MC Tools - Moco and 3D Translator
Mark Roberts Motion Control are proud to introduce a newly developed set of tools for mixing motion control with different CGI packages - Available TODAY!!
Originally developed and written by well-known motion control "artist" and programmer, Erik Bierens, and used and tested in collaboration with Photon VFX Pty., MC Tools is now available as a Mark Roberts Motion Control product.
There are currently numerous 3D packages being used for film and video effects, each with their own file format and coordinate system. MC Tools joins them seamlessly, so that files can easily be transferred by any user.
MC Tools is different to other products currently in development, in that it is a translator capable of converting files from numerous different CGI software and moco packages to any other CGI or moco system. It is a standalone program capable of running on any Windows(tm) desktop or laptop.
MC Tools' purpose is not pre-visualization, but simply to allow the user to take
moves generated in a 3D package and easily transfer them to a motion control
rig, or another 3D package, without having to program complex scripts, plug-ins,
or drivers, or needing any programming skills.
It is just as easy to do the process vice-versa, going from a motion control rig
and transfer the camera movement to a 3D package.
Current formats supported are Softimage, Maya, Alias - Power Animator, Flame (Inferno etc.), Flair, and Kuper (Virtual Axes) with plans to enable Lightwave and 3DS Max in the coming months (although Lightwave is already directly read and written by Flair). Currently no scripts, plug-ins or drivers of any kind are used so the translated files can be natively read by the different packages, without having to install any additional software.
MC Tools also contains some built in tools to edit and view the data, including graphical displays, scaling and rotational functions, model mover (auxilliary axes) control, and even speed profiling of the move.
You can download a demo version which gives you full functionality except for the option to save your results. Included are some sample files to get you going.
We've now added a section that contains files that may be useful for you if you're trying MC Tools or doing some sort of Computer Graphics work. These files are provided in addition to the example files in the MC tools download installation and consist of 4 video files of 2 different shots and their corresponding data files (in every 3D format MC tools can provide) so that you can try interfacing motion control with CGI using actual MC Tools files. The 3D cubes on screen represent 1metre cubes and were generated using the motion control data. The files are accessed at: http://www.mrmoco.com/downloads/datafiles/
