Shogun Post 1.8 and later reduces the time required to set up a robust character retarget by providing default constraints that you can use as they are, or modify to suit your particular needs. You may find this particularly useful if you are new to retargeting with Shogun Post, or if you need to copy an existing constraint setup to multiple different retargeting skeletons.

If you are using a version of Shogun Post earlier than 1.8, or if you want to use a wholly manual process for your retargeting setup, see Manually set up a retarget.

After you have set up a retarget, you may need to set up another retarget for a similar set of skeletons. This may be from a different actor to the same target skeleton, or a target skeleton which is similar, but has different scale or proportions. For more information, see Set up a retarget based on an existing setup.

Automatic retargeting tutorial video

Set up a retarget using default constraints

To set up a retarget using the default constraints in Shogun Post, complete the following stages listed in this section.

Prepare the target skeleton

1. To ensure your FBX, USD or VSR file works well as a target skeleton, review the tips in Create an optimal target skeleton.
2. Ensure the source skeleton is currently loaded.

3. Open the Subject Setup panel and select the Retargeting tab.

4. Load the target skeleton by clicking the Load Retarget button.

   

5. At the top of the Retargeting tab, click Map Mode.

   The Map Mode button changes color and the text in the 3D Scene view changes, the play range is blank, and all skeletons are put into their base pose, indicating that you are now in map mode.

   In this mode, you can pose the source and target skeletons without affecting the motion of the main clip.

6. In the Target Skeleton Setup section, ensure the correct bone (normally the hips or pelvis) is set as root on the target skeleton.

   If necessary, right-click and select Set Root in the context menu to change it.

   

7. Select Align Skeletons to automatically align the target skeleton to the solve skeleton.

   

   If the target skeleton doesn't fully align with the solve skeleton, adjust it manually. For tips on how to do this:

   • Watch the video Vicon Shogun 1.3 Post Tutorial - Retargeting Setup
   • See the Pose the skeleton section in Manually set up a retarget.
8. If desired, use the Target Scale controls to adjust the target skeleton's scale.
9. Ensure the DoFs are set. To do this:
   
   1. In the Target Skeleton Setup section, in the Parts and Sides list, view the DoFs. (To do this, you may need to close the Constraints and Export Options sections).
   2. Select any bones that should not receive animation by retargeting and use the option in the right-click context menu to disable their DoFs.
      This ensures that those bones don't receive animation and helps the automation to determine which bones are to be constrained.
   3. Modify the DoFs of each bone for its desired motion by selecting the bone and in the Attributes panel, edit the DoFs.
      Using sensible DoFs produces a better retarget and animation.

Set the side and parts

1. In the Target Skeleton Setup section, next to Parts and Sides, click Auto Set.

   

   This assigns the appropriate side name and part name to each bone that has active DoFs.

   

   • Side names are set by first using each bone's name, for example, if it contains center, left, right, l_, r_, etc.

     If the side can't be deduced from the bone's name, its position relative to the root is used.

   • The Part name is set based on the bone name matching commonly used names.

2. Verify that the sides and parts are set correctly.

   If necessary, modify them by selecting bones in the list (or elsewhere in Post) and using the Manually Set buttons above the list.

   For example, if the part for the head is set to None, in the Target Skeleton Setup list, select the head and from the Body Part list above the list, select Head.

   

Create the retargeting constraints

1. Ensure the Constraints section is expanded.

2. Click Auto Create to automatically create a default constraint setup.

   

   This uses the sides and parts as a mapping between the two skeletons.

   

   The default constraint setup contains:

   • Position and Rotation for the root
   • Position and Rotation for the feet, to ensure the target skeleton feet follow the solve feet in position.
   • Position and Rotation for the hands to ensure the target skeleton hands can follow the solve hands in position when desired.
   • Rotation constraints for the rest of the bones, so that the pose of the target skeleton matches the solve skeleton.
3. Modify the constraints as needed - add, remove, or change the weights.

When you have finished adjusting the constraints, exit map mode by clicking Map Mode again.

Export the target skeleton and constraints as a VSR

To export the target skeleton and constraints as a VSR:

• At the top of the Subject Setup panel, click the Save Retarget Setup button and if necessary, browse to the required location.

  

  By default, the VSR is saved to:C:\Users\Public\Documents\Vicon\Retargets

Test and refine the retarget setup

We recommend testing the retarget setup on a ROM and a few takes that represent typical and extreme motions. You can do this in Live or Post, by importing the VSR.

You can test the retarget setup in Shogun Post or in Shogun Live.

To test the retarget setup in Post:

1. When you have finished setup, ensure you have selected Map Mode again to turn it off (the Map Mode button is not green).
   You are returned to the motion in the file, ideally a ROM.
2. In the toolbar at the top of the Subject Setup panel, click the Retarget skeleton(s) over current frame button.

   

3. If the skeleton looks good, select the Retarget over frame range button (or select a range and use the Retarget skeleton(s) over selected range button).
   After retargeting has finished, scrub the time bar to check that the motion and positioning of the retargeted skeleton now matches that of the target skeleton over the whole range (or selected range).

To test the retarget setup in Live:

1. Load the VSR. To do this, in the Tracking panel, ensure the subject is selected and click the Properties tab.
2. Click the Retarget field to display the files found in your Retargets folder, and select the retarget from the list.

3. In the Processing panel, in the General section, ensure that the Processing Output Level is set to Retarget.

   Your FBX is displayed and is driven by the source skeleton. The retarget skeleton is recorded as part of the MCP capture.

After you have finished setting up a retarget, you may need to set up another retarget for a similar set of skeletons, for example, from a different actor to the same target skeleton, or a similar target skeleton with a different scale or proportions. To find out how to do this, see Set up a retarget based on an existing setup.