9

856 Chapter 14: character studio
Pr ocedur es
To save a biped’s f igure information to a f ile:
1.
Select the biped to save.
2. OntheMotionpanel,activateFigure
mode.
3. On the Motion panel > Biped rollout,
click Save File.
4. Inthefiledialog,enteranameforthefigure
file, and then click OK.
Tip: While you work on creating a biped pose,
save your work frequently in a figure file.
To load a biped figure:
1.
Select the biped to replace with a saved figure.
2. Activate Figure mode in the Motion
panel.
3. On the Motion panel > Biped rollout,
click Load File.
4. Inthefiledialog,choosethefigurefiletoload.
5. Chooseoneofthethreeloadingoptions,
depending on whether or not you want to load
tw ist poses, or to load twist poses only.
6. Click OK.
Wa rning: Loading a figure file replaces the selected
biped’s pose and base parameters. If you have created a
new pose or a new biped structure, save it in a figure file
before you load a different biped figure.
See also
Figure Mode (page 2–982)
Footstep Animation
Footstep animation is a central compositional tool
in Biped. Footsteps are biped sub-objects, similar
to gizmos (page 3–949) in 3ds Max. In viewports,
footsteps lo ok like the diagrams often used to
illustrate ballroom dancing. Each footstep’s
position and orientation in the scene controls
where the biped steps.
Footsteps
The language of footsteps allows you to more
directly describe and compose the complex time
and space relationships that are found in different
forms of locomotion.
While the placement of footsteps appears in
viewports, the timing appears in Track View -
Dope Sheet Editor. There, each footstep appears as
ablockoftime,witheachblockrepresentingthe
time when the foot is planted in a footstep.