Thanks for the files, jwebboil. As usual, it speaks a clear language and we can stop guessing around. Thank you very much! This is not a useable rig so far, it needs a spatial and a hierarchically translation. In other words, the mapping of the MoCap data to a skeleton is missing.
I check the books “The Art and Technique of Matchmoving” Erica Hornung and
“Matchmoving” Tim Dobert, 2nd
Both have no answers to this.
I remember a course on FXPHD (and earlier to that over at PXC) about it that I took nearly a decade ago, but it is not longer on their site[s]. So, no luck here either.
If someone follows the thread, just let me tell what I got as files:
Similar to this suit
http://www.cgw.com/images/Media/PublicationsArticle/pg12a_1.gif
(which I took randomly from the web)
the white tracking markers are the nulls that the file contained. All tracking points are just siblings, no naming, no hierarchy, no differentiation at all, besides a sequential numbering of the elements.
Typically a mocap studio has an application to “translate” or better “map” these dots onto a standard joint/bone rig. To give you just these files seems kind of unusual. Unusual, as they have normally the tracking dots as a “preset” in such an application.
I haven’t used Motion Builder since a decade, it has these options. But have a look here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocBg4j-wgAc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3WY_1hxP1A
My suggestion would be,
a) ask them to give you the mapped up files, in form of a rig.
b) get a different service provider who can translate this, a company who uses the same suit, etc.
c) check with other offerings if they have something that matches your current needs. I checked Maximo, but I couldn’t find something adequately like the hockey player, but look for yourself, for a short moment things are free on Maximo!
d) invest some work and go thought that
I have nothing to offer about a) to c), while c) has its own series here at the moment.
The option d) seems the least favorable work without specialized software, (e.g., Motion Builder), and it is no secret, this is a lot of work if done manually. The dots on a suit are not where the Joints should be. In other words each point of that cloud needs to be identified (what is it and where in the hierarchy would it be …) and in case of the hockey stick, it needs a separation. Then you might find the distance/orientation and so the location of the joint needed to create the skeleton. If that works out nicely, perhaps it works after a while. To get the Nulls “constrained” with the joint rig of the figure, while Xpresso is used to streamline the process for more adaptations (takes).
I might miss something, but what I can say with certainty, Cinema 4D has no native tools to do this quickly or comfortable.
Sorry to be of no real help, thinking about solutions.
Let me know, if there is anything else.
My best wishes
Updated/edited Aug 02