Q100561: How to correctly import XGen Animation from Maya to Katana to avoid desynced animation

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SYMPTOMS

When loading an XGen file into Katana, you may notice that the hair/fur does not follow the animation on the guide curves.

CAUSE

The dynamic curves, the guides that move the hair, are by default animated using “Live Mode” which is not supported by Katana’s third party renderers.

RESOLUTION

To resolve the issue, first export the guide curves as an Alembic cache and then associate the guide curve Alembic as the animation control instead of Live Mode. The exact steps to do this are detailed below.

In Maya, export the guide curve animation as an Alembic cache as follows:

  1. Select all of the OutputCurves (not the group) of the simulation in the Outliner.
  2. In the main menu bar, select Cache > Alembic Cache > Export Selection to Alembic option box.
  3. In the Alembic Export options window that opens, check the following settings:
    a. Under “General Options”, make sure the frame range start/end is set.
    b. Under “Advanced Options”, enable the World Space check box.
  1. Save at the desired location by clicking the Export Selection button.

Load the guide curve cache back into XGen as guides. There are two methods depending on how you are controlling the animation; either by an AnimWires modifier or by Guide Animation.

If you are using an AnimWires modifier:

  1. In XGen, go to the Modifiers tab.
  2. Under the Mode section, disable the ‘Live Mode’ check box.
  3. Under the same section, add the Alembic cache file path to the Wires File parameter. 

If you are using Guide Animation:

  1. In XGen, go to the Primitives tab.
  2. Under Guide Animation, disable the ‘Live Mode’ check box.
  3. Add the Alembic cache file path to the Cache File Name parameter. 

After saving the Maya project, the XGen animations should appear correctly in a Katana render (tested with 3Delight and Arnold). Once exported with the correct settings, use the renderer-specific XGen nodes to import the XGen file, referring to any renderer-specific documentation to do so. Then you can create and assign materials, light your scene, and render it in Katana as normal.

 

FURTHER READING

For more information on working with XGen in a production pipeline and renderer-specific documentation for working with XGen in Katana, please see the following resources:

 

 

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