Keeping CAT Characters Centered for Video Games in 3ds Max
Does your CAT character in 3ds Max decide to go on an excursion across the scene when you export it to Unity? 🏕️ Don't worry, this classic problem has a solution. The key is understanding that game engines want animations without world displacement, and CAT sometimes has its own traveling ideas. Let's tame that rig. 🎮
The Secret: the Immobile CATParent Platform
The most important element (and the one almost everyone moves by mistake):
- It must always be at (0,0,0)
- Frozen without prior transformations
- Act as a universal fixed point
Think of it as the anchor that prevents your character from wandering aimlessly through the 3D world. ⚓
Correct Animation vs Problematic Animation
Don't do this: - Move the CATParent to displace the character - Use Freeze Transform (breaks the CAT hierarchy) - Leave animations in world space
Do this: 1. Animate only with internal bones (pelvis, legs, etc.) 2. Use CATMotion Layers for walks instead 3. Verify that no keyframe affects the global position
In the world of video games, a moving CATParent is like an irresponsible father: it lets its child bones wander around uncontrolled.
If You've Already Messed Up... Express Solution
For existing animations that deviate:
- Create a new Absolute Layer in CAT 2. Adjust to compensate for the displacement 3. Export only the animation (without root transformation)
Or use the CATMotion Layer to re-center the animation without redoing all the work. Your character will return to the origin as if nothing had happened... and your programmer will stop looking at you with a face of hatred. 😅
Export to Game Engines: The Moment of Truth
Configure your FBX for:
- Export only bone animation - Include CATRig but not root transformation - Verify that "Bake Animation" is activated
This way your character will move as it should: through code in the engine, not by "fake" animation. And when it finally works, celebrate as if you had won an award... because in game development, these small victories are worth gold. 🏆
Technical Bonus: If after all this your character keeps escaping, you can always say it's a "teleportation feature". Creativity to the power! ✨