2009

In Place Mode
Create or select a biped. > Motion panel > Biped rollout > Expand rollout >
Modes group > In Place button on In Place flyout
In Place mode on page 8012 allows you to display biped motion as if it were
occurring on a treadmill. Regardless of the distance the biped covers under
control of the current motion file, the biped stays within the active viewport
when you've turned on In Place Mode.
In Place playback prevents lateral (XY) movement of the biped center of mass
during animation playback; vertical motion along the Z-axis is preserved.
Biped limbs, footsteps, and center of mass keys can be adjusted in this mode.
When the center of mass is moved on the XY axes in this mode, the footsteps
move.
Use this feature to view biped playback without requiring a follow camera. In
this viewing mode, visible footsteps appear to slide under the biped.
For export to games, this feature is valuable, as many game engines intelligently
move the character's center of mass laterally according to game play. In Place
mode makes it easy to view, tune, and export animation in a manner that is
complementary to game engine playback.
NOTE Trajectories do not display using In Place mode.
In Place Mode Options
The In Place Mode button is the default button on a three-button flyout. There
are two further options:
■ In Place X Mode Locks center of mass X-axis motion. Use this for
game export where the character stays in place but the swinging motion
of the hips and upper body along the Y-axis is preserved.
■
In Place Y Mode Locks center of mass Y-axis motion. Use this for
game export where the character stays in place but the swinging motion
of the hips and upper body along the X-axis is preserved.
4318 | Chapter 17 character studio