Automation of the avatar animation process in FBX file format

Abstract

Animated three-dimensional (3D) models are an essential part of interactive content available in products of present day movie and gaming industries. Time required for manual development of animated 3D models is a limiting factor in many of their practical applications. In order to minimize the production time of animated 3D models and, thus, lower costs, there is a need for automation of the animation process. This paper presents an approach to the programmatic addition of animations to automatically rigged avatars stored using the industry-standard FBX file format. The presented solution is developed using the C++ programming language and the Autodesk FBX Software Development Kit (SDK). It allows significantly higher degree of automation and programmability than other standard approaches, based on using standard 3D modelling and animation software, such as Autodesk 3Ds Max or Maya.