Autodesk AUTODESK MOTIONBUILDER 2011 User manual

Buy a license of Autodesk®MotionBuilder®
D character animation software today and
experience the freedom of real time.
Autodesk MotionBuilder is an ideal tool for
high-volume game animation pipelines,
director-driven virtual cinematography, and
real-time character simulations.
Locate a reseller near you at
www.autodesk.com/reseller.
Increased Productivity Through Real-Time Performance
Wherever characters need to be animated, Autodesk®
MotionBuilder®software can help you to increase your
productivity and achieve higher-quality results. In fact, many
facilities have achieved up to a 250 percent gain in animation
output per artist using MotionBuilder. Built on a real-time
D architecture, MotionBuilder provides a highly responsive,
interactive environment to create, edit, and play back complex
character animation.
 Motion Capture Editing and Data Cleanup
When the motion capture studio session stops, animators
know their job is just beginning. With MotionBuilder, you
can import or capture live files from any industry-standard
motion capture system and use the powerful cleanup, filtering,
blending, and editing features to manipulate and massage
dense data on the fly. Once the data is prepared, the Function
Curve layering system enables you to refine, edit, and iterate
your animations nondestructively, all in real time.
 Pre-Visualization
Planning upfront can save time, budget, and frustration later
in the production process. Using MotionBuilder to pre-visualize
their scenes, directors can experiment with camera angles
and framing, and visual eects supervisors can more eectively
plan visual eects and stunts, all within a high-quality display
that closely mimics the final output. Because everything is
in real time, shots can be changed and refined as quickly
as the new ideas flow.
 Virtual Cinematography
Blockbuster directors are setting a new trend for virtual
cinematography—a process that allows computer graphic
(CG)–generated characters driven by motion capture data
to be directed alongside live actors, while viewed in the
context of their final setting. MotionBuilder is ideally suited
to this task, with its real-time engine, elegant handling of
motion capture data, and high-quality interactive display.
 Real-Time Character Simulation
With Autodesk MotionBuilder software, you can perform real-
time rigid body dynamic simulations as part of, or alongside,
your character animation; simulations can be blended with
keyframed or motion captured data—or even guided from
pose to pose—to help more precisely direct and control the
final result. The MotionBuilder real-time dynamic toolset
features a Rag Doll solver for realistic character simulation
(for example, a character falling down stairs); the ability to
use joints to connect multiple objects together in order to
simulate secondary animation; and support for collisions.
Top Reasons to Buy Autodesk MotionBuilder
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves™. Image courtesy
of Naughty Dog, Inc.
©2009, The Beatles: Rock Band. Image courtesy
of Harmonix Music Systems, Inc.
WET™ © 2009 Artificial Mind and Movement
Inc. Image courtesy of Artificial Mind and
Movement Inc. All rights reserved.
2012. ©2009, Columbia TriStar Marketing
Group. Image courtesy of Uncharted Territory.

Autodesk, FBX, HumanIK, Maya, MotionBuilder, Mudbox, Open Reality, Softimage, and ds Max are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc.,
and/or its subsidiaries and/or aliates in the USA and/or other countries. Python is a registered trademark of Python Software Foundation. All other
brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product and services oerings,
and specifications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.
© 2010 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved. 727B1-000000-MZ04
6 N o n l i n e a r D Editorial
The MotionBuilder Story tool is a nonlinear environment that enables you to combine multiple
media types into a timeline editor. Use the Story tool for pre-visualization and layout, or for
cinematics; you can easily blend, edit, and sequence tracks composed of animations, cameras,
digital video, and audio. This toolset also enables you to make camera shot decisions that help
you to reorder and retime your shots on the fly, similar to traditional nonlinear video editing.
 D Application Interoperability
MotionBuilder natively supports the platform-independent Autodesk®FBX®D interchange
technology, allowing for the quick and easy exchange of D assets and animation data with
a wide variety of applications: Autodesk®Maya®, Autodesk®ds Max®, Autodesk®Softimage®,
and Autodesk®Mudbox™ software. MotionBuilder is also fully integrated with the Autodesk®
HumanIK®middleware solution.
Pipeline Integration and Customization
Support for the popular Python®scripting language allows facilities to more easily integrate
MotionBuilder into their production pipeline. Python enables you to automate repetitive
tasks and extend features by using the intelligent, fully integrated Python editor to develop,
test, and refine your scripts without leaving the MotionBuilder environment. Meanwhile,
the Open Reality®software development kit (SDK) can be used to create custom tools and
features that plug directly into MotionBuilder and extend its functionality. Support for the
Qt user interface (UI) elements within MotionBuilder enables developers to use an industry-
standard UI toolkit to help build Open Reality SDK plug-ins.
Autodesk Subscription with Gold Support
For an aordable annual fee that lets you plan your budget ahead, Autodesk®Subscription
with Gold Support for MotionBuilder entitles you to all new upgrade releases and Advantage
Packs oered during the subscription period, and provides access to knowledgeable support
experts via telephone or web. In addition, Subscription oers online tools to track and report
issues, manage licenses, and access to a technical knowledge base and learning resources.
Get MotionBuilder  as part of the Autodesk®Entertainment Creation Suites  and
save. The Suite includes Maya or ds Max along with MotionBuilder and Mudbox at a reduced
price*. Learn more at www.autodesk.com/entertainmentcreationsuites.
District 9. © 2009 TriStar Pictures, Inc. All rights
reserved. Image courtesy of Image Engine.
Assassin’s Creed II. Image courtesy of Ubisoft.
* Savings based on USD SRP. International pricing may vary.