T0699 - Digital Tutors-Intro to MotionBuilder 2009

n this course we will learn how to use the user interface of MotionBuilder and how to quickly bring in external files. We’ll move on the moving objects around in 3d space and playing back animation. Then we’ll the get into the guts of MotionBuilder and learn how to create, edit and render an animation. We will learn some of the time-saving animation tools such as Poses and Trajectories.

In this series of lessons we will learn the basics of working inside MotionBuilder starting from a blank slate. We’ll begin this project by getting acquainted with the user interface of MotionBuilder and how to quickly bring in external files. We’ll move on the moving objects around in 3d space and playing back animation. Then we’ll the get into the guts of MotionBuilder and learn how to create, edit, and render an animation. We will learn some of the time-saving animation tools such as poses and trajectories. This series of lessons are a great catapult to using MotionBuilder inside your animation pipeline. With a fuller understanding of MotionBuilder and its capabilities, we can create animations quicker and easier.

Lesson Outline

Introduction and Project Overview
In this lesson we will go over the course objectives and highlight the tools and techniques we will be learning throughout this training

Opening Files and using Asset Browser Favorite Paths
In this lesson we will learn how to open external files quickly in the Asset Browser using Favorite Paths

Working with navigation in the Viewer
In this lesson we will learn the basics of camera movement inside the viewer

Translating, Rotating, and Scaling objects in 3D space
In this lesson we will learn how to move, rotate, and scale objects in MotionBuilder

Playing Animation using the Transport Controls
In this lesson we will learn the various methods to playback animation and modify the playback speed and settings

Getting Started with Animation by setting keyframes
In this lesson we will learn how to set keyframes on objects to create an animation

Using the Property Window to key individual properties
In this lesson we will learn how to key just specific properties in the Property Window

Modifying Keyframes using the Transport Controls
In this lesson we will learn how to edit our animation in the Transport Controls

Controlling Playback with the Zoom bar
In this lesson we will learn how to reduce our playback size using the Zoom bar

Using the Fcurve Panel to edit a key's timing and value
In this lesson we will learn how to use the F-Curve panel to see and tweak our animation

Creating Repeating animation using Extrapolation
In this lesson we will learn how to save time by using extrapolation instead of repetative keyframes

Using Auto Key to animate quicker and issues with Auto Key
In this lesson we will learn how to animate using Autokey and issues we need to keep in mind when Autokey is on

Rendering a Movie file out of MotionBuilder for previews
In this lesson we will learn how to render a video file out of MotionBuilder so we can view our animation in realtime

Using Parenting to connect two objects together
In this lesson we will learn how to use Parenting to attach one object to another

Using Trajectories to preview an animation's movement
In this lesson we will learn how to turn on trajectories and how to turn on trajectories on specific objects

Working with Perspective and Orthographic cameras
In this lesson we will learn how to switch between the Perspective and Orthographic cameras and how to incorporate them into our workflow

Using Camera Zoom and Roll and Resetting Cameras
In this lesson we will learn how to use the last two camera movement features and how to reset our camera if we change it too much

Working with Custom Cameras
In this lesson we will learn how to create our own camera and keep it watching our character

Modifying Autosave and Undo in the preferences
In this lesson we will learn how to use and tweak the Autosave and Undo features

Quickly finding objects in the Navigator
In this lesson we will learn how to use Right-Click to quickly find objects in the navigator

Using Poses to quickly animate characters
In this lesson we will learn the basics of using the Pose system to animate quicker

Using the Steering Wheel to move around 3D space
In this lesson we will learn how to use the Steering Wheel to move around our Viewer