Animating Bitmoji 3D
You can now animate your Bitmoji avatar or use existing animation libraries. Here are some quick links to resources to get you started:
- Full Rig for Autodesk Maya (includes simplified
bind_skeleton_clean.fbx
for other 3D editors) - Maya to LS converter
- FBX for uploading to Mixamo
Animating Bitmoji 3D in Autodesk Maya
We provide a full Maya rig that features advanced controls, allowing you to create high-quality animations for Bitmoji avatars. This is the exact setup our team uses internally! We also provide a converter script required to process animations for optimal performance in Lens Studio.
Maya Setup
- Download the Maya Rig and the Converter
- Copy the rig to your Maya project folder and open Maya
- Go to
File
>Reference Editor
The Reference Editor in Maya is like a control center for managing files you've brought into your scene from outside sources.
- Locate your
bitmoji_rig.ma
file. The Bitmoji Rig should be loaded in your viewport:
- Make sure to set the scene to 30 FPS
- Have fun animating!
Installing the Converter
This section explains how to install a converter depending on your system
MacOS
-
Open Terminal
-
Navigate to your Maya application file, for example
cd /Applications/Autodesk/Maya2022/Maya.app/Contents/bin
-
Run the following command to install a library
sudo ./mayapy -m pip install "pygltflib"
-
Make the FBX2glTF and MACFACT converter executable by running the following commands:
chmod -R +x /Users/USER/Downloads/bitmoji_animation_converter/converter/FBX2glTF
chmod -R +x /Users/USER/Downloads/bitmoji_animation_converter/converter/macfact
-
Enable FBX2glTF and MACFACT in "Privacy & Security" Settings:
Windows:
Open Maya Script Editor (Windows
> General Editors
> Script Editor
). Then open and run the window_installer.py
from
the bitmoji_animation_converter
folder to install the required libraries.
Export from Maya
- Open Maya Script Editor by navigating to
Windows
>General Editors
>Script Editor
- Open
launch_bitmoji_export.py
file in the converter folder - Run the Script!
Two files will be generated next to your Maya file:
As this task will be performed repeatedly in different projects, scenes, and animations, utilizing Maya's Shelf Button function enhances efficiency. Simply select the script text and drag it to the shelf!
- Animation FBX file containing keys on the skeleton & face blendshapes
filename.fbx
- Optimized animation GLB file with dummy geometry for smaller size & blendshape keys copied to all possible geometry files (beard, lashes, etc)
filename.glb
Import to Lens Studio
Import .glb file into Lens Studio, with Use Legacy Importer
and Convert Meters to Centimeters
disabled.
Animating Bitmoji 3D with Mixamo
Another way of creating animations for Bitmoji is through a service like Mixamo.
Please don't forget to upload the custom model provided below!
- Download .fbx file created for Mixamo
- On the Mixamo website click on the
Upload Character
button and upload the.fbx
file.
- Once you've selected the animation - adjust settings and click
Download
. Select.fbx
format andwith
orwithout skin
option (we will use Bitmoji 3D model obtained in runtime).
Please note that static poses (animations with a length of 1 frame) are not imported correctly at the moment.
Set up Bitmoji animation in Lens Studio
-
Drag and drop the .fbx or .glb files with animation into the
Asset Browser
to import it into Lens Studio. -
Create a new scene object, and add Bitmoji 3D component to it. Set
Mode
toDefault
. If your animation comes from Mixamo, toggle theEnable Adapt to Mixamo
checkbox. -
Add Animation Player component to the same scene object
-
Click
Add Clip
and add theAnimation Asset
that came in from your imported FBX with your animation. -
At this point you should see your animation playing!
-
For more advanced animation control and blending check out
Animation State Manager
asset in the Asset LibraryYou might have to change the scale of your parent object depending on your animation.
Tips and Tricks
To make sure your animation works well, make sure to:
- Set the Animation Player blend mode to
Default
instead ofAdditive
. - Set the object with
Animation Player
component to have an appropriate scale.
Playing the Animation
Take a look at the Animation Player guide to learn about playing animation automatically, programatically, and more! Or check out the Animation State Manager
custom component from Asset Library for easy animation control and blending!