2020.2 is by far our most ambitious release since V1. In difficult times full of uncertainty the team managed to pull through and deliver a very ambitious update package while mostly working from home. This new release marks our foray into two new territories. Akeytsu becomes relevant in a game cinematic pipeline with the addition of cameras. It can also be used to process motion-captured assets with support of BVH at import and Retargeting . These together with an Improved Biped Auto Rig, multiple quality-of-life improvements including a major gizmo overhaul, the addition of Sticky Aim, a myriad of new settings and workflow improvements turn akeytsu into a powerhouse for mid-sized studios looking to achieve their animation goals.
Read more about our release highlights on our website. Changelist follows.
Note: This release is only available for PC users for now.
Summary: Major release
Features
Added Cameras (Beta)
- [Rig Atelier] Added “Create Animated Camera” (with target)
- [View & Preferences] Set custom camera in view options for viewport windows
- [Animation mode] Ability to key camera position, camera targets and camera FOV
- [I/E] FBX Import / Export (baking recommended)
- [Command] Switch between free camera and target modes (RMB on Gizmo or button in the bottom right-hand corner of the view)
- [Command] Rewind Target: Recall target to cam position while preserving camera orientation
Added Retargeting
- Retarget Animations: Transfer animations from one character to another
- Command available in Anim Bank dialog
- Retargeting feature replaces AKNM Import & Export commands
Screen Space
- [Spinner] Activate/Deactivate Sticky Aim
- Used when a joint is moved in Rigging mode (Bind/Build Pose only)
- [Sticky Aim mode ] Keeps parent joint orientation aimed at selected joint
- [Sticky Aim mode] Keeps selected joint orientation aimed at child joint
- [Sticky Second Axis mode ] Allows to keep axis orthogonal to parent, selected and child joint plane
- [Sticky Second Axis mode] Keeps second axis direction (optional)
Import/Export Capabilities
- You can now import AKT into an existing scene*
- You can now import BVH into an existing scene
Enhancements
- [Auto Rig] Improved finger detection
- [Auto Rig] Added option to manually set hotpoints for finger tips
- [Auto Rig] Added ability to define a custom skeleton with dedicated names*
- [Auto Rig] Duo Skin now processed during Auto Rig first step
- [Timebar] Selecting Layer or Key in Timebar now unlocks related layer(s) in Mixer dialog*
- [I/E] Added “Export animations separately” in FBX Export preference (Creates one FBX file for each animation)*
- [Settings] Ghosts can now be coloured in Color Preferences (different settings for Next & Previous)*
- [Rendering] Added Untextured mode in View & Preferences Menu*
- [Settings] Added “All curves ahead” in Curveboard preferences
- [Settings] Added “Reverse RMB Zoom View” in General preferences
- [Settings] Added “Synchronize Move and Rotate space system” in Spinner Preferences
- [Settings] Added “Window size” in Picker preferences*
- [Installer] Improved installation process for multiple workstations*
- [Shortcuts] Added 10 new configurable hotkeys spread for various Spinner, Rig & Skin Atelier and Transform functions*
- [Resources] Updated “SkySurfer_BS.akt” & "akeyboy_sample.akt"
Refinements
- [UI] Various UI refinements including graphic design for Transform Gizmos
- [Skin Atelier] “Select front and back-face vertices” button is now activated by default
- [Timebar] Frame rate preference setting is now 60 fps by default
- [Skin Atelier] “Max inf. pr vtx” max value is now 8*
- [Settings] Added “Do not show update window until next update” in General preferences
- [Update] Windows and MacOS versions now redirects to different download links
Crash fixes
- [UI] Docking Autorigger window to another window led to a crash
Bug fixes
- Recomputing animation after Editing Ref Pose does not damage animations with additive layer anymore
- Recomputing animation after deleting Ref Pose does not damage animations anymore
- Mirroring joint now works when IK/RF are not in the hierarchy
- [Audio] When adding an audio layer, old layers no longer remain selected
- [Stacker] Marks dropdown box was sometimes not displayed anymore
*Inspired by community feedback