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Robin Brunner avatar image
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Robin Brunner asked Robin Brunner commented

FlexSim Animation Problem with 3DS Max FBX Export

Hello Community,

I read @phil.bobo's Thread about manipulating and changing Character Animation and Rigging (like the Operator's one) like 100 times, but didn't get an easy, own block animation running. So I recorded my procedure and uploaded it to youtube.

https://youtu.be/WSsxs9LQ7h4

Does anybody have a hint or a trick to fix this? Where is the clue? What is my mistake or is it even possible what I'm trying to do?

Regards Robin

FlexSim 17.0.0
animationexportfbx3ds max
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Phil BoBo answered Robin Brunner commented

You need to have a skeleton and link your mesh to a bone, then animate the bone.

3ds Max's FBX exporter doesn't export the shape animation of un-rigged meshes. That type of animation is used internally by 3ds Max for rendering movies, not exported to be used in another package. To have your animations exported in a way that another software package can use them, you need to rig your meshes to bones and animate the bones.

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Robin Brunner avatar image Robin Brunner commented ·

Hello @phil.bobo and other interested community members,

thanks for your advise Phil, but I got the same problem here. I made a second YouTube Video so you can follow my animation construction procedure better.

Link: https://youtu.be/WV4yoif2UqA

This time I rigged my mesh with bones and animated the bones. Still no animation in FlexSim. I researched the operator's .FBX file and saw that the the mesh is rigged to the bones by the Skin Modifier in 3DS Max. But this method of rigging would deform my mesh and in mechanical animation of machines this would be very unfavorable. What I am doing wrong? :(

Regards Robin

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Phil BoBo avatar image Phil BoBo ♦♦ Robin Brunner commented ·

Adjust your vertex weights so that it animates the way you want it to. Such a technique is commonly used, such as for tanks, mechs, robots, etc. You can get mechanical animation using the Skin modifier to rig a skeleton to your mesh. Just adjust the vertex weights accordingly.

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Robin Brunner avatar image Robin Brunner Phil BoBo ♦♦ commented ·

Thanks for your advise @phil.bobo. So there is no workaround or other method of getting my animations working in FlexSim? Skin Modifier seems to be the only possibility? I tried to rig a simple mesh with the Skin Modifier. Adjusting Vertex Weights left out. This time FlexSim finally reads an animation in the .FBX file, but unfortunately the mesh and animation is completely messed up. What is the problem now? Can't figure it out alone. Sorry if I'm asking stupid questions, but I'm a total rookie in 3DS Max and FlexSim. I got another video for you here:

https://youtu.be/4nNSWfJVeu0

Regards Robin

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Robin Brunner avatar image Robin Brunner commented ·

spinningbonesanimationtestforflexsim.zip

Hi,

here is my .MAX File and my exported .FBX file in a zip.

If nobody can help :( , then it would be the best to use FlexSim's Animator.

Thanks for the immediate response @phil.bobo.

Regards Robin

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spinningbonesanimationtestforflexsim.zip (83.6 KiB)
jing.c avatar image jing.c Robin Brunner commented ·

Hi, Robin, is that correct? I seems a little strange.

But I don't know quite about animation with .FBX, can not help you more.

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1.gif (538.5 KiB)
Robin Brunner avatar image Robin Brunner jing.c commented ·

Sorry. That isn't correct. But that's exactly the point. In 3DS Max the animation looks great, but in FlexSim the .FBX imported Animation gets messed up. Seems like nobody knows why. :/

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