This page provides instructions on how to use the Constraints pane in Motive.
The Constraints pane is intended to allow further optimization around the solver constraints which currently only includes asset model markers. It also allows users to change the name and color of markers for an asset. The asset that you are working with is linked to the selection in Motive unless the “Link to 3D Selection” toggle next to the asset name is turned off.
The default view of the Constraints pane shows the labels and color either of which can be modified to customize your asset. You can also enable three other columns that help control how the solver interacts with markers. The sections below the details for each of these columns.
Constraints (Names)
The “Constraint” column lists the labels of asset model markers associated with an asset. Labels can be modified in the Constraints pane by slow clicking or right-clicking (context menu). You can sort the “Constraint” column alphabetically ascending or descending. However, by default, this column sorts by the asset definition. This uses the internal asset definition to order the constraints and allows you to change this order using the context menu. Changing the order of the constraints will also change the order of the asset model marker names in the Labels pane. This can be helpful to define custom marker ordering for manual labeling.
Color
The color column allows you to change the color of a constraint. This allows you to assign custom colors to different markers associated with an asset. The constraint’s color property has a “rainbow” macro available. This allows you to link the color of the marker to the color defined by the asset.
The MemberID column is mostly just used to view unique ID values assigned to each constraint. It typically is just a reflection of the original ordering of the constraints.
The ActiveID column allows you to view and modify Active Marker ID values. Typically Active ID values are automatically assigned on asset creation or when adding a marker, but this gives you a higher level of insight and control in the process.
The Weight column allows you to tell the solver to prefer a marker when solving the asset data with less than an optimal amount of marker information. For example, the hands are weighted slightly higher for the baseline and core Marker Sets to help preference the end effectors. However, editing this property is not typically recommended.
You can also view and modify the constraints setting from the Properties pane. When you select a constraint from the list, the properties of the selected constraints will be listed under the Properties pane. This is just another way to interface with the same information, but in addition, you can also modify XYZ location of the asset model markers on a Rigid Body or a skeletal bone. Note that these position values are in respect to the local coordinate system of the corresponding Rigid Body or the bone.
Exporting constraints makes an XML file containing the names, colors, and marker stick definitions for manual editing. Importing reads the (.xml) files made when exporting. Generating constraints resets the asset back to the default state, if applicable.
You can also export configured constraints, or import them, using the Constraints pane. To do this, simply click on the , and there will be options to export, import, and generate constraints.
This page includes detailed step-by-step instructions on customizing constraint XML files for assets.In order to customize the marker labels, marker colors, and marker sticks for an asset a constraint XML file may be exported, customized, and loaded back into Motive. Alternately, the Constraints pane can be used to modify the marker names and color and the Builder pane can be used to customize marker sticks directly in Motive. This process has been standardized between assets types with the only exception being that marker sticks for Rigid Bodies does not work in Motive 3.0.
a) First, create an asset using the Builder pane or the 3D context menu.
b) Right-click on the asset in the Assets pane and select Export Markers. Alternately, you can click the "..." menu at the top of the Constraints pane.
c) In the export dialog window, select a directory to save the constraints XML file. Click Save to export.
a) Open the exported XML file using a text editor. It will contain corresponding marker label information under the <marker_names> section.
b) Customize the marker labels from the XML file. Under the <marker_names> section of the XML, modify labels for the name variables with the desired name, but do not change labels for old_name variables. The order of the markers should remain the same unless you would like to change the labeling order.
c) If you changed marker labels, the corresponding marker names must also be renamed within the <marker_colors> and <marker_sticks> sections as well. Otherwise, the marker colors and marker sticks will not be defined properly.
a) To customize the marker colors and sticks, open the exported XML file using a text editor and scroll down to the <marker_colors> and/or <marker_sticks> sections. If the <marker_colors> and/or <marker_sticks> sections do not exist in the exported XML file, then you could be using an old Skeleton created before Motive 1.10. Updating and exporting old Skeleton will provide these sections in the XML.
b) You can customize the marker colors and the marker sticks in these sections. For each marker name, you must use exactly same marker labels that were defined by the <marker_names> section of the same XML file. If any marker label was changed in the <marker_names> section, the changed name must be reflected in the respective colors and sticks definitions as well. In other words, if a Custom_Name was assigned under name for a label in the <marker_names> section <marker name="Custom_Name" old_name="Name" />, the same Custom_Name must be used to rename all the respective marker names within <marker_colors> and/or <marker_sticks> sections of the XML.
Marker Colors: For each marker in a Skeleton, there will be a respective name and color definitions under the <marker_colors> section of the XML. To change corresponding marker colors for the template, edit the RGB parameter and save the XML file.
Marker Sticks: A marker stick is simply a line interconnecting two labeled markers within the Skeleton. Each marker stick definition consists of two marker labels for creating a marker stick and a RGB value for its color. To modify the marker sticks, edit the marker names and the color values. You can also define additional marker sticks by copying the format from the other marker stick definitions.
Now that you have customized the XML file, it can be loaded each time when creating new Skeletons. In the Builder pane under Skeleton creation options, select the corresponding Marker Set. Next, under the Constraints drop down menu select "Choose File..." to find and import the XML file. When you Create the Skeleton, the custom marker labels, marker colors, and marker sticks will be applied.
If you manually added extra markers to a Skeleton, then you must import the constraint XML file after adding the extra markers or just modify the extra makers using the Constraints pane and Builder pane.
Note: For Skeletons, modified Marker XML files can only be used with the same Marker Set template. In other words, if you exported a Baseline (41) Skeleton and modified the constraints XML file, same Baseline (41) Marker Set will typically need to be created in order to import the customized XML file.
You can also apply customized constraint XML file to an existing assets using the import constraints feature. Right-click on an asset in the Assets pane (or click the "..." menu in the Constraints pane) and select Import Constraints from the menu. This will bring up a dialog window for importing a constraint XML file. Import the customized XML template and the modifications will be applied to the asset. This feature must be used if extra markers were added to the default XML template.
