After you have created a template of the bone-naming conventions you use on your character models, you can apply that template to other models with the same naming to automatically map them out for MotionBuilder.
To apply a bone-naming template:
- Load a new character model whose skeleton uses the same bone-naming conventions as your template.
- Drag the .fbx file containing your naming template into the scene, and select FBX Merge > Options from the context menu.
- Click Merge in the Merge Options dialog box that appears to add the template to the scene.
By default, the naming template is listed in the Characters folder named for the character you used to create it. If you find it confusing to work with the template named after the character, rename it.
- Double-click the template in the Scene browser and view the Character Definition pane. The template names you created are listed in the Template Name column. Lock the Navigator window to keep the Character Settings open.
- In the Viewer window, switch to the Schematic view (Ctrl-W) and Ctrl-click to select all of the nodes that you want to automatically map. At a minimum, you must select the fifteen required nodes in the character’s skeleton.
- Alt-drag the selected nodes into the Mapping List of the Mapping List.
All of the slots are automatically filled based on the naming conventions in your naming template, and the character is ready to be characterized.