Creating a bone-naming template

If you have your own bone-naming conventions that you use when creating character models, you can create a template of those naming conventions for MotionBuilder. This template lets you automatically map out other characters for MotionBuilder.

Naming templates are saved as .fbx files containing the naming conventions used on a skeleton.

To create a bone-naming template:

1. Load a character that uses your naming conventions, and manually map out its bones for MotionBuilder. See Manually mapping and characterizing a character.
2. In the Character Definition pane of the Character Settings, notice that the words <Not Set> display in the Template Name column.

   This indicates that there is no template of the naming conventions for the current character’s skeleton.

3. Click Extract Naming Template.
4. Click Ok in the dialog box that appears asking if you want to update the naming template using this model’s naming conventions.

   The names from the set of bones you Alt-dragged into the Mapping List when you manually characterized your character are automatically entered in the Template Name column.

5. Select the character in the Scene browser and select File > Save Selection from the menu bar to save this template.
6. In the Save File dialog box that appears, navigate to the directory of your choice, type a name for this .fbx file, and click Save.

   The Save Selection Options dialog box opens.

7. Disable the Take 001 check box and click Save.

   The template of the naming conventions on this character’s skeleton is now saved.