root bone ("Unnamed bone"), Bip01 bone and our Motion node (4). Click "Select" (5).



      Continuing with both methods: Go to "Export". In the export window, make sure FBX is selected (1). Choose a path and filename, remember it, and also keep in the back of your head how many frames the animation is (you can see this on the track slider [2]). Click on "Save" (3), then "OK", and "OK" again.

      With this FBX file or any FBX file (from most sources) containing one animation, you can continue with "Importing from FBX In 3DS Max 2010".

Optional: Importing from FBX In 3DS Max 2010

(stop @3:01)

      Open up this Raven Biped (for Method 1) or this Raven Biped including a rigged skin (for Method 2 and FBX files from other sources) in 3DS Max 2010 or newer*. For this part, the bones in the FBX animation should have the same names as the Biped. MUA 2/HKX and FF animations do have the same names. The animation also has to face you in the "Right" viewport and be the correct size (7-8 blocks tall). If something is not correct, open the FBX instead, rename the bones, rotate, scale, whatever is required, export to FBX again**. Do you remember how many frames the animation had? Now is the time to add it. Open up the Time Configuration and enter the frames into the "End Time" field. Click "OK" and go to "Import". Search for your FBX file and double-click or click on "Open".



      In the import dialog go to section "Include" and choose "Update animation" from the drop-down menu. Click on "OK" and "OK" again in the next window. Make sure the animation faces you in the "Right" viewport (like it is shown in the video - "Right" viewport is on the bottom left). If this is not the case, rotate the root node until it is (if you have problems here ask away - the tutorial might get an update at some point).

      If you used 3DS Max 2008-2012, you can continue with the Alchemy 5 export (Method 1). If you plan to use 3DS Max 5 (Method 2), you'll have to continue with "Exporting and Importing PSK/PSA".
     
      *You can actually use any 3DS Max version that supports modern FBX files, but 3DS Max 5 doesn't.
          The 2012 version has the best FBX support.
      ** A video of this is at the "Import PSK/PSA to 3DS Max" section.

Importing Native File Formats In 3DS Max

      Open up any rigged skin in Max, which is using a Raven Biped. You can also Use the same Raven Biped that we used for the FBX import, but this one will only work on 3DS Max 2010+.



      Select any part of the Biped and go to the "Motion" tab (1). End "Figure Mode" (2) and click on "Load File" (3). If the file formats in the import dialog are limited to FIG, you accidentally started Figure Mode instead of ending it. Cancel and click on "Figure Mode" again to end it (and click "Load File" again). Select a BIP file and click on "Open". Usually the animation adjusts to the biped, so it should face you in "Right" viewport as supposed.

Optional: Exporting and Importing PSK/PSA

      On a 3DS Max 2010+ Biped, you can usually import any animation without conversion to PSK/PSA export as well, so this part is (almost) exclusively for 3DS Max 5 and continues for Method 2. Proprietary formats (e.g. from XNALara or Blender) must be converted for any version of Max, if using Max 2010+, I recommend FBX instead of PSA.



      Export to PSK/PSA using 3DS Max: (The ActorX plug-in needs to be installed first.) For this, we assume that you still have 3DS Max open from the FBX animation import. Open up the ActorX dialog by going to the "Utilities" tab (1) and pressing on "More..." (2), selecting ActorX (3) from there and pressing on "OK" (4). There is already an excellent guide out there how to export animations. Make sure to export both, PSK and PSA.

(stop @1:26)

      Export to PSK/PSA using Noesis: Open Noesis and navigate to the location where your FBX file with a single animation is at. Select the animation file right click on it. In the context menu select "Export". The "Main output type" has to be PSK and the "Additional animation output" must be PSA. You can set a different path and filename, but by default, it exports to the same path and filename as the input with a different extension. Click on "Export". When finished, confirm with "OK" and "Close".

(stop @2:15)

      Import PSK/PSA to 3DS Max: Start 3DS Max 5, go to "MAXScript" and select "Run Script...". Select the "ActorXImporter.ms" and run it (double-click or click on "Open"). In the import dialog click on "Import PSK", navigate to your PSK file and open it. Click on "Import PSA" as well and open it. You can double-click on the animation name in the window to load it onto the actor.

    Converted animations or skins from IGBconverter.bat (actorCoverter.exe/animationConverter.exe) as well as most other sources must be checked for correct transformations. I highly recommend to correct this in the import dialogue (scale and rotation), if possible, because doing so afterwards may cause issues if done incorrectly. Let's look at the example of FF animations:

(stop @5:00)

• The first thing to change is the scale factor, which is usually 10 or 100 (or 0,1 or 0,01). With FF models it's ~40 (1 Meter = 39.37007874 Inch).
• Make sure that the feet are on 0 0 0 position and the crotch area is approx. four blocks from it. The whole model/skeleton should be between 7 and 8 blocks tall. Most importantly, move Bip01 to X=0, Y=0 and Z=41.82, if necessary (X and Y can vary slightly, but the Z location is very important). Adjusting the Bip01 location will move the rest of the skeleton. So afterwards, you may have to stretch or shorten the leg bones slightly, so that they touch the ground line again.
• After importing the animation (PSA or FBX), rotate the model, so that it stands upright and faces you on the "Right" viewport. When right-clicking on the rotate tool, you can enter values to rotate the model for a specific amount (e.g. 90° around Z axis).
• The next issue you may be confronted with, is incorrectly named bones. MrKablamm0fish made a Max script (folder "4 - Template, tools to import, export animations & script to rename bones to MUA Biped") for us, which renames the FF bones to what MUA uses. Go to Scripting > Run Script and locate the extracted "Script to rename biped bones to MUA Biped.ms". Select it and click "Open" (or double-click it).
• A small issue that you may encounter, is that the feet move along the floor, when they shouldn't. To fix this, go to the Motion tab > Keyframing Tools section and activate the Anchor buttons for both feet.

Expert Tips

      HKX animations can't be imported on a biped. FBX can and PSA animations work for MUA anims as well. Other file format's are unknown. You can try to import other animation file formats directly onto a biped and skip the first part. If the plug-in/importer is working correctly, you should be able to directly go to export (first to FBX if the plug-in/importer is incompatible with any Alchemy compatible Max version).

      A Motion node is necessary for all animations that move the actor, like a slide for example. Walking animations are held in place and the character is moved around in-game by other handlers. If a Motion node is not necessary, it might still be smart to have one, because you could encounter some issues during game-play. A Motion node should be present in all setups with imported animations, but if you ever miss one, you can create one by cloning Bip01 or Bip01 Pelvis, renaming it to "Motion" and linking it to the root node. With Motion selected, open the Curve Editor and select all points on the curves. Erase all Z movement from this node (right click and change Z to 0, or flatten the Z curve on 0). I also recommend to erase the X and Y movement from Bip01 or Bip01 Pelvis in the same way. This can be helpful for animations imported or created directly on the Biped. Alternatively, the Bip01 or Bip01 Pelvis animation can be exported and the respective XYZ channel imported separately on each node (video shows Motion only). This works on any kind of skeleton. BloodyMares teaches us another way to fix Motion on the Biped template.

      Animations include a skeleton which should match the skin's skeleton as closely as possible. It's therefore recommended to use one of the Raven Bipeds that are linked throughout the tutorial. If you plan to create a unique skin with a unique skeleton and use it's own unique animations, I recommend to use the same skeleton/Biped for the skin and the animations. Some advanced Bipeds from MUA and XML can be found here.

      For animations with additional bones, you have two choices: re-target it (mentioned), which may remove the animation from the extra bones, or use the original animation and use it only with a compatible skin (3DS Max 2010+ with FBX is recommended). For the latter, you can import the skin into 3DS Max, export it (skin must be rigged), import the animations onto the skin and export the animations as well (you can also export both, skin and animation at the same time to two separate files). The skin and animation will be compatible, but they won't be compatible with any other skins and animations. This means that you need a full set of animations for this skin/character. If it is an animal, you can make a special powerstyle for it, which has limited fightmoves and chains, so you don't have to make so many animations. To make a template for animations, import the skin, make it simple (a basic object/mesh + the complete skeleton) and add a Motion node. The Motion node must be a separate "lone" child of the root node. For better results, convert the exported IGB skin with actorConverter and import the FBX again, which should give you a perfect setup where you only may have to add the Motion node. BUT it's unknown what happens if the original root node isn't called 'Bip01' nor what happens if the location isn't at 0 0 41.82. It should be possible to define a custom size to allow a different location of the root node. But if you want to be on the safe side, fix the root node location in the template and rename it to Bip01 before exporting (not earlier as this will screw up animation import). Another thing to consider: If you use the standard Biped (bone names) and merge it with the extra bones (I won't cover how to do that here), you will have the advantage that original MUA animations work partly as well. With such a skeleton, you have to re-target animations again.

Summary

• The import process is different for each file format, and can be tedious for more unique formats.
• FBX (3DS Max 2010+) and BIP, PSK/PSA (3DX Max 5 or newer) are file formats that can be used in Alchemy compatible Max versions.
• Converting for other formats needs newer versions of 3DS Max and/or different programs (Noesis).
• The animation must be positioned and scaled correctly. The bone names must be correct, before importing the animation onto the Biped.
• A Motion node is recommended for all animations.
• Use Biped templates to load animations onto.

[ak2yny]

MARVEL  MODS  ANIMATION  TUTORIAL
SECTION 6: EXPORTING ANIMATIONS IN 3DS MAX

By UltraMegaMagnus, MrKablamm0fish, thetommyboy2002 and ak2yny
Logo by Outsider

Introduction

      This part is crucial to have working animations in MUA. You can continue with this as soon as you have a single working animation on a Raven Biped or on a skeleton exported and imported from a Raven Biped (template recommended).

      Required Tools:

   
• 3DS Max 2008-2012 32-bit (Download can't be provided here) or 3DS Max 5 (Information and download)
• Alchemy 5, if you use 3DS Max 2008-2012   Link   Original Release Post | Alchemy 2.5, if you use 3DS Max 5   Link

Verifying the Animation

https://www.youtube.com/v/PvFkGP4vDYo?start=170&end=181

      Verify that the animation itself is working correctly. Do this by selecting the animation and moving the slider all the way to the left and to the right. When you imported animations from a non-native file format, the animation (Motion) can be selected in the selection editor (press 'H'). With animations created or imported on a Biped, the animation is always selected/active.



      Verify that the animation is facing you in the "Right" viewport. If you use a Raven Biped template, or a ripped IGB file from nikita488, this should be the case. If it doesn't face you on the "Right" viewport, rotate the the root node until it does (ask for help if you encounter problems here).

      Verify that the feet touch the ground line, if the animation was obviously intended to have them touch it. If they don't, go to the first key frame (slider all the way to the left), select Bip01 and move it vertically (Z dimension) until the feet touch the ground. An animation might be broken, where at times the feet touch the ground line and at other times they don't and possibly even slide around, when the character clearly is meant to stand his ground. In such a case, it's necessary to anchor the feet. We won't cover that here, ask, if you have issues with that.

https://www.youtube.com/v/04-v-VAaZyw

      Ideally, each animation ends in the same pose as the first frame from the idle animation. It can still work well, even if this is not the case, but 'Bip01 Pelvis' must match in any case. If it doesn't, copy the position of 'Bip01 Pelvis' on the first frame of the idle animation to 'Bip01 Pelvis' on the last frame of the new animation. This gives a smooth transition.

https://www.youtube.com/v/lTD5MzEOaTA?start=15&end=65

      If the animation is intended to be looping, I recommend to copy the last frame to the first one (or vice-versa), just to be sure. Select the complete skeleton, turn on 'Auto Key', move to the last key frame, set a key if it doesn't have one and copy that frame to frame 0 (drag & drop while holding the left Shift key). You can do this simultaneously with the previous step. UltraMegaMagnus recommends this only if the loop transition isn't smooth in the game.

https://www.youtube.com/v/lTD5MzEOaTA?start=15&end=27

      We recommend to verify that the first key frame (0) and last one are defined (set), as it's usually the case. A key frame is defined, if it has any coloured bar on the timeline. To set a key, go to the first or last key frame and click on the key symbol . This is required, if the Motion node moves. This can be skipped if you already did this in a looping animation.



Exporting Animations in all 3DS Max versions

      The animation export only works if the skeleton is added to an object with the skin modifier. But to save space, you can delete everything, except the skeleton, root node, motion node (or animation) and a simple part of the object/mesh. Double check, if the animation still works. Then, select the root node.

https://www.youtube.com/v/F3kyWoNGHys?start=300&end=315

3DS Max 2008-2012: Alchemy 5	export dialogue	3DS Max 4-5: Alchemy 2.5 export dialogue

     Open the Alchemy dialogue and select following options:

   
• In the "Default Animation" section, select "Clamp", or "Loop" if it is a looping animation (eg. run, walk, power_1_loop) for "Animation Type" and make sure "Animation" is selected.*
• In the "Default Object Properties" and "Scene Parameters" sections, make sure everything is unchecked.
• In the "Export Settings" section, select "Save Full IGB" (or select Save "Main" and "Anims") and leave "Images" unselected.
• In the Alchemy 2.5 Exporter only:
  Spoiler

  With the selected root node, click "Create from selection" in the "Actor Editor" section. If you kept a skinned geometry, use it instead, then press "H" to select Bip01 and click on "Add selection". Optional, but recommended: Add the Motion node.

Export the IGB, giving a path and filename. I recommend to use the animation's name as a filename, for example "attack_light1.igb". Your animation is ready to be used or mixed, unless it uses Motion (moves around).  In this case, enable Motion with optimizations first, as described below.

     * If an animation's first and last frame are identical, you can try to select "Repeat" for "Animation Type", but there are issues sometimes with this option. "Bounce" means that the animation loops by playing backwards when the end is reached. Sometimes it's not obvious if an animation is looping or not. In this case check the original animation.
         
     **Alchemy 2.5 Exporter: For "Export Settings" you can try to use the options for XML 2 compatible skins (ie. deselect "Save Full IGB" and "Objects"). The animation file would be the file you named, therefore the file you usually delete for skins.

     **Alchemy 5 Exporter: In the "Miscellaneous" section, try selecting "Merge skins" (may make a difference when a skinned geometry is included in the export).



      The following are old ways to prepare and export animations and are just here for archive purpose and in to try in case the above doesn't work for some reason:

Spoiler

          Old/worse/alternative way in Max 4-5:

Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/v/txgZFBtDIzY?start=122&end=166

      The skin can be used to create the igActor, but the result may be worse. To do so, delete all skinned geometries, except one, and select the remaining object.

          Old/worse/alternative way in Max 2008-2012:

Spoiler

      If you used HKX or other incompatible formats, you can skip the following step. Go to the "Modify" tab (1). Skin should be selected. Navigate to the bones section where all biped bones appear (2). Click on "Add" (3) and select the root bone ("Unnamed bone"), Bip01 bone and our Motion node (4). Click "Select" (5).

      When you do this, you don't have to pay attention to what is selected in the export dialogue, except "Animation" and the animation type.

Enable Motion with Optimizations

      Alchemy 2.5 animations (3DS Max 4-5):

      Download nikita488's Raven Optimizer and extract all to the same folder as your exported igb. Run "runMotionOpt.bat". The definitive file to use will get an "_out" suffix.

      Alchemy 5 animations (3DS Max 2008-2012):

      Download the latest Optimizer/Finalizer plugin by nikita488 and install it into the Alchemy 5 folder. Alternatively, use the portable version of Alchemy 5. Also download the ExtractMotion.bat file and put it in the same folder as your exported igb. Run "ExtractMotion.bat". The animation file will be updated and can now be mixed.



Test the Animation

      To test if Motion works in the game, you need to have the selection ring (green player indicator) enabled. Download this file, if it's hidden in your game. When testing an animation that moves in directions (moving Motion), don't use a power that has a slide move, as this will cancel the Motion and instead do the slide.


Expert Tips

     Walk/run animations use Motion to move forward. Such a source animation should come with a forward movement that you can translate to the Motion node. It may, however, be an animation that runs in place and you have to create the Motion manually. If you add Motion to the skin modifier before export, the Motion node is exported and you can edit it in Finalizer. So, instead of modifying the movement in 3DS Max, you can change it in Finalizer: Find the animation, expand it in the tree view and scroll to the Motion track. Right-click on it and select 'Edit object fields'.



     Here, you can paste values from the following list, to make the animation move with a specific speed:

     Sprint

Code Select Expand

+0245.5810 +0000.0000 +0000.0000 +0999.0000

Code Select Expand

+0001.7778 -0000.2227 +0000.0000

     Doing it this way guarantees a speed that matches the default walk/run speeds. However, an animation may come with a motion/movement included, in which case you may want to stick to that and leave Motion alone after exporting. This guarantees a matching speed between the forward movement and animation. If the two don't match, change the animation speed in 3DS Max. Do this also, if the animation doesn't match the speed that you may enter in Finalizer. The Finalizer method requires trial and error.


Summary

   
• Verify the animation in 3DS Max. Especially, if the animation faces you in the "Right" viewport.
• Optional: Make the scene lighter by removing non-essential objects.
• Make sure the export settings are correct and export the animation to IGB.
• Optional: If the animation moves around (forward dash, etc.), optimize Motion of the IGB.
• Test the animation after exporting.

[ak2yny]

MARVEL  MODS  ANIMATION  TUTORIAL
SECTION 7: CREATING ANIMATIONS IN 3DS MAX

Logo by Outsider

Introduction

      Initially, I planned to write down the process of animating a skeleton in 3DS Max. But I never learned how to do it, I rather use different programs, save the animation as FBX and import the FBX.

      Required Tools:

   
• Any version of 3DS Max
• Optional: Your favourite animation program

Create animations in 3DS Max

      Open your rigged character in 3ds Max or at least the Biped from that rigged character. Animations for all characters in MUA can be made on a Biped template:

   
• Default Raven skeleton (end of post)
• Advanced Raven skeletons
• MUA1 Wolverine skeleton for 3ds Max 2012

      Alternatively, convert any animation or skin with IGBConverter and import the skeleton in a new 3ds Max scene. If the imported skeleton includes an animation, it can be used and modified, or removed.

      Instead of a tutorial for creating animations, here's a link with great animation tutorial videos in 3ds Max. They use Bipeds for the most part, but MUA's Bipeds (skeletons) are different, mostly because they don't have separate finger bones. Generally, you'd use the one finger bone it has as index finger, but you might want to use it as middle finger in some cases.

      Animations done on a rigged skin can be exported directly, but don't forget to add Motion to the skin modifier. If the animation was done on a bare biped/skeleton (without rigged skin), exporting to IGB usually doesn't work. First, create a simple shape, add the skin modifier and add the complete skeleton, including root and motion. Check section 5 for details. If you want to transfer the animation between 3ds Max versions, you can use BIP for forward compatibility (XAF works in a similar way, I believe) or FBX for general compatibility (works for other programs as well). To transfer from Max 2008+ back to Max 5, you have to use FBX and convert it to PSK/PSA.
     


Helpers (IK Chains / IK Solvers)

      Helpers are used in advanced animations. They make natural movement easier. Bipeds usually don't need helpers, they are set-up like this by default. I'm not entirely sure, but I believe that removing the helpers doesn't affect the finished animation, so exporting the animation with helpers should work correctly.
     


Motion Capture (Mocap)

      Personally, I recommend motion capture for animations, because they create far more natural animations with a lot less work. However, I absolutely don't recommend 3ds Max for that. If you're interested in motion capture, please search for a good program and compatible equipment. Keep in mind how the MUA skeleton is set-up. Even though it's possible to re-target an animation, it's better to use the correct skeleton from the start.

      A great tip for motion capture: Reduce the frames when done. This reduces skipping, which happens when frames don't move smoothly (by an even amount). Movement between each frame is then calculated evenly. Good motion capture programs do this automatically.



Summary

   
• Open a scene with a MUA skeleton or Biped (template).
• Animate the Biped or skeleton as seen in any 3ds Max animation tutorial.
• Be sure to use the skeleton that matches your character (MUA skeleton) and adjust animation accordingly (especially finger bones).

[ak2yny]

MARVEL  MODS  ANIMATION  TUTORIAL
SECTION 8: RETARGETING ANIMATIONS

By UltraMegaMagnus and ak2yny
Logo by Outsider

Introduction

      Since we can port skins over from other games, we also want to port the animations. Unfortunately, most animations work on a skeleton with a different bone structure, which makes the animations incompatible with MUA. This is where re-targeting comes in. It means that the animation gets a new target, the MUA skeleton (or any skeleton).

      Important: If you have a character with the same skeleton as the animation, you don't need to re-target it, just export it (don't forget to add Motion to the skin modifier). But be sure to also have a compatible animation for each common animation in such a case (block, jump, ground attack, etc.).

      Required Tools:

   
• Any version of 3DS Max - Max 2012 32-bit highly recommended (template only supports v 2012)
• Blender (tested with versions 3.5 and 3.62)
• Rokoko Blender plugin - download link - Note: Rokoko free account required
• Optional: Cats Blender plugin - download link

Prepare the Target Skeleton

      It's crucial that the target skeleton is set-up correctly. For convenience, please use the template. It's quite easy to create such a template with any MUA or XML IGB skeleton: Convert any skin or animation with IGBConverter.bat and import the FBX (or DAE) to Blender. Adjust the scale if necessary (preferably in the import dialogue). If the IGB was a custom exported skin, there may be a big bone after importing it into Blender. To fix that, the FBX has to be imported in 3ds Max 2010+ first, Bip01 added to every mesh with a skin modifier, exported to IGB (doing so creates the actor root), converted to FBX again and imported from this FBX into Blender. Obviously, this can be done on the original MAX file of the skin, if you have it.

      If you want to it manually, make sure that Bip01 is at coordinates X=0, Y=0, Z=41.82 (X and Y have some tolerance) and igActor (root node, which might be called differntly) at 0 in all dimensions (centre). Then, make sure the skeleton is in T-pose (if it's a Biped, turn on figure mode before posing). Alternatively, do the positioning in Blender, using the Cats plugin to define the T-pose as rest pose.

      A recommendation before you start: Don't use Unity animations (anims from Games that use the Unity engine, like VR games), as feet often arent anchored afterwards. It's probably possible to fix it. Unreal Engine games work very well on the other hand.



Prepare the Source Skeleton

      Animations can come in various formats, this tutorial doesn't cover how to import the animations or how to convert them. FBX and DAE are good formats. The Blender template should still be open from preparing. Once the animation is imported into the scene, move each skeleton/armature next to each other and adjust the rotation and scale of the source skeleton/armature (the one with the animation) if necessary. In case the animation was imported from a PSK/PSA format it's important that the amature is rotated first, then scaled. In some cases the source animation can come combined with other animations. If this is the case, select the correct animation in the Dope Sheet.

      You may or may not notice that the animation has a bone or dummy that moves outside of the character. This is so that an animation can go over something for example, or jump forward, etc. In many cases it's simply the root node in the centre of the skeleton/armature, so the armature actually moves forward. The MUA skeleton has such a root node, which is Bip01, but it has also an additional sibling node, called 'Motion'. Most to all source animations will have a single root node only, so this movement needs special attention. It can be done during re-targeting, but usually modifications are required in 3ds Max anyway, so we recommend to do it in 3ds Max.



Re-target Animations Using Blender and the Rokoko Plugin

https://www.youtube.com/v/6kj_ZX_lIL4?start=104

   
• If the plugin's installed and set-up, open it (press 'N' and select it) and pick the source and target armature/skeleton in the Retargeting section as shown in the video.
• Click 'Build Bone List' and check if the bones match correctly. The root bone that may move the armature around should always be paired with Bip01, whether it matches the Bip01 position or Motion.
• Check 'Auto Scale' and enable 'Rest' (rest position).
• The source armature is likely in an animation pose at this point. Go to its data properties tab and click on 'Rest Position'. This should now put the source armature in a similar T-pose as the target armature.
• If this is not the case (e.g. if the rest position is an A-pose) you will now have to adjust the pose of the target armature and set it as the rest pose (use Cats plugin).
• Move the source armature, so that it overlaps the target armature. I recommend to position both at the origin location (feet 0 0 0), as shown in the video.
• In the Rokoko plugin, click on the 'Retarget Animation' button.

https://www.youtube.com/v/HaGZf-mM5Mg?start=5&end=27
     
      Remove the source armature (original animation) and export the scene as DAE. FBX works as well, but DAE gives us the best result. Check 'All Keyed Curves' in the export dialogue (settings). Open the same FBX in 3ds Max, or if you used the template, open the same template for 3ds Max. Import the DAE in the same scene and choose the 'Update animation' option.

      The animation can now be exported. If the animation moves around, fix the Motion node first, as described below.




Optional: Fix Motion

https://www.youtube.com/v/2h3E7xyf16M?start=15&end=65

      Some animations move forward, like a dash or a dance or similar. To make this movement work, we need to fix Motion as previously mentioned. We can do it with Blender: Undo until you are back at before clicking on 'Retarget Animation'. Disable X and Y movement from the root bone (in the Action Editor). Retarget the animation again and export it as DEA. The new target version should no longer move, except in vertical direction (z).

https://www.youtube.com/v/2h3E7xyf16M?start=85&end=125

      In 3ds Max, select the Bip01 bone, go to 'Animation' > 'Save Animation...' and save it as XAF file. Import the second DEA file from Blender.

      Alternatively, we can do it all in 3ds Max, so you don't need to go back to Blender after the first DEA export: After exporting the XAF file, keep Bip01 selected and delete all X and Y movement (use the curve editor for example).

https://www.youtube.com/v/2h3E7xyf16M?start=135&end=185

      Now, select the Motion node, go to 'Animation' > 'Load Animation...' and select the previously saved XAF file. In the 'Map Animation' dialogue, select the Position X and Y options in both, incoming and current fields and add them to the middle 'mapped' field. Make sure that 'Replaced' is selected and click on 'Load Motion'.

      Important Note: The three dimensions are X, Y and Z where Z is usually the vertical movement. Sometimes the scene or animation is wrong (by my definition) and Y (rarely X) is the vertical movement. In such a case, transferring X and Y is wrong and it has too be the other, non-vertical dimensions (if Y is vertical it would b X and Z).



Summary

   
• Open the Blender template (target skeleton).
• Import the source skeleton with the animaton(s).
• Align both skeletons/armatures in rest position. Scale, move, rotate, if necessaray.
• Open the Rokoko plugin, build bone list and double-check bone pairing. Install the plugin, if necessaray.
• Retarget animations.
• Export to DEA.
• Open the Max template (target skeleton) and import this DEA with the update animation option.
• Optional: If Bip01 has any X and Y movement, transfer that movement to the Motion node.
• Continue to export the animation.