Animotive 0.8.1.10 Release Notes

Changelog

New Features

• Implemented SteamVR/Vive Tracker support allowing users to connect Left Foot, Right Foot and Waist trackers for greater character animation fidelity

• Implement Quest Pro face tracking via SteamLink support making it possible for users to use Vive Trackers and Quest Pro face tracking together, wirelessly

• Added the new KayKit Fantasy Adventures template project

• Enabled VRM import as well as spring bone support - enabling hair, cloth, tail dynamics etc. Direct compatibility with VRoid characters

• Enabled GLTF/GLB import, allowing users to import characters from ReadyPlayerMe and Avaturn etc.

• Integrated Toon Shader support, which can be configured within the Materials & Textures module of Asset Library allowing users to achieve more stylised content

• Implemented a new tracker smoothing/denoising feature which significantly improves animation quality and VRUI interaction by combatting hand shake. The level of smoothing can be tweaked within the Settings panel

• Implemented the ability to attach an audio clip to a character, which can be used with any facial animation option. When paired with the Oculus LipSync facial animation option, Animotive performs automatic lip sync animation. When paired with Quest Pro Facial Tracking it enables users to easily perform lip sync to pre-recorded audio.

• Improved the quality of the Oculus LipSync facial animation implementation

• Add more parameters and control within the Random Eye Movement functionality, leading to more natural eye animation. Parameters can be adjusted on a per-character basis within the Asset Library

• Implemented a facial animation preview player within the Facial Mapping module of Asset Library, allowing users to preview the facial mapping and fine tune parameters before entering a Scene

• Added microphone selection and preview within Start Session panel, as well as some general design improvements to improve multiplayer session workflows

• Implemented the ability to rename projects. This triggers an email notification to other project members

• Implemented the ability to tab between input fields within the Transform tab of entity control panels, as well as the ability to click and drag on the input fields for easier adjustment within Desktop Mode

Bug Fixes / Improvements

• Significant improvements to the animation retargeting algorithm, particularly improving the animation on characters with short legs

• Some VR tracking animation improvements, particularly when characters fully extend their arms

• Improvements to Asset Library camera controls, allowing the user to switch easily between Free Cam and Orbit mode in any module with a 3D viewport. Also implemented that the Camera orientation doesn’t get reset when switching from one module to another

• Fixed that materials with Lit shader weren’t rendering correctly according to the Workflow selected and textures maps assigned

• Implemented when laser grabbing a character, the action is automatically cancelled if the character grabbed becomes embodied

• Fixed a bug with Animotive’s connection test to the server which could cause disconnection issues occasionally

• Removed the Dropper icon on colour fields in Asset Library to improve usability

• Fixed bug where the user’s menu would not get toggled off via the B button when laser grabbing whilst embodied

• Duplicated bone names within exported FBX are no longer renamed

• No longer adding “root” name in top level FBX export node

• Fixed issue where Asset Importer would sometimes apply the same normal map to all skinned meshes

• Vignette no longer displayed in Desktop Mode

• Some design improvements to web frontend, making it easier to delete projects

• Fixed that toast messages would sometimes appear unexpectedly when spawning entities, warning of parameter values being set outside the expected range

• Removed unnecessary UI toggle from Shadow Opacity sliders

• Left trigger input now included within calibration controls

• Fixed issue where Prompter and other panels could become positioned far away from the user

• Fixed a bug with the Align to POV option, where the entity would jump back to its previous position

• Resolved inconsistencies in the Sun’s rotation values for Set Assets within Asset Library

• Fixed issue causing Animotive to be flagged by some antivirus scanners

• Fixed UI state bug related to visibility toggle on the Takes panel

• Fixed bug where close button could appear in the wrong position on the Monitor panel

• Fixed bug with Mirror mode where the display could get stuck on the previously embodied character

• Fixed that Characters' hands didn’t open after you embodied a character whose hand were closed

• Improved the synchorisation between VR camera view and the embodied character’s position when using XSens as the tracking solution, to reduce user disorientation when looking downwards or tilting the headset

• General reworking and improvements made to sliders, particularly the slider bounds functionality and slider reset functionality

• Fixed networking bug related to the visibility toggling of groups

• Fixed FBX export bug where if the Scene name contained any special characters the export would fail and produce an empty folder

• Improved the framing logic for Asset Library cameras, which resolved various cases like scaling a Character and then navigating to the Hand Poses tab

• Improved Oculus LipSync blendshapes on the Dark World template characters

• Implemented that top row numeric keys on the keyboard trigger full screen camera view / vision mixing (as well as numpad keys as before)

• Reduced FOV of Asset Library cameras to reduce distortion at close viewing angles

• Improved VRUI laser raycasting logic to handle situations where multiple panels are stacked on top of each other better

• Fixed an issue with the Takes Panel entity type filtering dropdown where newly spawned entities would not be filtered correctly

• Fixed compatibility errors for characters with blendshapes that didn't move any vertices

• Implemented that Audio Player now has an option to Autoplay on playback and capture

• Fixed bug with Audio Player UI where timecode text wouldn't update correctly when the Audio Clip selection was changed

• Fixed bugs with the interaction state of the timeline slider and transport controls that meant users could manipulate timecode time while capturing which is undesirable

Known Issues

• Issues reconnecting VR if it disconnects within a Scene, particularly problematic for Quest Link users

• Texture compression artifacting

• Some inconsistencies with Prop animation + playback

• Sometimes VR hand controllers take a minute to wake up within the app after being asleep

• Some issues with global position animation on Unity Exports.

• When exporting FBX to Unreal Engine there can be slight discrepancies in global animation scale, particularly noticeable at large distances from the world origin

• VRM 1.0 Files exported from certain versions of the UniVRM plugin in Blender may not be read correctly at import to Animotive. Importing these files into Unity, then exporting as a VRM from unity will fix this.

• Setting the same audio clip to two characters being embodied simultaneously for lip sync in a multiplayer session may cause playback to cut out from one of the characters.