Live-streaming to Autodesk Maya

Requirements

• Rokoko Studio which you can install here
• Install the Autodesk Maya plugin by following the instructions for doing this can be found here.
• Install the Metahuman plugin from the Epic Marketplace

In order to stream to Autodesk Maya, you need to have installed the Autodesk Maya plugin. Instructions for doing this can be found here.

Video Tutorial

In Rokoko Studio

Open a new scene in Rokoko Studio and go to the Livestreaming tab, and activate Autodesk Maya from the available options. 

You will need to ensure that the forward IP and the port match their counterparts in Maya. 

Autodesk Maya settings

• Go to the script editor (Windows > General Editors -> Script Editor) and type the command "showRSLM" or
• Down in the right corner (Make sure it is set to "MEL") and type the command "showRSLM"

• Highlight the command text and middle click drag it onto the shelf and save the script as MEL for easy access. The button can be edited and given a name, different logo if desired.

When running or clicking the "M" icon created after dragging the command, the "Rokoko Studio Live" UI will pop up.

Rokoko Studio Live - This is the main category where users will see studio contents, map/unmap the entities.

Studio Command API - Functionalities for calibrating and recording in Rokoko Studio.

Info - Links to documentation and tutorials.

• Press “Start Receiver” to start receiving data from Rokoko Studio. The Data structure you will see is similar to the "Tree" structure in Rokoko Studio.

You're able to dock it into Autodesk Maya's own UI to integrate it into your workspace.

All interactions between Rokoko Studio objects and Autodesk Maya objects are made by context menus. The user selects something in Autodesk Maya and this selection will be considered by context menu actions.

Streaming Character data

• Open the HIK (humanIK) panel in Autodesk Maya by either going to Windows -> Animations Editors -> HumanIK or
  
  Up in the top right corner click the icon.

You can dock the panel as you please.

• After starting the receiver, right-click a character in the Rokoko Studio Live window and select "Create HIK skeleton". Once the new skeleton is created, right-click the Character Studio Object again and select "Map to active character". The current character in HIK panel will be mapped.

NOTE: In order to transfer the data from the Rokoko Live skeleton, you must define it in the HIK panel, and set the Rokoko Live skeleton as the source.

Streaming Face data

After starting the receiver, select the geometry in Autodesk Maya which hosts the blendshape node. Right-click the Face Studio Object and select "Map to selected objects".  After the face geometry is mapped, you need to map the blendshape weights. Right-click the Face Studio Object again and select "Automap weigths".

Rokoko Facial Capture follows the naming convention of the Apple ARKit and should automatically map the weights that follow that naming convention.

If needed you can map the weights of the blendshapes yourself. Select the blendshape node and go down and open "Extra Attributes". In the "Rokoko Face Mapping" panel you can map the name of the blendshapes yourself.

Streaming Virtual Production data (Rokoko Studio Legacy only)

• After starting the receiver, select the object in Autodesk Maya that you want to associate with the Prop Studio Object in Rokoko Studio Live panel. Right-click the Prop Studio Object and select "Map to selected objects".

• To stop the object from being associated with the Prop Studio Object. Right-click the Prop Studio Object and select "Unmap selected objects" or if you want to unmap all, select "Unmap all" instead.

NOTE: The same is valid for tracker objects

HINT: The transformation is applied to all 6 channels (translate, rotate, and scale). Therefore you might want to create a parent group which have the mapped data. Then you can still edit the object when the parent is mapped. 

Recording your motion data in Maya

To record objects, press the "Start Recording" button. All mapped objects will then be recorded into keyframes.

NOTE: Autodesk Maya's current frame will be considered as the first frame. The recorded frame range will be displayed on the right side of the "Start Recording" button. If you make a new recording on top of previously recorded data. The keyframes will be updated.