Load Multiple Bips

By Guthfried · 2014-07-10

Version: 1.0
Version requirement: 3ds Max 2012 +
Date updated: 2014-07-10

Description

I created this script to speed up my daily work with crowd animation. If you have a lot of character studios rigged bipeds and need to load the same animation (walk loops, conversation...) on all of then, so this script might help you.

It's a .mzp file that you can just drag and drop into 3ds Max or run through the MAXscript menu. After that you will find the script at: Customize > Customize User Interface > Toolbars tab > Category: MMScripts > Load Multiples Bips".

To use the script you just need to:

1. Select any part of your bipeds bone structure(no problem if you select more than one of the same structure) and click on "Use Selected". Or click select by name to see a list of all bip objects in the scene (it only displays the root Bip object). Using the list box you can add more or remove bips you don't want to use.

2. Browse the animation file (.bip, .bvh, .csm, .stp).

3. Load the file. There are two load buttons: the first one will load the file using the default load command of Character Studio; the second one will load as a Motion Capture file(for things like enabling footsteps).

Additional Info

I usually bake the animation using the Point Cache modifier. So I'm planning to include a Auto Point Cache afterwards. I've already made the code, just waiting for a spare time to give it an UI. Although there are load options for others file formats supported by Character Studio, I only had the chance to test the script using .bip files. Tested on 3ds Max 2012 and 2014 (Sorry for skipping 2013, I didn't have the opportunity to use this version yet. Any feedback is appreciated).

Attachments

loadmultiplesbips_1.0.mzp — loadmultiplesbips_1.0.mzp5.5 KB

Comments (3)

jgk1981 · 2014-07-14

for the second suggestion i mean on a different biped, but the other suggestions you said about it sounds very good and very promising in order to avoid time consuming when you wanna load one by one all the animation you can have in one folder. I mean to have the option to load all animations in one biped or all animation on different bipeds.

jgk1981 · 2014-07-13

Very nice tool!
Can you add these features too in the future if possible?
1.able to restructure biped on loading the motion file
2.able to load different animations on all the bipeds with one click(for example 4 bipeds and 4 different motions on them. the arrange can be by the name of each biped and the motions alphabetical on each one)and as sub feature can load the motions on completely new bipeds as list? without the need of create manually the biped.
Once again great tool and helpful. Keep up the good work.

Thanks!

Guthfried · 2014-07-14

I already had some new features in mind for future updates. As you said, I'm planning to put a dialog with the same options you see using 3ds max default load button. For mocap files is easier, you just have to tell max to prompt you, it will show the same default window for mocaps and apply to all others bipeds. But the motion file, I have so reproduce the dialog (for what I read in the maxscript reference). So it would take more time. But I plan to add this next update.

For your second suggestion, I think I did't get this, sorry. Do you mean all animation in the same biped (walk, idle, run on the same timeline alphabetically arranged) or one animation for each biped? Or duplicate the bipeds where each copy would have a different animation? Sorry for that.

But I liked the part about load on completely new bipeds, it never crossed my mind. I'll try this one. This is my first public script so again thanks for your opinion 😆