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Body Avatar Drive

Body Avatar Drive allows you to control a 3D character with your body movement.

body avatar drive demo

Requirements​

The Body Avatar Drive object is used in conjunction with a 3D character model. Make sure you have a model to use with Body Avatar, such as this downloadable alien character.

Add a Body Avatar Drive Object​

Go to the Hierarchy panel and click on the Add button [+], go to AR Tracking, and then select Body Avatar Drive. Body Avatar Drive maps the movement of the key points of your body that are recognized by the camera to the movement of the key joints of the model under the Body Avatar Drive object.

body avatar drive object

Use the Body Avatar Drive Object​

To use the Body Avatar Drive object, you will need to rig and import a 3D character model, and then properly configure the component.

Prepare a 3D Character Model​

To prepare your 3D character model for Body Avatar Drive, you must be mindful of the rigging, naming convention, and hierarchy of your model.

Character Rigging​

Rigging can take a lot of time. You can download the BodyRigTemplate and use it as a reference for the key points of a 3D body.

↓ BodyRigTemplate.fbx.zip

character rigging

If you want to use the automatic map provided by the Body Avatar Drive component, you can do the following:

  1. Name your joints the same as the image shown below.
  2. Order the joints hierarchy the same as the image shown below.
joints hierarchy

It is recommend that you use some automation rigging tool, like Autodesk®, Maya®, or Adobe® Mixamo®. Adobe® Mixamo® technology uses machine learning methods to automate the steps of the character animation process, including 3D modeling, rigging, and 3D animating.

When creating a Body Avatar Drive model in Adobe® Mixamo®, you must consider the following for the best results:

  • Export the Skeleton LOD with a value of less than 50.
  • When exporting a model with an animation into Effect House, you must remove the Mixamo® playback animation component when dragging the model into the scene.
export skeleton

Import a 3D Model​

You can import assets by dragging them to the Assets panel or clicking the Add button [+] > Import > From Computer.

Add a 3D Model to the Hierarchy panel​

Loop the model under the Body Avatar Drive object you created.

body avatar drive in hierarchy

Configure a Body Avatar Drive Component​

Click the Match Rigging button of the Body Avatar Drive component in the Inspector panel. It will fill or refresh the joints that match to a specific part of the human body based on the names of the joints.

body avatar drive component
tip

You can also manually drag the joint model to the specific slots.

body avatar drive properties

Now you can try to control your avatar!

Components​

The Body Avatar Drive object is made up of the following components, found in the Inspector panel:

Demo Effect: Character Drive​

Check out this tutorial to learn how to use the Character Drive template to apply your position and rotation of joints onto the character

Demo Effect: Control the Character Drive With the Body Detection Node in Visual Scripting​

The Body Detection node detects if there’s a body in the camera view to set up related interactions. Learn more about the Body Detection Visual Scripting node.

body detection node

For example, set a basic interaction. If a full body is not detected, make the alien avatar invisible. If a full-body is detected, display the character at the bottom of frame and match the user’s movements.

Demo Effect: Clothing Try-On​

Check out this tutorial to use the Body Avatar Drive component to create a clothing try-on effect.