When Your 3D Character Needs a Copy-Paste of Movements 🕺
3D Animation for Smart Lazy People: If you've already spent hours creating your character's first steps, why do it all over again? In 3ds Max, there are tricks for replicating animations without losing your dignity (or your patience).
The Art of Cloning Movements with Biped
For those using the Biped system, life is easier thanks to the Motion Mixer. This tool allows you to:
- Convert your first animated steps into a reusable clip
- Duplicate the sequence as many times as you need
- Adjust timings for smooth transitions
- Avoid the tedium of animating each step manually
"The Motion Mixer is like that friend who lets you copy their homework: it saves your life, but use your judgment so it doesn't look identical."
When the Keys Rebel
If Biped refuses to create keyframes, you're probably in the wrong mode. The solution is simple:
- Use Figure Mode to adjust the skeleton
- Switch to Motion Mode to animate
- Activate Auto Key or use Set Key manually
- Try Footstep Mode for automatic steps
For Those Who Prefer the Hard Way
If you work with custom bones, you can still copy animations by:
- Manually selecting keyframes on the Timeline
- Using the Track View or Dope Sheet to copy/paste
- Fine-tuning the interpolation curves
- A lot of patience and coffee ☕
Remember that in 3D animation, as in cooking, sometimes it's better to reuse than to start from scratch. Although if your character ends up walking like they spent the night at a disco, maybe the problem isn't the tool, but the chef. 🍳
And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to try to get this humanoid to stop moving like a drunk penguin. Mental note: maybe I should have given it fewer copied steps and more originality. 🤦