MotionMaker allows artists to guide movement with a few keyframes or a simple motion path

Autodesk MotionMaker

Autodesk has launched MotionMaker, an AI-powered animation tool for Maya. 

MotionMaker is designed for working in layout, pre-vis, tech-vis, or hero animation, and aims to streamline animating character motion. It allows users to direct characters as they would in a mocap studio, but virtually, using a few key frames or a simple motion path. They can direct characters to walk, jump, or sit, and guide them through the scene by setting key targets or paths. 

Once the motion is generated, users can add animation layers, bake to a control rig, and use other Maya tools to refine it.

MotionMaker is trained on three core datasets: one from two dogs, combined into a single “wolf-style” model, and two from human performers, representing a basic male and a basic female motion style. It will add more datasets in the future, and hopes to add the option for animators to use their own data. The AI model is an autoregressive motion generator built from multiple neural networks that processes motion data from Maya, predicting the next pose frame by frame. 

Autodesk claims that a 10-second shot of a dog running, turning, and jumping, that previously would have taken two weeks, can now be completed in a minute, allowing more time for customising and iterating. 

Evan Atherton, senior principal research scientist at Autodesk and one of the creators of MotionMaker, said: “MotionMaker is a new animation system that lets artists direct characters more like they would in a mocap studio, but virtually, inside Maya. You can give high-level instructions, like telling a character to walk, jump, or sit, and guide them through the scene by setting key targets or paths.

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“It’s part of the animation editor toolset in Maya, with a dedicated MotionMaker Editor. That’s where you manage characters, drive them with MotionMaker, and access all the related features. The goal is to make character animation feel more intuitive like giving stage directions to a digital actor.”

MotionMaker is just the latest AI tool added to Maya by Autodesk. Last year it revealed a number of AI-powered additions to the VFX software, and its counterpart Flame, resulting from the company’s acquisition of Wonder Dynamics.