Exporting Marvelous Designer Animations to Blender

In this tutorial, we will delve into the process of exporting animations from Marvelous Designer to Blender. This technique has been utilized by the creators of the The Witness short film on Netflix and holds significant value for 3D animation enthusiasts looking to enhance their projects. By following these steps, you can seamlessly transfer your animated designs from Marvelous Designer to Blender, allowing for a smooth workflow and creative possibilities.

Streamlining the Process

Let's streamline the process to save time and optimize efficiency. The first step involves having your character in Fuse. If you need guidance on using Fuse, refer to the tutorial provided on the channel or in the video description. Customize your character, export it as an OBJ file, and import it into Mixamo without textures.

Due to recent issues with downloading Collada format from Mixamo, opt for Alembic format without textures. Eventually, you will apply the textures in Blender, as demonstrated in the original tutorial.

Animation Export and Import

Once you have your character ready, download the Collada file without textures from Mixamo. Import this file into Blender, set keyframes accordingly, and export the body and armature as an Alembic file for seamless integration into the animation.

After completing the animation export, open the garment file from the Marvelous Designer tutorial. Reset the garment, delete the existing avatar, and import the Alembic file with the avatar. Make necessary adjustments to the garment positioning to ensure a smooth simulation.

Refining the Garment

To refine the garment, adjust the fabric type to increase rigidity or heaviness, enhancing the realism of the clothing during animation. Modify the fabric type on various clothing pieces, unfreeze the cloak, and manipulate pinpoints to optimize garment movement with the character.

Utilize the animation mode to simulate the clothing and witness how it animates seamlessly with the character's movements. Once satisfied with the results, proceed to export the garment in the necessary Alembic format for Blender integration.

Blender Integration and Final Touches

Upon importing the garment into Blender, scale down the geometry and recalibrate the normals for a polished look. Add a Subdivision Surface modifier to enhance the garment's appearance and resolve any issues where the body intersects with the fabric.

Fine-tune the cloth simulation settings, adjust collision parameters, and explore particle distance adjustments for detailed cloth simulation results.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can effectively export animations from Marvelous Designer to Blender, unlocking a realm of creative possibilities for your 3D projects. Embrace this workflow to unleash your creativity and potentially recreate impressive designs akin to those seen in The Witness. Should you need further guidance, consider exploring additional courses or tutorials to enhance your skills further.

Now, armed with these tools and techniques, embark on your 3D animation journey and create something extraordinary. Remember, practice makes perfect, so keep refining your skills and pushing the boundaries of your imagination.

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