Animation Import

Import animation onto a character

Below are the initial steps to setting up a character with Procedural Anatomy

1. Anatomy Anim Import (Input Mode)

Creating an animation setup with input mode.

This mode is used to set up a single character and animation data.

Setup Steps:

As with the example above, create the node setup by selecting Procedural Anatomy / Anatomy Create Animation.

1. Character File: Select the file node character_file and navigate to the bgeo file that you created in the muscle setup stage.

   • Press Reload Character if characters animation skeleton does not appear.

2. Character Name: If your characters name does not automatically load or you want to change it:

   • Toggle on Character Name Override

   • Set the name of the character that will be used to save the animation file.

3. T-Pose File: Select the FBX Animation Import node named t-pose, navigate to, then load the T-pose reference file.

4. Animation File: Select the FBX Animation Import node named animation, navigate to, then load the animation file you would like to apply to the character.

   • Use Reload Animation if the input animation skeleton does not appear.

5. Animation Name: If your animation name does not automatically load or you want to change it:

   • Toggle on Character Name Override

   • Set the name of the animation that will be used to save the animation file.

6. Mapping Attributes: Select the appropriate mapping based on your character's rig structure and the animation skeleton names.

   • If you do not know which one to use, set the display flag to anatomy_anim_match_pose and view the results. The characters pose will shift to match the t-pose.

7. Naming Overrides: Utilize the Character Name Override or Animation Name Override parameters if you need to adjust how the asset names are processed or displayed.

8. Frame Range: Define the T-pose start and end frames (or use Set Frame Range) to control the simulation boundaries.

To set the animation start frame

• Navigate to the timing tab of the FBX Animation Import node named animation and set the desired animation playback start frame (default is often 1000).

2. Anatomy Anim Import (List Mode)

Creating an animation setup with list mode.

This mode manages multiple characters and animations within a single setup, allowing for batch processing. Create the node setup by selecting: Procedural Anatomy / Anatomy Create Animation (list).

Setup Steps:

1. Character Setup: Load character assets into the list structure. This works the same as setting the character based on input, however you must

   • Provide the character file to the parameter in the character list

   • Provide the character name to its parameter

   • Use Reload Geometry if necessary.

2. Animation Setup: For each animation instance in the list:

   • Load the file or set the frame for the T-pose and frame range parameters, similar to Input Mode.

3. List Control: Use the toggle switches to enable or disable specific character/animation caches for testing or selective processing. Buttons are available to

   • Enable / Disable All, or Toggle Caching status.

   • Collapse all list entries. This is meant for scrolling through larger lists and keeping a clean UI.

Data Management (Import / Export) This section handles saving and loading configurations for batch use. This will export the data set you've created in the UI to a file and enable you to load or modify paths as a CSV file in an external editor.

The import/export parameters.

• Exporting Settings: Templates are available for both characters and animations. You can export the current UI configuration as a CSV file or directly to a spreadsheet format.

  This allows you to modify character lists, animation names, and settings externally.

• Importing Settings: Use the imported CSV/spreadsheet data to re-populate and update the toolset's parameters in the user interface.

3. Pose Verification and Refinement

These nodes ensure that the source pose matches the target rig requirements before simulation.

• Match Pose / FBIK: These nodes operate by connecting with other Houdini nodes; they do not contain internal settings but facilitate data flow between systems.

• Pose Matching: Use the Anim Match Pose node to verify if the source and target poses are congruent based on bone angles. If a mismatch occurs, manual adjustments may be required.

• Point Mapping: The Map Points node helps visualize connections and identify discrepancies between different nodes based on shared naming conventions.

• Pose Refinement (Rig Match Pose): To make necessary pose changes:

  1. Place the Rig Match Pose node after the Anatomy and Match Pose nodes.

  2. Disable "Enable Match Bound."

  3. Set a rest frame that aligns with the desired output.

  4. To apply changes, disable the source data flow and enable the target data flow within the node settings.

4. Skel Solve

This node accepts the

• Character skeleton as input 1

• The animation applied to the skeleton as input 2.