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MillimeterProducts: Character Animation Toolkit
Apr 23, 2004 6:03 PM, By Dan Ochiva
Take CAT to the Max
Developing character rigs remains one of the more difficult aspects of character animation. Character Animation Technologies takes that on with its Character Animation Toolkit (CAT). A plug-in for 3ds Max, CAT helps in creating fully customizable rigs and animation sequences while minimizing the learning curve and technical expertise usually required to set up a rig from scratch, according to the New Zealand-based company.
Features include a parametric motion-cycle system, intuitive keyframe controls that can be assigned to all 3ds Max animation controllers, and a mocap importer that supports most popular motion-capture formats. Its nonlinear animation setup allows animators to work on different parts of the rig simultaneously.
New features in version 1.15 include: preset list box navigation (allows presets to be organized in sub-folders); full support for Physique and Reactor software systems; automated character stop (automatically stops character from taking steps when not in motion and intuitively detects turning on the spot, initiating steps as appropriate); and animation limb symmetry (allows for symmetrical limb transformation, which reduces repetition). www.catoolkit.com
