Aniblocks are strange beasts
rsharp_3144816
Posts: 99
After days of testing, I've found that it's not possible to export an animation from DAZ (using FBX) and importing into an application such as Cinema4D. That is, if the animation was first created with an aniblock.
The outcome was always the same no matter if the animation was baked, converted to a key-frame animation, etc. In my tests I was using the walk-in-place aniblock for Genesis 8 figures. The result in Cinema4D was very strange; arms never moved, legs kinda moved. Looked nothing like a walk though. Same problem if just exporting a few frames, or the full 38-frame animation.
I also tried saving off a pose-preset at every frame for the first six frames. Created a brand new DAZ project, then a simple 6-frame animation with key frames after applying the pose presents. Same strange outcome in Cinema4D.
What does work though is a manually-created keyframe animation. I was able to use some of the default pose presents as well as using the pose tool to move the character into different positions. The resultant animation in Cinema4D matches exactly what is in DAZ.
At this point, giving up for now. When I have way more free time (if ever), I may attempt to re-create a walk animation by hand and thus avoid the aniblock like the plague. In theory this should work since manually-created animations are working. But wow, the work involved; probably not worth it.
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Comments
That's odd fore sure! Can't help, as I don't have C4D, just thinking the aniblock has to contain some data that gets transferred to the keyframed animation and C4D can't handle it?
Personally I don't use aniblocks very often, maybe for some background action. They rarely match the action I have in mind.
I cannot rule out for sure that this isn't a C4D bug, but it smells like bad data on DAZ's end of things.
Another approach is to do a classic divide-and-conquer. I just realized that along with the poses, the aniblock also applied morphs. But that in and of itself does work in C4D (e.g. I was able to export a posed still of The Girl 8; came in correctly with pose and morphs applied). Back to the morphs in the aniblock though... I think the walk in place offers an option to not apply any morphs (e.g. glutes deformation during the walk). So will be interesting to see if only applying poses, things get better.
I just looked at manually doing the poses and it is indeed lots of work. Almost every joint (including all the fingers!) are posed for each frame. But, I do plan to try two frames worth. If that works, then by proof of induction, all frames should work. i.e. prove N and N+1 and thus all N.
Aniblocks exported as mdd worked for me perfectly in the marvelous designer, so that may be another way to go if you can import mdd format to your application of choice.
Thanks, but Cinema4D doesn't support MDD.
Ahh... but something very interesting happened. After I returned to DAZ Studio after this failed test in C4D, I happend to play the animation. And it was in the same crazy state as previous FBX animations in C4D! i.e. the legs move a bit and arms don't. Thus I'm now convinced this is a bug in DAZ regarding at least aniblock animations. It renders the resultant data in a bad state.
So while MDD ultimately didn't work for me, it did at least point to where the problem is! Thanks!
It does if you buy the Riptide pro plugin by keith young.
(assuming you have not "updated " to C4D R20)
I have a 67 minute feature length animated film nearing completion.
I used Iclone pro for the character motion creation and retarget to
Daz genesis 1,2,3 in Daz studio for lipsynch and final costuming.
Exported as /obj /MDD to Maxon Cinema4D Studio.
(Sample clip)
There are Many ways to light Europe.
I'm sure this will get removed because anything that's even moderarely blunt in it's critique is, but aniblocks are junk unless you want to use pre-existing aniblocks in DS. Otherwise you're kind of SOL.
Using aniblocks was merely just for a quick test. I liked the walk-in-place animation and was hoping to at least export that. Long-term, I would not use aniblocks though. I ultimately want to migrate completely to Cinema4D for all my 3D work.
Regarding the plugin mentioned above, I'm already on R20. I assume by the comments that the plugin in question is one that may need updating. Ultimately I'll pass on plugins though for now; I want to just rely upon the base application features.
I don't know much about C4D. So I'm just guessing here . But if your Importing your animation through FXB for your motions files using aniblocks, which were really designed for the animate 2 plugin timeline. So would it not be better to FXB your animation with BVH files instead. Bake your aniblock to the timeline and export them as BVH. & if you need some skeletons BVH which you can customize to work with any character. There is a whole bunch of freebies on Turbo squid ( https://www.turbosquid.com/Search/Motion-Capture/free/fbx ) you might see if BVH files might be a better options for importing FXB . I use them all the time in daz studio by FXB importing them into the timeline , Then I tweak them and re-save the motion as aniblocks for later use in daz studio. .. So my question would be is, would that not work in C4D as well? Like i said I'm just guess I know nothing about c4d. But do know that Aniblocks were originally designed as motion files for the Animate plugin to create animation with Daz Studio, so any other use intended for aniblocks other than using them in Animate2 plugin is properly going to require a major work around for them to work in other software.
Aniblocks are the same as the motion clips we have in $$Iclone$$ Pro pipeline.
A convenient way to stored motion Data to be mixed/reordered in a nonlinear fashion.
If you have no actual skills with editing& refining animations with a
graph editor such as the optional graphmate plugin from Daz ,
then indeed you will run into limtations imposed by whatever
canned anibocks you are using.
Sadly Dear Ivy, Maxon Cinema4D, at around $3400 USD (for the full studio version),
has no native abilty to retarget BVH motion Data or even generate lipsinc from audio
or solve dynamic cloth on a moving figure
as we can in Poser,Daz studio,Iclone.
Thus any BVH or other external motion based pipeline will not be useful for C4D
unless you are creating your animation somewhere else and importing the pre-animated figures into C4D for rendering
as I am doing ,or manually hand keyframing everything in C4D.
I wasn't sure i don't know much about c4d other than some of you use it. I only know how to use daz and poser with the animae2 , keymate and graphmate timelines.
Are you referring to a specific 38 frame aniblock ? Maybe there are problems with it?
Any FBX export, bone based, and morph based should work ok in C4D . You should only expect the "normal" FBX problems (such as base mesh resolution, subd geometry issues, lack of JCM's)
You need to either edit your morph export rules, or some of the the pose morph tag entries in C4D
It's usually better to edit the morph export rules, because then the FBX will be more compatible in all programs
What DS does is it duplicates some of the twist bones as morphs, but you already have bone based rotations in the skeleton. So you get a doubling or tripling effect. Some other types of morphs can be affected as well
Set rules to specify twist bone entries to "ignore" in the FBX export rules . You can use wildcards, but it's case sensitive ; so double check the list to see that the animated twist parametrs are set to "ignore"
lThigh
rThigh
lShldr
rShldr
lForearm
rForearm
How did you get all your icons to be orange like that? That looks great
Sweet! This fixes the issue. And, yes I was using the 38 'spot walk' Aniblock for Genesis 8 figures. I added rules for the above elements (with those exact names you listed) and set to Ignore. Came into C4D a-ok now and Aiko 8 is walking a-ok there. Thanks!