Houdini 22.0 Character KineFX

Animation catalog

Save, manage, and apply animations and single-frame poses to an animation scene.

On this page

The animation catalog lets you save, manage, and apply animations and single-frame poses to an animation scene, allowing you to reuse animation across different projects.

Animation catalog pane

The animation catalog pane is the interface to the animation catalog. To open the animation catalog pane, click the New Tab icon at the top of a pane and select New Pane Tab Type ▸ Animation ▸ APEX Animation Catalog.

The animation catalog pane is made up of three parts - the folder view, the capture gallery, and the information panel:

  • The folder view allows you to organize all your captures (poses and animation) in a folder structure.

  • The capture gallery displays thumbnails of the captures in the current folder. To change the size of the thumbnails, click one of Small Grid Layout, Medium Grid Layout, or Large Grid Layout on the toolbar.

  • The information panel provides details on the selected capture, as well as options for updating the capture and applying the capture to your scene.

To change the layout of the animation catalog pane, click one of Grid Layout, Tree Layout, or Split Layout on the toolbar.

If you want to add new captures to your catalog or apply existing captures to an animation scene, you must be in the animate state. You can, however, view an animation catalog outside of the animate state.

Create, open, and save a catalog

To...Do this

Create a new animation catalog

On the toolbar, click and select New Animation Catalog.

Open an existing animation catalog

On the toolbar, click and select Open Animation Catalog.

Save an animation catalog

On the toolbar, click and select Save Animation Catalog or Save Animation Catalog As.

Import a catalog from disk and merge it into the current catalog

On the toolbar, click and select Import Catalog.

Export folders to a new catalog

  1. Select the folder(s).

  2. the folder and select Export Selected Folders.

The animation catalog is saved as a .bgeo file that contains an animation scene with the saved poses and animation.

If you save a .hip file with a catalog open in the animation catalog pane, a reference to the catalog will be saved with the .hip file. The next time you open the .hip file, the referenced catalog will be loaded in the animation catalog pane.

You can specify a default animation catalog using the environment variable, HOUDINI_ANIMATIONCATALOG_FILE. If you open a .hip file that doesn’t already have an associated catalog, it will load the default catalog.

Organizing a catalog

You can organize your captured poses and animation in the folder view.

To...Do this

Create a folder in the catalog

On the toolbar, click and select Create Folder.

or

click the folder view and select Create Folder.

If you selected a folder, the new folder will be added under the selected folder.

Delete a folder

Select a folder and press Delete.

or

click a folder and select Delete Folder.

Rearrange folders and captures

Drag and drop folders and captures in the folder view.

Rename a folder

Double-click the folder.

Rename a capture

In the capture gallery, double-click the capture label.

or

click the capture and select Rename.

or

  1. Select a capture.

  2. On the toolbar, click .

  3. In the Edit Asset window, set Label to a new name.

  4. Click Save.

Working with poses

Capture a pose

To capture a single-frame pose and add it to the animation catalog:

  1. Select the controls to capture the pose of.

  2. Capture the pose with one of the following:

    • On the toolbar, click and select Capture Pose.

    • the empty space in the capture gallery and select Capture Pose.

    • In the folder view, the folder where you want to store the capture and select Capture Pose.

  3. In the information panel, click Capture Thumbnail. If you want to redo the capture, adjust the pose in the animate state and click Capture Thumbnail again.

  4. In the Name field, specify a name for the pose.

  5. Click Save.

Update a captured pose’s thumbnail

To update the thumbnail of a captured pose:

  1. Repose the character in the animate state.

  2. In the capture gallery, select the pose to update.

  3. In the information panel, click the thumbnail and select Update Thumbnail.

Apply a pose to a scene

To apply a captured pose to a scene:

  1. Go to the frame where you want to apply the pose.

  2. In the capture gallery, select the pose.

  3. In the viewport, select the controls you want to apply the pose to. This can be a subset of the controls that were used to save the pose. You could also click Select Controls in the information panel to select all the controls that were used to save the pose.

  4. (Optional) If you want to add the pose to a new animation layer, turn on Add to New Layer.

  5. Click Apply. This sets keys on the current frame.

  6. Change the Blend value to control how much of the pose to apply.

In the example below, we start with a marching pose (left). We then apply a waving pose (middle), which only has one selected control (the left hand). In the final pose (right), the left hand control is applied to the marching pose:

Starting pose (left), pose to apply (middle), final pose (right)

Working with animation

Capture an animation

To capture an animation and add it to the animation catalog:

  1. Select the controls to capture the animation of.

  2. Hold ⇧ Shift and drag along the playbar timeline to select a range of frames.

  3. Capture the animation with one of the following:

    • On the toolbar, click and select Capture Animation.

    • the empty space in the capture gallery and select Capture Animation.

    • In the folder view, the folder where you want to store the capture and select Capture Animation.

  4. In the information panel, click Capture Preview. The preview is captured over the frame range specified by the Frames field.

  5. In the Name field, specify a name for the animation.

  6. By default, the Frames are set to the selected frame range. You can update the frame range or select from the menu.

  7. Click Save.

Update a captured animation’s preview

To update the preview of a captured animation:

  1. In the capture gallery, select the animation to update.

  2. In the information panel, click the animation preview and select Update Preview. This recaptures the animation within the Source frame range.

    Note

    Currently, only animation that starts on frame 1 is updated properly.

Apply an animation to a scene

When you apply captured animation to a scene, the animation is only applied to the controls that were used to save the animation. To apply captured animation:

  1. Go to the frame where you want to start applying the animation.

  2. In the capture gallery, select the animation.

  3. Change the Source frame range if you want to apply only a portion of the animation.

  4. Set the Mode:

    • Replace - Replaces any existing animation (keys) on the capture’s controls within the animation frame range. Any existing animation on other controls are unchanged.

    • Insert - Inserts the animation at the current frame, pushing back any existing animation.

  5. Click Select Controls.

  6. Click Apply.

In the example below, we start with a head nod animation (left). We then insert the head shake animation before the nod (right):

Search and filter for captures

You can search for captured poses and animation using the search bar. You can also filter for captures in the capture gallery by starring captures, marking captures with colors, and adding tags to captures.

Star captures

To star a capture:

  1. In the capture gallery, click the icon on a capture.

  2. On the toolbar, click . Only starred captures are displayed in the capture gallery.

Mark captures with colors

A capture can only be associated with one color. To mark a capture with a color:

  1. In the capture gallery, a capture and select a color.

  2. On the toolbar, click and select the color. Only captures marked with that color are displayed in the capture gallery.

    To filter for multiple colors, turn on Any of the following in the filter panel. This would display any captures marked with, say, red or green.

  3. Click again to close the filter panel.

Tag captures

A tag is a single word that is associated with a capture. Tags can be used to group similar captures, for example, face. You can add multiple tags to a single capture. To tag a capture:

  1. Select a capture.

  2. Click on the toolbar, or click a capture and select Edit Metadata.

  3. In the Metadata Editor window, Tags section, add a new tag for the capture, for example, arm.

  4. Click OK.

  5. To filter for captures with the tag:

    • Type the tag in the search bar.

      or

    • Click on the toolbar and select the tag. Click again to close the filter panel.

How-to

To...Do this

Create a new animation catalog

On the toolbar, click and select New Animation Catalog.

Open an existing animation catalog

On the toolbar, click and select Open Animation Catalog.

Save an animation catalog

On the toolbar, click and select Save Animation Catalog or Save Animation Catalog As.

Import a catalog from disk and merge it into the current catalog

On the toolbar, click and select Import Catalog.

Export folders to a new catalog

  1. Select the folder(s).

  2. the folder and select Export Selected Folders.

Make a copy of a capture

  1. Select the poses/animation.

  2. On the toolbar, click and select Duplicate Selected Clips.

Apply a pose or animation to a scene

See apply a pose or apply an animation.

Apply a pose or animation in a new animation layer

In the information panel, turn on Add to New Layer.

Recapture a pose or animation

In the information panel, the thumbnail and select Update Thumbnail (for poses) or Update Preview (for animations).

For animations, it recaptures the animation within the Source frame range.

Save a new thumbnail for the pose

  1. Select a capture.

  2. On the toolbar, click .

  3. In the Edit Asset window, click Load.

  4. Select an image and click Accept.

  5. Click Save.

Play a subset of the animation in the preview

Update the frame range in the Source field.

Reset the playback frame range

In the information panel, click .

KineFX

Overview

Preparing character elements

Rigging with APEX graphs

  • APEX graph basics

    Introduction to the APEX graph evaluation framework.

  • APEX graph debugger

    Inspect the values of an APEX graph’s ports within the APEX network view.

  • APEX Script basics for graph building

    An overview of APEX Script, a code interface for building APEX graphs.

  • Graphs for numerical operations

    Example graphs of numerical operations like adding two values, fetching multiple results, and retrieving information from geometry.

  • Graphs for viewport animation

    Example graphs of animate state functionality like creating controls and constraints, and defining joint hierarchies.

  • Graphs for deforming geometry

    Example of a SOP network and APEX graph for deforming a 3-joint tube geometry.

  • Graph metadata

    Information added to graph nodes and ports.

  • APEX path pattern

    A set of rules that allow you to filter and select elements within graphs, skeletons, geometry, and the character folder structure.

  • APEX graph nodes

    APEX nodes provide operations for building up the functionality of APEX graphs, which are used in KineFX to create character rigs and perform other geometry manipulation.

  • APEX updates for H22

    New and updated APEX graph nodes for Houdini 22.

Building rig graphs with APEX Script

Rigging with rig components

Animating in the viewport

  • Animation workflow

    Example networks of adding characters, props, characters, and animation to a scene.

  • Animating in LOPs

    Rig and animate characters and props in the context of a USD stage.

  • Working in the animate state

    Select and manipulate controls, define transform limits for controls, and add skin controls to a character.

  • Animate state menus and HUDs

    Menus, HUDs, toolbars, and options in the animate state.

  • Animate state hotkeys

    Hotkeys available in the animate state.

  • Posing

    Pose characters in the animation scene by using locators, copying and pasting controls, and mirroring poses.

  • Motion paths

    Visualize the motion of controls as curves in 3D space.

  • Constraints

    Create relationships between controls in the animate state.

  • Dynamic motion

    Add physically-accurate projectile motion to your animation in the animate state.

  • Ragdoll

    Add a ragdoll simulation to your animation in the animate state.

  • Full body IK

    Apply full body inverse kinematics to pose the character using high-level targets rather than manipulating individual joints.

  • Secondary motion

    Add physically-accurate effects like lag/overshoot, jiggle, and spring to your animation in the animate state.

  • Control selection sets

    A tree view of controls, selections, and selection sets for the animate state. Allows management of control selection and visibility.

  • Motion mixer

    Combine and edit the animation clips of multiple characters in a timeline-based view.

  • Character picker

    Create a 2D layout with simple buttons for selecting character controls in an animation scene.

  • Animation catalog

    Save, manage, and apply animations and single-frame poses to an animation scene.

  • Animation layers

    Create multiple layers of animation without affecting the original animation.

  • Animation toolbar

    A customizable toolbar consisting of simple slider tools that quickly apply modifications to animation controls and curves.

  • Animation bookmarks

    Frame markers that help organize and identify the different parts of your animation.

Customizing the animate state

SOP-based animation

  • Physics-based motion

    Add physically-accurate motion to your animation using the Projectile Motion and Pendulum Motion SOPs.

  • Ragdoll simulations

    Add a ragdoll simulation to your animation using the Ragdoll Solver SOP.

Deformation

  • Blend shapes

    Create blend shapes using blend shape SOP nodes.

Animation retargeting

Pre-H20

Panes

  • Motion mixer

    A timeline-based view of the animation clips and motion effects of multiple characters.

  • Character picker

    Create a 2D layout with simple buttons to select character controls in an animation scene.

  • Rig tree view

    A hierarchical view of character components, including packed character folders, KineFX rigs, and Object node rigs.

  • Animation editor

    View and edit animated parameters and their transitions between keyframes.

  • Geometry spreadsheet

    Displays details about the geometry selected in the network editor.

Appendix