For this project, I incorporated motion capture animations sourced from Rokoko’s free mocap library. I downloaded several idle animations to use for the side characters to add variety and life to the scene.
To apply the mocap data to my character, I used Maya’s HumanIK (HIK) system for retargeting. The process involved mapping the mocap animation skeleton to my custom rig, which allowed the animation to transfer directly onto my model. After the initial retargeting, the character’s movements worked well—there were no major issues like unnatural joint bending or mesh deformation, which showed that my rig was solid and compatible with mocap data.
Despite this, the mocap animations weren’t perfect out of the box. Some poses and movements looked a bit awkward or didn’t match the style I needed. To address this, I created animation layers in Maya, which allowed me to make non-destructive adjustments. On these layers, I refined the character’s posture and smoothed out problematic movements, ensuring the animation felt more natural and cohesive with the overall scene.
After completing the adjustments, I baked the animation data onto my character’s skeleton to finalize the motion. Then, I exported the animations as Alembic files, which preserve the animation and mesh data efficiently for use in other software or pipelines.
Finally, I sent the Alembic files to Aayushi so she could integrate the animated characters into the environment and continue with scene assembly. This workflow not only helped me gain experience retargeting mocap to a custom rig but also improved my skills in cleaning up mocap animations to suit specific project needs.