You must create a Custom rig mapping for your character to source animation streaming from MotionBuilder or from a local HumanIK character within Maya.
To create a new Custom rig mapping
- In Maya, load or create a character with a Custom rig.
- Define your skeleton in the
Definition tab. (See
Define an existing skeleton.)
Note: A valid skeleton definition is required to create a Custom rig mapping. If you attempt to map a Custom rig without a valid skeleton definition, a warning message appears.
- Do one of the following to create a new Custom rig mapping:
- Go from your Custom rig to the
Custom Rig tab to map the structure of your rig: select one of your Custom rig controllers and right-click the corresponding cell in the
Custom Rig tab and select
Assign Selected Effector from the menu that appears. Once you have defined a cell, it becomes green to indicate it has been mapped.
By default, IK effectors map translations and rotations and FK effectors only map rotations.
- To map the up vector effectors (translation only) for knees and elbows, select the corresponding cell in the
Character representation and complete the following steps:
- Select
Map Translations in the
Mapping Controls.
- Deselect
Map Rotations in the
Mapping Controls.
- Set the
Translation X,
Translation Y, and
Translation Z offsets to zero.
- Use the
Mapping Controls to adjust the offsets between the Custom rig effectors and the skeleton joints.
- After you have created a Custom rig mapping, you can save it by
clicking the Save Custom Rig Mapping icon
.
Your Custom rig mapping is stored in an XML file that can be loaded, using
the Load Custom Rig Mapping icon
, and re-used at a later date. Saving your Custom rig mapping lets you create templates for your Custom rigs.
To save a Custom rig mapping with a scene
- Save your scene.
- Restart Maya, or select
File > New.
- Select
File > Open and navigate to your saved scene.
Your character loads with its custom rig mapping still properly applied.