Autodesk® MotionBuilder™ software is the foremost 3D character animation productivity suite for game, film, broadcast, and multimedia production. This award-winning software combines a unique real-time architecture, animation layering, and Story Timeline non-linear editing environment with an intuitive workflow and tools that streamline the character animation pipeline. With a strong focus on workflow efficiency, Autodesk MotionBuilder enables traditional animators and technical directors alike to take on the most demanding, high-volume animation projects. The software, available for Windows® and Macintosh® operating systems, natively supports the platform-independent Autodesk® FBX® 3D authoring and interchange format that allows Autodesk MotionBuilder to integrate with any application in a production pipeline that supports FBX.
Feature Highlights
Real-Time Animation Tools
Using tools designed to maximize speed and efficiency, you’ll get instant playback of character performances, alleviating the need to preview or render your work. The real-time capabilities of Autodesk MotionBuilder make it the character animation software of choice, whether for an individual artist or as the animation backbone of a large production pipeline.
Revolutionary HumanIK Character Technology
With its powerful, full body FK/IK manipulation rig, Autodesk MotionBuilder provides unsurpassed automated character setup. Quickly create powerful manipulation rigs, independent of your character's size or proportions, and customize the look and feel with ease, without the need for scripting or constraint setups. You can also repurpose animation data from one character to another with real-time motion retargeting.
Unified Nonlinear Editing Environment
The Story Timeline is the only non-linear environment to combine multiple content types into a streamlined editor—built from the ground up on Autodesk MotionBuilder real-time architecture.
Use the Story Timeline for pre-visualization and layout; easily blend, edit, and sequence tracks composed of animations, cameras, digital video, and audio. The Story Timeline also offers the ability to make camera shot decisions, allowing you to re-order and re-time your shots on the fly, similar to traditional non-linear video editing.
FBX
Autodesk MotionBuilder natively supports the platform-independent FBX high-end 3D authoring and interchange format. It lets you acquire and exchange 3D assets and media from a wide variety of sources quickly and easily. FBX is widely supported by the industry's leading software and hardware manufacturers.
User Interface and Tools
Autodesk MotionBuilder gives users the flexibility to customize the software’s interface with a layout manager, keyboard shortcut selector, and many in-context menus and options to streamline the animation process.
Advanced Productivity Tools
Autodesk MotionBuilder offers powerful time saving productivity tools such as Save/Load Character Animation functionality, file-batching tools, and support for multiple animation takes. These built-in features increase the overall efficiency of your character animation pipeline by freeing your artists from having to do time consuming, repetitive tasks.
SDK and Python Scripting Support
Automate repetitive, time-consuming tasks and extend features without leaving the Autodesk MotionBuilder environment. The Open Reality® SDK can be used to create custom tools and features that plug directly into Autodesk MotionBuilder and extend its functionality. In-house developers can create project-specific functionality, which accommodates specific workflows and requirements, including custom file types. Support for the popular, easy-to-use Python scripting language allows production facilities to better integrate Autodesk MotionBuilder into their production pipeline.
Integration and Asset Management
Autodesk MotionBuilder supports NXN AlienBrain® and Microsoft® Visual SourceSafe® software applications as well as multiple data file types. MotionBuilder’s integration with these asset management systems, as well as custom systems, adds to the streamlined efficiency built into Autodesk MotionBuilder.
Live Device Support
Stream in live device-captured data—applied to a full-resolution character—in real time. Live Device Support enables an unlimited number of built-in or third party devices to be online and live simultaneously in the scene. You can also write your own custom device drivers to accommodate any number of specialized devices or inputs.
