Import and export pose interpolators

You can import and export blend pose interpolator nodes in *.pose files using the Pose Editor. This makes it easy to transfer the whole system of pose interpolator nodes with their poses and corresponding pose shapes between characters, such as the same character that is used in several different scene files across a pipeline.

The .pose file contains the pose interpolator nodes and their poses. The directory structure in the Pose Editor (such as groups and their names) is also retained in the .pose file.

Any pose shapes associated to the pose interpolator's poses are saved in shape (*.shp) files (see Import and export blend shapes) in the same directory as the .pose file with a matching prefix. For example, if the .pose file is named armpit_fix.pose, the associated .shp file will be named armpit_fix.blendShapename.shp.

Exporting pose interpolators

You can choose to export all pose interpolators for an object at once, or export only selected pose interpolators.

To export all pose interpolator nodes

1. In the Pose Editor, choose File > Export All.
2. In the browser that opens, go to a folder and enter a file name to save the .pose file.

To export selected pose interpolator nodes

1. In the Pose Editor, select one or more pose interpolators, or one or more poses from the same pose interpolator.

   If you select poses, only they and their associated pose interpolators are exported.

2. Choose File > Export Selection, or right-click a selected pose interpolator or pose shape and choose Export.
3. In the browser that opens, go to a folder and enter a file name to save the .pose file.

Importing pose interpolators

When you import a .pose file, the current scene needs to contain at least one base object whose name and number of vertices (topology) match the base object from which the .pose file was created.

To import a shape file

1. In the Pose Editor, choose File > Import.
2. In the browser that opens, go to the folder where the *.pose files are and select one.

   The pose interpolator node and its poses are created if they don't already exist on that object. If they do exist, they are replaced with the imported ones

   If the .shp file for associated blend shapes is in the same directory as the .pose file, the shapes are also imported. The blend shape deformer and its target shapes are created if they don't already exist on that object. If the blend shape deformer does exist, its target shapes are replaced with the imported ones based on their names.