Help: 3Ds Max Character Studio (Motion Mixer) seamless looping animation

Hi All,

I am using 3Ds Max version 9.

I have 2 looping .bip files that I am using to create a new seamless loop with Character Studio's Motion Mixer. I would like to make the transition seamless between the two? I have lots of these to do so I am trying to get a good “work flow” down.

The issue is that the last animation is moving up and to the left on the last transition. In other animation set up with the same 1st walk but a different idle animation it turns it 90 degrees. So it seems that by adding the last transition track has some underlining issue that influencing the last transition.

Thanks for the help in advance :-)

Here are my steps using Motion Mixer:


1. Make a Biped

2. Center it on the Y&X axis

3. Select the Biped

4. Click on the Motion Mixer button

5. Make the “ALL” track in to a transition layer by (right clicking) on it and selecting “Convert to Transition Track”.

6. Load in "Walk" animation (This is a seamless looping .bip file) Click-Right in the All Bip01 Track -> New Clips ->From Files…

7. Load in “Idle” animation (This is a seamless looping .bip file)
From Files…
b. Move the “Idle” track to the end of the “Walk” track.
c. Move the transition beginning to the end of the walk track.

8. Click on “Set Range” & “Zoom Extents” to see all the tracks.

9. Test the animation:
a. Test the “Walk” for looping
i. Go to frame 0 then to frame 34 (see all is good)

b. Test the “Idle” animation (see the does not move in a bad way)

10. Make a copy of “Walk” & put it on the end of the “Idle”.
a. Hold down the “Shift” key and drag the “Walk” track to the end of the “Idle” track.
b. Click on “Set Range” & “Zoom Extents” to see all the tracks
c. Move the transition end to the beginning of the “Idle” track.

11. Test the animations:
a. Test the 1st “Walk” track.
i. Go to frame 0 then to frame 34 (see all is good)

b. Test the 2nd copy of the “Walk” track.
i. Go to frame 224 then to frame 258 (see all is good) but it has move to the upper left.

c. Test the “Idle” track.
i. Play animation; watch how it slides to the upper left.

Here are some screen shots: