Autodesk releases MotionBuilder 2027
Main image: Autodesk’s current marketing image for MotionBuilder, created by Alireza Akhbari.
Autodesk has released MotionBuilder 2027, the latest version of its character animation software, commonly used for viewing and editing motion-capture data.
The update adds new quaternion math tools for building more complex rigs, plus a number of workflow improvements, including the option to split the Viewer into multiple panes.
New quaternion math tools for creating character rigs
New features in MotionBuilder 2027 include more quaternion converters and operations for Relation constraints.
They provide direct access to rotation math operations, helping to “build rigs that require precise control over sub-joints or complex rotation blending”.
Split the Viewer into panes to compare animations to references
However, the bulk of the changes in MotionBuilder 2027 are workflow improvements.
The biggest is the option to split the Viewer into multiple panes, making it easier to compare animations, or to view a single animation from multiple camera angles.
There are presets for two or three horizontal or vertical panes, or a standard quad view.
Other workflow improvements
Other workflow changes include the option to reorder objects in the Navigator by dragging and dropping, and [F2] as a standard shortcut for renaming items.
MotionBuilder also now uses the current scene frame rate when recording devices rather than using a fixed 30pfs, as it does when recording with the Story Tool.
Pricing and system requirements
MotionBuilder 2027 is available for Windows 11 and RHEL and Rocky Linux 8.10/9.7. The software is rental-only. Subscriptions cost $2,300/year, up $75/year since the previous release.
Read a full list of new features in MotionBuilder in the online documentation
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