Import animation into DAZ from 3dsMax vs iClone or other methods.

ernestdc4137220

Hi.

I'm looking for a way to create complex custom for my DAZ characters. Since its hard to do it in DAZ natively, I think the way is to create or fine tune animations outside of DAZ, in this case I use 3dsMax (as it is what I have and I am most familiar with), and bring it back to DAZ for rendering.

So using DAZ to 3DS Max Bridge, I send the character to 3ds Max, animate the CAT rig, then find a way to send the animation back to DAZ. This is where I am stuck. How to import the animation to DAZ.

The only way I've seen work is to use Mixamo FBX and import those to DAZ and save it as an animation preset to use on other characters. But I want to be able to edit them for custom animations.

Deepmotion, which uses video tracking to create motion data also seems to also be able to create BVH that can be imported to DAZ. But I still need to be able to edit the BVH.

So these are the methods that I think might work. But I'm not sure, so if anyone has more info about this, I would greatly appreciate it.

Method 1.1  DAZ->3dsMAx->MotionBuilder->(BVH)->DAZ

Send the character from DAZ to 3dsMax using bridge. Then send it to MotionBuilder. I don't have or know motion builder. Does it need a biped rig or can it work with the CAT rig that DAZ Bridge creates.

It seems the way is to export the motion to BVH which DAZ can import. 3ds max can import BHV on bipeds (not CAT rigs? I'm not sure) but to export/save  the animation to BVH I need to send it to MotionBuilder, which I do not have.  If I get (and learn) motionbuilder, will I then be able to send animation back into DAZ?

Or

Method 1.2   DAZ->3dsMAx

Or do I just stick to 3dsMax once the character is there and animate with CAT and render from 3DsMax. This has the disadvantage of having to retexture and re light everything. But if it's the only way, it's the only way.

Method 2: DAZ-> Iclone  -> BVH->DAZ

I don't have Iclone either but I was looking at the 3DXchange pipeline and it seems like a pretty nifty way to make complex animations and send it back to DAZ. It seems the method is also to send the iclone animation as BVH which will be exported back to DAZ. Maybe this is a less expensive version than MotionBuilder?

Method 3: DAZ->Blender->DAZ

Ok I just remembered I saw some plugin that can export an animation done in Blender for use back in DAZ. Should I learn Blender instead?

Are there other methods? Should I go for Iclone (If i can't afford motionbuilder). Or should I just learn Blender. Any pros/cons? Ease of use?

Thanks!

WendyLuvsCatz

I only have iClone 6 pipeline but 7 users report the same issue of foot sliding on BVH imports using Genesis 3 & 8, earlier figures are OK, the same issue arises with conversions within DAZ too, it's the twist bones.

I get foot sliding on nearly all BVH imports whether from Mixamo, Unreal Engine or Blender, my only exception being Carrara exported BVH but that is limited to what I can initially do in Carrara so irrelevant.

I don't have MAX or Motionbuilder but have heard the latter works well saving an animated pose from an FBX export, too far beyond my price range to confirm this.

AFAIK the PAs selling DAZ mocap animations use Motionbuilder.

ernestdc4137220

Thanks for the tip.

I saw that the workaround for the problems with imports with G8 and G3 is to import BVH or FBX from mixamo into G1 then saving the preset for use for the G8 and G3. So maybe this also solves the foot sliding? But foot sliding aside, would you say that the iClone pipleine is a viable workflow for creating complex animations for use within DAZ? You're right about MotionBuilder being really expensive. every now and then I come back to it to see if it's worth that much for my needs. Most of the time the answer is no :D

 

WendyLuvsCatz said:

I only have iClone 6 pipeline but 7 users report the same issue of foot sliding on BVH imports using Genesis 3 & 8, earlier figures are OK, the same issue arises with conversions within DAZ too, it's the twist bones.

I get foot sliding on nearly all BVH imports whether from Mixamo, Unreal Engine or Blender, my only exception being Carrara exported BVH but that is limited to what I can initially do in Carrara so irrelevant.

I don't have MAX or Motionbuilder but have heard the latter works well saving an animated pose from an FBX export, too far beyond my price range to confirm this.

AFAIK the PAs selling DAZ mocap animations use Motionbuilder.

WendyLuvsCatz

the G1 to G3 doesn't really fix the footsliding though moving the root bone to 0,0,0 with the joint editor and baking bone rotations helps a bit

and no iClone as I said has the same footsliding issue on DAZ imports as everything else, but it's not iClone, it's DAZ

it works fine on earlier figures, DAZ needs to update their BVH importer for Genesis 3 & 8, that is where the problem lies.

Motionbuilder they use FBX for importing motions into DAZ which from other softwares imports into DAZ as a mangled mess,
I don't have any answers, only the advice that you are no better off using iClone than Blender or Unreal etc for your BVHs, same issues save your money