CLO x Mixamo - A Basic Guide 💪👌✨🆒
Hi everyone!
I've been seeing that some of our users were wondering if it's possible to use CLO and Mixamo together? The answer is yes!
If you don't know what Mixamo is--it's a rigging program developed by Adobe to quickly animate 3D character models. Don't worry if that sounds like nonsense words, because it's actually a fairly fun process and I'll explain everything below. 👇👇👇👇👇
So first, why would you want to use Mixamo?
Since CLO doesn't specialize in Avatar creation, you have to figure out a way to make your own custom Avatars. Some users use body scans, some make Avatars with DAZ3D*, and others buy body forms from companies like Alvanon. The problem is that these forms usually come with only one or two poses, and they're not very dynamic. You can't re-pose Avatars unless they have a skeleton built into them though. This can cost extra $$$ or be an intimidating process to learn (it's a hard task and requires skill!). The skeleton is generally called a rig, which is a term I use a lot.
(A rigged Avatar in CLO)
If you're only looking for a basic skeleton (arms and legs --> runnings poses, hands on hips, etc), you can use Mixamo to quickly rig your Avatar. If you're looking for more dynamic posing with body deformation and custom animation, I'd recommend looking for a 3D modeler/artist to set-up your Avatars for you (or learning to do it yourself in a program like Maya).
*An exception is DAZ--their Avatars are already rigged if you export as FBX and can be posed in CLO without any extra work. However, DAZ Avatars aren't standardized for fitting garments and may not have measurements that match specs.
If you got all that, I'll try and outline the process below in the most simple steps:
1. To get started, you should have your Avatar model saved as an OBJ.
- OBJ is a common file format for 3D models and should be available as an export option in most modeling software.
- The Avatar should be in T-pose (sometimes A-pose works if you are desparate)
- The Avatar should have its center axis aligned at the 0,0,0 location
- Export the OBJ with embedded UVs or as a ZIP folder with texture images if necessary
- Make sure you know what scale the Avatar was created in (inches, cm, etc)
- If your Avatar isn't set up this way and there's no way you can fix in a 3D modeling software, I'll explain how to troubleshoot in the comments section (1)
2. Once you have the Avatar set up, use Mixamo to quickly rig it.
- You'll have to sign up for an Adobe account to use Mixamo
- Upload the OBJ or ZIP folder to Mixamo and complete the outlined steps on the website
- Download the rigged Avatar as an FBX in the original pose or in T-pose if you didn't start with T-pose
- FBX is another common file format for 3D models, but it stores rigging information and animations so you'll want to use it from now on if you plan to pose or animate your Avatar.
3. Set up your Avatar in CLO and create custom poses.
- To start, you'll have to transfer Arrangement Points onto your new Avatar. Check out this forum post/video to learn more.
The reason you want your Avatar in T-pose is for the building process. It's much easier to place your pattern pieces around your Avatar and create your garment when it's standing in T-pose. But the best thing is that now that it's rigged, you can change the pose after you finish making your garment! - To import your rigged Avatar into CLO, use File > Import > FBX. Make sure to use the correct scale. Use CM if your Avatar was saved from CLO. I'm not sure if the auto-scale will correctly identify the scale from Mixamo.
- Use File > Save As > Avatar to save this Avatar with Arrangement Points.
- To start posing the Avatar, hit Shift + X on your keyboard. The Avatar should go ghost grey and its skeleton will become visible.
- Click on the joints and use the Gizmos to carefully pose your Avatar. Once you get a pose you like, use File > Save As > Pose to save it and reuse it whenever you want.
4. Use the rigged Avatar to build your garments.
- Reopen the Avatar in T-pose and start building your garments.
- Once you get to a finishing point with the garment, save it in the T-pose. This will be your starting point for any future editing. Always go back to T-pose if you want to make changes to the garment, so it's good to have a version saved before you start messing with the Avatar too much.
- Turn Simulation on again and start opening the different pose files you saved to see your Avatar change pose.
5. Now for fun stuff--Use Mixamo animations in CLO ✨
- Mixamo has a huge library of animations that you can apply to any Avatar you've uploaded.
- Go back to the Mixamo site and pick an animation to try out in CLO. The Avatar you just rigged should be in the preview window for you to test out the different motions.
- Download the animation as an FBX.
- Open the animation file in CLO (File > Import > FBX). Auto-scale currently isn't reliable, so use the scale of your original OBJ. Save this file as a pose. You need a way to transition your garment from T-pose to the animation starting pose, so this is your transition.
- Open the completed garment file again. Change the Avatar's pose to the starting animation pose (with Simulation on).
- With Simulation off, open the FBX animation file from Mixamo again. This FBX will replace the Avatar in your project file. If you set it up correctly, it will appear in the same place and your garments won't start falling off or colliding.
6. Garment/Avatar settings for animation. These are suggested settings and it may take some trial and error to find the best settings for each garment:
- All layers set to 0
- Delete any construction details or layers that will not be seen in the animation
- Stretch and Bending values of all fabrics are less than 60
- Particle Distance: 8 ~ 10 (higher PD = less bounce)
- Add’l Collision –Thickness: 2 ~ 2.5
- Increase Avatar Static Friction Coefficient ~ 3 (higher friction = less bounce)
- Increase Avatar Kinetic Friction Coefficient = 1 (to keep loose pants from falling and hoods to stay on heads)
7. Recording the garment motion in Animation mode.
- Switch workspace to Animation Mode(upper right corner in Simulation Mode drop-down)
- Turn on Simulation
- In the Animation Editor, select the Record button to record animation of garments
- Once finished, select Go to Start (rewind button) and hit Play to see complete animation
- Change Frame Stepping to Real Time for smoother movements
- Adjust settings and re-record if necessary
- Save animation for use in other software by exporting as FBX (File > Export > FBX) or choose Animation file format in Export menu (Maya Cache, Point Cache, MDD Cache, OBJ Sequence)
- Save animation as video using File > Video Capture > Animation
Okay.....try it out and let me know how this goes! Yeah, you're not a certified motion graphics designer (yet), but with Mixamo, you can create some neat things that help with styling and presentations, while strengthening your overall knowledge of CLO.
Share your creations below if you've tried animating or posing a custom Avatar in CLO! 👇👇👇
(BTW we're in no way affiliated with Adobe--I just think Mixamo is easy to use.)
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Comentario oficial
(1) FIX --- If it is not possible to check scale or fix orientation of your avatar, use CLO to set up your OBJ
1. Open the OBJ in CLO
- If it is not possible to set up the scale and orientation of the model correctly in another software, save it as an OBJ and import it into CLO.
- File > Import > OBJ > Select OBJ from file explorer
- Object Type: Load as Avatar
- Scale: Use Auto Scale
2. Move and rotate the model as needed until it is in the correct orientation
3. Export the corrected model as an OBJ
- File > Export > OBJ > Save
- Object: Multiple Objects
- Use Unified UV Coordinates (Uncheck Unified Texture)
- Scale: CM << This is super important. If the rigged Avatar you're getting from Mixamo isn't scaling correctly, then you must save the original OBJ in CM and export in CM.
- File: Save with Texture Files (ZIP) if model is textured. Otherwise, uncheck all.
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Hi everyone!
I tried to export in latest version 5.1 the avatar kid "Nevaeh" in *.OBJ format zipped (options: Single Object/Unweld/ mm/ Save with Texture Files) but Mixamo could not download the zipped file.
I tried in FBX and several other options but could not succeed. The program says it cannot read the rigging.
On one avatar inserted as fbx ("Milo"), I could get the file read but:
- I could not get the textures
- The uploaded file is not in high mesh quality anymore
- I could not use previous poses made in regards of the avatar (because rigging was built in Mixamo and was not corresponding anymore to the ones made in Clo)
So my questions are the following :
- Do you have any other specific settings that could work?
- Do you know if Clo is going to make developments so the exported avatars will be compatible with Mixamo?
- Is there going to be motions made regarding the kids?
I know that's a lot of questions :) ! Thanks and kind regards
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Hi dorell22, I'm just starting with Mixamo.
In my first attempt <I exported the avatar as obj and it come out with no skin.
Then I tried to change the export obj setup in Clo and it worked.
Now you have to upload the avatar in Mixamo as .zip file.
The problem comes when I imported the avatar back into Clo as fbx with an animation.
They said to save the starting position on the animation as a pose.
I did that, but when I try to change from t position to the new I just save I get the message: no matching avatar.
So I'm unable to use the animation exported from mixamo.
The animation is also just 30 second long.1 -
What a great tip!!!
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Hey Anh!
Thank you for this tutorial ! :-)
Would you know of a good export format to export the animation into Modo?
I tried FBX for the avatar motion, and associated the garment motion with a MDD, but the 2 motions are not synchronised!
Thanks in advance for your help,
Cheers,
Jean from Adi
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Hi @jeanjaulhiac!
Have you tried exporting as an Alembic file? Curious if that makes any difference!
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Hi @closure,
It seems there is a defect on, at least Mac version, exporting Alembic.
It simply doesn't work. No success in exporting an .abc file. On 10 tries I got 1 file, and it was impossible to open it in Modo and Blender.
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Hi,
You're correct. Macs don't have great compatibility with Alembic files so we only have Alembic export on PCs.
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hi,
I loose my textures when I import the avatar in CLO?? Avatar was rigged with Mixamo.
What am I doing wrong?
This is the original one
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Hi nathalie17,
Are the texture files themselves TIFFs or PNG 8 bits? CLO doesn't support Alpha maps, so you may have to convert your texture images to PNG-24 or JPGs.
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hi Anh,
they are all .png ? I added them here
I added them here
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MY avatar come out with no skin in Mixamo - can you tell me which setting is wrong for my OBJ
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I want to create a 3d runway show. I made a set of clothing on an avatar, then uploaded that avatar (bare) in Maxamo, got it rigged and downloaded it as FBX file. If i import it to my existing clothed avatar, it messes up the clothing to the point that I have to re-saw it. How do I just import the pose and have clothing from an umposed avatar get updated? I just dont get this part:
- Open the animation file in CLO (File > Import > FBX). Auto-scale currently isn't reliable, so use the scale of your original OBJ. Save this file as a pose. You need a way to transition your garment from T-pose to the animation starting pose, so this is your transition.
- Open the completed garment file again. Change the Avatar's pose to the starting animation pose (with Simulation on).
- With Simulation off, open the FBX animation file from Mixamo again. This FBX will replace the Avatar in your project file. If you set it up correctly, it will appear in the same place and your garments won't start falling off or colliding.
Can someone do a more clear step by step? FYI im total noob to CLO so learning it as I go.
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Hi Peresz
I have been ther and done this... very frustrating but have hope... I made this video LMK if it helps https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pftsGIT3SgE
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when i import my animation on the avatar the pop up window say me no matching avatar please help me advance more thank u
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Hey everyone, I know this is old but maybe just reading it from another person will make something click for you, who knows.
Export the default avatar in the scene. Upload this to Mixamo and download first the T-pose (type it in the search bar.)
I went back to Mixamo and downloaded animations using the same character that I already uploaded and selected another animation. My export setting were FPS 30, FBX 2019.Binary.fbx, no keyframe reduction, with skin.
Import first the T Pose from Mixamo and go to file-save-avatar.
After that, import FBX again, and save the other animation as a pose again by going to file-save-pose.
So I had some trouble figuring out the animation but what I think is happening, you need to capture separate animations, export them out and assemble them in another program. I have no idea how to stack animations in CLO or MD.
So what I did, (after placing and saving the T pose and animation)
Put your avatar back on the original T pose.
When you click on these avatars and poses you'll get a window that says Joint information, I always select Pose & Joint translation (not the default.)
In order to first get your transition between the T Pose and animation, first record by clicking on animation tab. From here your avatar should be in T pose. Next click the walking pose. Simulate and hit the record. It should record your transition.
Simulation off, select the walking pose, turn on simulation, hit record. This should record a transition and garment animation in the timeline. Go to animation tab at the top window and select "go to start."
I am exporting this transition at this point as an FBX, I'm bringing it into another program from here.
Go back the your simulation screen, and assign the avatar the animation pose (Even though I have it saved under pose, when I go back a second time, my avatar would not change to that pose, If this happens import FBX again and it should work fine.)
Adjust your garment. Go back to the animation window. Your timeline says, Mixamo.com now instead of transition. Simulate and hit record.
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Hi guys, I have a problem with my trousers when animating, the legs of the trousers are touching each other and disturbing it. What should I do?
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Hi mariammchi
When you are recording your animation what are all of the settings you are using? Offset on garment and Avatar? Particle Distance?
We have a video HERE that has the recommended settings for animation
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I have all settings as mentioned in the guide above, thats why I was wondering. I will watch the video thanks!
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Hi, I tried to follow these instructions and the animation works once I import back into CLO from Mixamo, but when I try to move the avatar back into A pose to match up the arrangement points, the joints either don't move or take the flesh with them...very strange. It seems that the avatars from CLO are already rigged, but once the rigged avatar gets back into CLO from mixamo, the joints don't work any more. Any fixes?
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