06.06 Mocap Retarget Animation Exercise Assignment

Assignment Deliverables

1. Rendered video of original 3D character retargeted to Motion Capture Animation with sound
   • Label file YYYY-MM-DD Lastname Firstname Motion Capture Animation (.mp4)

Assignment Overview

Use Blender to retarget motion capture from Motive onto a character auto rigged in t-pose with Mixamo. In this assignment, you will connect raw motion capture data and final 3D character animation.

Requirements

• Minimum 1 retargeted Mocap Animation onto an original humanoid character
• Minimum 1 light in the scene
• Minimum 2 additional 3D mesh objects in the scene (For example: a plane and a cube)
• Minimum 2 different camera angles
• Minimum 1 original sound effect created by you

Process

1. Prepare character for export from Blender.
   1. Create a duplicate Blender file and apply all modifiers.
   2. Join mesh objects into a single mesh.
   3. UV Unwrap and bake textures if needed.
2. Export an fbx version of your character from Blender. Open your Mixamo-rigged character in Blender and confirm that it is in a T-pose with its textures connected.
   • FBX Embed Textures Blender
3. Auto Rig character with Mixamo.
4. Download rigged T-pose of character from Mixamo.
   • How to Download T-Pose from Mixamo
5. Import the FBX motion-capture file exported from Motive. Confirm that the animation plays and that Blender’s frame rate matches the captured motion.
6. Install and enable the Rokoko plugin. Select the Motive armature as the source and the Mixamo character armature as the target.
   • Install Rokoko Plugin in Blender 5.0 / 5.1
7. Build and review the bone mapping, then retarget the motion onto the character.
   • Retarget Motion Capture Animation with Rokoko Plugin
8. Trim the timeline to the strongest section.
9. Add at least one light and two additional mesh objects to establish a simple environment.
10. Create at least two camera angles. Switch cameras with timeline markers or render separate shots and combine them during editing.
11. Render the finished animation as an MP4 with sound. Watch the exported file before submitting it to confirm that the animation, camera changes, lighting, and audio rendered correctly.
12. Add at least one original sound effect and synchronize it with the movement. Add in Blender prior to export or add in Adobe Premiere.

Assignment Resources

Character Modeling

• Blender to Mixamo Cylinder Character

Character Rigging

Combining Multiple Mocap Animations

• Combine and Blend Multiple Animations in Blender

Mocap Retargeting

Grading Rubric